The Raymer enterprise., 1917-02-01

near Wnere sne keeps HeF JeWei case.
! showed my hand just inside the door
and pushed the light button. And
there we was face to face with q
couple Of the most surprised and
toughest lookin' crooks that ever
met up with. Miss Wilkens was lyin'
there In the bed sleepin' like a baby
Them two housebreakin' agents OF
Legar's was as full Of fight as cou-
pie Of Kilkenny cats. They whipped
out their guns. and one OF them aeshed
me In the shoulder. while the other
fetched Joe q crack over the head
that put him to sleep for minute. BY
the time Miss Wilkens had got her
eyes open an let out scared screech
they was through the winder and
climbin' down the lattlcework."
"Wait minute, Jenkins" Captain
Bracket interrupted. "Your story
may be very interesting. but what has
this part Of 1t got to do with the
Laughing Mask?
81 was just comm to that" his sub
ordinate replied In somewhat ag-
grieved tone. 1--WE got out the front
door Just as the thugs was maxim
tracks for a racln' car they had bid
den of to one side Of the road. Old
man Parker tried to stop 'em, but he
got a wallop on the jaw that knocked
him stiff. They jumps into the car
and sends her of with the self-starter.
We thought they was gone all right,
when that automobile stops up with a
Jerk that pretty near put them motor
bandits over the glass front. We was
Johnny on the spot then, an we col
Jared our men in hurry. An say,
what do you think put the kibosh on
that Joy ride getawayT
"The thing that brought them
crooks to a standstill was a rope as
thick as my arm, with one end tied
to the rear axle Of the automobile
and the other end made fast to big
tree. The wheels was buzzln' round
but they wasn't gettin' nowhere. An
the man who rigged up the contrap'
ton for stoppln' those crooks must
have been that LaughIn' Mask ye're
after. We found those jaIlbirds had
pretty bad records an the commlsh
said I was likely to get some good
news In a couple Of days. Perhaps
this feller with the mask aln't as bnd
us you think, chief"
"Why doesn't he come out Into the
open, then. and explain these charges
standin' against him. instead Of
sneakin' around like a masked safe
blower?' he demanded with consid
cradle heat.
II didn't know you wanted me to
begin backwards" he said In rufiled
tones. ''I've got somethin' worth
talkin' about all right. II you'll give
me chance to tell II"
"Please tell us everything that hap
pened. Jenkins" Margery interposed
well. 1t certainly was some scrap
Miss Golden" answered the thief
catcher. addressing himself exclusive
ly to the diplomatic girl. "an' the
strangest part of the whole thing hap
pened after | got the bracelets on
them crooks and left Joe to watch
them, while went up to the house to
see II anything was missln'."
Just as J reached the house." he
quickly resumed. 'the moon broke
through the clouds an ! stood lookin'
into the garden, for | had a hunch
that one-armed desperate might be
hangin' around to superlntend that
job his men tried to pull off. Then.
all at once, | seen Miss Wilkens,
dressed In a kind of lace wrapper,
standln' like a ghost down ut the fur
ther end Of the garden. An she
wasn't alone by a long shot. Talkin'
to her. free and easy as If he'd known
her all his life, was that daredevil,
Laughin' Mask. felt sort Of obliged
to him for tippln' me Off about Le-
gar's second-story workers. but I
knew you was anxious to have little
talk with him. so / commences to
sneak up on them night providers like
an old Tom would go after couple
Of sparrows. l had covered about
half the distance when that masked
Romeo grabs Miss Wllkens In his
arms an commences to kiss her like a
happy bridegroom. An she keeps
comm right back for more. | was
that surprised ! must have let my
foot down heavy. for they broke apart
and he goes through the hedgeslIke a
shot. When ! comes up on the run
there was only Miss WIlkens an when
| told her she was harborin' a man
wanted by the law. she froze me up
with naughty stare.
"'You must have been drinkin', Of
tlcer.' she says. I Just came out for a
minute TO calm my nerves after all
that excitement an the only person
I've seen Is an extremely rude police
man.
Il don't believe a word of the last
part Of your story" Margery cried In
! voice perilously close to tears. II
don't believe the Laughing Mask was
promenading about that garden with