The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-07-30
The Final Reckoning.

AS the moon swung across the star
strewn heavens its pale light dis
closed the still form of the uncon-
scious Laughing Mask lying under
the laboratory window from which
the Infatuated scientist had flung him,
A one-armed man, who came sinking
out of the shadows, saw that inert
figure and bent over it with savage
exclamation of triumph. He glanced
furtively about him, and, throwing
back the bulkhead doors leading into
the cellar, backed down the short
flight of steps, dragging the Laughing
Mask after him. like a spider drag
ginga 1f1y into some dark recess.
Legar seemed strangely at home in
his dark and gloomy surroundings,
for after letting the Laughing Mask
drop heavily to the cement fioorlng.
his cropping fingers quickly found q
battered lantern hanging from
rusty hook. This feeble illumina-
ton showed the cellar TO be
piled with all sorts of discarded
household furniture. including pile
of wornout carpeting near where the
masked man was lying. AS Legar
bent over that helpless figure a faint
noise came from the stairway leading
TO the floor above. He instantly
straightened up and stood lntentiy
listening. Then, holding the lantern
before him, he cautiously advanced
toward the spot from when that
sound had come. At the moment ne
turned his back an incomprehensible
thing happened.
hA y.t1h
two pair OF long arms suddenly
stretched out toward the silent iotih
of the Laughing Mask, and. quickly
selling him by the feet ana shoui-
ders. dragged him under the frayed
folds of that ancient floor covering.
When the SCARED outlaw gave up ms
fruitless search and returned 10 1he
MACE where he had left the Laugh
ing Mask, with the full intention or
dispatching that sworn enemy with
his own hands. he gave a gasp OF IN
oredulous amazement as 1t dawned
upon him that his intended victim
had completely disappeared.
II flashed into his mind that the
Laughing Mask might have recov-
cred sufficiently to have crawied up
the short flight OF cellar steps. and.
hurrying outside. he commenced a
systematic search of the dark cor
ners where man in desperate
straits might endeavor to hide. He
had hardly left the cellar when the
nile of threadbare carpet showed
signs of sudden agitation, and, In
obedience to certain commands Is
sued In painfully broken whispers,
two spectral figures emerged from
under that singular refuge and glided
toward the stairway leading to the
upper story. where the laboratory
was located.
In that laboratory the wide-eyed
Margory Golden was searching the
Uttered work bench, hoping to find
something to incriminate the venom
Gus Skidmon. She did not venture to
touch the glittering instruments, but
turned her attention to the object
which was hidden under the thin
strip of toweling. When, after lit
tie hesitation. she gingerly raised
that fiimsy covering, she saw a thin
glass vessel bearing printed label
and half filed with a gelatinous SUBJ
stance. She stopped and read from
the label the words "Colon Bacilli,"
but that did not convey to her that
in the nutrient medium contained in
that Petri dish was a culture growth
alive with millions of malignant
germs. Hoping to find some more
tangible clew. she replaced the towel