The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-19

looked the part. Even the tan Of
wind and sun failed to conceal the
subterraneaff aspect of his weather
roughened face. His furtive and close
set eyes failed to note the slender
bodied stranger who quietly ap-
preached his abode. entered it, and
stared studiously about. What
made this intruder even more mys-
terious was the fact that across
the upper part Of his face he wore
q narrow band of yellow cloth. the
center of which dropped apronlike
almost as low as his upper lip, lend
ing to that face when seen at first
glance the faint suggestion OF leer.
of countenance cut by the inverted
crescent of laughing mask.
The movements of this mysterious
stranger were marked by CELEBRITY.
When his Investigations, in fact, were
suddenly interrupted by a sound
which grew louder along the narrow
road winding inland through the salty
marshes. he crept to the door, peered
out and prepared himself for q prom
ised Intruder. For approaching Oys-
ter Joe's boathouse he could plainly
make out two-horse wagon driven
by a slattern- shouldered and white
bearded man of about 60.
The masked intruder crept back
through the boathouse, entered the
sail loft and stealthily approached the
still musing figure of Oyster Joe. AS
he did so he twisted together bit
of sail cloth which he had caught up
on his way to the loft. Over the satur
nine face with the blinking eyes he
adroitly tossed this strand of canvas,
quickly Jerking 1t tight as 1t fell
against the bull-like neck. and con-
tinuing that pressure, with his knees
held firm against the arching back.
until the river pirate, garroted into
silence, rolled gasping and gurgting to
the floor.
There. catching up bits of rope scat
tered about the rubbish Uttered floor.
he tied and gagged his captive.
Then, hearing the wagon wheels
almost at the door, the stranger
dragged his inert captive TO a near
by beam, dashed him to 1t and over
him threw the tarpaulin from the
cognac casks.
Slipping back to the outer room
the masked stranger drew his re-
volver and stood close in beside the
shadow of the door. calmly waiting
for the man who had already alighted
from the wagon.
There. gagged and triced to beam.
he kept company with his rolling
eyed and equally mystified confrere.
Oyster Joe. There he sat blinking
about him as the masked stranger
briskly rolled two of the cognac casks
out to the waiting wagon, loaded
them On the platform and as brislly
drove away,
Only once did that wagon stop on
its journey to the city. This was
upon the signal OF street-corner
watcher in Brooklyn itself. The new
driver apparently both expected and
understood that signal, for without
further parley or delay he turned his
team in between the wide doors of q
feed stable.
At Legar's quarters beneath this
same Owls Nest, in the meantime,
Margory Golden had not altogether
given up hope. Faint as seemed any
chance for her rescue from that thick
aired den of iniquity. she still nursed
in her memory mysterious incident
already several hours old.
That incident occurred as the Owl.
sereneiy doing after her third gen.
erous libation of "square-face" gin,
sat browsing In her chair. and the
girl herself, under rumbling and re-
peated threats OF violence upon her
head. was iistlessly making prepara-
tons for the coming meal. She started
suddenly as she stopped over the
fire smoldering in the blackened fire.
place. For from a,crevice in the wall,