Page:Arthur Stringer - The Door of Dread.djvu/97

 the gyp-game days! For it don't go wit' me! I know who yuh are, and what yuh are, and I could git a Carnegie medal for ev'ry gun-hole I put in that fat head o' yours!"

"One moment, mademoiselle!" "Not on your life! Yuh and your gorilla-gink 've done consider'ble monkeyin' wit' me this last half-hour, and there's been doin's in this dump that'll call for consider'ble ventilatin'. But if any guy tries to stop me from walkin' out o' this house, I'll ventilate 'em first, and ventilate 'em good! Now, take that door-key out o' your pocket and hand it to me, and hand it to me slow!"

They confronted each other for a silent moment. The man's hand moved across the table-top. Sadie promptly comprehended and intercepted that movement.

"No, yuh don't! Not on your life! Yuh touch that bell-button and it'll be your last move on this green earth!" The revolver-barrel was advanced several inches closer to Keudell's head. "Yuh hand out that door-key!"

Keudell slowly and deliberately reached into his pocket and handed out the key, dropping it on the table-top in front of her. She reached for it with