The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1910-04-14

SO unintelligible that even he could
not Sainsay the statements. Later
she bent her piercing eyes upon the
prince and refused to read his future,
shrilly asserting that she had not the
courage to tell what might befall the
little ruler, all the while muttering
something about the two little princes
who had died in tower ages and ages
ago. Seeing that the boy was fright
cned, Tullis withdrew him to the back
ground. The Countess Marlanx came
next. She was smiling derisively.
you have returned from some one
whom you hate" began the witch
"He is your husband. You will marry
again. There is a fair haired man in
love with you. You are in love with
him. can see trouble
But the countess deliberately turned
away from the table, her cheeks fam
ing with the consciousness that q smile
had swept the circle behind her grace
full back.
"Ridiculous"' she said and avoided
John Tullis' gaze. 81 don't care to
hear any more. Come, baron! You are
next"
Truxton King, Subdued and troubled
in his mind. found himself studying
his surroundings and the people who
went so far to make them interesting.
His eye had fallen upon crack in the
door that led to the kitchen, although
he had no means Of knowing that it
was a kitchen. To his amnzement, n
cleaning eye was looking out upon the
room from beyond this narrow crack.
lie looked long and found that he was
not mistaken. There was an eye glued
close to the opposite side of the rickety
door. and its gaze was directed to the
Countess Marlanx.
Without Dausing to consider the re-
suit of his action, he sprang across the
room, shouting as he did SO that there
was 4 man behind the door. Grasping
the latch. he threw the door wide open,
the others in the room looking at him
as II he were suddenly crazed.
There was instant commotiou, with
cries and eXclaInations from all. Quick
as the others were, the old woma n
was at his side before them, snarling
with rage. Her talonlille fingers sunk
into his arm, and her gaze went dart
ing about the room in a most convinc-
ing way.
Baron Dangloss was convinced that
the young man had seen the eye. With
out conjunction he began q search of
the room, the old woman looking on
with grin of Slee.
Search! Searchr' she croaked. "It
was the spirit eye! 1t is looking ut
you now, my fine baron! 1t finds you,
yet cannot be found. No. no! Oh, you
fools! Get out! Get out! All of you!
Prince or no prince, l fear you not,
nor all your armies. This is my home,
my castle! Go! Cor
"There was man here old woman
said the baron coolly. "Where is the
MANI
She laughed aloud horrid sound.
The prince clutched Tullis by the leg
in terror.
There is no window, no trapdoor.
no Skylight," remark ed the baron, puz-
zled. Nothing but the stovepipe. six
inches in diameter. \ man couldn't
crawl out through that, Pm sure. Mr.
King, we've come upon Il real mys-
tery-the eye without visible body"
Suddenly the old woman stepped into
the middle Of the room and began to
wave her hands In a mysterious man.
ner over an empty pot that stood on
the floor in front of the stove. Then
before their startled eyes a thin film
Of smoke began to rise from the empty
pot 1t grew in volume until the room
was quite dense with 1t. Even more
quickly than it began it disappeared,
drawn apparently by some supernat-
ural agency into the draft of the stove
and out through the rickety chimney
pipe.
A deafening crash as of many guns
came to their ears from the outside.