Tensas gazette., 1916-12-01

tary had waited until the girl had
closed and locked the vault door Then
he had leaped for the figure behind
the drapery.
But that intruder behind the drapery
had apparently not been altogether
unconscious of the danger confronting
him He had at the same moment
side-stepped nimbly through the quick
ly opened door, throwing an approach
aside as he had swept past her. The
redoubtable Wilson, who had also at
tempted to block his exit, had even
more promptly gone down, knocked
fiat by one fierce blow. 1t had been
then. and then only, that Manley dis
covered the identity of the intruder
He had caught sight of the SCARED
face, which even an ample beard failed
to screen. He had seen the right
arm of wood which ended in its sim
lister iron hook, and all doubt as to his
enemy had vanished.
But this discovery had In no way
interfered with Manley's pursuit OF
that audacious intruder. 1t had mere
ly steeled him in his determination
to close with that enemy to the house
Of Golden. And together they had
come. in that stately hallway of the
millionaire's stately home. like two
cave men battling at a cavern mouth.
1t had not been a pretty fight. that
hor N To -hap haf w Slim
bodied youth and the scar-faced ex-
ploiter of evil, but it had been des-
perate one. AS Manley, pressing Stub
bornly on, had struggled to close in
on his opponent, Legar had discreetly
and nimbly backed away until he
found the double house door itself
barring his farther retreat. There
upon he had promptly shattered the
plate-glass backing the iron grill work
on the hinges. and had actually swung
one of these doors open before Manley
could gather himself together and
spring bodily on his escaping enemy.
They had gone down the broad steps
together, locked arm in arm. fighting
and clawing as ferociously as midnight
cats in a tenement court. And Man
ley, with one hand on Legar's leathery
throat. would surely have won, had
not a closed car glided up to the curb
along which they were writhing and
painting and rolling. From that car
yellow-faced Italian known as Scoop
had taken a prompt and active part in
the encounter He had withheld
fnalities. however, until Manley was
uppermost. Then, with quickly
drawn billy" he had blackjacked that
youth into utter indifference as to
Legar and mysteriously waiting limou-
sine and all the rest of the world.
Before Manley's senses had come
back to him he and the green-feath-
cred parrot had been tossed bodily
into the closed car, and, three minutes
before the arrival of the police for
whom the white-faced girl in the
library had 80 frantically telephoned.
that mysterious limousine had speeded
off into the night, carrying not only
Legar but the youth who had been so
fere with Legar's exploits. And that
youth, as he still lay a prisoner in
Legar's subcellar beside the East river
waterfront. was even more bruised in
mind than in body as he blinked about
that dimly lit chamber and realized
the completeness Of his defeat.
But Manley did not altogether give
up. His heart still had the residence
of youth. He still believed in his
star.
What fretted Manley most. however.
was his lack of freedom. Rolling a
little over on his side, he studied min
utely the rough brick floor on which
he lay. After this inspection he
wormed his way carefully from side to
side, lying face down and trying each
row Of exposed bricks with his shoe
toe. in the hope of finding one Of them
loose.
He had deliberately tested eleven
rows before he found any reason for
hope in this direction. A chill Of ex-
citement ran through his tired body.
in fact, as he discovered one brick
which seemed less securely embedded
in cement than were its fellows. He
worked at 1t patiently. laboriously.
kicking away small particles of plas-
ter, humping it with his boot heel.
prying at 1t with his sole until it
rocked free in its row. Then came
the even sterner task of shifting it
from its place. This he did by turning
about and lying close to it, on his side,
so that the fingers Of his tightly i'm
prisoned hand might come in contact
with its edges. Time after time 1t fell
back, but in the end he triumphed.
Yet it was not this unearthed brick
which interested him. His attention
was directed towards the rough edged
parallelogram where that brick had
originally rested. for the corners Of
this opening, he soon realized, pro-
vided him with a saw edge which in
through the stoutest Of cotton rope.
But the consolation of this hope did
not stay with him long. For even as
he started to work, his movements
were interrupted by the sound OF a
key in the heavy iron lock on the door
that shut him In. He rolled over
quickly. twisting about SO that his ap-
parently inert body covered both the
loosened brick and the spot from
which 1t had been taken. He con-
tinued to lie there as though in a sleep
of exhaustion, for his veiled eyes had
IL ciuhf Of tho