Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1916-05-20
NINTH EPISODE
Arrows of Hate.

rhiONO VI ttolOs
Doctor Anstett stared down at the
bundle Of delicately carved arrows.
They were as slender as a bistoury
blade and scarcely longer than a darn
ing needle. Then he looked up at his
visitor.
80 you really object to telling me
your name" he said as he carefully
restored the fragile darts to their re-
ceptacle Of capped bamboo.
Unless it's essential, I'd prefer not
to-" was the strangers Quiet-toned re-
ply
Then why did you bring these
things to me?" asked the doctor
Because understood you were the
most eminent toxicologist in America.
And was anxious to know whether
or not those innocent-looking arrows
in your hand were really poisoned"
The doctors smile was a grim one.
well, they were poisoned, all right!
1t is difficult, of course, to say Just
what the nature of this venom is. But
that does not interest me as much as
possession of such remarkably deadly
little missiles"
For moment or two the stranger
remained silent.
ITO be quite candid, doctor, these
arrows we're stolen"
"But from whom?"
From the foreign valet of g man
who has Enthusiastically proved himself
an enemy to society"
"And is that why you have asked
me to clean and neutralize them with
such scientific exactitude?"
'It is."
"And now that their fangs have
been drawn, so to speak, what do you
propose to do with them?"
Return them to their owner"
ITO what end?"
"To the end that any nefarious plan
which he may be about to execute will
not bring death where that criminal
desires to bring it!'
The abstracted-eyed doctor watched
his visitor as the latter prepared to
take his departure.
Hao Doctor Anstett been less inter.
ested in remarkable poisons and more
interested in remarkable persons, he
might have kept on the trail of this
mysterious stranger, and, in doing SO
he might have discovered that these
envenomed arrows of mystery were
the rightful property of one unright-
eous Mauki, the personal servant of
that elusive master criminal known as
Jules Legar.
Legars campaign to discredit the
Laughing Mask was a characters
ticalIy auuaclCus one. 1t even en-
braced a number of artfully forged let
ters, duly signed by the Laughing
Mask and left in surroundings which
caused both perplexity and alarm to
the city police.
One note, found beside the body of
a murdered miser, briefly explained
that crime by the declaration that the
dead man had always robbed the poor
and so earned the end which overlook
him-even though this included the
carrying away of not inconsiderable
portion OF his worldly wealth A gam
bier and a government inspector met
q similar fate. The complex machin,
cry Of the law was set In motion and
far-reaching efforts were made for the
rounding up of this somewhat too au.
tocratic Laughing Mask.
One of these efforts included q visit
on Enoch Golden by Lieutenant Kibby
and three OF his men from the detec-
tive bureau. Golden, the lieutenant
pointed out, was In position to help
the authorities out of a predicament
by telling all he knew about this same
mysterious stranger.
But I don't know any more about
this Laughing Mask than you dol"
protested the old financier.
Surely you have at least some the.
ory as to the identity of the man."
81 thought had, once or twice. And
my daughter thought she had. But we
were OF the track, each time"
"One moment, please" cut In the
lieutenant as he suddenly rose to his
feet and strobe across the room. He
stepped out through the portiered
doorway, stared down the hallway, and
returned to the room again. Are you
| aware Of the fact that a young woman
has been standing there listening to
every word we said?"
The deep-lined face of the aged finan.
cier showed no perceptible change.
My daughter undoubtedly" retort