Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-06-03

Il don't understand, / SAID, 1eeIlng
my handy Colt in my back pocket to
make sure it was there.
Forget what l have said-all-all
that have told You tonight, sir" he
said. 81 have not explained the whole
truth. You are in peril-in deadly
peril!"
"How?' l exclaimed breathlessly,
surprised at his extraordinary change
of name and his evident a%pprehen-
sion lest something should befall me.
wait, and you shall see," he whis-
pered. But first tell me, signore, that
you will forgive me for the part | have
played in this d~astardly affair. |, like
yourself, fell innocently into the hands
of your enemies"
my enemies! Who are they?"
"They are unknown, and for the
present must remain so. But if you
| doubt your peril, watch" and taking
the rusty ire-tongs from the CRATE he
carefully placed them OF end in front
| of the deep old armchair in which |
had sat, and then allowed them to fall
against the edge Of the seat, springing
quickly back as he did so.
In an instant a bright blue flash shot
through the place, and the irons fell
aside, fused and twisted out of all
recognition.
/ stood aghast, utterly unable for the
moment to sufficiently realize how
narrowly l had escaped death.
Look! See here, behind" cried the
Italian, directing my attention to the
back legs of the chair, where, on bend
ing with the lamp, / saw, to my sur
prise, that two wires were connected,
and ran along the floor and out of the
window, while concealed beneath the
ragged carpet, in front of the chair,
} was a thin plate of steel, wherein my
} feet had rested.
Those who had so ingeniously en-
l ticed me to that gloomy house of death
/ had connected up the overhead electric
light main with that innocent looking
: chair, and from some unseen point had
been able to switch on a current OF
sufficient voltage to kill fifty men.
| stood stock-still, not daring to
2 move lest l might come into contact
with some hidden wire, the slightest
l. touch of which must bring instant
l death upon me.
Your enemies prepared this ter
. rible trap for you" declared the mar
u who was once my trusted servant
when | entered into the affair l was
not aware that it was to be fatal. They
. gave me no inkling of their dastardl!
e intention. But there is no time to ad
: nit of explanations now, signore," HI
- added breathlessly, in a low desperate
Ii voice. Say that you will not preiudg
me" he pleaded earnestly.
. II will not PREJUDICE you until Nv
y heard your explanation" | said. "
certainly owe my life to you tonight.
4. Then quick! Fly from this hous
= this instant. If you are stopped, the
-, use your revolver. Don't hesitate. /
n a moment they will be here upon you.
But who are they, Olinto? Yo
10 must tell me-" l cried in desperation.
ID "Dio! Go! Co." he cried, pushin
me violently towards the door. "Fl,
mr. or we shall both die-both of us! Ru
az downstairs. / must make feint
dashing after you"
ad | turned, and seeing his desperat
We e~agerness, precipitately fed, while
ran down behind me, uttering fiert
ad imprecations in Italian, as though
nd had escaped him.
lid A man in the narrow dark passal
attempted to trip me up as ran, but
fired point blank at him, and gainil
the door unlocked it, and an insta
,rt later found myself out in the street.
no, 1t was the narrowest escape fro
Dig death that l had ever had in all my Il
ILL surely the strangest and most
markable adventure. What, | W.
, dered, did it mean?
ers Next morning I searched up a
down Oxford street for the Restaura
it'll Milano, but could not find it. l ask
A ~shopkeepers, postmen and policeme
BOD | examined the London directory
W the bar of the Oxford Music hall, a
her made every inquiry possible. But
was to no purpose. No one knew
his such a place. There were ~restaura,
ave In plenty in Oxford street, from
you Frascati down to the humble coff
i'm, shop, but nobody had ever heard
iud- the "Milano."
he | drove over to Lambeth and W
h / dered through the a of mi
ing streets off the York road, yet for
al life of me l could not decide into VIII
Ing house | had been taken. There W
a dozen which seemed to me that Il
his might be the identical house fl
which | had SO narrowly escaped v
he my life.
nest Gradually 1t became impressed u
You me that my e~x-servant had somel
gained knowledge that | was in