Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1917-02-09

"Aro you SurOr
"They we're there thirty minutes
ago."
but are you sure7"
Eyes; I saw them"
"Then the first thing TO do Is 70
make sure that she is still safe"
Yet hurried as Manley's flight was
through that quiet house. he took time
to circle about to his own room and
there thrust an automatic pistol into
his pocket. Then he called Celestine,
who was promptly sent to investigate
Margery's boudoir. She returned with
the disQuieting report that the girl
was not there.
Manley, with a sinking Of the heart,
continued his search through the low
er regions Of the house. And he did
not breathe freely until, quietly open
ing the side door into the library, he
caught sight Of Margery herself, in q
narrow-backed Jacobean chair, bent
low over a book which lay open on
her lap.
She sat clearly outlined in the
bright fulcrum falling over her caro-
l~essly-posed body, leaving her in a
luminous shower from the single wall
light, which she had left turned on
Immediately above her. This silvery
shaft Of light brought out the beauty
Of her heavily-massed hair; It brought
out the tender lines OF the white
throat and neck. the wistful girlish-
nest OF the slender figure. Then Man
ley for the first time noticed that she
was sitting directly IN front OF the
suit Of Japanese armor. He could see
the polished metal Of that armor flash
venomously in the strong sidelight.
AS he stood there, clinging to the
portiere and continuing to stare at
those two acknowledgement figures,
he found something almost hypnotic
in the virulent brightness Of the pol
ished metal. Then q gasp Of incred-
ulity burst from his lips. For as he
stared at the metaled hand holding
the long-bladed dagger, he saw, or
thought he saw, that hand slowly
raise, as though some miracle had en-
dowed its insensate links and plates
and vambraces with life. Then the
very blood in his body seemed to cur
die with sudden horror, for now there
was no doubt about It. The mailed
hand holding the glimmering knife
blade above the softly-breathing girl
was slowly but surely being lifted,
higher and stiIl higher. And in an
other moment, Manley felt, 1t would
surely strike.
Quick as a fash he caught the au-
tomato from his pocket, swung it up,
and trained the barrel on the glinting
high lights along the mailed fist. Then
he fired.
There was a mufled shout Of pain,
a short scream of terror from the
startled girl, and answering calls from
above-stairs as the uproar echoed
through the midnight house. But to
all of these Manley paid scant atten-
ton. With ten steps he had crossed
the room. Then he flung himself on
the suit of mail, twisting it about and
sending it topping from it's stand.
But one glance showed it to be empty.
The framed canvas that stood behind
1t he jerked from the wall. Then an
exclamation OF wonder burst from his
lips. For, in the w~ainscoting at each
side OF where the canvas had hung he
discovered two holes cut, not a yard
apart, and sufficiently large to admit
Of a mans arms being thrust through
them. And as he saw them. and be-
gan to batter on the hardwood vain
scoting with his heavy pi%stol-butt, he
realized what had taken place.
Some enemy, secreted behind that
%wainscoting, had thrust an arm into
the metal shell Of an arm holding the
dagger, and had lifted 1t to strike
down the girl so close beside it. And
that enemy, Manley resolved as he
battered down the panel and crowded
his way through into a narrow pas
sageway, he would discover and cap
ture or know the aso why.
Yet that passage, which led to the
abandoned conservatory and from
there back to a long unused buffers
pantry, proved to be entirely empty.
All that rewarded Manley's frantic
search was a sleeve button and a
shred of cloth torn from a service
coat, caught on a nail where the pas
sage itself ended against the vain
scoting. And by the time he had
pushed his way back to the library
Golden and Da Espares and Wilson
were already there.
Where's Wrench, that new foot
man?" he demanded.
Il saw Wrench in the upper hall,
sir, two minutes ago" was Wilson's
prompt reply.
"But monsieur, what has happen to
my beautiful armor2" demanded the
softly-speaking Da Espares.
I'll tell you hat when we find
Wrench" was Manley's curt reply.
Wilson, you guard the front door,
and you. sir" added Manley, turning
to Golden. I'D advise to watch the win.