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Again was Dr. McDill called to the hospital for a night operation. Leaving his driver without, he cautioned him.

“August, I don’t want you to be fooled the way you were before. If any man comes out of the hospital and says I send word for you to drive home without waiting for me, pay no attention to him. Take no orders from anybody but me.”

“All right. They can’t fool me vonce again already.”

But when a cab drove up and let out a tall gentleman in a silk hat, who went into the hospital, and after a little the cab driver, a friendly and talkative person of Irish extraction, offered August a flask full of a beverage also of Irish extraction, August took a drink.

“He told me not to take no orders yet already from nobody but him. But he didn’t say nothin’ about takin’ a drink vonce.”

“Take a drink twice, then, Hans,” said the person of Irish extraction, “already, yet, and by and by, too.”

It was all of four hours later that Dr. McDill stepped out of the hospital door. He paused under the light of the globe over the porch and examining a large bag of water-proof silk, he thrust therein a sponge upon which he poured the contents of a small phial, after which, seeing that a noose of string that closed the mouth of the bag was not entangled, he strode briskly toward his buggy. The side curtains were on and consequently the interior was in a dark shadow. Pausing a moment on the step, as if to arrange his overcoat, he made a quick, dexterous movement toward the person in the carriage and, throwing the bag over his head, pulled the noose. A terrific blow struck the doctor in the breast, but the arm that struck it fell powerless before it could be repeated and the striker lurched forward on the dashboard in the utter limpness of complete insensibility.

“It is not August,” said the doctor, straightening up the hooded figure and taking the reins. “How well was my precaution taken! I believe that was the last knock that any member of that band of diabolical assassins will ever strike.”

In the private laboratory of his own home, the doctor sat facing his captive, whom, after binding hand and foot, he had restored to his senses. The outlaw was the first to break the silence.

“You’ve got me and you think you’ll do me,” said the outlaw, with a succession of oaths and vile epithets it would be needless as well as improper for me to repeat. “But if you harm me, my friends will more than pay you up for it, just as they have everybody that crossed them.”

“Your friends are of a mind to kill me, whatever befall. Sparing or killing you, will in nowise affect their purpose. Whatever may come to-morrow, to-night you must obey my commands.”

“I won’t do a thing you tell me to. I don’t have to, see? My friends will look for you just as soon as I don’t turn up, and it will go hard with you.”

“Just as soon as you do not turn up with the news you have killed me. We’ll see whether you will do what I tell you to.”

“You dassen’t kill me. You’re afraid to kill me. My friends would fix you and the law would get you, if they did not.”

“Your profession relies upon the forbearance and softheartedness of the public. You know that those you rob hesitate to shoot. No such hesitation hampers you. It is part of your stock in trade to keep the public terrorized. You kill all who disobey your orders, for if people began to resist you successfully you must needs go out of business. Did all put aside their repugnance to shed blood and kill your kind as they would wolves, we would have no more of you.”

“You dassen’t kill me, you dassen’t kill me,” cried the robber. It was the snarl of the wild beast, hopelessly held in the toils.