Page:Arthur Stringer - The Hand of Peril.djvu/144

 "Cherry, take that man's revolver," commanded Maura Lambert, "and then get what this other man has taken!"

"Sure," answered the girl. She stepped over to Kestner and proceeded to "frisk" him. The other woman commanded the burglar to get to his feet.

"Pipe the cop!" exclaimed Cherry as she lifted the two pairs of polished metal handcuffs from Kestner's pocket. Then she glanced disdainfully at the rat-browed burglar whom the other woman had backed up beside Kestner. "An' who's th' high-brow?" she nonchalantly inquired as she went on with her search.

Then she stopped, listening. She ran across the room and out into the hall, leaning over the banister for a moment or two. Her jocularity had departed when she returned to the room.

"Lady, we've gotta beat it when the goin's good! That's the Governer's [sic] signal!"

"Are you sure?" asked the other woman.

"Sure? Ain't he just gathered up Tony an' the bag full o' paper an' this guy's overcoat? An' ain't he sendin' me up here to give you th' tip before th' line closes in on us?"

"Then what can we do with this man?" asked the woman with the revolver. Her eyes met Kestner's; then she looked away. "Keep 'em covered an' I'll fix that," announced the girl as she ran over to where Kestner stood, caught him by the coat-sleeve and quickly snapped a pair of his own handcuffs over his wrists. She did the same with the smaller man beside him. Only, before she snapped the last cuff on that soiled and skinny wrist,