Mount Vernon signal. (Mt. Vernon, Ky.) 18??-current, 1917-01-26

was blinking cautiously about, 10
make sure the coast was clear, when
voice startlingly close to his own
portly carcass called out with a sud-
den warning:
Look out for the Iron Claw"
"How's dat?" was the answering
cry of the tingling Rastus.
Look out for the Iron Claw!" re-
peated the voice so close behind him.
"Wha-what iron claw" demanded
the sweating Rastus.
I'll get you!" announced the bode-
full voice behind him. And at that
threat utter and unreasoning panic
seized the terrified Rastus, who, with
throaty below Of agony, charged
across a newly-dug garden and bound
ed like a rotund jackrabbit down a
moonlit alley bordered with shadowy
| fences.
At the end of this alley Rastus
plunged through a narrow gate, and
charged bodily into the peaceful beer
garden belonging to the roadhouse of
one Antonio Dibello, where sat four
men in quiet conference about one of
the little iron tables well out Of pub
lie ken.
These men showed prompt resent
ment at this unheralded interruption
to their talk. But as the parrot, with
| its head thrust through a hole in the
gunnysack, repeated it's shrill cry of
Look out for the Iron Claw" these
men rose in a body to their feet.
| Their leader, who in even the dim
light from the garden lamps showed
himself to be a one-armed man with
a strangely-scarred face, sprang for
the terrified negro. Rastus, however,
was in no mood for either interruption
or argument He merely emitted a
whoop of reawakened terror and head
ed for home.
There he burst in upon the astound-
ed Jemima and collapsed with a
quavering groan Of exhaustion But be-
fore Jemima could either understand
the nature of his ailment or investi-
gate the contents of his gunnysack, a
second and even more violent irrup-
tioSF$ ~ H'ace. JnGsr and his men
dragged the quakf and gasping Ras.
tus to his feet, showed him into chair,
and snatched up the gunnysack. From
1t they took out the loudly-protesting
green parrot and wonderingly ex.
amined it.
Where did you get that parrot?'
was the quick demand of the man who
wore an iron hook where hand ought
to be. Rastus merely wheezed and
shook in the legs and showed the
whites of his eyes. 1t was indeed,
several minutes before he was so
much as awakened to the fact that he
was not in the grip Of the law. But
once convinced of that fact, he became
voluble enough in his protestations to
oblige the white gen'rmen" with any
information they desired. He even led
those white gentlemen back to the
neighborhood of Hannah's chicken
coop.
So engrossed were they in their dis
coveries that they thereupon paid
scant attention to Rastus himself,
who took advantage of that diversion
to disappear.
There were certain phases OF that
hurried pursuit, however, hich had
not entirely escahSd the ention OF
circumspect ST hger had mo-
tored casually abo9 Net streets
of Cedarton earls me evening.
Aunt Jemima Wa In fact, had
scarcely recovered the shock
consequent upon til den invasion
of her cottage whe discovered
herself confronted 3 still another
stranger. And the fact that this
stranger wore a yellowlNask did not
add to her immediate p5 Zee Of mind.
All want to know, my good WON
an, is where those men are taking
your husband"
"Deys takin' him back t. whar he
done got dat bird" explained the ne.
gress. The stranger started for the
door. Then he stopped, dead short.
For lying overlooked on the floor
close beside a battered water bucket,
he caught sight of a familiar-looking
oblong of yellow paper. In another
moment he had possession Of it.
Where did that paper come from?'
he demanded. For he knew that it
was the long-sought Golden chart
which he held in his hand.
Dat done come from nah offus
sweepin's," explained the other. but
NAH Rastus allows it hain't even wuff
green tradin' stamp!"
"Your Rastus may be right" was
the strangers quiet reply. But it's
worth this much to me-" And Aunt
Jemima found a ten-dollar biz thrust
into her astonished pink palm. THAT
is yours, my good woman, if you dc
just one thing, and do it quickly.
want you to go to the sheriff's, wake
him up, and get him to the house
where that woman called Hannah
works. Tell him to get there in a
hurry, and to bring his men, or thereI
be murder done in this village before
the sun rises!"
/ The man in the yellow mask waited
for nothing more. A minute later he
was OF, running shadowlike through
fha darknoca Chadnuliko foo he an