Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-10-28

RICHMOND TIME
piled into tho room. Before they had
appeared. however. lima and Harry.
realizing that their only safety lay in
concealment, darted under tho big table,
leaving Perry Mason to shift for him
| self.
No sooner had tho mon entered than
no popped up from corner and, facing
the astonished countcrfeiters. pointed
to the hiding place Of his companions
with tho greatest CLEO.
The Infatuated and frightened men,
who wero now surc that this was q
plot to catch them. dragged the intrud-
crs forth and proceeded to bind them
entirely ignoring Perry. who wandered
| In an aimless fashion Into an adjoin-
Ing room kept for storing explosives
Meanwhile, the rescue party had
| actually entered the mino and. led by
the engineer of the factory was
making it's way along the galleries
when 1t was stopped by Bill. the spy
who had been pursued and abandoned
by his fellows.
This men. anxious to retaliate, ex-
planned to the police just what they
might expect to find and where to find
1T. and. spurred on by this unexpected
news. the whole force rushed forward
to trap the counterfeiters.
In vain Harry and lima, bound and
helpless. stared ut each other; that
they should expect mercy was too
much to hope. for these desperate men
could not afford to allow any one
to depart with the secret OF the den.
800 - Ia
lima. 'Wo only happened here by
chance: let us go and we promise that
not word shall ever pass our lips OF
what we have seen"
But the leader shook his head. Dead
men tell no tales" he said brusquely,
and, making a sign to his followers, he
stepped back. A murdcrous-looking
fellow advanced. with n pistol In his
hand. He aimed 1t at Harry. lima
screamed and closed her eyes. But
there was no sound. Instead. the mans
hand dropped and with terror on his
face no started back. The leader, too
shrank away, mortal fear in his eyes.
Perry Mason was the cause of]thfs.
sudden transformation; with a cansofa
deadly nitroglyccrin in tho hollow% ofs
his arm he was sprinkling the deaths
dealing explosive about with childlshs1
abandon. %s@,s
stop! Stopm yelled tho leader. socks,
ing to escape as his men crowded upon
him, but the demented Perry only
showed greater delight. Suddenly.
while lima and Harry were crying
to him not to kill them all, no flung
the can at the counterfeiters. There
was tremendous explosion. The door
of the room was hurled across lima and
Harry; dust filed the air; Perry Mason
himself was lifted and landed in
passage some distance from the main
room, and from tho roof OF the den
came tumblinE down rocks and TIM
bers.
The exploring party. though stunned
by the force OF the shock, hurried on.
They entered the wrecked room on the
rum led by the renegade Bill. One of
the policemen stumbling over Perry
examined him hastily and passed on.
thinking him dead.
Another. seeing lima and Harry
bound and apparently lifeless rushed
to see II they were still alive. He was
treasured on this point, for the prison
ers, shielded by the heavy door. were
little hurt. Harry cast an anxious
glance at lima and, once certain that
she was uninjured, started to explain
their plight to the police.
So intent was he and interested
were the rescuers. who were busy free
ing the young people. that they did not
notice a dark shadow outside the door,
nor did they see the face of the Exc
cutioner peer in and quickly withdraw.
That strange individual suddenly de-
voted his energies to an errand o.,
mercy. Picking up the body OF Perry
Mason he carried the apparently life
less man out of sight OF the room and,
selecting a sheltered corner, laid his
burden carefully down. He then pro-
duced n vial from his pocket and held
it to the nose OF the man who had once
tried to kill him. The other opened his
malignant glare.
why. what's happened" he cried in
his normal voice.
'You lost your memory" said the
Executioner. You were hit by fall
ing timber: this explosion has restored
your mind to its normal condition"
What explosion" demanded Perry.
Staggering to his feet he shook his hst
toward the little door whence the
voices OF lima and Harry sounded down
the gallery. The Executioner. taking
his arm. smiled grimly as he led the
man with the Turkish bracelet awav
through the dark.
tTo be continued next Sunday