"Oh, no you don't, lady," he snarled. He admired the pearls an instant before dropping them into a small cloth bag which he carried.
Penny stood next in line. She wore no jewelry save an inexpensive brooch which had belonged to her mother. Tears came into her eyes as the thief jerked it from her dress.
"Oh, please don't take that—" she began.
"Make no resistance," Mr. Nichols ordered curtly.
Penny relapsed into silence. She was a trifle puzzled at her father's attitude for she had always imagined that in such a situation he would be the first to fly into action.
The holdup man paused in front of the detective.
"Your money and valuables," he commanded.
"Help yourself," the detective invited cheerfully.
As the holdup man reached into an inside pocket, Mr. Nichols' fist shot out, catching him squarely under the jaw. The startled thief staggered back and dropped his bag of loot. Before he could recover from the blow, the detective wrenched the revolver from his grasp.
"Look out!" Penny screamed. From the opposite side of the room the other holdup man was taking careful aim at the detective.