Tensas gazette., 1916-11-10

He Slipped Unobserved From the
Grounds.
the door refused to close. Before that
body could be dragged to one side.
the lieutenant and his men were in
through the door, welding night
sticks and flashing firearms.
1t was Manley himself who caught
up a chair and brought it crashing
down on a strangely complicated mech
anism standing squarely in the light
of the Tower window.
But Legar himself had not been
idle. At the first wild charge into his
tower room. the master criminal had
dropped crouching behind work
table, darted across to his parcel
chute and there touched hidden
spring. The next moment the chute
stood open and Legar was descend.
ing like a plummet to the floor below.
But not before Manley had caught
sight of his vanishing head and start
ed in pursuit.
.Legar. however. was already q con-
siderable distance in the lead. And
at the end of that sudden drop, be-
fore Manley could pick himself up.
Legar was on his feet and across the
lower room floor. There he swung
open a door heavily fireproofed with
sheetiron, slammed it shut and turned
the key in the huge lock, even as the
breathless Manley staggered against
II.
Manley was joined minute later by
the police. In the meantime Legaf
had escaped to the street by way OF
the fire escape.
He hailed a taxicab and hurried
eastward to the Owls Nest. Two
minutes after Legar went rocking and
swerving eastward he was followed
by a stranger in a second cab. This
stranger drove straight to the water
front, two blocks to the north, dis
missed his taxi. and earnestly con-
ferred with a roughly-dressed long
shoreman, who later rounded the slip
in a rowboat and took the stranger
aboard. They then dropped down
with the tide, drifting silently In un-
der the dripping wharf timbers until
they came to the water gate once
made use of by river pirates and
lighter thieves.
.
Legar, in his quarters beneath the
Owls Nest, was in anything but an
amiable mood. He stared about at
his coterie of unsavory confederates.
A CLEAN of triumph showed in his
narrowing eyes as he spied white
faced girl in a chair near the fireplace.
so we've got you back. little one?"
he mocked.
She WINGED as he wheeled her
roughly about, but remained silent.
A sleepy-eyed parrot, standing on
its perch beside the empty fireplace.
stirred uneasily at Legar's rough
movements. The girl. rising slowly
from her chair. stared into Legar's
evil face.
What are you going to do with
me?" she demanded.
Legar laughed.
You won't be asking questions
about it, when you find out!"
Courage. little one. courage!" said
a low yet distinct voice.
Legar, at the sound. wheeled sud.
denly about.
WHO taught that damned bird to
talk? he demanded. There was q
stir of uneasiness about the room.
why, cap. that parrot can't talk. |"
declared the tremulous coke-snuffer
at the end Of the table. IT never
could talk"
Then who said 'Courage'!" called
out the irate master criminal.
"T did," said the same distinct yet
ghostly voice. And had that wide
eyed group stared closer into the nre-
place, instead of at the silent and
motionless bird on its perch. they
might have noticed where . small
stone, little bigger than q mans hand.
had been worked loose and lifted
away from the heavy wall separating
that unseen watcher from the room
into which he had been peering.
Yet that stone was once more In
place before Legar and his worthless
peered. sQuinting-eyed. about the
smoke-stained masonry. Only. the
hands of the girl. sitting silent and
thoughtful in -er chair. were no long.
er trembling. The covering look had
faded from her eyes. For TO her that
voice had not seemed an altogethsz
| unfamiliar one.
/ ITO re CONTINUUnl