The Brand of Silence

by Harrington Strong

  CHAPTER XVIII

  A WOMAN'S WAY

  The masked man stepped forward, snarling behind his mask, his handsclosing, and the two thugs stepped forward also, as if to use Murkroughly if the other gave the command.

  But there was an interruption. Kate Gilbert came in from the adjoiningroom.

  The masked man whirled to meet her.

  "You should not--" he began.

  "It makes no difference," Kate Gilbert said. "This man knows me, or hewould not have been set to spying on me. Sidney Prale knows that I amassociated with his enemies, since I was talking to him to-day. It isnot necessary for _me_ to mask my face!"

  "It really was not necessary for you to come," said the masked man."This fellow refuses to have anything to do with us."

  "I cannot blame him. You used violence to get him here. I am afraid thatI should refuse to have business relations with a man who knocked me onthe head."

  "It was the only way. We couldn't approach him on the street very well.We have him here now and perhaps may be able to force him to see thelight."

  "I shall not countenance more violence!" Kate Gilbert said. "I told youin the beginning that force was not to be used. This man is not to beblamed in any way. He merely is an employee of the man we are fighting."

  "I think it justifiable to use any method that will get results," themasked man told her. "You seem to forget----"

  "I do not forget!" Kate Gilbert cried. "Who has a better right to hopeto see Sidney Prale punished? Who has suffered more than I and mine? ButI do not wish to see violence used. This man may be made to help us, butI fear you have taken the wrong method. And what do you intend doingnow?"

  "Perhaps it will be as well for you to return home and allow us tohandle this part of the affair," the masked man told her. "No womanlikes violence, of course, but at times it is necessary. We are going toleave him here to-night to think things over. He will be stiff and soreand hungry in the morning."

  "But----" Kate Gilbert protested.

  "It is the better way, I assure you--and quite necessary. This thing isso big that it must be handled with firmness and decision. You haveaided us greatly, but I think it will be a mistake to let you takecommand of the situation."

  Kate Gilbert's eyes flashed angrily, and her face flushed.

  "Very well, sir," she said. "But let me talk to this man alone. Perhapscommon sense and kindness will prevail where violence did not. Isincerely hope so."

  "I am willing to let you talk to him, but you are to be guarded in yourspeech. Tell him nothing about the real affair; we want to be sure ofhim before we take him fully into our confidence. All we wish him to dois to keep us informed about Prale and Jim Farland, and any others whomay be helping Prale."

  "I understand, and I am not quite a fool!" Kate Gilbert told him, stillangry.

  The masked man motioned the two thugs out of the room, and then followedthem, closing the door behind him. Kate Gilbert sat down in the chairbefore the sofa, and looked at Murk.

  "First, I want you to know that I had nothing to do with the blow youreceived," she said. "That was going a bit too far. I knew nothing of ituntil I received a telephone message saying that you were spying on theplace where I live, and that you had been captured and brought here."

  "I understand that, lady," Murk replied.

  "I know that you have been with Mr. Prale only a few days. If he were inyour place now, I might be inclined to turn my back and let those menhandle him. But you are not to be blamed for the faults of youremployer."

  "No, ma'am," said Murk.

  "I am going to tell you only this much: Sidney Prale committed a greatwrong against several persons. Those persons have banded together tohave vengeance. Sidney Prale deserves everything that can happen tohim."

  "I think you've got him wrong, ma'am," said Murk. "He's even accused ofmurder, and I know he ain't guilty."

  "Neither do I believe that he is guilty of that crime, but that hasnothing to do with this other affair. The persons who are bandedtogether against Sidney Prale have nothing to do with the murder charge,I am sure."

  "I reckon he'll be glad to know that. But you've got him wrong in thisother thing, lady. Mr. Prale is worried almost to death because he don'tknow who his enemies are, or why they are causin' him a lot of trouble."

  "He has led you to believe that?" she asked.

  "I know he's tellin' the truth, ma'am. He's got a detective workin'tryin' to find out what it all means."

  "Then he is fooling you, and the detective also. Sidney Prale knows whohis enemies are, and why they are troubling him. He tried to tell methat he did not know, and almost in the same breath he told me somethingthat convinced me he did know. You have received an offer to help us.Are you willing?"

  "I don't intend to turn against Mr. Prale!" Murk declared. "I ain't aman like that! These gents can keep me here and starve me and beat meup, and that's all the good it'll do 'em. I know a man when I see one,and Mr. Prale's a man, and a square man, and I'm goin' to stand by him!"

