The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-05-14

door before IT gave way But the mo-
ment its panels crashed in the laugh
ing Mask leaped through the opening.
AS he did so he caught sight OF the
two struggling figures on the brink
of the blackened runway. AS he saw
the figure of Il woman flung headlong
into the open sluiceway he leaped
with q shout toward the one-arned
man who stood on it's brink. But that
one-armed man. with lightninglike
movement, whipped revolver from
o. his pocket, swung round on the in
truder and fired.
The Laughing Mask wheeled half
way about, staggered a step or two,
and then fell forward on his face.
The wide-eyed Peggy O'Mara, fol-
lowing at his heels, saw both that
fall and the fact that the Iron Claw
had already leaped toward the con-
trel board of the water mangle. Peg.
gy screamed aloud, shrilly and bel
ligerently. as she leaped for the man
already before the control board. She
caught at him. clawing at his up
raised arm, fought him with every
jot of her thin blooded girlish body.
But she was no match for the de-
termined and malignant opponent.
The most she could do was to distract
and harry him for a precious moment
or two. Then. realizing she was q
factor to be eliminated without scru-
pie, he caught her bodily up from the
floor. raised her above his head, and
with q sickening thud. sent her body
against the solid masonry OF the fac
tory wall.
She lay there stunned. without
moving, moaning brokenly with pain.
as Legar darted back to tho control
lever OF the mangle drums and
shifted that lever 70 the spot marked
start" The next moment he had
thrown over the switch of the siuice..
gate control.
He ventured one triumphant glance
In the direction OF the whirring man
gle knives and the slowly ascending
gate. Then. with a grimace of salts
faction, he leaped over tho inert body
OF the Laughing Mask. ran to the
door and disappeared In the dark
ness.
Had that Night been less hurried
Legar might have observed that the
eyes Of the Laughing Mask were
open. and the inert body, weak Al II
was from the loss of blood fron .
flesh wound in the hip, was already
painfully gathering itself together for
some predetermined movement. That
movement, wavering and unsteady a =
1t was, took the crawling man di.
rectly to the control board Of the
water nangle.
There, by q supreme effort. he
raised himself to his feet. CROPPED
about with an unsteady hand and
swung back the lever.
The next moment the roar Of m.
machinery stopped. tho thrashing
knives stood poised. But It had been
only In the nick Of time. For Mar
cory Golden. who had chung TO the
s!uicegnte until its withdrawing bars
had compelled her to relax her last
desperate clutch ON its bars and dror
back Into tho black tide carrying her
closer and closer to those failing
blades OF death. now caught and
chung to . sraphits-covered driving
chain little more than . yard from
the foremost mAngls drum which
lowered above her like an open Jaw.
And ~ she chung there . renewing
wave Of hope swept through her
body. for from the sluiceway wall
above her she could hear q reassur-
ing II somewhat unsteady voice call
ing down to her. And that voice,
she knew. was the voice OF the
Laughing Mask!
Ito be continued NEXT week.