d Allingham, fearful lest the chief's courage
had given out.

"You didn't think I'd arouse the suspicion of the whole neighborhood by
bringing a whole posse up here with me?" retorted the official. "They're
scattered around the square, nosing about quietly. If they can pick up
anything it mightn't come amiss. We'd all better saunter around a
little, first. We'll go over to Erlich's drug-store and have a soda. A
couple of my men will fall in with us there. Later we'll go into the
saloon across the way. Before we get out, they'll all be with us, or
outside the building--see?"

And they were; but previous to this, several of the men had made errands
into the various blocks in that section, but had added no bits of
information to their scanty stock. Several quiet families were surprised
by the appearance at their doors of strange men on strange errands, but
not a clue could be obtained that fastened suspicion on anyone. It
seemed pretty clear that there were no kidnaped women in the block
opposite, nor in the row of blocks on the side where John Allingham had
his office. They went in and out of every block that was not locked upon
the street, and invaded every floor, but without avail. Their search
lasted until twelve, when the plain-clothes men dropped off quietly and
went home.

"Tomorrow we'll investigate the places where we can't get into tonight,
and the blocks back of this one. There is an apartment house back of us,
isn't there?"

"I don't know," answered Allingham. "I never go over onto Collins
Avenue. But--yes, there is a block or two there. We didn't get around
there tonight?"

"Tut-tut, one thing at a time," answered the chief. "The note came in at
your front window, you said. It wouldn't have been likely to fly over
from a street behind you--would it?"

"I'm not so sure of that!" muttered Bailey; and when the chief had gone,
he added: "I'm going to sneak around into Collins Avenue before I go
home, and sort of get the lay of the land. Come, too?"

"I'll join you in a minute," answered Allingham. "I'm not sure I closed
the windows to my back office. Wait for me."

"No; I'll stroll round there and be taking a look," answered Bailey.
"You can meet me at a little drug-store there is around the corner." He
strolled away and his friend went upstairs to his office. He opened the
door with his latch-key, as quietly as possible, meaning just to take a
look, and make things secure for the night, but--

There,