The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-08-13

he coughs up the paper!'
 And s'posin' he does weaken and hand over that paper? Where do get off"
 "You come back here with it as fast as wheels can carry you"
 But Betsy Le Marsh's friend in the yellow mask, for all his captivity, was apparently preparing for that finish in more active manner than was imagined by his captors. For, the moment he was locked in that nar- row closet he had undertaken sys- tematic search of it's gloomy corners. That search, however, was rewarded only by the discovery of a group of insulated wires running along it's outer wall. Yet these wires he ex- amined with not a little care. And that examination led him to conclude, both from the nature of the wires and the heaviness of the insulation about them, that they were an in- tegral portion of the lighting system of the hotel. That they were not dead" he promptly discovered by scraping away the insulation tissue and bringing two of the barred wires in contact. This resulted in an inn mediate hiss and spark of light. And that gave the prisoner an idea. By breaking" the current, he knew, he could send message needing through all the nervous system of the house. And at some one point, he felt sure, that methodic play of dot and dash in the light bulb would to be instigated.
 It was, in fact, in the office of the hotel itself, where High Collar Davis. the house detective, leisurely perused an evening paper for certain racing returns close beside a rotund and robin-like room clerk in red vest, that an electric bulb just above the register began to conduct itself in a manner that was first mysterious and then challenging. High-Collar Davis, looking languidly up from his racing charts, watched this light for several moments of silence.
 well, I'll be blowed" he finally calculated.
 What's wrong!" asked the room- clerk.
 Instead of replying the house detec- tive took out paper and pencil, and. carefully watching the winking and blinking bulk, wrote number of let ters down on his slip of paper.
 That's the first time," he solemnly bulb talk Morse!"
 "Talk Morse?" echoed the other.
 "Yes, talk Morse, or never pounded the brass for two years. And here's what it has said, twice over. Help room three-o-seven-he elp-help!" The house detective suddenly stood upright. Say who is in S07 in this house, anyway"
 That Virginian with his arm in a sling!"
 Then it's up to us to find out what's going on in that roorn!"
 The Laughing Mask, in the mean time, was no longer giving his atten- tion to the wires along the closet wall. But with his pocket knife he had all ready removed the set screw from the doorknob of the closet door, Then. swinging lightly up to the shelf that stood some five feet from the floor, he seated himself there opposite the door. By grasping the two heavy clothes hooks screwed into this door. and by planting his feet firmly against the sash on either side of it, he felt that he was not altogether at the mercy of his enemies. since by so bracing himself he could hold that door shut against all intruders. Legar might. break it down. it was true, but that would both take time and involve cer- tain. risks. And help might come at any moment.
 Even as he sat there he could hear the key turned in the lock and then the sound of Legar's quick oath of exasperation as the door knob fell loose to the floor. in response to his tug at it. At the same time hope rose in the captive's heart. for he could hear the muffled sound of a knock on the outer door. And still again the prisoner in the closet could hear Legar's oath of evaporation. This was followed hv the sudden im-