<h3> A CALL ON THE WARDEN </h3>
<p> </p>
<p>The restful silence of night lay over the
great prison. Here and there in the
grim corridors a guard dozed in the
glare of an electric light; and in the office, too,
a desk light glimmered where the warden sat at
his desk, poring over a report. Once he glanced
up at the clock—it was five minutes of eleven—and
then he went on with his reading.</p>
<p>After a little the silence was broken by the
whir of the clock and the first sharp stroke of
the hour; and at just that moment the door from
the street opened and a man entered. He was
rather tall and slender, and a sinister black mask
hid his face from the quickly raised eyes of the
warden. For a bare fraction of a second the
two men stared at each other, then, instinctively,
the warden's right hand moved toward the open
drawer of his desk where a revolver lay, and his
left toward several electrically connected levers.
The intruder noted both gestures, and, unarmed
himself, stood silent. The warden was first to
speak.</p>
<p>"Well, what is it?"</p>
<p>"You have a prisoner here, Pietro Petrozinni,"
was the reply, in a pleasant voice. "I have
come to demand his release."</p>
<p>The warden's right hand was raised above the
desk top, and the revolver in it clicked warningly.</p>
<p>"You have come to demand his release, eh?"
he queried. He still sat motionless, with his
eyes fixed on the black mask. "How did you
pass the outside guard?"</p>
<p>"He was bribed," was the ready response.
"Now, Warden," the masked intruder continued
pacifically, "it would be much more pleasant
all around and there would be less personal danger
in it for both of us if you would release Signor
Petrozinni without question. I may add
that no bribe was offered to you because your
integrity was beyond question."</p>
<p>"Thank you," said the warden grimly, "and
it shall remain so as long as I have this." He
tapped on the desk with the revolver.</p>
<p>"Oh, that isn't loaded," said the masked man
quietly.</p>
<p>One quick glance at the weapon showed the
warden that the cartridges had been drawn! His
teeth closed with a snap at the treachery of it,
and with his left hand he pulled back one of the
levers—that which should arouse the jailers,
turnkeys and guards. Instead of the insistent
clangor which he expected, there was silence.</p>
<p>"That wire has been cut," the stranger volunteered.</p>
<p>With clenched teeth the warden pulled the police
alarm.</p>
<p>"And that wire was cut, too," the stranger
explained.</p>
<p>The warden came to his feet with white face,
and nails biting into the palms of his hands.
He still held the revolver as he advanced upon
the masked man threateningly.</p>
<p>"Not too close, now," warned the intruder,
with a sudden hardening of his voice. "Believe
me, it would be best for you to release this man,
because it must be done, pleasantly or otherwise.
I have no desire to injure you, still less
do I intend that you shall injure me; and it
would be needless for either of us to make a personal
matter of it. I want your prisoner, Signor
Petrozinni—you will release him at once! That's
all!"</p>
<p>The warden paused, dazed, incredulous before
the audacity of it, while he studied two calm
eyes which peered at him through the slits of
the mask.</p>
<p>"And if I <i>don't</i> release him?" he demanded at
last, fiercely.</p>
<p>"Then I shall take him," was the reply. "It
has been made impossible for you to give an
alarm," the stranger went on. "The very men
on whom you most depended have been bought,
and even if they were within sound of your voice
now they wouldn't respond. One of your assistants
who has been here for years unloaded
the revolver in the desk there, and less than an
hour ago cut the prison alarm wire. I, personally,
cut the police alarm outside the building.
So you see!"</p>
<p>As yet there was no weapon in sight, save the
unloaded revolver in the warden's hand; at no
time had the stranger's voice been raised. His
tone was a perfectly normal one.</p>
<p>"Besides yourself there are only five other
men employed here who are now awake," the
masked man continued. "These are four inner
guards and the outer guard. They have all been
bought—the turnkeys at five thousand dollars
each, and the outer guard at seven thousand.
The receipt of all of this money is conditional
upon the release of Signor Petrozinni, therefore
it is to their interest to aid me as against you.
I am telling you all this, frankly and fully, to
make you see how futile any resistance would
be."</p>
<p>"But who—who is this Signor Petrozinni,
that such powerful influences should be brought
to bear in his behalf?" demanded the bewildered
warden.</p>
<p>"He is a man who can command a vast fortune—and
Señor Alvarez is at the point of
death. That, I think, makes it clear. Now, if
you'll sit down, please!"</p>
<p>"Sit down?" bellowed the warden.</p>
<p>Suddenly he was seized by a violent, maddening
rage. He took one step forward and raised
the empty revolver to strike. The masked man
moved slightly to one side and his clenched fist
caught the warden on the point of the chin. The
official went down without a sound and lay still,
inert. A moment later the door leading into the
corridor of the prison opened, and Signor Petrozinni,
accompanied by one of the guards, entered
the warden's office. The masked man glanced
around at them, and with a motion of his head
indicated the door leading to the street. They
passed through, closing the door behind them.</p>
<p>For a little time the intruder stood staring
down at the still body, then he went to the telephone
and called police headquarters.</p>
<p>"There has been a jail delivery at the prison,"
he said in answer to the "hello" of the desk-sergeant
at the other end of the wire. "Better
send some of your men up to investigate."</p>
<p>"Who is that?" came the answering question.</p>
<p>The stranger replaced the receiver on the
hook, stripped off his black mask, dropped it on
the floor beside the motionless warden, and went
out. It was Mr. Grimm!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<SPAN name="CH18"><!-- CHAPTER 18 --></SPAN>
<h3> XVIII </h3>
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