"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 252 - Judge Lawless" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

Not for long did he remain so.
To cap that mockery, to give his challenge teeth, he preferred to show
himself - and did!
Curtains parted behind the platform where Judge Lawless had so recently
held the bench. From between those curtains issued a figure cloaked in black
that seemed a materialization of space beyond. There were certain features
that
rendered this ominous being visible despite the gloom.
First, the burn of fierce eyes that shone from beneath the brim of a
black
slouch hat. Next, the presence of two .45 automatics that pointed from gloved
fists emerging from the cloak front.
Staring, Dave Channey knew that this master from the dark must stand for
justice to the same degree that Judge Lawless represented its opposite, evil.
As to the identity of the being in black, Dave did not have to wait to
learn it. That identity was voiced in unison from the hoarse throats of
startled men of crime:
"The Shadow!"


CHAPTER III

DEATH DELAYED

IF Judge Lawless liked disorder in his courtroom, The Shadow was the
proper person to provide it. The hoarse shout that greeted him was proof that
foe-men had accepted his challenge and intended to meet it before disposing of
the helpless victim that they had been ordered to kill.
The fact justified Dave Channey's own decision in the question of Fleech.
If this avenger, The Shadow, planned to rescue Fleech, it was right that Dave
should have done the same. For The Shadow, by his defiant mirth, had
proclaimed
himself a champion of justice as opposed to men of evil.
To side with The Shadow was Dave's proper course, but he hadn't time to
act, so swiftly did events follow. Though equipped with two guns, The Shadow
was immediately confronted by half a dozen, swung by the men who composed the
firing squad.
It was small wonder therefore that he wheeled back toward the curtains
from which he had just come. His fade-out was both rapid and surprising;
literally, he seemed to dwindle into the black background.
Revolvers barked before The Shadow could complete his whirl. Gunners were
shooting across the judge's bench; others were springing to the sides of the
room to angle their fire at The Shadow.
Flat-footed where he stood, Dave couldn't do a thing to help. He thought
it was all up with the Shadow, until he heard the snarl that Judge Lawless
gave; a snarl which was fortunately lost on the ears of others because of the
roar of their guns.
Only Judge Lawless had guessed The Shadow's ruse - and his guess was too
late!
Crooks had reached the box table that served as judge's bench, when it