The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-06-04
1.-THE Marvellous Story, Hitherto Unpublished
From Which the Pathe Photoplay of
the Same Name Was Made)


air she cried out as she caught sight
Of the CLINT of a naked steel knife
blade, long and slender, held in some
inexpiicable manner In tho clutch of
that circle Of iron.
Her warning was sufficient. Lightly
the Laughing Mask leaped to one
side At the same time the heavy
lamp struck the appraised tentacle OF
wood and steel and dashed the knife
to the floor. The man In the mask
leaped to the center Of the room,
placing himself between the girl and
the door, as though to shield her body
with his own, for by this time Legar
was In the room itself. And as he
advanced he drew q revolver from his
pocket.
But the man In the mask was more
agile than his enemy. He swung Mar
gerry about in twinkling and
whisked her back TO the vault. where
with one tug of his free hand, he
swung the vault door open. Legar
fired but the bullet ricocheted harm
lessly against the open safe-front of
steel. T..
Father keeps q navy revolver in
the coin drawer of the vault here"
whispered Margory. as the man in
the mask pushed her more deeply
into the shadow of the protecting
door.
At the moment that the Laughing
Mask swung about and tugged open
the coin drawer, Wilson and round
eyed footman, having heard the sound
OF the shot and having previously
failed to get any answer to the tele-
phone, came running to the library
door. But before they could open that
door. Legar realizing that his time
was short, had taken matters into his
hands. Charging bodily against the
still half-open vault door. he swung
it shut upon the Laughing Mask and
Margpry before they had time to real
ize his intent. Then Legar threw on
the lock. spun the dial and wheeled
around 20 cover the two white faced
and gaping-mopthed servants with
his revolver.
Stir one foot, either of you, and
itll be your last move on this EARTH"
he cried. as he edged guardedly to-
ward the door, still covering them as
he went.
and of his many schemes almost be-
fore bis eyes. His escape was assured
and Margory and the Laughing Mask
were prisoners within the vault where
they would meet the most horrible of
all deaths-by slow suffocation. Le-
gar's scared face became livid with
triumph. his eyes shone in CLEAN of
ultimate, complete vengeance. The
81
a terror that was now AFFECT. With
flourish of his revolver. he waved
them to the door and would have
reached 1t himself, had he not at that
moment heard the entrance door of
the Golden mansion flung open and
the noise of many feet sounding on
the stairs minute later.
Slamming the room door shut upon
Wilson and the footman, Legnr. his
look OF triumph gone from his fea-
lures. stared frantically around the
room. He dashed to a Perugian panel
screen OF ancient design. It's panels
fashioned In sixteenth century tapes
try, and crouched behind It, his re-
FoiFcI 1tiI, III ms mana.
AS Legar found his precarious hid
ing place the door of the room opened
and Enoch Golden entered amid a
clatter Of hurrying feet and habble
OF voices. Wilson for the third time
tried to explain to his master what
had happened. Almost inartIculate
from excitement. he turned TO Mr..
Golden and to the officials from the
Central Office alternately.
Wilson spluttered his explanations
as best he could. but the more he was
piled with questions the more ex-
citedly confused he became. Finally
he managed to make It clear. at least.
that Margory was shut up In the
vault.
'Margory! My daughter shut up In
a vault, you say, Wilson," crted her
father.
Yes. sir. shut UP In there with the
man in the yellow mask. the man as
these officers. sir. have been looking
fort"
Golden strobe over to the vault
door. His face was pale and he
breathed hard as he stopped over the
lock dial. But his fingers were shak-
ing so as he began to ferret out the
combination that he bungled and was
forced to turn the intricate mechan-
ism back to it's beginning. Again he
started 1t. now working feverishly.
Within the vault Margory and the
Laughing Mask were as If in IA tomb
The girl, feaI less souled though she
was and Injured to peril since the
Iron Claw had first fastened his
clutch upon her destinies. neverthe-
less had always before been q bile to
see and to face the danger that may
have threatened.
Now the impenetrable gloom of the
vault that enclosed her made her
fearsome. There was no knowing
with what she and her companion
might come face to face when that
vault door was finally opened--if, In
deed, II werc TO be opened. She chung
to the man in the yellow mask and
murmured her fears. For neither
could yet hear the almost soundless
click of the lock dial as Margory's