The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-01
l(The Marvellous Story, Hitherto Unpublished
From Which the Pathe Phofoplay of
the Same Name Was Made)

oOt
about all an don't see how"
But Margory did not wait to hear
the concluding remarks of the de-
tective, for at this point she abruptly
hung up the receiver. Here was news
Of a startling character which must
be impaired to the masked guardian
of her safety without loss of time.
Without stopping to even catch up q
hat, she slipped out of her room and
down the stairway. AS she tiptoed
softly past the living room, the door
suddenly opened and Captain Brack-
EFT and Walters stood on the thresh-
old. The stern-faced officer watched
the slender girl as she went out the
front door and closed it behind her.
Then he turned to his crestfallen sub
ordinate.
''Never mind dom what was tell
in you, Walters" he tersely COM
manded. ct want you to shadow that
young woman. Don't lose sight OF
her for a minute"
So it happened that when Margory
Golden paused by the mysterious lone
bowlder on Seven Oaks Hill hawk
faced detective was hidden not ten
trees from which the ridge took it's
name. He saw the girl glance fur
lively about her, and then from her
pursed lips came a low, trilling call
like that of bird After a brief in
terval she repeated this signal, and
presently the yellow-masked man
came stealthily around the side of the
great bowlder. The hidden listener
caught enough of what Margory Col
den was saying to become aware that
she was recounting, almost word for
word, his own story of the escape Of
Jules Legar.
As he wondered from what nlys-
terious source she had learned it the
incisive tones of her hooded compan-
ion reached his ear.
what was used to kill Jenkins in
that fearful manner the Laughing
Mask was saying, land I am going
to find out tonight whether I am
right or wrong. Legar's followers
have all been wiped out with the ex-
ception of a man calling himself
Skidmon. He wasonown as a bril-
liant scientist until he contracted the
drug habit, and then, when he was
down and out, he fell in with Legar.
He lives in, a tumble-down old house
at the foot of the blind alley south
of Washington Square. He still has
some sort of laboratory where he
potters around, always on the verge
Ii,
covery. It's my idea that he fur
nished Legar with
But that sentence was clipped
short, for at that moment the de-
tective, burning with zeal to make
UP for the escape of Jules Legar by
the capture of the Laughing Mask,
suddenly emerged from behind tho
oak tree and rapidly advanced upon
the startled pair. AS the Laughing
Mask darted around the bowlder to-
ward the secret door leading into his
subterranean retreat, Margory plant
ed herself directly in the path of the
oncoming Walters. 1t took that eX-
asperated officer several minutes TO
shake off the clinging girl, and when
he reached the other side of the great
rock the Laughing Mask had dlsap-
peared completely. The detective
turned in sullen rage on the calmiy
smiling girl standing beside him.
you've about gone the limit TINS
time, young woman" he snarled as
he seized her slender wrist in his
powerful grasp, IAN we'll see what
the chief thinks of your helpin' that
criminal make a getaway"
A little later the burly Walters
hailed his frail prisoner into the liv-
ing-room, where her father and the
detectives were still gathered Cap
tain Bracket, Tuning with anger.
tried his utmost to wiring from her
the secret of the bowlder, but his rap
idly volleyed questions failed to break
her sphinxlike silence. Finally her
loving but sorely tried father locked
her in her bedroom to prevent her
further interference. Hastily going
to her impromptu dictaphone, Mar
CORY heard the voice of Walters re-
peating what the Laughing Mask had
said about Skidmon. the last of Lee
CARS henchmen. When he had fin
ished, the blatant tones of Captain
Bracket came over that thread Of
copper.
"Our best move will be to watch
the house of this. Skidmon." he an
nounced decisively, IAN when our
man comes along we'll nab him. If
we're playin' in luck we might get
Legar in the same dragnet."
Then came the scrape of chairs
being pushed away from the table
and the hasty shuttle of feet as the
. men prepared to start on this mission.
AS Margory replaced the receiver she
realized the Laughing Mask was
threatened with grave danger. In
some way she must warn him. But
there seemed no possibility of escap-
ing from her bedroom. She knew it
would be futile to try to force the
locked door, and the sheer drop from
her third-story window prohibited
that method of egress. For moment
she stood in hopeless detection. Then
a sudden scheme flashed into her
mind, which she FASTENED to put into
execution. When her father I'M
locked the door and went into that
room to speak to Margory before he
started for the city with the detec-
tives he gave an incredulous gasp OF
amazement.
The heavy brass bed had been