Mountain advocate., 1916-04-28

feet; the look Of panic which had
drawn the features Of the American
and Hickered from his eyes, with
dawning appreciation of his plight,
was cloudine, fading blending into
one of daze and stupor. Tho eyelids
fluttered and lay STILL the lips moved
as u with urgent desire to speak, but
were dumb; n long, conyulsiye sigh
shook the Americans body, and he
rested with the immobilty of the dead,
but for the slow and steady rise and
fall " his bosom.
Thouehttully Lanyard reviewed
these phenomena
Must kick like a mule that dope!"
he reelected. Lucky IL didn Z get me
before I ruessed what was up! n
I'd suspected its strength, however,
I'd have reen less hastyI could do
with little information from Mr.
Mysterious Stranger here!'
Suddenly conscious of his dry and
burning throat, he rose, and going to
the washsiand drank deep and thirst.
lily from water-bottle, then set him
self resolutely to repair the disarray
OF his wits and consider what was
best to be done
IN abstraction he wandered to a
chair over whose back hung a light
dressing gown OF wine.colored silk,
which. because it would pack in small
compass, he was in the habit nf carry
ing with him Oh his travels. Lanyard
had left this thrown across the bed,
and hp was wondering ENTHUSIASTICALLY
what use the other man had thought
to make of IL that he should have
taken the trouble to remove 1t to the
chair.
But even as he laid hold Of 1t he
dropped the garment in sheer surprise
TO find it damp and heavy in his grasp,
sodden with viscid moisture. And
when in a swift flash of intuition he
examined his fingers, he G.a,.,,...
thereon a faint discoloration--a red.
dish stain.
Had the dye run? And why had the
American come to dabble the thing in
water?
Then the shape of an object on the
floor near his feet arrested Lanyard's
questioning vision. He stared, incrcd
ulous. moved forward, bent over. and
picked it up clipping it gingcrly be.
tween his fingers.
1t was one of his razors-a heavy
hollow-ground blade-and IL was foul
with blood.
With low cry, suddenly smitten
with understanding. Lanyard wheeled
and stared fearfully at the door com
municating with Roddy's room.
II stood a,ar. an inch or so. its spin
tered lock accounted foy By small
but extremely efficient steel jimmy
which lay near the Threshold
Beyond the door-darkness- silence.
Mastering all his courage. the ad-
venturer strobe determinedly into the
adjoining room
The first flash of his hand lamp dis,
covered to him sickening justification
for his apprehensions.
After a nIOMcE, lie r,tu.Icd. sitCt
the door, and set his back against it,
as if to bar out that rocking shambies.
lie was very pale. his face drawn
with horror. and he was shaken with
nausea.
Now he knew why his dressing
gown had heen requisitioned-to pro-
tect butchers clothing.
The plot was damnably patent
Roddy, somehow menace to the
Pack required elimination; not only
had his murder been decreed, but that
the blame for 1t should be laid at Ian.
yards door. Hence the attempt to
drug him that he might not escape be.
fore the police could be sent to find
him there.
Lanyard could no longer doubt that
De Morbihan had been left behind at
the Circle of Friends of Harmony
solely to detain him, afford Smith time
to finish his hideous job, and set the
trap for the second victim.
And the plot had succeeded despite
it's partial failure, despite the swift
reverse chance and Lanyard's cunning
had melted out to the Packs agent.
In was his dressing gown that was
saturated with Roddy's blood. lust as