Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-12-08
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chair Tor the wondering girl anu iuo
toned her into 1t. She sat watching
her father as he took up the letter
which lay on the desk.
What is the Spotted Warming" he
suddenly demanded.
The girl, with her troubled eyes bent
on the grim-lined face Of her father,
did not speak at once. But over her
quiet face came a change, an almost
semaphoric flash Of fear.
1.-The Spotted Warning?" she re-
peated, in little more than whis-
per.
YES, what is that supposed to
mean"
1T is a warning of DEATH" was the
girls quietly enunciated reply. Man
ley could detect the tremor that sped
through her body. And 1t means that
you have been hearing from Legar
again!"
But what does Legar mean by it?'
asked Manley. why should he use
such a phrase?"
1T is a warning that comes to the
message of warning. spotted black. 1t
is the last word they send. And have
heard them say it has never failed
never once!"
But the indomitable old fighter at
the desk was once more on his feet.
That Sicilian black-magic stun
can't intimidate me-" he thundered
out. "And Spotted Warning or no
Spotted Warning, I'll never give in to
Legar, He can shower his Spotted
threats on this house until it's showed
under, but, by God, I'll fight him to the
last ditch"
He turned to his daughter. Until
this Calabrian brigand farce Is played
out, I'm going to send you into the
country. I'm going to send you where
you'll be we'll guarded and well out OF
harms way. And guess the sooner
you get out there the better!"
But where are you sending me?'
asked the girl. Instead of watching
her father, however. her eyes were on
Manleys face as she spoke.
I'm going to send you out to your
Aunt Agatha's on Long Island!' was
his curt response as he swung about
to his secretary. And while Mar
gery's getting her things together.
Marley, you send Train, the chauf-
feur, here to me for his instructions.
Manley, promptly crossing to the
door, was startled to find the figure OF
the new footman standing close beside
it as it was swung open.
Ten minutes later, when Manley re-
turned to the library with Train at his
heels, he found Enoch Golden staring
down at sheet of paper lying on his
desk. At the center of this paper
stood large black blot.
Its the Spotted Warning" said
Golden, his heavy face furrowed with
a trouble deeper than he was willing
to admit But how. in Gods name,
did it get here?"
Manley, after staring at the strange
ly-spotted sheet, stared even more in
tently at the ceiling directly above the
point where the paper lay on the desk
top. A momentary look of satisfac-
| ton fitted across his face as Golden
| turned to him with a crisp command
to precede Margery to Cedarton and
there explain both the reasons for her
visit and the precautions to be exer-
cised during that visit.
"And as for you, Train" continued
| IL two irO
to his chauffeur, Il want you to take
my daughter out to Cedarton as quick
ly as your car and the speed laws will
let you carry her. There are special
reasons for this, remember. And from
the moment you leave this house, don't
let anything or anybody stop you"
Thirty minutes later Margery Gold
en-, surrounded by her bags. sat back
In the swaying automobile, puzzled
over this new and unexpected turn
mile swan by beneath the hurrying
wheels, the keen-eyed man in the driv-
ing seat found a load lifted from his
own shoulders.
Yet at the next turn in the road his
light-heartedness suddenly departed
from that keen-eyed driver. For as he
took this turn and speeded up along
a dustless stretch of open highway,
he saw a figure run out to the middle
Of the road. 1t was not the fact that
that most disturbed him. It was the
discovery, as he drew down on it,
that this figure wore yellow band Of
cloth across the eyes, with a moon
! shaped apron falling almost to the end
Of the nose, that brought the redoubt-
able Trains heart suddenly up in his
mouth. But even while that figure
remained stubbornly and directly in
his path. motioning for him to stop.
he remembered his orders. Instead of
slackening his speed. IN fact. he in
creased 1t, increased it to the limit
Of the engines power. And he would
surely have ridden down that would
be interceptor had not the latter, at
the last moment. leaped quickly aside.
Margery Golden. as he did so. half
rose in her seat. for she, too, had
caught sight Of that mysteriously-
Swallowed face.
But that was the Laughing Mask"
she cried aloud. In wonder. as they
swept on.
THE what, ma'am?" asked Train,
without looking back, for he had ev-
cry need now of watching the road.
She did not answer him at the mo-