The Ordway new era., 1915-09-24
"She has found it," he exclaimed in
wonder, following Elaine.

Outside, on the lawn, Del Mars men
had been looking about. but had dis.
covered nothing. They paused a mo-
ment to speak.
Look out" whispered one OF theS..
There's someone coming"
They dropped down in the shadow.
There in the light of the street lamps
was the fussy old gentleman coming
across the lawn. He stole up to the
door OF the conservatory and looked
through. De Mars men crawled few
| feet closer. The little old man en-.
tered the conservatory and Looked
about again stealthily. The two men
followed him in noiselessly and
watched as he bent over the palm pot
from which the dog had dug up the
torpedo He looked at the hole curl.
ously. jest then he heard sounds be-
hind him and sprang to his feet.
Hands up" ordered one of the men,
covering him with n gun.
The little ole man threw up his
hands. raising hi. cane still in his
| right hand. The man with the gun
took a step closer. AS he did SO the
| little old man brought down his cane
gun out of his hand. The second man
seized the cane. The old man jerked
the cane back and was standing there
with n thin. tough steel rapier. 1t was
n sword cane. Del Mars man held the
sheath.
AS the man attacked with the
sheath the little old man parried, sent
| 1t flying from his grasp and ouided
him. The wounded man sank down.
while the little old man ran OF
| through the palms, followed by the
other of Del Mars men.
Around the hall he ran and back
into the conservatory. where he
| picked up n heavy chair and threw It
through the glass. dropping himself
behind u convenient hiding-pIace near
by. Del Mars man, close after him,
mistaking the crash of glass for the
escape of the man he was pursuing,
went on through the broken exit.
| Then the little old man doubled on
his tracks and made for the front tf
the house.
With Aunt Josephine / had remained
in the library.
Whats that" I exclaimed at tho
| first sounds. "a fight?"
Together we rushed for the con.
| servatory
The fight, followed SO quickly by the
crash of glass, also alarmed Elaine
and Del Mar in the hallway and they
hurried toward the library, which We
had just left. by another door.
AS they entered they saw little
old gentleman rushing In from the
conservatory and locking the door be-
hind him. He whirled about, and he
| and Del Mar recognized each other at
once. They drew guns together, but
the little old man fired first.
His bullet struck the wall back OF
Del Mar and cloud OF vapor was in.
stantly formed, eaveloping Del Mar
and even Elaine. Del Mar fell. over
come. while Elaine sank more slowly.
The little old man ran forward.
In the conservatory Aunt Josephine
and heard the shooting, Just as one
of Del Mars men ran in again. With
him we ran back toward the library.
By this time the whole house was
aroused. Jennings and Marie were
hurrying downstairs. crying for help
and making their way to the library
also.
In the library the little old man
bent over Del Mar and Elaine. But It
was only a moment later that he
heard the whole house aroused. Quick
ly he shut and locked the folding doors
to the drawing room as. with Del
Mars man. l was beating at the rear
library door.
"Ill go around" ] suggested, hur-
rying off, while Del Mars man tried
to beat in the door
- Inside the little old man, who had
been listening, saw that there was no
means of escape. He pulled off his
coat and vest and turned them inside
out On the inside he had prepared
an exact copy of Jennings livery.
1t was only a matter of seconds be-
fore he had completed his change. For
a moment he paused and looked at
the two PROSTATE figures before him.
Then he took u rose from vase on
the table and placed 1t in Elaine's
hand.
Finally. with his whiskers and wig
off, he moved to the rear door where
Del Mars man was beating and open
ed it.
Look" he cried. pointing in an agi.
tated way at Del Mar and Elaine.
what shall we do?"
Del Mars man, who had never seen
Jennings. ran to his master, and tho
little old man. in his new disguise.
slipped quietly into the hall and out
the front door. where he had a taxicab
waiting for him down the street.
A moment later I burst open the
other library door and Aunt Josephine
followed me in. just as Jennings him
self and Marie entered from the draw
ing room.