The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-05-07
THE Marvellous Story, Hitherto Unpublished
From, Which the Pathe Photoplay of
the Same Name Was Mode)

more than cart tran winding In and
out through slopes of greensward
and shrubbery.
Half a mile deeper IN that shrub
berry this runaway team would surely
have reached the spot where black
limousine stood hidden away in the
shadow OF laurel-copse had not still
another and an equally unheralded
factor entered into the situation
This factor took the form of a high
power roadster In which was seated
man wearing n yellow mask. His ir-
ruption into that orderly little pro-
cession, indeed, proved as abrupt as
Cne-Lamp Louie's eruption from 1t.
And he seemed plainly suspicious of
both Louie's motives and movements,
for he lost no time in swinging from
the highway and plnnging recklessly
after the runaway carriage.
AZ his car approached the runaway
cab that mysterious stranger, known
as the Laughing Mask, stepped to the
running-board of his roadster, lean
ing far eat as the two s~erying VENT
cles drew together. One-Lamp Louie.
whatever he may have thought OF
that approach, had little means of
eyading II. To swing off what mar
row road remained before him
seemed frankly Suicidal. To lash his
team to greater effort was already out
Of the question. To take his hands
from the reins. even, along that I'M
certain road. was equally foolhardy.
So the strange race went on. the
swaying and bounding cab with
ite-faced girl tossed about under
its hood, the leaplng and iurching
roadster. every second drawing closer
down on Its quarry. yet every second
threatening to turn turtle over one of
the grassy entertainments above which
II shuddered and slowed.
II was the Laughing Mask, leaning
far out from his running board, who
threw open the cab door and called
sharply to the startled girl.
Quick" he commanded.
\ + y
For one moment she hesitated.
Then she reached out for the un-
steady hand cropping for her. She
caught at the muscular Young arm
supporting her as she half climbed
and half tumbled out to the cab step.
Then, relinauishing her grasp on the
hand rail, she surrendered to the
clutch OF this arm as 1t encircled
her and swung her bodily from her
feet.
The next moment she found her
self sitting back, n little breathless,
in the leather upholstered seat of the
roadster and the man in the laugh
ing mask smiling down at her with
his enignatic smile.
1T was risky, I know" he ex-
planned but not half as as bad
as meeting Jules Legar on the other
side of that laurel grove!
The Black Watch.
A number OF things had happened
and were happening to discomfort. If
not to discourage, the redoubtable Le-
gar. That astute young adventures,
Betsy lie Marsh. alias Williamsburg
Elsie. who. with the aid Of divers
forged recommendations. had In
stalled herself in the Golden house
hold. repeatedly and stubbornly re-
ported that David Manley was dead.
Williamsburg Elsie also expressed
a strong desire to migrate from the
house in which she found herself so
inquisltlve maid, since that house,
she declared. was too full of queer
things" for her comfort. They were
she frankly acknowledged. getting
her goat"
When, at Legar's suggestion, she
had tried" to pump a needleful o.
dope" into her altogether unsuspect-
Ing mistress. IN dead mans face had
suddenly appeared between her and
the bedroom door. And on two diff
ferent occasions. after midnight, when
she had ventured down to the house.
keepers telephone to send in a secret
message to Legar himself, she had
found herself confronted by n ghost
in white.
When the master criminal to put to
an end to all such absurdities, had
by the force of many dire threats
and oaths compelled both One-Lamp
Louie and Red Egan himself to re-
pair TO the Golden mausoleum and
verify the contents of the myste-
rious casket there deposited, Red
Egan had returned with the prepos-
ferrous story of white sheet sud
oSiiy aCSSciidiuB OUT OIL tllS DIACkneSS
OF the vault and whisking One Lamy
Louie out OF reach and also out OF
sight. And since the once valiant
Red Egan showed so craven a spirit
that nothing short of a quart of three
star brandy could tranquilize his
OF the vault and whisking One Lamp
Louie showed no signs of returning
from the mysterious realms into
which the afore- mentioned white
sheet had whisked him, Legar
promptly and wrathfully decided to
take the matter into his own hands.
lie would lay this ghost. he an
nounced, or something would 60
snash in the process.
But he had no intention OF APP
preaching that intimidating mauso-
leum without due and definite prepa-
ration. With him he took a power
full pocket fiashlight, a Colt auto
matte pistol and a couple OF extra
clips OF cartridges. But the instru-
ment on which he reposed the most
confidence was q gun-metal disk
little bigger than . pocket aneroid.
some three inches In diameter and
no thicker than a mans hand. This
innoeent-iooking disk. which could