Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1916-07-26

do Il, He trembled with furious en-
phf.sis as he spoke on. And when
the coast is clear" he exclaimed, at
last, IN drop my handkerchief.
Turning on his heel he left them. The
two murderers looked uncertainty at
each other. Something of his uneasi
ness communicated itself to them.
In the conservatory. Helen and
Storm were conversing with guests.
The guests left the room as Seagrue
came in and he returned, somewhat
stiffly, the greeting of Helen and Storm.
Storm, resolved now to be generous
with his enemy. stepped to the punch
bowl and filling glasses, crossed the
conservatory with them to serve
Helen and Seagrue. In the garden,
Ward and Adams, watching intently.
saw his silhouetted figure on the low
cred curtain.
And Storms trihing act of hospital
ity was to prove his salvation and
Seagrue's undoing. Having seen that
the punch bowl was nearly empty he
excused himself and stepped into the
next room to summon a maid to refill
it. The door of this room--a break
fast room-opening on the garden.
stood. for the evening. ajar The
maid. reaching up on the sideboard for
a napkin. when Storm spoke to her.
let it fall from her hand as she turned.
The white square of linen, partly I'M
| folded. futtered to the ground.
Where she stood. the maid could
/ not be seen from Wards hiding place
in the garden. Only the figure OF
! Storm beside her was visible and the
| highwayman mistook his figure for
Seagrues. When the napkin fluttered
to the floor, Ward, mistaking 1t for the
| handkerchief, watched intently the
/ two silhouetted figures in the con
! servatory.
Seagrue, at HeIen's side. rose to
/ his feet. Two shots rang through the
nj hit air. Seagrue, stricken, clutched
his heart. With a CHASTITY expression
he looked at Helen And as she
/ screamed, he clutched at his heart
again and fell headlong to the floor.
Helens frantic cries brought a
crowd TO the conservatory doors.
Storm. nearest at hand, held back the
others and entered the room first He
turned, lifted Seagrue from the floor
/ and asked for a doctor. Helen, half
| hysterical, told where the shots had
come and Storm. followed by her. ran
out into the garden.
The murderers had made good their
escape. Hurrying to where their ma
chine was hidden, they jumped into II
and started at breakneck speed for
Oceanside Il was Spikes keen ear
that detected the faint Lum Of their
motor They're making thei- getaway
in a car" he cried. IF we are to get
them. we've got to work quick"
Communicating the first car parked
! in the driveway and accompanied by
Helen and Storm. Spike drove rapidly
down the highway after the fleeing
taxicab. No lights were visible on it,
but some moonlight made it possible
to follow the murderers accurately.
Below the bridge at Signal, the high
way. turning sharply, crossed the rail
road. It is a bell crossing and the sig
nails were ringing for the Oceanside
EXPRESS when Ward and Adams, look.
ing behind at the headlights of Spikes
| car. saw they were holly pursued.
| They opened fire with their revolvers
on the pSrsuing car, but Relen. Storm
and Spike. keeping under cover as
best they could. did not slacken speed.
The criminals thus pressed. saw there
| was a chance to put the railroad
crossing between them and their pur-
| suers. The express was close upon
them. but desperate men cannot be
| choosers Ward took a chance. Crowd
ing his machine to the limit, he tried
for the crossing ahead of the train.
| The engineer seeing a collision un-
avoidable. checked his train heavily.
| II was too late. The engine was al
most on the taxicab and the next in
slant the pilot. striking It squarely in
the middle. threw the heavy limousine
aftv feet In the air When Helen.
Storm and Spike reached the spot, the
engineer was backing down to inves-
tigate the catastrophe.
Lanterns and searchlights were
brought into play where the moon left
the landscape in shadow. Adams
body was found in a borrow pit. The
shock had killed him. Ward. flung
against a tree. lay at the foot of IT,.
INITIATED beyond recognition.
In Helen's conservatory. doctor
bent over Seagrue, but the wretched
victim Of his own criminal intent lay
quite dead.
The sun rose happily after the
events of that tragic night. 1t rose
nowhere on two people more CRATE
full for their escape from assassina-
ton than Helen and Storm. Within
the following week the guests Of that
night, had they been gifted with vi
sion, might have seen Spike seated.
book in hand. in the garden, reading
an account Of a marriage ceremony.
In II, surrounded by her friends and
given away by her foster uncle, Amos
Rhiuelander. Helen had become the