Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1917-03-02


next day. and she hated the hard
voiced foreman of the shaft room. She
turned TO stare belligerently towards
Arson Applewaithe. the immaculate
son or the factory owner himself. as
he ushered into the room OF whirring
shafts and flying belts a small group
of visitors.
Yet the Ishmael-like young face soft
ened q little as she looked at one men,
Der of that approaching group. For
one fair-haired girl OF about twenty
dressed in black, whom young Apple
waithe piloted about amid the roaring
and gathering machinery and repeat
eddy addressed as Miss Golden" was
beautiful enough to bring a hayward
pang OF envy to the breast OF Peggy
O'Mara. AS she watched her eyes sud
denly widened In alarm. For Margery
Golden, in staring about the room, had
unconsciously moved closer to onepor
the ponderous machines. There the
loose end OF her motor-cape was
snapped at by spinning cog wheel as
u hound snaps at d bone. The next
moment the whirling teeth had fas'
tened themselves IN the fabric OF the
garment edge carrying II back be
quickly closed on the cloth and
seemed to reach out for more.
AT the same moment that Margery
Golden turned about to determine the
meaning OF this sudden tug at her
clothing, the alert-eyed Peggy OMara
made an apparently maniacal spring
for that astounded young woman's
throat
With a quick jerk OF her thin young
fingers Peggy tore the cape free where
II was already straining against the
white column of its wearer's throat
1t was not until Margery Golden
saw the iron teeth of the cog wheels
ing cape that any inkling OF her dan
ger came home to her.
Margery Golden stepped back and
leaned against guard rail. Then. aft.
er looking studiously at the slattern
and slightly abashed figure of her de-
and from il took out two or three neat.
ly folded bank notes. These she held
smilngly out to the girl with the
broken-toed shoes.
But a quick fash spread over the
usually colorless cheeks of Miss Peggy
O'Mara as she backed determinedly
away from the bills.
tolx
asked the somewhat astonished young
woman In black.
mo ma'am!" was the girls almost
sullen retort. II amt earned 'em!"
But rather think you have" per,
sisted the other, still smiling
you see, you saved my life And
surely you won't embarrass me by
arguing that it's not worth that
much!"
Il don't want your money" an.
nounced the sullen-eyed girl, putting
her hands behind her But already
young Applewaithe was discreetly do.
ing his best to pilot his visitors away
from tho scene.
Peggy OMara stared after the de.
parting group. So intently did she
stare after them that she was oblivi.
Gus OF the movements Of the one-armed
man who had been STOPPING low over
his machine, IN pretense of filling its
oil cups. He crept out to where a
small gold locket had dropped from
Margery Goiden's neck during the en-.
counter He caught It up from the oil.
stained floor, looked at II for one short
moment and then slipped il triumph
antly into his pocket. After that he
stood behind his machine, we'll out OF
sight, watching the fair-haired girl In
black as she stepped out through the
factory door. His eyes, as he watched
her, were both calculating and SIMS.
ter. But the pallid-faced girl standing
SO close beside him had no means OF
knowing that this preoccupied and
stoop-shouldered- workman who had
lost his right hand was Jules Legar,
long known to his enemies as the
Iron Claw.
That mysterious one-armed man
however. was destined to become bet
ter acquainted with Peggy O'Mara
than she imagined. For that night
when the uneasy-minded girl knew her
father TO be once more shut up in his
cellar workroom, she was further
disturbed by the sound OF stealthy
steps across the bare wooden floor OF
her home. She tiptoed out through
the door. crossed to the cellar steps,
and crept silently down into the dark.
ness.
There, vaguely outlined against the
door cracks In the wall shielding her
father, she could make out stealthily
inquisitive figure. And she knew that
figure could mean no good to the house
OF O'Mara:
She crept as silently up the broken
steps again, went to her fathers time
worn tool chest and from II took out
somewhat rusty but ominous. looking
revolver.
The thin-armed girl with the thick
bodied revolver then crept back to-
wards the cellar She had reached the
"a H. 49, A. - -