Mount Vernon signal. (Mt. Vernon, Ky.) 18??-current, 1917-04-27

automatic at the terrified scientist
and with his left hand silently pointed
to the desk where lay the unfinished
confession. Skidmon faltered toward
the desk in obedience.
But his intelligent mind worked
quickly, and by the time he had affixed
his name TO that document vindicat-
ing the masked fugitive from Legar's
atrociors crimes he had banished the
fears which this supernatural reSur-
rection had caused him and deter
mined ON a course of action. Rising
from the desk he approached the
Laughing Mask, who was standing
near the open closet with his ready
weapon In his hand. Skidmon held
out the signed confession, but before
seeming inadvertence, slipped from
the fingers Of the scientist and f1utter-
ed TO the floor. As he stopped to re-
gain II he suddenly hurled his weight
against the legs of his unsuspecting
enemy with a force that sent him
topping over backward into the
depths Of the closet. and before the
Laughing Mask could regain his foot
ing the door had been swung shut
and bolted.
Margery, from her place of conceal
ment, saw the Ioose-lipped malefactor
make a motion rs though to destroy
the confession, but he suddenly grew
rigid as though gripped again by the
hand of fear. Following the direc-
ton In which his eyes were staring,
she saw the reason for his trepida-
ton. A figure masked in the identi-
| cal manner as the man just impris-
oned in the closet came slowly through
the hall doorway.
at would be foolish to tear up that
little document" he said in tones of
grim determination, "fOr you would
have to write it over. AS it is rather
| essential to my welfare, I'll trouble
you to hand 1t to me-"
But instead of complying with this
demand the dazed and panic-stricken
| analyst backed slowly away from
that terrifying specter. His retreat
was suddenly checked by the labor
atOry work bench. on which he heavily
| himself. AS he did so there came q
sharp sound of breaking glass and
with an abrupt cry of pain, he flung
| up his deeply gashed hand, splashed
with blood and a thick OOze of gelatin
Gus matter. He turned and saw the
splintered pieces of the fragile vessel
which had contained the colon bacilli
| culture. A dull moan of horror came
from his blue lips as he realized he
was hOpelessly inOculated with the
deadly virus.
| In wild desperation he caught VI
the towel from the work bench and
scrubbed the smear of blood and
sticky substance from his open wound
But the strip of linen dropped from
his nerveleSs fingers as q series OF
convuisive tremOrs shook his tortured
body. Then his knees gave way under
him and he slowly sank upon the
floor, and after several jerky spasms
his pain-racked, form was stilled in
death.
Overcome by the sight of that grue-
some tragedy, Margery stood rooted
to the floor. inarticulate and trem
bling. She saw the Laughing Masf
pick up the confession and go out o.
the laboratory toward the stairway
Still holding the revolver, he descend
ed TO the cellar with the air of {
man whose mission Is but half fin
ished. Even as he hastily concealed
himself back of the piles of carpe
he heard Legar returning from hi
futile search of the premises. Tha
puzzled worker of iniquity suddenl!
found himself looking into revOlve
held by the Laughing Mask, who hat
stepped out Of the shadows.
Realizing he had been Outwitte'
and that resistance was useless, Lega
raised his arms above his head il
obedience to the curt command of tn
other. But the evil genius was no
slumbering, and as his lifted RICH
hand came in contact with a larg
earthen flower pot standing ON
shelf above him he grasped tina
heavy object and hurled it with al
his strength full in the face Of hi
masked opponent.
That crashing and unexpected bloy
accomplished its purpose, for tn
Laughing Mask dropped in a motion
less heap as though he had bee
struck by a bullet. The one-arme
man, bending over his APPARENT
lifeless enemy, saw a paper protru6
ing from the inner pocket of his cOat
AS he glanced at it by the sickly ligh
of the lantern he realized its pun
port, and hurried up the stairs to ca
Skidmon to account for disclosing hi
guilty secrets.
The first door he opened prove
to be that of small buffers pantry
and by the Pickering light of tn
match he saw In the gloomy compart
ment q statue-like form standing wit
folded arms. The silently accusin
figure wore a yellow mask. With
half-strangled oath he dropped tn
!, | rJn ond ond 81 %h