Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1916-11-11

! Louis Lamb looked at nef Vacdntly'
81 don't know you. don't know
you" he muttered.
And in his empty glance Murlel read
the extent of the disaster that had be-
fallen him. Louie Lamb stared out at
| Broadway.
This isn't Buenos Aires" he cried.
"Where am /? What has happened to
me?"
He looked vacantly about him and
| began stumbling through the colllng
| smoke into the heart of the district
Muriel knew that her plan had gone
awry; that whatever the secret might
| be which Louie had once possessed, 1t
had gone from him forever.
Terrified she hurried out of the
| place, caught street car ana maze
her way homeward. There was no
way of saving Jimmy now
She found the hoy lying back in
his chair in the living room, sunk into
a dull apathy She ran to him, kneeled
at his side and placed her arm about
him.
ooh, JIMMY" she wept.
Then Muriel screamed and stared into
the corner of the room where stood
her brothers. desk. His eyes followed
her own; his teeth began to chatter.
The pencil which lay on Jimmys
desk had begun to poise itself in the
air, as if held by invisible fingers
Then an invisible hand picked up the
pad that had lain beside it and scrib-
bled on it.
Out of the air second roll of bills
dropped. 1t futtered to the desk. The
hand laid down the pencil and the
pad. The vision vanished. Muriel ran
to the desk, picked up the pad and
read:
you tried your best. Better luck
next time. Here is the balance OF the
thousand dollars"
Muriel snatched up the bills. There
were five hundred more. She thrust
them into her brothers hands, and
brother and sister chung to each other
fearfully, wondering, fearing, but
happy in this mystic intervention.
Ravengar, left alone with Sebastian
and Leontine, dropped his attitude OF
absorption and became communicative.
His manners were fascinating, and
soon the three were engaged in an ami
mated conversation. Suddenly the cry
of "F'ire. - rang through the cabaret.
They started up with the crowd,
which stood uncertainty, looking to-
ward the entrance, through which a
thin wisp of smoke was curling. The
manager ran upon the stage.
keep your seats, ladies and gentle
men. 1t is only a brazier that has
been overturned" he said.
But as the audience was resettling
itself doubtfully, while ladies grasped
their clOaks and men felt for their
hat checks, screams rang out, and the
coil of smoke suddenly became whirl
ing cloud that drifted in and filed the
cabaret.
Instantly confusion relgned. There
was a wild rush for the door. The
band struck up a lively march in vain;
then suddenly the members threw
down their pieces and ran for safety.
The fearful crush in the hall was re-
peated inside the cabaret. Ravengar
and Sebastian, linking hands, hurried
LeOntine along between them. They
had nearly reached the door, where
the crush was thiCkest, when LeOntine
stumbled and fell. At the same mo-
ment Ravengar torn away by the
crowd, was almost hurled through the
doors.
He strove with all his might to re-
turn to her, but he might as well have
struggled against an avalanche. With
difficulty he managed to retain himself
in an upright position, instead of fall
ing among the writing bodies; and
thus he was forced bodily out of the
hall into the street
When Leontine stumbled, Sebastian
stopped to pick her up, but a man stag
gered, cursing, into him. Sebastian
hesitated. If he bent down for his
wife, he saw that it would be impossi-
BILE to regain his footing. He let her
go with Il curse and sought safety in
flight.
LeOntine had fallen before a window
near the elevator shaft. Somewhat
protected by the bodies that were piled
about her. she lay there, half con-
scious, gasping In the acrid fumes Of
the burning woodwork that coiled
about her.
Suddenly, out Of the fog of uncon-
seriousness, she heard her name called.
There was a SCATTERING Of glass. A
breath of wind dispersed the smoke.
She opened her eyes, to see Ravengar
at the window.
He scrambled through, pulled her
from under the fallen and, lifting her
in his arms, helped her to safety. His
hands were bleeding from the broken
glass and his face stained with smoke.
He set her down, gasping, upon the
sidewalk and bent over her.
THANK God you are alive !" he ex-
claimed fervently.
hn Il L., \, T..