Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1917-03-16

AWNN ~ EAi
utes, l want you to get any help you
can, and come after me-"
Margery stole along the shadowy
roadside to the spot where she had
seen Legar creep in through the
bushes. She followed as best she
could, found herself face to face with
a tunnelopening that showed itself
dimly in the moonlight, and after a
moments hesitation stopped low and
crept into this tunnel, feeling her way
cautiously along the smooth brickwOrk
Of its walls. She came to a turn, but
tressed with heavier masonry, and
padded along this wall until her crop
ing fingers came in contact with a
light switch. This, after a moments
thought, she turned on. The next mo-
ment a number of bulbs along the cor
ridor roof above her lowered into
light.
Staring ahead OF her, she saw that
the corridor ended in nothing but a
blank wall. But as she stared intently
at the wall she detected in one side Of
it a partially concealed electric but
ton. She moved toward this cautious
ly, for she had learned Of old to be
wary Of approach to any of Legar's
Businesses. Then, as she advanced,
she came to a sudden stop. For she
saw on the fagstone upon which she
was about to step a small cross. There
was also a minute crevice, unnotice-
able in its companions, about this
quadrangle SO s~uspiciously marked by
its cross. So she stepped carefully
over the suspected area, crept forward
to the button, and touched it with a
tentative fingertip.
The next moment a remarkable
thing happened. A section of the
heavy masonry shutting OF the end
of the corridor, at that touch, swung
silently about on it's axis, leaving an
aperture wide enough for a human
body to pass through. The girl, hold
ing her breath, stepped through the
ponderous masonry.
This chamber, she saw, was empty,
except for two mysterious strands OF
iron chain that ran from ceiling to
floor, close against the wall, while
against the other stood a deal table
and a camp couch across which lay a
couple of very dirty blankets. But
along the floor at the far end Of the
room her quick eye detected a thin
pencil Of light. So she tiptoed quietly
forward until she stood close to the
door above this illuminated crevice.
Then she stopped lower, listening in
tently, fer the sound of muffled voices
came to her from the room within.
Il tell you we can't afford to fail in
this move" she heard the voice of
Legar himself 1.-THE things
got to be settled, and settled before
morning."
but how?" asked one Of his fol
lowers.
with two pounds of guncotton and
a time fuse" was Legar's reply.
'In the O'Mara cottage?" asked an
other voice.
Yes; l want that cottage wiped on
the face OF the earth, and the family
with it, And l want 1t done before
morningl"
Margery listened, oblivious OF the
passing of time, as the conspirators
behind the closed door continued ia
DEBATE on their plan OF action. Then
she started, even as much as they did
wnen the sudden buzzing OF an cleo
tHc annunciator warned that intent
gIoup of an %intruder's approach.
Il was then and only then that the
girl remembered her parting message
to the taxicab driver. All that was left
her to do was to dart over to the camp
cot. and drop down on the stone hool
beside It.
The next moment Legar and his
men were IN the outer chamber. While
one OF the men crept to a secret out
look crevice in the farther wall lie
gar himself stepped to m of the con
troll chains which ran from floor t
ceiling on the other side OF the room
and by pulling one OF these started
into action some mysterious mech
anism which the watching girl could
not quite comprehend. She saw
them run back to the inner room
and stand waiting while Legal
manipulated still another secrer
spring which threw open a bidder
door In the back wall OF that room
And that door, she surmised. led b,
some unknown passage to the cute
world.
But Margery did not give mucl
thought to this, for there came to he
- she regained her feet the repeate,
cry OF a human being. a cry husk!
with terror. She ran to the pivot doc
In the masonry, swung It back, an'
there beheld q sight which made he
blood u cold. II took her, In fact
a p~onderable space OF time to under
stand the scene confronting her. Blu
as ahe stared out she saw where he
unauBpecting chauffeur had steppel
on the crosS-maEked hagstone. tOg 1