Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1916-08-10


voiced foreman of the shaft room She
turned to stare belligerently towards
Arson Applewaithe, the immaculate
son of the factory owner himself, as
he ushered into the room of whirrine
shafts and flying belts small group
of visitors.
Yet the Ishmael-like young face soft
ened little as she looked at one mem
Der of that approaching group. For
one fair-haired girl of about twenty,
dressed in black, whom young Apple
waithe piloted about amid the roaring
and gathering machinery and repeat
eddy addressed as miss Golden" was
beautiful enough to bring hayward
pang of envy to the breast of Peggy
O'Mara. AS she watched her eyes sud
denly widened in alarm. For Margery
Golden, in staring about the room, had
unconsciously moved closer to one of
the ponderous machines There the
| loose end of her motor-cape was
| snapped at by a spinning cog wheel, as
a hound snaps at bone. The next
| moment the whirling teeth had fas-
tened themselves in the fabric of the
garment edge, carrying it back be-
tween the jaws of the twin cogs that
quickly closed on the cloth and
seemed to reach out for more.
At the same moment that Margery
Golden turned about to determine the
meaning of this sudden tug at her
clothing, the alert-eyed Peggy O'Mara
made an apparently maniacal spring
for that astounded young woman's
throat.
With a quick jerk of her thin young
fingers Peggy tore the cape free where
it was already straining against the
white column Of its wearer's throat.
1t was not until Margery Golden
saw the iron teeth of the cog wheels
swallowing up the last of her vanish
ing cape that any inkling of her dan
ger came home to ner
Margery Golden stepped back and |
leaned against guard rail- Then, aft
er looking studiously at the slattern |
and slightly abashed figure of her de- |
liverer, she opened her pocketbook.
and from 1t took out two or three neat
ly folded bank notes. These she held |
smilingly out to the girl with the |
broken-toed shoes.
But a quick flash spread over the |
usually colorless cheeks of Miss Peggy !
O'Mara as she backed determinediy
away from the bills.
Don't you care TO take themf'
asked the somewhat astonished young
woman in black.
No ma'am!" was the girls almost
sullen retort. 81 amt earned 'em!"
But / rather think you have" per-
sisted the other, still smiling
You see, you saved my life. And
surely you won't embarrass me by
arguing that it's not worth that
muchi"
Il don't want your money" an
bounced the sullen-eyed girl, putting
her hands behind her. But already
Young Applewaithe was discreetly do
ng his best to pilot his visitors away
rom the scene.
Peggy O'Mara stared after the de-
parting group. So intently did she
tare after them that she was oblivi-
'us OF the movements of the one-armed
nan who had been STOPPING low over
lis machine, in pretense Of filling its
III cups. He crept out to where a
mall gold locket had dropped from
fargery Golden's neck during the en-
ounter. He caught it up from the oil
tanned floor. looked at 1t for one short
loment, and then slipped it triumph
ntly into his pocket. After that he !
TODD behind his machine, well out of I
Ight, watching the fair-haired girl in
lack as she stepped out through the I
ictory door, His eyes, as he watched
er, were both calculating and sinis-
IT. But the pallid-faced girl standing
, close beside him had no means of t
moving that this preoccupied and e
workman who had
st his right hand was Jules Legar, S
ing known to his enemies as the
on Claw. |,
That mysterious one-armed man,
owever, was destined to become bet
II acquainted with Peggy O'Mara a
AN she imagined. For that night, Il
hen the uneasy minded girl knew her
Their to. be once more shut up in his Ii
liar workroom, she was further t.
sturbed by the sound of stealthy
cps across the bare wooden floor of IL
n home. She tiptoed out through
Q door, crossed to the cellar steps,
i'd crept silently down into the dark
49, II
There. vaguely outlined against the m
'or cracks in the wall shielding her
Their, she could make out stealthilv CT
Quisitive figure. And she knew that
'ure could mean no good to the house h,
O'Mara. III
She crept as silently up the broken
cps again, went to her fathers time VI
orn tool chest and from 1t took out q N
mewhat rusty but ominous-looking 1t
volver. w
The thin-armed girl with the thick fe
'died revolver then crept back to- ia
ards the cellar She had reached the te
n nj fha a ARG W1ax ho 60 VIZ dopI~