The Elk Mountain pilot., 1917-11-15

Blanca ana 1er men Escape FROM INC
Burning Building.
continued 10 plead. She stripped her
self of the mantle and held 1T out to
him.
One man had been left in the cellar.
That was the crook named Joe, who
had fninted from the intense heat. As
Ravengar sat up and opened his eyes
on the ground, Joe was opening his
in the cellar. He, too, could not at
first remember what had happened to
him.
He was conscious only of the fight
in the shed, the outbreak of the blaze.
But Joe had not meditative mind.
He found himself alive, and that was
his chief concern. He meant to re-
main alive. He was not anxious to
face what seemed to him the inevitable
punishment for his crime.
He had no doubt that he was al
ready branded as Ravengar's murder
er And he felt, too, that Blanca was
becoming too eXactfng, and her
schemes too dangerous.
He crawled out of the cellar by the
bulkhead and looked about him. No
body was to be seen though he thought
he heard Bianca's voice in the distance.
Joe thought 1t was altogether good
moment for making his getaway.
He started to crawl through the long
grass, meaning to reach the pine
trees and then slip carefully down to-
ward the cliff.
But as he raised his head he was
startled and terrified to see Ravengar
lying not twenty PAGES away, support
ing himself upon one elbow and star.
ing about him.
Joe suddenly took heart again. The
man was not dead, then.
He edged away from Ravengar. and
then he saw the figures of Leontine.
apparently become incarnate out of
nothing. He saw it waver. now visi-
BILE, now invisible. Then she was
standing beside Ravengar, who had
risen to his feet, and offering him the
mantle.
At once Joe made his decision. He
Topped down in the grass and began
crawling toward them.
Ravengar, meanwhile, resolutely de-
clined the mantle.
"Take 1t, my dear" he said again.
II am quite safe. And 1 will meet
you here after 1t has grown dark, and
we can make our plans together. You
can never go back to your husband"
LeOntine shivered. She had told
Ravengar of his murderous plot.
"Tll take it, then, since you wish
it," she said submissively, and drew
back her arm, with the filmy mantle
upon it.
At that moment hand shot upward
from the grass and tore the mantle
from her grasp. A moment later Joe,
an expert thief, had it in his possess
sion, and was racing for the pines.
Leontine cried out, and Ravengar
staggered after him. But Joe was a4.
ready out Of sight, hugging the pre-
ciOus mantle in his arms.
AS Leontine turned, voices were
heard from the other side of the trees.
They were those of Sebastian and BIZ
anca, who had been Joined by her sec
ond servitor.
"Come!" cried Leontine, grasping
Ravengar by the arm. 1--WE must get
away before they sight us!'
"Leontine! The mantle!"
"Our lives, Ravengar," she respond
ed.
And, seizing him by the arm, she
helped him into the trees, into the un-
derbrush. They crouched there while
Blanca and Sebastian, unsuspecting
their presence, passed by-them toward
the hotel.
"I suppose that fellow RavengaE
won't come back to life" suggested
Sebastian. rf
Blanca realized for the first time
that he had gone. But she did not care
to let Sebastian know that she had
saved him. 81 guess we've seen the
last of him." she answered.
Blanca and Sebastian, arm in arm.
started down the path through the
woods together.
(END OE TENTH EPISODRl