The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-16
fCopyright, 1915. by Arthur Stringent NINTH EPISODE.
 Arrows of Hate.

Arrows of Hate. R R. ANsTETT stared down at
 the bundle of delicately
 carved arrows. They were A as slender as bistoury blade and scarcely longer than alarming needle. Then he looked up at his visitor.
 50 you really object to telling me your name," he said as he carefully restored the fragile darts to their re- ceptacle of capped bamboo.
 Unless it's essential I'd prefer not to-" was the strangers quiet-toned reply.
 Then why did you bring these things to me?" asked the doctor. 1 Because l understood you were the most eminent toxicologist in ] America. And I was anxious to know whether or not those innocent looking arrows in your hand were really poisoned"
 The doctors smile was grim one.
 Well, they were poisoned all right! { luSL what the nature of this venom is. But on these poison darts I found unrnistakable evidence of cobric acid That would imply that toxication was produced by using the secretion of some najoid reptile such as the cobra. The fact that these arrows, however, are remarkably like those used in the blow guns or blow pipes of certain aborigines ot South Amer ica would lead me to infer that this terrible poison has possibly been pre- pared from certain toxicophidia of the same continent.
 Had Dr. Anstett been less inter- sested in remarkable poisons and more interested in remarkable per- sons, he might have kept on the trail of this mysterious stranger, and in doing so he might have discovered that these envenomed arrows of mystery were the rightful property of one unrighteous Mauki, the per- sonal servant of that elusive master criminal known as Jules Legar. Y For Legar, realizing that as time went on there was a natural neces- sity for his own retirement to the background, had become more and more dependent upon his accom- plices. The Iron Claw, awakening to the fact that he had no contemptible enemy in the person of the Laughing Mask, was resolved on extreme meas ures to effect the rounding up of that mysterious enemy.
 One of these efforts included visit on Enoch Golden by Lieutenant Kibby and three of his men from the detective bureau. Golden, the lieu tenant pointed out, was in a position to help the authorities out of pre- dicament by telling all he knew about this same mysterious stranger.
 But ' don't know any more about this Laughing Mask than you dol" protested the old financier.
 Surely you have at least some the- ory as to the identity of the man?"
 '.I thought had, once or twice. And my daughter thought she had. But we were off the track. each time"
 "One moment, please" cut in the lieutenant as he suddenly rose to his feet and strode across the room. He stepped out through the portiered doorway, started down the hallway, and returned to the room again. Are woman has been standing there lis- tening to every word we said?'
 The deep-lined face of the aged f1n- ancier showed no perceptible change.
 My daughter, undoubtedly, re- torted Golden. For the girls about as interested in this case, you see, as we are ourselves!"
 Margory's interest in the mysterious case of the Laughing Mask, indeed, would have been brought promptly home to that somewhat puzzled po- lice lieutenant had he been able to give less attention to Enoch Golden and more to the puzzled-eyed girl who had stood momentarily arrested at the entrance of her fathers library. For as she moved on down the shadowy hallway she found her self confronted by that interruptlve but all too familiar figure of the Laughing Mask himself. He made gesture for silence as she started back in alarm. Then he nodded his dominoed head in the direction or the library door.
 Now, perhaps. you will understand why it has not been easy for me to explain just who am!" But you must explain" gasped the bewildered girl. They are saying ~crrible things about you, things which know to be untrue. Do you trust me?''
 q want to- was the whispered an- swer.
 Then will you continue to trust me?" asked the man in the mask.
 II don't think [ can," was the girls hesitating answer. until you can trust mel"
 'sYou mean that l must unmask?"
 But Margory Golden's reply to that question was never uttered. For as she was about to speak. her volatile maid. Celestine stepped into the hall behind her, buneld the mysteriously masked figure, and promptly filled the house with a ringing GAllic bcream.
 "Mon Dieu. 1t is tie Laughing