  "He has fooled you! You do not know him for the scoundrel that he is."

  "Maybe it's you that's bein' fooled, lady."

  "No. If you knew all, you would understand."

  "Well, why don't you tell me, then? If you prove to me that Mr. Prale isa crook or somethin', and that you people ain't, maybe I'll change mymind about some things."

  "I can tell you nothing now, except that I am right and that SidneyPrale is fooling you," Kate Gilbert said.

  "Then I'll stay right here and take my beatin' at the hands of themthugs."

  "You will do nothing of the kind," she said. "I will not see them useviolence toward you."

  "I don't see how you're goin' to help it, ma'am."

  "I am going to have you released. You may return to Sidney Prale andtell him that we intend to punish him, but that I, for one, will notresort to violence. He may fight unfairly, but we do not." She loweredher voice and bent toward him. "I'll attract their attention, and sendmy maid to release you," she said. "Remain where you are."

  "Yes'm."

  Without another word, Kate Gilbert got up and left the room, closing thedoor behind her. In the other room were the masked man, the two thugs,and Marie, the maid.

  "I have talked to him, and I have a plan," Kate Gilbert told the others."Marie, I wish you to do something for me. Take the taxicab and go onthe errand, and after I am done here I will go home in another car."

  She stepped across to the maid and gave her whispered instructions,while the men waited. Marie left the room, walked through the hall, andleft the house. Kate Gilbert sat down at the table and called the othersto her.

  "That man is loyal to Prale," she explained. "Prale has fooled him. Hehonestly believes that Prale does not know his enemies or why he isbeing bothered, and he is grateful to Prale for what Prale has done forhim. So, naturally, he refuses to turn against his employer."

  "If you will leave the matter in my hands----" the masked man suggested.

  "I may do so after we have had this little talk. Come closer, so I canspeak in a low tone and he will not hear."

  They pulled their chairs up to the table.

  "This man is stubborn," she said. "You could starve him or beat him, andit would do you not the slightest good. It would only make him the moredetermined to be faithful to Prale. We would gain nothing. We've got toconvince him that we are in the right."

  "I object to telling him the whole truth," said the masked man.

  "He could do nothing except tell it to Prale--and Prale knows italready, doesn't he?" Kate Gilbert asked.

  "You want to let the fellow go?" the masked man cried. "Why, we can usehim as a sort of hostage!"

  "As if Sidney Prale would care if he never saw his valet again!"

  "He is more than a valet; he is one of Prale's spies! If we can holdthis man prisoner, and attend to Jim Farland, that detective, Pralewould stand alone. There are not many men he would trust to help him.And, if he stands alone, it will be easier for u
s to torment him, causehim trouble, drive him away!"

  "Sometimes I regret that we started this thing," Kate Gilbert said."What will it avail us to make Prale's life miserable?"

  "You seem to forget--"

  "I forget nothing! I know how I have suffered, how my father and othershave suffered. But I am not sure that retribution will not visit SidneyPrale even if we keep our hands off."

  "You're a woman; that is why!" the masked man accused. "You have a softheart, as is right and proper in a woman. But when you remember yourfather----"

  "I am not quitting!" she declared. "I will continue the game. But I willnot permit violence toward anybody, least of all to a poor fellow whohas nothing to do with the affair except that he is working for SidneyPrale. We can accomplish our aims without becoming thugs and breakinglaws ourselves. I understood that we always were to keep inside thelaw."

  "Well, what have you to suggest?" the masked man asked.

  "Let Prale's valet go, for he can do us no harm. Prale knows that I amagainst him, but he can make no move unless we break the law and hisdetective has us apprehended. We play into Sidney Prale's hands if we dothat. Can't you see it? We do not want to give him an advantage, do we?If we use violence or break a law, we do just that. We must break himdown cleverly."

  "I see that point, all right."

  "I am astonished that you did not see it before. You appear to be veryvindictive lately, yet you did not suffer as some others suffered."

  "I have my reasons. I always have hated Sidney Prale."

  "Then you are making this fight for personal reasons?"

  "Do not forget that some very good friends of mine suffered because ofPrale. But, about the valet----"

  "Let him go, I say. What harm can he do?"

  "We slugged him to get him here. He can report it to the police, andhave you arrested, and these two men."

