The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1912-1984, 1916-04-11

coop.
So engrossed were they lr dis
coveries that they there fQ paid
scant attention to Rast1 pgelf.
who took advantage of rthaf efsion
to disappear. II. e
There were certain phais ~ that
hurried pursuit, however Hch had
not entirely escaped the a{tenffon OF
circumspect stranger Whp had mo-
tored casually about the Qtiet streets
of Cedarton earlier in the evening.
Aunt Jemima Watson. in fact, had
scarcely recovered IRON the shock
consequent upon the sudden invasion
of her cottage when she. discovered
herself confronted by lstfn another
stranger. And the facf that this
stranger wore a yellow mask did not
add to her immediate peace of mind.
"AlI 1 want to know, nv good wom-
an. is where those men Itre taking
your husband" ~
"Dey's takin' him back Z whar he
done got dat bird" explained the ne
gress. The stranger started for the
door. Then he stopped, dead short.
For lying overlooked on the floor
close beside battered water bucket,
he caught sight of a familiar-lookins
oblong of yellow paper. In another
moment he had possession of it.
Where did that paper come from?y
he demanded. For he knew that it
was the long-sought Golden chart
which he held in his hand.
Dat done come from nah offus
sweepin's," explained the other. But
nah Rastus allows it hain't even wuff
a green tradin' stamp!"
Your Rastus may be right was
the strangers quiet reply. But it's
worth this much to me-" And Aunt
Jemima found a ten-dollar bill thrust
into her astonished pink palm. THAT
is yours, my good woman, if you do
just one thing, and do it quickly.
want you to go to the sheriff's, wake
him up, and get him to the house
where that woman called Hannah
works. Tell him to get there in
hurry, and to bring his men, or there1l
be murder done in this village before
the sun rises!"
The man in the yellow mask waited
for nothing more. A minute later he
was off, running shadowlike through
the darkness. Shadowlike, too, he ap-
preached an ivy-bowered bungalow in
which three women were quietly play
ing preference" in the light of a
green-shaded reading lamp. But the
man in the mask, preferring to leave
that peaceful game undisturbed, stole
quietly in through the back of the
| house, locked himself in q small room
above stairs, and there adroitly but
quickly made fac-simile of the map.
Before that map coad be completed
though, strange events we're already
| transpiring directly beneath where he
| sat. For Margery Golden, glancing up
| from her game, stared idly into the
| old-fashioned mirror of bevel plate
facing her from the opposite wall.
And peering in at the window reflect
ed in that mirror she saw a bearded
| face scanned with an unmistakable
scar.
She did not scream aloud, as her
| first impulse had prompted, but she
sat staring down at her cards, trying
to study out the dilemma which con-
fronted her. For the face she had
seen was Legar's.
The move she quietly decided upon
was to call the strangely reticent
chauffeur of her strangely elusive de-
iverer and ask him to make ready for
an immediate flight to the city. She
watched that chauffeur as he threw
on a heavy bear-skin coat and cap,
| wound muffler about his neck, and
started for the garage. She watched
him as he stepped out into the dark
ness. Then the bear-skinned figure
became the center of strange and un-
looked-for activities, for it was plain
that several men, lurking there in the
darkness, had sprung upon him. 1t
was equally plain that they lost little
time in overpowering him, for before
the startled women could rise from
the. card table they found that home
Of peace invaded by group of au
dacious-eyed rufiians headed by lie
gar himself.
The latter bowed ironically to the
white-faced girl as he confronted her
His advance towards her, though, wa.
interrupted by the suddenly renewed
struggles of the chauffeur, who, as he
tried to break away from his captors
called loudly for help. Legar, looking
nonchalantly about, crossed to a door
swung it wide, and saw that it opened
into a closet.
Throw that grizzly in here until he
learns how to keep quiet!" was theil
leaders crisp command.
And now, my girl, J. guess it's your
turn again!" was his next sinister ex
clamation.
At the same moment that these
words were spoken still another unex
pected intruder. entere the room
Only this time it was the oddly inter
ruptive figure of that man of mystery
known as the Laughing Mask.
ssNot a rnova from ony man herot'