Bisbee daily review., 1917-01-07


 he desk in obedience.
 But his intelligent mind worked quickly. and by the time he had affixed his name to that document vindicat' ing the masked fugitive from Legar's atrOciOus crimes he had banished the fears which this supernatural resur- rectiOn had caused him and deter mined on a course of action. Rising from the desk he approached the Laughing Mask, who was standing near the open closet with his ready weapon in his hand. SkidmOn held out the signed confession. but before
 the other could take it the paper, with seeming inadvertence. slipped from the fingers of the scientist and flutter- ed to the fiOo-. As he stopped to re- gain it he suddenly hurled his weight against the legs of his unsuspecting enemy with force that sent him tOppling ove- backward into the depths of the closet, and before the Laughing Mask could regain his foot ing the door had been swung shut and bOlted.
 Margery, from her place of conceal ment, saw the lOcse-lipped malefactOr make motion as th.ugh to destroy the confession. but he suddenly grew rigid as though gripped again by the hand of fear. Following the direc- ton in which his eyes were staring. she saw the reason for his trepida tion. A figure masked in the identi cal manner as the man just impris- oned in the closet came slowly through the hall doorway.
 "It would be foolish to tear up that little document" he said in tones of grim determination, flor you would have tO write it over. As it is rather essential to my welfare, I'll trouble you to hand it to me-"
 But instead of complying with this demand the dczed and panic-striclen analyst backed slowly away from that terrifying specter. His retreat was suddenly checked by the labor atory work bench. on which he heavily dropped a trembling hand to steady himself. As he did so there came q sharp sound of breaking glass and. with an abrupt cry of pain. he flung uD his deeply gaShod hand, splashCd with blood and a thick oOze of gelatin Ous matter. He turned and saw the splintered pieces of the fragile vessel which had contained the colon bacilli culture. X dull moan of horror came from his blue lips as he realized he was hopelessly inoculated with the deadly virus.
 In wild desperation he caught up the towel from the work bench and scrubbed the smear of blood and sticky substance from his open wound. But the strip of linen dropped from his nerveless fingers as a series of conyUlSiye tremOrs shook his tortured body Then his knees gave way under him and he slowly sank upon the floor. and after several jerky Spasms his pain-racked form was stllled in death.
 Overcome by the sight of that grue- some tragedy. MarSery stood rooted to the floor, inarticulate and trem- bling. She saw the Laughing Mask pick up the confession and go out of the laboratory toward the stairway. still holding the revolver, he descend ed to the cellar with the air of a man whose mission is but half fin- iShed. Even as he hastily concealed himself back of the piles of carpet he heard Legar returning from his futile search of the premises. That puzzled worker of iniquity suddenly found himself looking into a revolver held by the Laughing Mask, who had stepped out of the shadows.
 Realizing he had been Outwitteu and that resistance was useless Legar raised his arms above his head in obedience to the curt command of the other But the evil genius was not and as his lifted right hand came in contact with large earthcn flower pot standing on a shelf above him he graspcd that heavy object and hurled it with all l his strength full in the face of his l masked opponent
 That crashing and unexpected blow l it's purpose, for the | Laughing Mask dropped in motion less heap as though he had been | struck by bullet. The one-armed ] man. bending over his apparently | lifclesS enemy, saw a paper protrud- ing from the inner DC .ket of his coat. | As he glanced at it by the sickly light | of the lantern he realized it's pur- port, and hurried up the stairs to cali | Sllidmon to account for disclosing his guilty secrets.
 The first door he opened proved | to be that of a small buffers pantry. and by the flickering light of the match he saw in the gloomy compart- nent a statue-like form standing with folded arms. The silently accusing igure wore a yellow mask. With oath he dropped the flowing match end and slammed the loor on that masked apparition.
 He raced up the stairs to the third story landing. where he paused to re- gain his breath before entering the laboratory of his traitorous henchman. He suddenly recOilcd as though struck