  "And what evidence would he have?" she asked. "Who would testify that hewas telling the truth? These two men can keep out of sight for thepresent. He has not seen your face because of your mask. And to chargeme with slugging him would be ridiculous."

  "This house----"

  "Is vacant, so far as the neighbors know; it is owned by a man whosewife died, and who has been gone for more than a year. The agent whorented it to us furnished, is one of us. We can simply close it up andnot come here again. If he complained, and the police investigated, theywould find the house closed, and the nearest neighbors would declarethat it had been closed since the owner went away. The furniture is noteven dusted."

  "That part is all right."

  "And that attack on Prale in the Park during the afternoon!" she wenton. "That was a mistake. Suppose Detective Farland managed to connectthat with us. I tell you we must not break a law, or Sidney Prale mayget the advantage!"

  "We can't handle an affair like this with kid gloves!" the masked mandeclared.

  "We do as I say, or I shall go to Sidney Prale and tell him everythingand rob you of your vengeance!"

  "You would do that!" the masked man cried, springing from his chair.

  "I'll do it if there is any more violence!" she declared. "It wasunderstood that no rough tactics were to be used, and I demand that wecarry out the original plan!"

  "We'll see about this!" the masked man cried. "I'll talk to some of theothers----"

  "And I'll leave the game if there is any more violence--do not forgetthat!" Kate Gilbert cried.

  She continued to talk and plan, for she was fighting for time. She hadknown that, at the last moment, this man would refuse to release Murk.

  Marie, the big maid, had hurried from the house, which sat far back fromthe street and was surrounded by trees. But she had returned afterwatching for a few minutes.

  Murk, sitting on the sofa, heard somebody at one of the windows. Hewatched the sash being raised slowly and cautiously, and after a timesaw the head of Marie. She motioned him for silence, listened a moment,and then crawled inside.

  Marie hurried across to Murk and fumbled with the cords that bound hiswrists together behind his back. The bonds slipped away, and Murk madequick work of the one around his ankles. He hurried across the room, gotthrough the window, and helped the big maid through. Marie led himtoward the street.

  "Come right along with me!" she commanded, when they were some distancefrom the house.

  "Thanks for helpin' me out, but I guess I'll hang around," Murk replied."I'm right eager to get a look at the face of the man who was wearingthe mask."

  "I supposed you'd want to do that," the big maid told him. "And that'swhat I've got orders to keep you from doing. You come along with me!"

  Murk got a surprise. Marie gripped his shoulder with her left hand--andit was no gentle grip. Then he saw that she was holding an automaticpistol in her right hand.

  "There is a taxi at the corner," she informed Murk. "We are going to getinto it and drive back to the city. You may be able to find this houseafterward, but I doubt it."

  "Suppose I take a notion not to go?" Murk asked.

  "I'm not afraid to shoot," Marie informed him.

  "Aw, let me go!" he exclaimed. "You're in wrong in this deal; see? Itell you that Mr. Prale, my boss, is an all-right man, and you peopleare makin' some kind of a mistake."

  "I like to see a man stick up for his boss," replied the gigantic Marie."And I'm stickin' up for mine right this minute, and she told me to seethat you went to town. Why don't you quit that man Prale and get a realjob with a gentleman? You're not a bad-looking man at all."

  Murk felt himself blushing at this unexpected announcement. Praise fromthe lips of a woman was something new in his life. He glanced at theamazon beside him.

  "And you're sure some woman!" he said. "And that ain't just nice talk--Isure mean it! But you ain't got this from the right angle. I've got towork for Mr. Prale. I'd be a dead one this minute if it wasn't for him.If I didn't stick by him now, I'd never be able to look at myself in ashavin' mirror again. You don't want me to be an ungrateful pup, do you?You see----"

  Having directed her attention to another topic for a moment, Murk puthis plan into action. He made a quick lunge forward as he spoke,springing a bit to one side as he did so, and trying to seize theautomatic and tear it from her grasp.

  But the gigantic Marie had been anticipating something like that,despite Murk's speech and his manner that said he was a willing captive.She lurched forward and hurled Murk back, sprang after him, crashed thebutt of the weapon against the side of his head, and then, while he wasa trifle groggy from the blow, she grasped him with her powerful handsand piloted him toward the street with strength and determination.

  "Never try to play them child's tricks on me!" she announced.

  Murk regarded her with mingled admiration and chagrin, and spoke withenthusiasm.

  "Some woman!" he commented.