"I guess me an'
the detectives have you cornered all right, ain't we?"
The audience sat stupefied, paralysed. While all this was going on upon
the inside, a single detective on the outside was stealthily puncturing
the tires of every automobile in the collection, Mr. Bracken's huge
touring car being excepted for reasons to be seen later on.
"Good heavens!" groaned old Judge Brewster. A half dozen women fainted
and a hundred men broke into a cold perspiration.
"Hands up, everybody!" commanded Andrew Gregory. "We can take no
chances. The train robbers are in this audience. They came to hold up
the entire crowd, but we are too quick for you, my fine birds. The place
is surrounded!"
"Mr. Gregory, the insurance--" began Anderson Crow, but he was cut
short.
"Mr. Crow deserves great credit for this piece of detective work. His
mere presence is a guaranty of safety to those of you who are not
thieves. You all have your hands up? Thanks. Mr. Crow, please keep those
actors quiet. Now, ladies and gentlemen, it is not always an easy matter
to distinguish thieves from honest men. I will first give the
desperadoes a chance to surrender peaceably. No one steps forward? Very
well. Keep your hands up, all of you. The man who lowers his hands will
be instantly regarded as a desperado and may get a bullet in his body
for his folly.
Pages:
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283