Bisbee daily review., 1916-09-17

Lesar Took Up His Position at a
 Window.
 ponent clear of the deck-boards and finging him headforemost into the black water. Then he turned and braced himself for the charge of the second man. This second man he met by dropping quite fiat and unexpected ly on the deck itself. He felt the charging body go over his own, caught at one still kicking foot as he twisted quickly about, and before his opponent could recover from that fall the patTi- archal boat owner had assisted his un- welcome guest over the deck-lip after his companion.
 But. oddly enough, in that struggle the bewhiskered old boatman had un- dergone a sudden and startling change. The clutching fingers of his enemy in the second contest along the boatdeck had buried themselves in the thick white beard decorating that launch owners chin. And when this enemy went overheard that fringe of whis- kers went with him. leaving at the wheel a somewhat altered and cOnsid- erably younger looking man. And that this unknown amender of destinies was still intent on nursing the secret of his identity was further evidenced by the fact that, before turning his boat about and facing the ebb-tide cur rent of the North river, he carefully adjusted over his nose a narrow band of yellow cloth, with its little apron or an inverted crescent. Stlll later, as he closely watched the light-span- gled shore line. he caught sight of two small winging eyes of green and red. Accepting this apparently as a signal, he swung Tn close under the shadow of a coal barge and made fast at the slip end. where high above him a waiting taxicab stood close beside the stringpiece. Yet. hurried as the man in the mask seemed to be. he took time to sit under one Of the cabin lamps and indite a short epistle. This epistle, addressed to "Enoch Golden and his friends" read as follows: ,
 The Funds of the Third National bank vault are new in my possession and will be duly returned to the right ful owners. But that l may enjoy the luxury Of the game as we'll as the l, name, am withholding from those re- turned funds the fifty thousand dollars , in gold which was formerly the prop erty of the man who, by expressing 1 the poor, has compelled this action. ' When that man looks into his own . heart and returns to the paths of wis dom, this gold will be returned to him by
 THE LAUGHING MASK.
 Stin later that night while Davie j Manley and Margory Golden and her, father were arguing and wondering as to the origin and full meaning of this j strange message. Legar and his men. : emerging like water rats from thei riyer-front rendezvous close beside the 1 Owls est, piled into a harbOr launchS with a muffled kicker and silently made their way for Oyster Joe's.
 Crowding into the dimly lit sail loft of Oyster Joe, they found themselvesi confronted. not by the millions ID stolen treasure. but by a stifi jointed 4 and blasphemous old man m whites whiskers. tied and lashed to one Of his own shack beams.
 Don't yelp at me about rours damned gold" cried Oyster Joe, with sulphurous string of oaths. when he was able to speak. T never saw any gold All saw was that. chain lightning gink in a mask, the giak who's dopbls-crossed me twice at thst same game,"
 Legar staggered back into broken chair.
 50 it's the Laughing Mask sSaini' te said with an oath.
 tTo BE CONTINUED |