The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-08-27

set, ian I've got a hunch that one armed crook ain't so far off. We'll send the swag up to the house an then beat every inch of the gully for his bunch of rattlesnakes."
 This plan met with Golden's ap- proval, and he turned to the old gardener who was standing with mouth agape.
 Here, Tim," he ordered, take Peter and Negus and get this bag up to the house. Tell Miss Margory want it locked in the gun-room safe, and keep that safe guarded carefully until we get back"
 Be gorry!" he calculated, "th' masther clane forgot he kapes that safe locked up entoirely, nary soul but himself knowin' tn com bination- Nagus, be a good lad and run back an ask him what'l we be doin' with tn sack"
 As the somewhat reluctant Negus departed on this errand Tim and his companion entered the house and made their way along highly polished floors to the gun-room at the further end of the imposing hall. Here they found Margory Golden, who was often drawn to this room by it's fascinating collection of dealing weapons.
 There was no necessity for sending Negus back" she exclaimed, q know the combination of the safe quite as well as father"
 AS Peter, the under gardener, curi- ously watched the fair-haired girl spinning the safe dial in her slender nngers. a startling transformation suddenly took place in the person of old Tim, the trusted servant of many years. The stoop vanished from his back and his eyes blazed with the savage lust of battle, as with a quick movement he freed his left arm, car- ried in sling by his side. The next moment that left arm, bearing a heavy hook of wrought iron, crashed down upon the skull of the unsus- to the floor like felled OK
 With a panther-like spring the metamorphosed gardener was upon the bewildered girl bending over the safe, and again that cruel iron claw shot out, clutching her arm as in a wise. With a derisive laugh of tri- umph Legar tore off his false trap- pings, revealing the scar-twisted face hideous with evil passion. For a full moment he stood gloating over his pinioned captive, then, as the un- subdued girl started to call for help, he roughly pressed contaminating hand over her half open mouth, and pursing his thin lips gave a shrill, penetrating whistle. In response to this signal a faint shuffiing noise came from the direction of the fire- place, which was of such huge dimen- sions as to occupy almost an entire side of the room.
 The shuffling sounds became more distinct. and two of Legar's follow CTS, with faces blackened like imps of darkness, sprawled out of the rec tangular opening of the chimney amid powdery cloud of falling soot. At a curt command from their grim faced leader they quickly bound the shrinking girl, and, tying a handker- chief over her mouth, dragged her across the floor into the fireplace. Muttering violent imprecations as they laboriously gained foothold, they disappeared with their helpless burden up the cavernous nav of the chimney. Legar strode to the door and, rapidly turning the key in the heavy lock, caught up the sack of disputed plumber, and, clawing his way up the ragged lining of the murky chimney flue, vanished as completely as though the earth had swallowed him.
 Even as the quaint personality of old Tim merged into that viciously depraved character, Jules Legar, the baffied group of searchers returning to the old barn, after vainly combing the ravine for some trace of that arch criminal, saw approaching them the rhemuatic- -stooped figure of the old gardner who carried his left hand in a red bandana sling.
 "v'hat does this mean. Tim?"