Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1917-03-02


He will not" avowed the Laughing
Mask, with decision. He'll have
more than help before this night il
over, and better Job and clear con-
science before another one comesi
But tell me first where you left this
girl you brought out from the city?ss
Inside the door o. the sluiceroom
there"
Good God!" gasped the man IN the
mask. Then he caught the spindle
legged Peggy O'Mara by the hand and
started for the shadowy pile of the fac
tory on the run. Quick" he said as
he ran, SHOW me the door!"
The half-breathless girl pointed It
out to him. But as ne ran up to 1t he
found It locked. He stopped and fran
tically caught up piece Of timber al
most as long and heavy as his own
body. Peggy O'Mara, seeing that It's
weight seemed more than he could
manage, promptly ran to his assist
ance.
Now, come together" he said, for
we've got to knock that door I'M"
Twice. three times, they charged the
door before 1t gave way. But the mo-
ment its panels crashed in the Laugh
ing Mask leaped through the opening.
AS he did 30 he caught sight of the
two struggling figures on the brink
OF the blackened runway. AS he saw
the figure Of the woman flung headlong
into the open sluiceway he leaped with
shout towards the one-armed man
who stood on it's brink. But that one
armed man. with lightninglike move
ment, whipped revolver from his
pocket, swung round on the intruder,
and fred.
The Laughing Mask wheeled half
way about, staggered a step or two,
and then fell forward on his face.
I The wide-eyed Peggy O'Mara, fol-
lowing at his heels, saw both that fall
and the fact that the Iron Claw had al.
ready leaped towards the control
board Of the water mangle. Peggy
screamed aloud, shrilly and belligerent-
ly, as she leaped for the man already
before the control board. She caught
at him, clawing at his appraised arm,
fought him with every jot of her thin
blooded girlish body.
But she was no match for that de-
termined and malignant opponent. The
most she could do was to distract and
harry him for a precious moment or
two. Then, realizing she was factor
to be eliminated without scruple, he
caught her bodily up from the floor.
raised her above his head, and with
sickening thud, sent her body against
the Solid masonry of the factory wall.
She lay there stunned, without NOV.
Ing. moaning brokenly with pain, az
Legar darted back to the control lever
OF the fnangle drums and shifted that
lever to the spot marked start" The
next moment he had thrown over the
switch Of the sluicegate control.
He ventured one triumphant glance
In the direction of the whirrins
mangle knives and the slowly ascend.
Ing gate. Then, with a grimace Of sat.
isfaction, he leaped over the inert
body OF the Laughing Mask, ran to the
door and disappeared in the darkness.
Had that flight been less hurried
Legar might have observed that the
eyes Of the Laughing Mask were open,
and the inert body, weak as It was
from the loss Of blood from a flesh
wound in the hip, was already pain.
fully gathering itself together for some
predetermined movement. That move
ment, wavering and unsteady as IL
was, took the crawling man directly to
the control board Of the water mangle.
There. by supreme effort. he raised
himself to his feet, CROPPED about with
an unsteady hand, and swung back
the lever.
The next moment the roar OF the
machinery stopped. the threshing
knives stood poised. But It had been
only in the nick Of time. For Mar.
gerry Golden, who had chung to the
sluicegate until its Withdrawing bars
had compelled her to relax he. last
desperate clutch on its bars and drop
back into the black It'd, carrying her
closer and closer to those failing
blades Of death, now caught and chung
to graphite-covered driving chain lit
tie more han yard from the fore
most nangle drum which lowered
above her like an open Jaw. And az
she chung there, renewing wave OF
hope swept through her body, for from
the sluiceway wal above her she could
hear a relssuring IL somewhat un-
steady voice calling down to her. And
that voice, she knew, was the voice
of the Laughing Mask