Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1916-06-05
CONTINUED from previous issue.)

-ne next moment Legar and his
men were in the outer chamber. While
one OF the men crept to a secret out
look crevice in the farther wall LIE
gar himself stepped to one of the con-
troll chains which ran from floor to
ceiling on the other side of the room.
and by pulling one of these started
into action some mysterious mech
anism which the watching girl could
not quite comprehend She saw
them run back to the inner room
and stand waiting while Legar
manipulated still another secret
spring which threw open a hidden
door in the back wall of that room
And that door. she surmised, led BY
some unknown passage to the outer
world.
But Margery did not give much
thought 70 this, for there came to her
as she regained her feet the repeated
cry of a human being, a cry husky
with terror. She ran to the pivot door
in the masonry. swung it back, and
there beheld sight which made heI
blood run cold. Ii took her. in fact
ponderable space of time to under
stand the scene confronting her. But
as she stared out she saw where her
unsuspecting chauffeur had stepped
on the cross-marked aagstone, for /,
was now several inches lower thar
the rest of the floor. And this, OBJ
viously, had released a steel arm
which had swung suddenly forward and
swept the startled intruder fiat
against the stone wall, holding him
there as in wise. And as he stood
pinioned there a great block of gran
ite, released by some hidden ma.
chinery, was slowly descending from
the roof of the corridor. Margery
quickly manipulated the chains and re-
leased the chauffeur
Let me at em!" he shouted. brar
dishing the automobile wrench which
he still carried in his hand. Just
let me at 'em!'
It's no use," cried Margery. hold.
ing him back. "They have gone, the
lot of them. And we've got to follow
quickly, or there'll be a whole fam
lily meet a worse fate than yours
might have been tonight"
She had taken the wrench from his
hand and was leading him out OF the
tunnel mouth by this time, explain
ing that he would have to bring his
taxicab from it's hiding place and at
once start in pursuit of the Iron Claw.
But these explanations came to a sud
den and an unexpected ending, for Le-
gar and his followers, skulking in the
bushes, caught that betraying sound
OF voices and saw a chance that was
too good to be missed. They closed IN
on the girl and the taxi-driver. Yet
that sullen-spirited driver, when cor
nered, fought with an energy so ex.
plosive that the entire circle became
involved in the struggle. 1t was Le
gar himself, and only Legar, who had
the presence of mind to direct the at
tention towards the girl He swung
suddenly about and started for her.
She saw him coming, raised the heavy
wrench she still carried and sent it
fiat against his bony temple and took
TO her heels. She jumped into the
empty taxicab and headed for the
O'Mara cottage.
So oolorless was her face as the be
wildered Dan O'Mara opened the door
that he started back in alarm And
her words were even more disturb
ing.
Come away" she called out,
Come quick, or 1t will be too late!"
And what's wrong now?" asked
the astounded householder.
Get Peggy!" gasped the girl as she
stared frantically about the little
room. "Get her away from here, quick!
The house has been mined! There's
been a bomb left here, and any mo.
ment-"
She stopped speaking. for the pun,
gent smell of powder smoke had as
sailed her nostrils. Then from the
open window, in which a somewhat
neglected flower-box stood, came a
faint sputter of sound
She ran to the window. Lying in
the flower-box she saw heavy
cylinder of metal Even before she
caught sight OF the time-fuse which
quietly Kissed and burned at one end
of the cylinder she knew what it was.
It was the internal machine which Le-
gars agent had placed there to dc
stroy the house. And at any moment
the explosion might take place.
Margery caught the heavy cylinder
up in her hands. She even tried to
blow out the fuse. But this was use
less. Then she tried to tear 1t away.
But this second effort was equally
fruitless. And sheer panic took pos
session of her at the thought OF her
helplesness The bomb dropped from
her fingers to the floor. She made one
instructive effort to warn poor young
Peggy O'Mara away, as the girl ran
to her side. But instead of repeating
that warning she let her arms close
about the slender body as though In
mute acknowledgment that she knew 1t
was already too late For the fuse, she
could see, was burning down into the
end of the cylinder itself. She even
closed her eyes, awaiting the lnev.
liable.
She opened them again, at the sound
OF a sudden step. She opened them
to see a masked figure dart into the
room, catch up the smoking metal
cylinder. and with one and the same