The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1916-09-21

and see Il at the Palace.]
BY this time the Laughing Mask
was up on his feet, and face to face
with his enemy. Before the revolver
could again be brought into play the
two had clenched. Then the IRON Claw
went down before . clean-cut blow
from his opponent. He recovered HIM
self sufficiently. however. to roll to
where his fallen revolver lay. But
before he could level that flrearm at
his adversary the Laughing Mask, re-
Numbering that even the officers OF
the law were no longer his friends,
dived out through the small door at
the rear of the studio and disappeared
from sight. for already tho sound of
O'Mara and his rescuing party could
be heard ss they swarmed up the
stairs.
The Iron Claw himself heard those
sounds. drew himself together, and
stared helplessly about the disman,
tied studio. Then the instinct Of self
preservation reasserted itself. He ran
to tho back Of the room, dived into a
kitchenette, found small door in its
wall. swung it open, discovered a
dumb-waiter shaft in front Of him, and
escaped to the street.
The Corridors Of Dread.
Margery Golden, as she sat in the
taxicab which carried her homeward,
was comforted by the thought that she
had at least saved the life OF factory
girl to whom she stood indebted for
her own escape from death. The
further thought that she had sent Dan
O'Mara and his exhausted daughter
safely homo In her own luxurious
limousine even reconciled her to the
somewhat stuffy-aired public convey
ance in which she found herself. She
blinked meditatively out at the back
OF the heavy faced driver so sullenly
and yet SO adroitly plotting her
through the tangle OF traffic. Then the
abstraction suddenly went from her
eyes and the. listlessness from her
pose. For, from the back window of
the red-wheeled taxicab Immediately
in front OF her she caught sight OF a
peering face. And it took no second
glance to tell her that 1t was the
deep-seared face Of the Iron Claw him.
self.
The next moment Margery was
shouting to her sullen-faced driver.
Follow that red-wheeled taxi she
told him, pointing down the side
street. Keep within sight of it. what.
ever happens"
Soon they had left the city we'll be-
hind them and were in that twilight
zone which Is neither quite rural nor
quite urban. But Margery, the mo-
ment she saw the red-wheeled taxicab
come to stop, commanded her driver
to draw in under the shadow of a
dense row of catalpa trees. There,
from the running board OF her car,
she beheld Legar step out on the road,
pay his chauffeur, and stand looking
after the departing taxicab until it dis
appeared from sight. Then he turned
about, pushed his way in through a
tangle Of shrubbery, and left the lone
ly roadside as empty as desert trail.
Then the resolute proved young NO.
man turned to her chauffeur.
I'm going to follow that man. II |
tail to return here inside Of ten min.
utes, want you to get any help you
can, and come after me-
Margery stole along the shadowy
roadside to the spot where she had
seen Legar creep in through the
bushes. She followed as best she
could. found herself face to face with
a tunnel-opening that showed itself
dimly in the moonlight, and after a
moments hesitation stopped low and
crept into this tunnel, feeling her way
cautiously along the smooth brickwork
OF it's walls. She came to turn, but.
tressed with heavier masonry, and
padded along this wall until her CROP
ing fingers came in contact with a
light switch. This, after a moments
thought. she turned on. The next mo-
ment a number of bulbs along the cor
ridor roof above her lowered into
light.
Staring ahead OF her, she saw that
the corridor ended in nothing but q
blank wall But as she stared intently
at the wall she detected in one side;o
1t partially concealed electric but
ton. She moved toward this cautious
ly, for she had learned of old to be
wary OF approach to any Of Legar's
Businesses. Then, as she advanced,
she came to sudden stop. For she
saw on the flagstone upon which she
was about to step small cross. There
was also minute crevice. unnotice-
able in its companions. about this
quadrangle so suspiciously marked by
its cross. So she stepped carefully
over the suspected area. crept forward
to the button. and touched 1t with .
tentative fngertip
The next moment a remarkable
thing happened. A section Of the
heavy masonry shutting off the end
of the corridor, at that touch, swung
silently about on its axis, leaving an
aperture wide enough for human
body to pass through. The girl, hold
ing her breath, stepped through the
ponderous masonry.
This chamber, she saw, was empty,
except for two mysterious strands Of
iron chain that ran from ceiling to
floor. close against the wall, while