The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1916-06-02


lilly and bands of steel seemed con-
stricting his chest
He lay there watching as the water
from the overlooking tub trickled to
| the floor, pooled in the worn undula-
tions of the boards, and crawled or
again, in search of some avenue of es-
cape. And he watched it as it moved,
f. on it's sinuous back, he remem-
bered, it carried his message of deliv-
erance, his hope of life. Finding an
| unused ventilator flue, the water f0un-
tanned joyously down on the head of a
| long-haired artist hard at work on q
canvas.
That artist, after speechlessly con-
templating the deluge. ran shouting to
the hallway, where he was joined by
his model and by fellow artists from
| neighboring studios. And that noisy
band, finding their homes and treas
ures thus threatened, lost no time in
searching out the source and fountain
head of so calamitous an invasion.
When they found their investiEa.
tions barred by locked door, they
broke it in. While they were snifflDg
| suspiciously about the outer room,
however, their efforts to reach the
| source of that 6eluge were being an.
! ticipated by more stealthy figure,
| which, clambering monkeylike up the
narrow iron fire escape, climbed still
| higher to the small window and
promptly broke it in.
Manley, rousing himself at the
| sharp sound of the breaking glass,
| turned about to behold the face of a
narrow-eyed and dark-skinned stranger
| in the square of light about him. Even
as he stared up at this exotic face
with it's uncanny fringe Of jet black
| hair he saw the unknown intruder
draw a slender tube from under his
| coat. To this tube the stranger fitted
| small arrow scarcely longer than a
darning needle. Then, placing the tube
| to his mouth, he sent the slender dart
whistling down through the air, where
| it fixed itself in the wooden flooring
not three inches from Margery Gold
| ems head.
| Instinctively, as Manley witnessed
that incomprehensible attack, as he
vaguely awoke to the meaning of the
strange performance. he crawled tc
the girls side. There he tried to
shield her helpless body with his own
And at the same moment that he
drowsil.- heard the heavy blows Of his
rescuers as they stormed the locked
door keeping him prisoner, he could
feel the repeated dull sting of the
flying arrows as they struck about
his neck and back.
But after that he remembered little
He awakened later TO the sound OF
a woman's soft sobs close beside his
aching head And lie knew even be-
| fore she spoke, that it was Margery
Golden.
Its no use. DOCTOR" she was for
lornly crying out to the figure nearer
the foot of the bed. Il saw that man
and know it was Mauki And as
soon as saw him I knew Legar had
sent him, had sent him with the same
poisoned arrows that once killed an
informer in the Owls Nest!"
But this man isn't dead" protest
ed the doctor.
mo, but he will die. They always
die. And he did It all to save me
to save me, who wasn't worth saw
ing!"
Now, young lady, this won't do. you
know" the man of medicine tried to
reassure the quietly weeping girl
And If you leave me with him for q
few minutes I'll make another exam
nation. And then we'll know the
wcrst!"
I'D rather stay with him-to the
last" said the white-faced girl.
but if you'll come back, in ten min.
! utes!" quietly announced the man who
! was not used to having his sugges-
lions crossed. And he held the door
for the unhappy girl as she passed I'm.
STEADILY out.
Manley, the next minute, lifted his
kesd from the pillow.
Say, doctor, what's this about me
dying?" he demarded.
THAT all depends on one point,
was the doctors reply as he gingerly
! took up one of the slender arrows, no
longer than darling needle. "And
the point IS whether or not we can
find an antidote for the poison that
was smeared on those outlandish blow
gun darts. But the next point is, how
do you feel?'
81 might feel worse!'
The man of medicine looked pug.
| zled.
"Well, that seems to be the strange
| part of this case The infection must
be a very ins;dious one. Even the
wounds themselves show no signs OF
toxication. So you wait here a min
ut until 1 get my instrument bag!"
When that somewhat bewildered
man Of medicine returned with his bag
he found David Manley sitting up in
bed, porting frowningly over sheet
of paper which he held In his hand.
"Who threw this note on my bed?"
| demanded his patient. with vigor
that was unlocked for in the dying.
It was the doctors turn to frown as
he took the sheet Of paper from the
others hand.
81 drew the fangs from Maud's
blow gun" read IT, message there In.
scribed, "his arrows held 10 poison,
and you are safe. The laugh
ing Mask"
(To BE cONrINUHnl