Judsonia weekly advance., 1917-05-02

interior hand reached out and | grasped the telephone receiver. The desk then partially rolled down, leav- ing a crack through which the watch CT might observe what was going on in the room.
 At the other end of the wire, Pat, in another room, heard the report of her subordinate, who told her Kelly and his man were moving cautiously through the house.
 Knowing where Kelly's steps would lead him, because of the arrangement of the interior of the House of Mys- tery, the leader of the Apaches had prepared and set the surrounding of a room for the detectives reception. Around a large table sat ten Apaches, cloaked in purple, with masks and hoods covering their faces and heads.
 Kelly moved cautiously down the narrow passage that led to this room. Drawing his revolver, the Sphinx en- tered. The occupants of the chairs around the long table paid no atten- tiOn to his advance.
 Kelly immediately lined his assist ant beside him and then shouted:
 Hands up! Don't move! We've got you all covered!"
 Nobody at the table moved; every one sat motionless. Kelly advanced to the first chair and then halted in astonishment Ten dummies stuffed with excelsior were made up to rep resent men, and in the semidarkness of the room Kelly had been complete ly deceived.
 "Fooled again!" Kelly muttered. Lets get out of herei" was his com mand to his assistant.
 But just as the two men started to exit through the door by which they had entered, down came a heavy steel partition that completely blocked their passage. Pats trap had worked fault | lessly.
 | The Sphinx and his man were once more prisoners in the House of Mys- | tery. They heard a grating noise in the wall near them.
 1 A purple mask covered the face that appeared when panel slid aside, but Kelly knew the voice that called to him, with note of triumph in its tone: "Stay there until I let you out. I'm off | to get the money from safe number one."
 There was nothing to be done save to make the most of their situation. roomy office, brightly lighted by day and night.
 The safe itself was built into the wall, it's iron front even with the sur face The political grafters, com pelled to leave the money in the safe until they could meet to distribute it, had a watchman in the hall, pacing up and down before the door to guard the ill-gotten treasure.
 Pat had been thoroughly informed on these details and came prepared. The Apaches climbed in from the fire-escape, dragging after them a fiat, screen-like arrangement, folded in sev- eral layers. They erected the screen before the strong-box in the wall. Painted to exactly reproduce the safe and its immediate surroundings, the screen served as shelter behind which Pat went quickly to work.
 Within few moments she had opened the safe and removed the bag of money that the politicians had col lected. With her men she retired from the office the same way they had en- tered. She had been successful in her first effort and hurried home to release Kelly and his men.
 Half my work is done. I'll open the other safe and restore the money to the people," was the note one of Pats men handed to Kelly as the door was opened to release the detective and his aid from their steel-cage prison.
 Kelly hurried to the office where safe No. 1 was located and discovered the trick Pat had so cleverly played. The watchman on guard got his first news of the robbery" when the Sphinx arrived to investigate.
 "We must prevent the Purple Mask tapping safe number two at all hazards" said Kelly to his assistants.
 Safe No. was located in an old frame building in quiet part of town. There were two floors, with an attic. The flat roof, surrounded by breast high cornice and false front, gave Pat and her Apaches shelter for their operations.
 Kelly left one of his men to guard the foot of the stairs and with his chief assistant went up to the office where the safe was located. There was a watchman on guard, and to him Kelly told the story of the other safe