Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1916-07-13
"Are you sure?"

Then the first thing to do is t
make sure that she is still safe"
Yet hurried as Manleys flight wa
through that quiet house, he took tim
to circle about to his own room ant
there thrust an automatic pistol int
his pocket Then he called Celestine
who was promptly sent to investigat,
Margery's boudoir. She returned will
the disquieting report that the CIR
was not there.
Manley, with sinking of the heart
continued his search through the low
er regions of the house. And he did
not breathe freely until, quietly open
ing the side door into the library, he
caught sight of Margery herself, In q
ACKNOWLEDGED Jacobean chair, bent
low over a book which lay open on
her lap.
! She sat clearly outlined in the
bright fulcrum falling over her care
lessly-posed body, leaving her in a
luminous shower from the single wall
light, which she had left turned on
Immediately above her. This silvery
shaft of light brought out the beauty
of her heavily-massed hair; it brought
out the tender lines of the white
throat and neck, the wistful girlish-
ness Of the slender figure. Then Man.
ley for the first time noticed that she
was sitting directly in front of the
suit of Japanese armor. He could see
the polished metal of that armor flash
yenomously in the strong sidelight.
AS he stood there, clinging to the
portiere and continuing to stare at
those two acknowledgement figures,
he found something almost hypnotic
In the virulent brightness of the pol
ished metal. Then gasp of incred-
ulity burst from his lips For as he
stared at the metaled hand holding
the long-bladed dagger, he saw, or
thought he saw, that hand slowly
raise, as though some miracle had en-
lowed its insensate links and plates
and vambraces with life. Then the
very blood in his body seemed to cur
die with sudden horror, for now there
was no doubt about it. The mailed
blade above the softly-breathing girl
was slowly but surely being lifted,
higher and still higher And in an |
other moment, Manley felt, it would
surely strike.
Quick as a flash he caught the au-
tomato from his pocket, swung it up, |
and trained the barrel on the glinting |
high lights along the mailed fist. Then |
he fired
There was a muffied shout of pain,
D short scream of terror from the |
startled girl, and answering calls from
above-stairs as the uproar echoed
through the midnight house. But to
all of these Manley paid scant 'atten-
ion. With ten steps he had crossed
he room. Then he flung himself on
he suit of mail, twisting it about and
sending it topping from its stand.
But one glance showed it to be empty
The framed canvas that stood behind
t he jerked from the wall. Then an
exclamation of wonder burst from his
fps. For, in the wainscoting at each
1de OF where the canvas had hung he
discovered two holes cut, not a yard
part, and sufficiently large to admit
Il mans arms being thrust through
hem. And as he saw them, and be-
AN to batter on the hardwood VAIN =
coting with his heavy pistol-butt, he
called what had taken place.
Some enemy, secreted behind that
yainscoting, had thrust an arm into
he metal shell Of an arm holding the [
agger, and had lifted it to strike |
own the girl SO close beside 1t. And |
hat enemy, Manley resolved as he |
altered down the panel and crowded I
is way through into a narrow pas 8
ageway, he would discover and cap Z
Ire or know the reason why. I
Yet that passage, which led to the /
bandoned conservatory and from t
lere back to a long unused buffers
antry, proved to be entirely empty. 4
IL that rewarded Manleys frantic L
earch was a sleeve button and a a
lred OF cloth torn from a service a
BAT, caught on nail where the pas q
lge itself ended against the vain
'oting. And by the time he had o
lshed his way back to the library b
olden and Da Espares and Wilson b
ere already there. a
Where's Wrench, that new foot 81
ang he demanded.
Il saw Wrench in the upper hall,
r, two minutes ago." was Wilson's
ompt reply. p,
But monsieur, what has happen to
Y beautiful armor?" demanded the to
Da Espares. W
I'll tell you that when we find OF
rench," was Manley's curt reply. he
wilson, you guard the front door,
d you, sir" added Marley, turning tn
Golden, I'D advise to watch the win.
We there" Fl
And l, monsieur, what may do to In
of assistance?" inquired the imper- eli
'bable Da Espares.
You go up those front stairs and as
p anybody who attempts to come h
Vn. And mind vc,, ofry, fbop.t IT,, | III