Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1916-10-12

to the desk where lay the unfinished
confession. Skidmon faltered towart
the desk in obedience.
But his intelligent mind worked
quickly, and by the time he had affixed
his name to that document vindicat
Ing the masked fugitive from Legar''
atrocious crimes he had banished III,
| fears which this supernatural resur
rection had caused him and deter
mined on n course of action. Rising
from the desk he approached the
Laughing Mask, who was standing
| near the open closet with his ready
weapon in his hand Skidmon hello
out the signed confession, but before
the other could take it the paper, witt
seeming inadvertence, slipped from
the fingers of the scientist and flutter
ed to the floor. AS he stopped to re
gain it he suddenly hurled his weight
against the legs of his unsuspectine
enemy with force that sent him
toppling over backward into the
depths of the closet, and before the
Laughing Mask could regain his foot
ing the door had been swung shut
and bolted.
Margery, from her place of conceal
ment, saw the loose-lipped -malefactor
make motion as though to destroy
the confession. but he suddenly grew
rigid as though gripped again by the
hand of fear. Following the direc-
ton in which his eyes were staring,
she saw the reason for his trepida-
ton. A figure masked in the identi-
cal manner as the man just impris-
oned in the closet came slowly through
the hall doorway.
sit would be foolish to tear up that
little document" he said in tones of
grim determination, ''for you would
have to write it over. As it is rather
essential to my welfare, I'll trouble
you to hand it to me-"
But instead of complying with this
demand the dazed and panic-stricken
analyst backed slowly away from
that terrifying specter. His retreat
was suddenly checked by the labor
atory work bench, on which he heavily
himself. AS he did so there came
sharp sound of breaking glass and,
with an abrupt cry of pain, he flung
up his deeply gashed hand, splashed
with blood and thick ooze of gelatin
Gus matter. He turned and saw the
which had contained the colon bacilli
culture. A dull moan of horror came
from his blue lips as he realized he
was hopelessly inoculated with the
deadly virus.
In wild desperation he caught up
the towel from the work bench and
scrubbed the smear of blood and
sticky substance from his open wound.
But the strip of linen dropped from
his nerveless fingers as a series of
convulsive tremors shook his tortured
l'ody. Then his knees gave way under
floor, and after several jerky spasms
his pain-racked form was stilled in
death.
Overcome by the sight of that grue-
some tragedy, Margery stood rooted
to the floor, inarticulate and trem-
bling. She saw the Laughing Mask
pick up the confession and go out of
the laboratory toward the stairway.
Still holding the revolver, he descend
ed to the cellar with the air of a
man whose mission is but half fin
ished. Even as he hastily concealed
himself back of the piles of carpet |
he heard Legar returning from his |
futile search of the premises. That |
puzzled worker of iniquity suddenly |
found himself looking into a revolver |
held by the Laughing Mask, who had |
stepped out of the shadows.
Realizing he had been outwitted |
and that resistance was useless, Legar |
raised his arms above his head in |
obedience to the curt command of the
other. But the evil genius was not
and as his lifted right
hand came in contact with large |
aarthen flower pot standing on a
shelf above him he grasped that
heavy object and hurled it with all
his strength full in the face of his
masked opponent.
That crashing and unexpected blow
its purpose, for the
Laughing Mask dropped in motion
ess heap as though he had been
struck by a bullet. The one-armed
nan, bending over his apparently
ifeless enemy, saw paper protrud-
ng from the inner pocket of his coat.
rs he glanced at 1t by the sickly light
# the lantern he realized it's pur-
,ort, and hurried up the stairs to call
,kidmon to account for disclosing his
utility secrets.
The first door he opened proved
o be that of II small buffers pantry,
nd by the Pickering light of the
match he saw in the gloomy compart-
lent statue-like form standing with
olded arms. The silently accusing
CURE wore yellow mask. With
oath he dropped the
lowing match end and slammed the
DOR on that masked apparition.
r. .toi,- 30 I'D