He had felt bound at
first by his promise to Maggie to let her work out her plan; and bound
later by his sense that this situation belonged to Joe Ellison. But
now this swift crisis dissolved all such obligations. He sprang from
his closet to take his part in the drama that was so swiftly
unfolding.
CHAPTER XXXVI
Larry caught and whirled around Barney Palmer just as the hand of the
escaping Barney was on the knob of the outer door.
"No, you don't, Barney Palmer!" he cried. "You stay right here!"
Startled as Barney was by this appearance of his dearest enemy, he
wasted no precious time on mere words. He swung a vicious blow at
Larry, intended to remove this barrier to his freedom. But the
experienced Larry let it glance off his forearm, and with the need of
an instantaneous conclusion he sent a terrific right to Barney's chin.
Barney staggered back, fell in a crumpled heap, and lay motionless.
Sparing only the fraction of a second to see that Barney was
momentarily out of it, Larry sprang upon Joe Ellison and tried to
break the deadly grips Joe held upon Old Jimmie.
"Stop, Joe--stop!" he cried peremptorily. "Your killing Jimmie
Carlisle isn't going to help things!"
Without relaxing his holds, Joe turned upon this interferer.
"Larry Brainard! How'd you come in here?"
"I've been here all the time.
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