Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1917-03-23

WILLIAMSBURG Sadie. out Of the silence
OF apprehension which fell over the
little group.
you will." calmly announced Le-
gar.
mot on your ufel" was the girls
quavering reply. I'm through with
those peoplel"
but you're not through with me
yet, my girl. You're going to take this
note 70 Enoch Golden, and you're go
ing to do Il without any risk. I'll call
up Golden myself and tell him he'll get
Il back. ten to one, II he makes a
single move against you. And besides
that. we've got him so beaten at this
game that he's going to cry quits the
minute he sect we've roped in the last
Of his gang. the minute / tell him III
leave the country on condition ne
coughs up the paperl"
"And s'posin' he-does weaken and
hand over that paper7 Where do /
get ONT"
"You come back here with It as fast
as wheels can carry you. And II you
move as quick as 1 want you to move,
you'll Just about get back in time to
see the finish OF your friend In the
yellow mask"
But Betsy LeMarsh's friend in the
yellow mask. for all his captivity, was
apparently preparing for that finish In
a more active manner than was imag-
med by his captors. For, the moment
he was locked in the narrow closet
he had undertaken q systematic
search Of its gloomy corners. That
search, however, was rewarded only
by the discovery Of a group of insulat-
ed wires running along its outer wall.
Yet these wires he examined with not
a little care. And the examination
led him to conclude, both from the
nature OF the wires and the heaviness
of the insulation about them. that they
were an integral portion OF the light
ing system Of the hotel. That they
were not dead" he promptly discov-
cred by scraping away the insulation
tissue and bringing two Of the barred
wires in contact. This resulted In an
immediate hiss and spark Of light.
And that gave the prisoner an idea.
By breaking the current, he knew,
he could send a message needing
through all the nervous system Of the
house. And at some one point, he felt
sure, that methodic play OF dot and
dash in the light bulb would rouse
suspicion and cause q search to be
instigated.
Il was, in fact, in the ONCE of the
hotel itself, where High-Collar Davis,
the house detective, leisurely perused
an evening paper for certain racing
returns close beside d rotund and
robinlike room clerk in a red vest,
that an electric bulb Just above the
register began to conduct itself in a
manner that wal first mysterious and
then challenging.
High-C Collar Davis, looking languidly
up from his racing charts, watched
this light for several moments Of ST.
lence.
well, I'll be blowedl" he finally
calculated.
whats wrongr" asked the room
clerk.
Instead Of replying, the house de
tective took out paper and pencil, and,
carefully watching the winking and
blinking bulb, wrote a number Of let
tiers down on his slip Of paper.
That's the first time" he solemnly
announced, 81 eve saw an electric
bulb talk Morsel"
Talk Morse?" echoed the other.
Eyes, talk Morse, or / never pound.
ed the brass for two years. And here's
what It has said, twice over. Help
room three-o-seven-help-help!
The house detective suddenly stood
upright. Say, who is in BOT in this
house. anyway"
THAT virginian with his arm in 9
sling!"
"Then it's up to us TO find out whats
going on in that room!"
The Laughing Mask, IN the mean
time, was no longer giving his atten
. tion to the wires along the closet wall
, But with his pocket knife he had al
ready removed the set screw from thu
door knob Of the closet door. Then
I swinging lightly up to the shelf tina
, stood some five feet from the floor, h,
seated himself there opposite the door
, By grasping the two heavy clothe
hooks screwed into this door, and b.
; planting his feet firmly against tn
sash on either side OF II, he felt tina
he was not altogether at the mercy o
his enemies.
Even as he sat there he could hea
the key turned In the lock and the.
the sound Of Legar's quick oath Of 81
9 ASPIRATION as the door knob fell loos
to the floor, in response to his tug q
A" it. At the same time hope rose in tn
o captive's heart. for he could hear tn
mufied sound OF a knock on the cute
d door. And still again the prisoner
the cloBet could hear Legar's oath {
& evaporation. This was followed b
the sudden impact Of the heavy win
:" chair against the panels Of the close
dOor That blow raOaafed again an