The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1916-11-02
THE MYSTERY MAN OF
MARBLE CAVE
q Purely
Mythical
Tale Wriften
For the Fun
of Urifing
BY PETER STERLING.

had just come in a couple of days be- |
fore, took it up. He sure was lucky. |
BY the way, l haven't heard nor
seen him since. Must of been a |
good thing"
Like a flash DR.. Slade thought of
Doll and wondered about him. After
a bit he went up to the hotel and in |
quired for him. The clerk said he
| had checked out two weeks before |
and hadn't been heard from, altho he
had some luggage there and bundle |
| of mail. |
That seemed funny to DR.. Slade, |
but having no particular interest he
, let the matter drop. a DR.. Smith had
moved to town and they were TAX
! ing office together. The moving and
| settling occupied his mind.
About a month or so later. return |
ing from trip late one afternoon
he stepped into the reception room
and there was the miner talking to
| Smith.
Immediately the miner jumped up
anu advancing toward DIR. Slade, eX-
claimed. DOC, you're just the man
| I'm looking for. My wife is expect
| ing to become a mother most any
time now, and | want you to come
and take the case. I've struck 1t
rich and have plenty of money
thought better come down and get
you SO you could be there in plenty
| of time. Can you start day after to-
morrow"
Yves. but if your wife is in that
| condition we better go at once. If
YOU have plenty of money today won't
make any difference from that stand
point. and it might from the other.
! Let's go now"
mo. Doc, there's no hurry. You
inst get ready and I'll be here day
after tomorrow. You be prepared.
With that parting admonition he left.
| smith looked up with a puzzled ex-
pression and said: That's sure
| funny fellow He's been sitting here
! for over an hour telling me ABOUT
his rich mine near marble cave ana
he wanted me to take Few nun
dred dollars and go up there to take
an abandoned claim next TO IL. Anu
now when you come in he wants you
to take a case. He must De crazy.
DIR. Slade didn't reply. he was
thinking of the similar circumstances
under which that story had been told
before. Always it was to ne"
man who had just arrived in town
. and consequently little known-men
who would be little missed. He
!, thought of Doll and McDermott and
then light dawned upon him. Inc
man was working a dangerous game.
Immediately he jumped to his feet
, and rushed downstairs looking lot
, the police. He told them the story
, briefly and described the man. A
tboro search was made. but the earth
had swallowed him. AS the situation
, became voiced about. other instances
3 of men who had been approached
/ came to light There was George
Arendale from Kentucky, who hao
: 81 900 when he met the fellow: "ha'
| had become of him no one knew.
} By the way, what was the miner
| name? Where did he come rom
How long had he been in Canong NO
! one could answer. He was mys-
] terry.
Feeling commenced to run high
against the unknown and posse was
, formed. They were going to Marble
; cave and solve the mystery. II possi-
BILE. They were going to ask about
, Doll and McDermott and the others
, and if anything had happened to
them they would string the miner UP.
They got to the cave shaft early
, in the morning. Some of the Drawer
. started down an improvised ladder,
which indicated that someone had
been in there before. When all had
gathered at the bottom they started
| on a stealthy glide into the gloomy,
dark reaches of the marble-lined cav
! ern, guns in hand. every sense alert
! The soughing of a hidden wind and
the blood-tingling echo of their tip
toeing feet as they crunched the viz
gin floor augmented the suspense un-
til suddenly a mocking. terrifying
laugh, megaphoned into a peritable
roar by the arched ceiling, burst up
on their terrorstricken ears.
There was an instant halt, a mo-
ment of indecision, amid that caco-
phonic and unearthly uproar. but it
quickly led to decisive action. Filled
with fear, and despite their arms.
some fell upon the ground while the
rest scrambled pellmell toward the
shaft. spurned the ladder and actual
ly clambered UP those slippery walls
to safety; without hesitating they
sped toward Canon City.
The others left to the mercy of
this demon unleashed, lay in an
agony of heart-wringing suspense as
they heard him in the darkness
walk slowly closer and in bestial
tones shrek out, "Ha, ha, ha. SO you
came to solve the mystery. did you?
And you let little laugh scare you
out Ha, ha, ha! So you want the
boys? Ha, ha! Well. I'll give 'em
to you when their bones have bleach
ed. For the present you can git-you
towards! Sneak away like the snakes
| you are and tell 'em the mystery
man laughed you out. Ha. ha, hal
/ A second admonition was not nee
essary-and IT was a crestfallen
pocGa tbat stra ogIad into rannn -