The Washington herald., 1916-10-01

tance. Receiving no answer, she con-
Cluded that Stanley had tired Of the
long wait and had gone. Retracing
her own steps, she left the building
and re-entered the taxicab, which she
supposed was the same in which She
had come thither.
Giving the chauffeur her home ad-
dress, she stepped into the machine.
Instantly she saw, by the indistinct
light, that it was occupied by two
dark forms.
Before she could move back one
of the two men seized her, clapping
a pungently smelling handkerchief
over her mouth and nose and forcing
her into a seat. At the same time
the taxi set off uptown at top speed.
Uphill at last labored the taxi,
along the very edge of a sharply
Curvtng bluff that edged the river.
Straight below glittered the dark wa
ter in the starlight. A single swerve
of the steady wheel would have sent
the machine through the fimsy fence
and down the low cliff into the
stream.
Past this the taxi sped. drawing to
a halt a half-mile farther on in
front Of a dilapidated house that
stood we'll back from the road
among tangled shrubbery and weed
grown walks.
The two masked men got out and
lifted Florence, between them, from
the taxi.
They entered a large and very dirty
room with their burden and set the
girl down in a rickety chair. Then
one Of the men lighted a kerosene
lamp that hung from the ceiling.
The yellow light revealed the size
and the dirt of the almost Unfur-
nished room as well as the CRIME Of
its windows A large and empty
clothes closet stood with door slightly
ajar at the end of the room oppo-
site the hallway door.
One of the two masked men stepped
closer, cropping for something in the
breast of his domino.
AS though his step were a signal, a
laundering knock resounded at the
front door of the house, accompanied
by shout of:
open! In the name of the law!'
The command was followed by a
kick that sent the rickety old front
door skipping crafty from its hinges
and tumbling fiat, with a bang, into
the dusty entry
The noise banished the last of the
drug mists from Florences reviving
brain. She sat up, dazedly, and
glanced about her.
She was Just in time to see the two
10 10
clothes closet-the only available
place of concealment in sight. One
of them reached the closet a stride
ahead of the other, jumped inside and
slammed the door shut behind him.
The second masked figure tugged
frantically at the knob to get in. But
the man inside was evidently holding
the door shut against him in q frenzy
OF self-preservation.
And at that moment the room filed
with policemen.
Florence started up dizziIy from her
chair, pointing to the masked man
who still tugged at the closet door,
knob.
Take him!" she shrilled wildly to
the police. Take him! He is the
murderer Of Truxton LAMBERT"
At word from the lieutenant in
charge the squad Of police hurled
themselves upon the masked man. He
made no resistance.
Bring him over here to the light"
ordered the lieutenant. 80! Now
rip off that mask and let's get a look
at him.
Sooner than the word was spoken
half-dozen hands had torn away
the hooded mask and the enveloping
domino. The mysterious man stood
revealed to the wondering eyes of his
captors.
He was Harold Stanley.
How did you get here?" cried Flor
ence in the same breath.
1t was Florence's query that Stan
ley answered.
How did I get here?'' he repeated,
why, came here in the taxi with
you-along with the man who drug
ged you. It was the surest way to
get him and any Of the rest of his
gang who might be waiting here for
you"
This don't make sense to me-" put
In the lieutenant, still with more than
a tinge of suspicion.
Nor" returned Stanley. well, Il
will presently. was at Robert Clay
tons studio, waiting for Miss Mont
rose. She was to meet me there.
Two masked men came In through