Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1916-10-20

They Reelsd Through the Doorway.
lamp lighted" and. stepping to the
wall. she switched ON the electric
light.
Good God! What's this" cried
Hope, catching sight of Leyland's
body.
Mrs. Delmar gave a cry of horror.
TITS Francis! It's my nephew! Is
he dead? Oh, is he dead? What's
happened to him?"
mo. he's not dead" said Hope, ex-
aiming the unconscious man, but
he's had terrific clip on the back
of the head. Looks as though some.
one had hit him with a life-preserver.
He's coming around, though. He'll be
all right in few minutes"
Here are the books on the table,"
said Cleo, recognizing two of her IA
theirs beloved volumes. Poor Mr..
Leyland must have been looking at
them when"
She stopped abruptly, for from be.
hind tho curtains had come . mufiled
sneeze.
Someone's hiding there-behind
tho curtains!" she whispered, grip.
ping Hopes arm.
Crossing the room on velvet feet,
Hope suddenly jerked aside the heavy
draperies. Az he did 80. Mahlin, who
had slipped black mask over the up
per portion Of his face. leaped at him
like . panther. Locked In each 9TH
er's arms the two men swayed out
into the middle OF the room. They
hit q carved cabinet filled with porco-
lain and It went over with crash.
They caromed from the wall to the
table and from the table to the wall.
Cursing. grunting. snarling. straining.
more like animals than men, they
reeled through the doorway OF the
study into the upper hall. A rug
slipped from beneath them and sent
them to their knees. but still they bat
tied on. Nearer and nearer their des-
perate struggle brought them to the
top Of the stairway. Hope, who was
on top now. had his fingers on Nah.
Inns throat. The house was in an up
roar now. Guests, servants and mu-
sicians, attracted by the piercing
screams of Cleo and Mrs. Delmar.
rushed from the ballroom and stood
crowded In the door below, watching
the struggle at the head OF the stairs
as an audience watches a mock strug-
gle on the stage. Now the two were
poised at the top OF the stairway.
oh NS
Cleo and Mrs. Delmar above and from
the assembled guests below, they
rolled. with a terrific humping, down
the marble stairs. So intertwined
that one could not be distinguished
from the other, they burst into the
ballroom, the frightened guests CIV
ing way before them. Painting from
exhaustion they rocked and swayed
across the polished floor, reeled for a
sickening moment against the low
warning from the onlookers, plunged
outward and downward into the dark
ness, A terrific crash OF broken glass
told the Mortified listeners that they
had fallen through the roof of the con-
servatory below.
throughout the desperate encoun-
ter Cleo had remained at the top of
the stairs, petrified with fear for
Hopes safety, clinging convulsively to
Mrs. Delmar. AS the two figures
plunged through the open window she
gave a Shrek of horror
Hes killed! He's killed! know
he's killed." she walled, and ran
blindly. madly down the stairs.
Seeing that the coast was now mo-
mentarily clear, Morton and Olga
who had followed the others upstairs
without themselves being observed,
and had witnessed the whole OF the
desperate struggle, slipped into the
empty study with the intention OF get
ting the books. which they had seen,
only moment before. lying ON the
table. But they stopped in astonish.
ment on the threshold.
Tho hnnLs hoA H..