The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1916-09-04

you're really the best friend I have,
the best friend could have!"
But friendship. don't you see, ia
hardly enough" he declared as she
turned quietly away.
Then some day. perhaps. 1t may
even be something more" she called
softly back to him before slipping out
through the open door.
The Deadly Decoy.
II David Marley was blindly and I'm.
reasonably happy, all that day and the
next, he succeeded in keeping his hap.
piness to himself It was not q
propitious time, he knew, for the air.
/ in; of emotions so essentially per-
sonal. There was still a shadow over
the house Of Golden, a shadow which
gave small promise OF passing away
until fate or accident ended the activ-
tiles Of one Jules Legar. There was,
too, a shadow in Manley's heart, a
shadow of doubt as to how far he
was justified in accepting Margery
Golden's words as he had accepted
them. So as he talked with her the
following day he was conscious of a
vague constraint which reminded him
there were still reservations to be re-
spected and condolences to be with
held.
MOI ,rI,k
| Manley as Wilson carried in to the
girl sitting 80 close to him a sealed
! note which she opened and read in
| silence. That this note brought a
somewhat disturbing message to her
was only too evident. And whatever
that message, 1t was equally evident,
she intended to keep it to herself.
mo bad news. hope?" remarked
, Manley, rather dejectedly studying her
face.
Not altogether" was the girls eva.
sive reply.
Margery Golden smiled a little as
she folded up the note. She was still
smiling as she tore the paper in two,
again and still again. One small piece
of that paper fluttered from her fingers
and fell half way between her and the
still frowning young secretary. He
stared down at it cautiously, almost
sullenly. Then his eyes slowly
widened for clearly inscribed on that
scrap of paper he saw one-half Of the
sign Of the Laughing Mask.
She then walked slowly across to
the open fire and tossed into it the
note which she had already torn into
fragments.
Marley stood watching her as she
ordered Train and the limousine and
then called for her hat and coat He
had much to say, but for once he saw
that silence was golden.
The moment he was alone, however,
he quickly crossed to the fireplace,
dropped down on his hands and knees,
and there peered closely at the
charred remnants of the note which
had been tossed on the Goals.
Three or four of the fragments he
even rescued with the help of brass
fire shovel. He turned them about
delicately and studied them patiently.
On one he deciphered the words you
will come" On another he managed
to make out "am ILL.," The only re.
naming portion of uncurled carbon on
which he could discover any trace Of
writing had lost its center. But on
what remained of it he could read
"63 Washi--re."
"63 Washington Squsre!" he an
announced. And five minutes later
found him seated in a taxicab.
He had just crossed Fourteenth
street, sweeping south, when he caught
sight Of the Golden limousine, empty
with the exception Of Train at the
wheel, sweeping northwest.
This disturbing discovery, once he
had reached the square, took him up
the stone steps Of ruinous mansion
long given over to artists studios and
workshops Of a meaner order.
He had climbed three flights Of
stairs, and climbed them with all the
stealthiness of q fiat looter, when he
came to q door which held out more
promise than the others. For behind
this door he could distinctly hear the
sound of voices. As he squatted down
and peered through the keyhole he
heard girls muffled scream followed
by throaty laugh of triumph. And
the moment he heard that laugh he
knew 1t to be Legar's.
Yet at the same moment he made q
second and even more diverting dis.
covery. This was that a ponderous
and brawny-armed woman, advancing
with elephantine lurches along the
hallway, was shouting out
shrill calls of warning as she came |