The Carlisle independent., 1917-09-06


 some purpose in Louie's folly. She glanced at the little crook and made q swift decision. She turned to one of her attendants.
 Louie, glancing at her, saw a slight movement of her lips and fingers. Criminal as he was, and versed in the ways of crime, he knew what that sign meant. It was the death sign. Bi- anca was taking no chances on the threshold of her marriage.
 Louie, staring at the man, saw him nod in answer to Bianca's signal. Bi- anca turned to Louie once more.
 "Did you mean what you said?' she demanded, about sending Senor Ma varre to jail if he marries mel"
 "Yes," snapped Louie.
 The two men came forward and took Louie by the arms. He went with them quietly into the next room. One of them released his prisoner to open the secret panel. Instantly Louie struck the other in the face, felling hin to the ground. Free for the mo- ment, Louie drew a revolver and fired at the second man point blank.
 The party in the inner room rushed in to see one of the two men strug- gling to his feet and the second writh- ing in his own blood. Louie had es- caped through the open panel.
 He found himself in Bianca's bou- doir He dashed for the door. But Sebastian was quicker. Before he could turn the handle he was upon him.
 Louie was not brave man, but had seen the sign, and fear rendered him desperate. He dashed his fists into Sebastains face, knocking him to the floor. He bounded toward the win dow and flung it open. As Sebastian regained his feet the party, entering, saw Louie spring to the window sill.
 Blanca, standing at the doorway, placed her fingers upon q little knob, an electric bell Instantly q huge shutter of steel snapped down into place before the window, blocking Louie's escape. Another inch or two, and Louie would have been decapi- tated.
 '.Get him now!" commanded Blanca in crisp tones of command.
 Louie leaped for the nearest man and, with strength which he had not known he possessed, swung him be- fore him as shield against the half circle of revolvers covering him. He edged toward the door again, the man helplessly in Louie's grip.
 They fell to the floor together, claw ing at each other like wild beasts None of the others dared to shoot, so violent were their movements.
 Blanca calmly watched the perform ance. The men were working their way toward the center of the floor where was the trap door which had shot Ravengar into the cellar below. Blanca pressed another button, and the 6oor disclosed yawEing cavity in the middle of the floor.
 The watchers held their breath as the two men, still engaged in their furious struggle, neared the cavity. Louie was nearer, and it seemed in- credible that he could escape. But he, maddened by the double fear that held him, seemed to have hun dred eyes and senses. With an adroit leap he bounded from the very edge of the cavity and pushed his companion down.
 lie rose with one eye blackened, and disheveled. He was GOV cred by circle of revolvers. Escape now seemed impossible. All waited for Bianca's signal to fire
 And the little crook, fairly cornered. stood defiant in the middle of the room, beside the open door, which would at any instant become the roof of his bur- ial vault. There was only one chance In million of Louie's escape.
 But the one chance arrived. For, as Louie stood there, his eyes shifting from face to face, he became aware of an extraordinary phenomenon which nobody else perceived. A hand, and nothing but hand, marble-white, man. size, was approaching the switch which the electric lights in the room. And Louie, watching it out of the corner of his eye, was cO0lly cal whether it would snap the but ton before Blanca dropped her hand.
 He saw Blanca straighten herself The hand wavered. An then, before it fell, the lights went out with click that sounded like a pistol shot.
 The pistol shots themselves followed the sudden plunging of the room into darkness. Louie heard them crack around him, heard the hiss of the bull lets, and then he made with almost noiseless, catlike steps for the secret panel.
 A moment later Blanca had found the switch, and the lights went on again. Louie was not in the room.
 ITO the paDel!'' she shouted furi- Dusly.
 Louie, gaining the adjacent house, had slipped behind tlfe curtains that hung beside the doorway. Crouching there, he saw the chase go past hiEa.
 One man had not followed the others in their fruitless chase through the gambling house. That man was Se- 1 bastian. He came out behind the oth-