Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-01-15
THE MASK.
~ MOST THRILLING STORY.
BY RICHARD MARSH.

deteCt false hair from real. why enOuiu
hot the same skill be shown In the man
ufacture Of mask. Our faces In one
sense are nothing bat masks. Why
Should not the Imitation be as goOo as
the reality? Why, for instance, should
not this face OF mine, as you see H. De
nothing but mask something wnlch
can take of and on?"
She laid her two hands softly against
fier cheeks. There was ring OF laugh
ter in her voice.
"Such a mask would not only be, In
khe highest sense, work OF art, but IL
would also be q thing Of beauty JOY
forever"
sThink YOU that am beautiful"
I could not doubt it-with her velvet
bkin iust tinted with the bloom OF
health. her little dimpled chin, her ripe
led liDs. her flashing teeth, her great,
inscrntable dark eyes, her wealth OF
hair which CLEANED in the sunlight. l
told her so.
$50 you think / am beautiful How
odd-how very odd!"
II could not tell II she was IN jest or
Earnest. Her lips were parted by a
smile. But it did not seem to me that
was laughter which was in her eyes.
"And you have only seen me, for the
6rst time. a few hours ago?"
''Such has been my IN fortune"
She rose. She stood for 3 moment
looking down at me.
Sand you think there Is nothing In
INV theory about-a mask?"
ION the contrary, think there Is =
great deal In any theory you may ad-
vance"
A waiter brought me a card upon a
salver.
"Gentleman wishes to see you, sir. :"
glanced at the card. On IL was
printed, George Davis, Scotland Yard. y
Is I was looking at the piece OF paste
board she passed behind me.
perhaps 1 shall see you again, when
We will continue our discussion about
mask"
/ rose and bowed. She went from
he veranda down the steps Into the
garden. / turned to the waiter. "Who
8 that lady?"
"I don't know her name, sir. She
eame in last night. She mas private
Sitting room az No. %" He hesitated.
linen he added, II am not sure. sir, but
think the lady's name is Jaynes-
hfrs. Jaynes."
SsWhere is Mr.. Davis9 Show him In
90 my room"
1 went to my room and awaited him.
lMr. Davis proved to be short, spare
man, with irOn-grey whiskers and
quiet, unassuming manner.
''You had my telegram, Mr. DaVis?'
1--WE did, sir"
Il believe you are not unacquainted
with my name?"
'Kuow It very well, sir"
1.-The circumstances OF my case are so
peculiar, Mr.. Davis, that instead OF go
nR to the local police, I thought 10 bet
Ter 20 st once place myself in cOmmuni-
cation with headquarters. Mr.. Davis
bowed. 81 came down yesterday after
y noon by the express from PaddingtOn.
I was alone in firSt-clasS carriage. At
SwindOn q young gentleman got In. lie
seemed to me TO be about twenty-thrae
or four years Of age, and Enthusiastically
a gentleman. We had some cOnversa-
ton together. At Bath he offered me
drink out OF his flask. IL was getting
4 evening then. have been hard at IL
Ror the last few weeks. l was tired. /
uppose l foil asleep. In my sleep l
dreamed"
''You dreaned?"
II dreamed that I was being robbed. "
The detective smiled. "As you surmise,
IAvoke I'D TO find that my dream was
hreal. Bat the curious part OF the mat
ter Is that am unable TO tell you where
nv dream ended, and where my wake
fulness began. 1 dreamed that some
king was leaning over me, riling my
person-some hldeouS, gasping thing
which, in it's eagerness, kept emitting
short cries which were OF the nature OF
banks. Although / say 1 dreamed this,
lam not at oil sure I did not actually
see 10 taking place. The purse was
drawn from my trousers pocket; some-
tKinQ was taken out OF 1t. l distinctly
heard the chink of money, and then the
nurse was returned to where II was be-
fore. NV watch and chain we're taken,
the studs out OF my shirt, the links
from nv Wristbands. My pOcketbOok
was treated as my purse had been
something was taken out OF IL, and the
hook returned. My keys were taken.
MY dressing bag was taken from the
k-raek. opened, and articles were taken
but OF IL, though could not see what
articles they were. The bag was re-
placed on rack, the keys in my pocket. "
"Didn't you see the face OF the per-
son who did all this?"
"That was the curious part Of IL.
tried to, but failed. IL seemed to me
hat the face was hidden by a VEIL"
sThe thing was very simple. We
shall have to look for your young gen.
leman friend"
await till 1 have finished. The
hing-I say the thing because, 10 my
hream, was strongly, nay, horribly
npder the impression that I was at the
mercy OF some sort of animal. some
creature OF the ape or monkey tribe
ssThere, certainly, you dreamed"
ssYou think so? SUN, wait a mo-
nent. The thing, whatever it was,
when It robbed me, opened my shirt at
Inc breast, and deliberately tearing my
skin with what seemed 70 be its talonS,
mt rs mouth 10 the wound, and gath
brin& nv flesh between its teeth, bit me
n the bone. Here is sufficient evidence
10 prove that then. at least, l did not
aream."
Upbuttoning my shirt showed Mr..
Davis the open cicatrice.
'sThs pain was so intense that Il
awoke me. I sprang TO my feet.
saw the thing"
''You saw it?"
sI saw it. IL was crouching at the
heI end Of the carriage. The door
Is open. saw It for an instant and
lt leaped into the night"
Eat what rate do you suppose the
brain was travelling?"
'sThe carriage blinds were drawn.
"a II