The Elbert County tribune., 1916-08-25

Williamsburg Sadie. out of the silence
of apprehension which fell over the
little group.
You WILL" calmly announced Le-
gar.
Not on your life," was the girls
quavering reply. I'm through with
those people!"
But you're not through with me
yet, my girl. You're going to take this
note to Enoch Golden. and you're 60
ing to do 1t without any risk. III call
up Golden myself and tell him he'll get
1t back, ten to one, if he makes a
single move against you. And besides
that, we've got him SO beaten at this
game that he's going to cry quits the
minute he sees we've roped in the last
of his gang. the minute tell him I'll
leave the country on condition he
coughs up the paperl"
And s'posin' he does weaken and
hand over that paper? Where do
get off?"
"You come back here with 1t as fast
as wheels can carry you. And If you
move as quick as want you to move.
you'll just about get back in time to
see the finish of your friend in the
yellow maskl"
But Betsy LeMarsh's friend in the
yellow mask for all his captivity, was
apparently preparing for that finish in
more active manner than was imag-
ined by his captors. For. the moment
he was locked in the narrow closet,
he had undertaken systematic
search of its gloomy corners. That
search, however, was rewarded only
by the discovery of a group OF. insulat-
ed wires running along its outer wall.
Yet these wires he examined with not
little care. And the examination
led him to conclude, both from the
nature of the wires and the heaviness
of the insulation about them. that they
were an integral portion CT the light
ing system of the hotel. That they
were not dead" he promptly discov-
cred by scraping away the insulation
tissue and bringing two CT the barred
wires in contact This resulted IN an
immediate hiss and spark of light
And that gave the prisoner an idea.
By breaking" the current, he knew,
he could send a message needing
through all the nervous system of the
house. And at some one point. he felt
sure, that methodic play of dot and
dash in the light bulb would arouse
suspicion and cause a search to be
instigated.
1t was, in fact. in the office of the
hotel itself. where High Collar Davis,
the house detective, leisurely perused
an evening paper for certain racing
returns close beside a rotund and
robinlike room clerk in a red vest,
that an electric bulb just above the
register began to conduct itself in a
manner that was first mysterious and
then challenging,
High-Collar Davis, looking languidly
up from his racing charts, watched
this light for several moments of ST.
lence.
We'll, I'll be biowed!" he finally
calculated.
What's wrong7" asked the room
clerk.
Instead of replying, the house de-
tective took out paper and pencil and,
carefully watching the winking and
blinking bulb, wrote a number of let
ters down on his slip of paper.
That's the first time" he solemnly
announced. 81 ever saw an electric
bulb talk Morse!"
Talk Morse?" echoed the other.
Eyes. talk Morse, or / never pound
ed the brass for two years. And here's
what 1t has said, twice over. Help
room three-o-seven-he
The house detective suddenly stood
upright. Say, who is in 307 in this
house. anyway"
THAT virginian with his arm in
sling!"
Then it's up to us to find out what's
going on in that room!"
The Laughing Mask, in the mean.
time, was no longer giving his atten-
tion to the wires along the closet wall
But with his pocket knife he had al
ready removed the set screw from the
door knob of the closet door. Then,
swinging lightly up to the shelf that
stood some five feet from the floor, he
seated himself there opposite the door.
By grasping the two heavy clothes
hooks screwed into this door, and by
planting his feet firmly against the
sash on either side of it, he felt that
he was not altogether at the mercy of
his enemies.
Even as he sat there he could hear
the key turned In the lock and then
the sound of Legar's quick oath of ex-
asperation as the door knob fell loose
to the floor. in response to his tug at
1t. At the same time hope rose in the
captive's heart, for he could hear the
muffied sound of knock on the outer
door. And still again the prisoner in
the closet could hear Legar's oath of
evaporation. This was followed by