The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1912-1984, 1916-05-30

he STOOD watching her as she
crossed to the heavy safe door and
swung it shut. He saw her gloved
hand go up to the nickeled handle, to
throw on the lock. Then she did
startling and unexpected thing. With
an oddly birdlike movement of the
head she stopped and stared intently
at his figure, clearly outlined against
the dark folds of the portiere behind
him. Then, instead of locking the
vault door, she took four quick steps
to the heavily carved teakwood table
on her right. From this she caught up
Roman lamp of heavy bronze, hurting
it with all her force at the swaying
portiere behind him at the same mo-
ment that she uttered her sudden
scream of warning.
For from the folds of that portiere
she had caught sight of an iron claw at
the end of preternaturally long arm.
And as this iron claw was lifted high
in the air she caught the CLINT of
naked steel knife-blade, pointed and
slender, held, in some inexplicable man
ner, in the clutch of that circle of iron
"Legar," was all she had time to cry
out as the bronze lamp went swinging
against that appraised tentacle of wood
and iron. But the warning was suf-
ficient.
The Laughing Mask, leaping to one
side, escaped before the knife could
be recovered. Then he ran towards
the girl in the center of the room,
standing between her and the door,
as though to shield her body with his
own, for by this time Legar was in the
room itself. And as he advanced on
them he tossed the knife away and
drew a revolver from his pocket.
But the man in the mask, moving
even more quickly than his enemy,
swung the girl about and half carried
and half dragged her back to the vault,
where with one tug of his free hand
he sprung the heavy steel door half
open. Legar fired, as he did so, but
the shot ricocheted harmlessly against
the safe-front of japanned steel.
Father keeps a navy revolver in
the coin drawer of the vault here"
called out the girl as the man in the
mask pushed her deeper into the shad-
ow of the protecting door.
At the same moment that the Laugh
ing Mask swung about and tugged
open the coin drawer, Wilson and a
rOund-eyed footman, having heard the
sound of the shot, came running to the
library door. But before that door
could be opened, Legar, realizing that
his time was short, had taken matters
in his own hand. Charging bodily
against the half-closed vault door, he
swung it shut before the meaning of
his maneuver could be understood.
Then he threw on the lock, spun the
dial, and wheeled about to cover the
two white-faced and gaping-mouthed
servants with his revolver.
"Stir one foot, either of you, and it'll
be your last move on this earth" he
cried as he edged guardedly towards
the door, still covering them as he
went.
He would have reached the door
and passed out through it without in
terruption, had not the entrance door
of the house been thrown open and the
noise of many feet sounded through
the wide hallway. And the next MO
ment the indignant voice of Enoch Col
den could be heard calling for his
vanished servants.
Legar, with a movement of his
weapon, motioned Wilson and the
shaking-kneed footman out through
the door. Then, staring frantically
about the room, he ran to a Perugian
panel screen of faded tapestry and
crouched behind it, with his revolver
still in his hand.
The next moment the room was
filled with clatter of hurrying feet
and a babel of voices. Wilson, almost
inarticulate with excitement, attempt
ed for the third time to explain the
situation to Enoch Golden and the Of
uCldlS ITOIu Tic CcutId al OuuCC WIN iOi-
lowed at his heels.
MY daughter, you say, shut up in
that vault"
Yes, sir, shut up with the man in
the yellow mask!"
Golden was breathing hard as he
stopped over the lock-dial and worked
with shaking fingers on the combina-
ton.
Stand ready, Captain Bracket, for
you know what this Laughing Mask
isl" the old capitalist warned the Of
ficer beside him.
Then Golden, throwing back the
ck-bars, swung open the vault door.
But instead of epcountering a criminal
with drawn gun, they found only a
somewhat droopfng-shouldered young
man, in a yellow mask, supporting the
body of a half-fainting girl.
Get some water, somebody, quick
said the preoccupied young man in the
mask, as he stepped slowly and some
what shakily out to the light. But no
one moved to obey that command.
$50 we've got you at last!"
It was Enoch Golden who spoke,
confronting the distracted youth in
the mask as the latter lifted away the