The Carlisle independent., 1917-08-16
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LeOnQne dlQ not see the mOcklng look on Romanoff's face. She burst into the room.
 And 1 will pay you a thousand !" she cried.
 Sebastian flushed and moved threat eningly toward her. With my money?" he sneered.
 "A thousand dollars" cried Leon tine again.
 Romanoff smiled. Ut seems to be going up in value. think I'll keep it," he announced. pocketing the paper.
 He was nearing the door when, with an oath, Sebastian whipped out re- volver from the desk beside him and leyeled 1t.
 You'll hand that over or you'll nev- CT leave this room alive!" he shouted.
 Romanoff, taken aback, could only stare into the muzzle of the weapon. He saw that Sebastian was desperate.
 He put his hand into his pocket and drew out the confession.
 Suddenly the revolver was dashed from Sebastian's hand. Sebastian went reeling back across the room, as if he had received stunning blow in the face. Yet there was nobody in the room except himself. Leontine, and Romanoff.
 Next instant, as Sebastian recovered himself, he was picked up and hurled to the ground. He lay there as if stunned.
 And Leontine, gazing in terror at her husband, saw, at height of near ly six feet from the ground, pair of eyes fixed on the prostrate man. It was the mysterious defender who had championed her,
 Romanoff, with an exclamation of terror, turned and bolted from the room. He hurried into the street and leaned against the wall of the house, trembling.
 He held the precious paper in his hand. He tried to replace it in his pocket, but his hands shook
 Suddenly his hand dropped as if the wrist were broken. The invisible an- tagonist was upon him. and Romanoff fought in his grasp, feeling a sensation of power opposing him.
 It was weird struggle in the sunny street. A policeman, across the road, looked in amazement at man repro ducing all the features of battle for life-alone.
 At last, leaping back, Romanoff man. aged to wrench his arm free and de- livered blow with all his strength at the invisible antagonist.
 It was efficacious, for all at once Romanoff felt that he was free. He thrust the paper into his pocket.
 
 Romanoff hurried away, glancing back furtively in the fear that the in- visible presence was pursuing him.
 Once aboard a street car, he felt safe from pursuit. He gradually re- covered his nerve, until, by the time he reached his destination, he felt ready to laugh at the episode.
 He jumped from the car and made his way to private residence on the side street near by. The blinds were drawn, and there was nothing to indi- cate that this was other than respec- table private house whose occupants were away.
 AS a matter of fact, however, the house was connected with the one ad- joining and was one of the most cele- brated gambling establishments in the city,
 The adjacent house was occupied by Blanca, the most notorious wom- an of the underworld that the city had known.
 Romanoff tapped at the door of the gaming establishment, flung word to the woolly-headed attendant, and entered through the grilled door. He made his way along a passage and en- tered the room in which, even at that hour, the gamblers were assembled. Blanca ran the place night and day.
 Romanoff cast glance about him. The players, intent upon their game, took no notice of him. But Romanoff saw one man whose presence filled him with consternation.
 It was Ravengar, unknown to Rom- anoff by name, but the man with whom he had fought for the confession in Whites Village, the man to escape whom he had made his desperate leap from the high bridge.
 Romanoff stared at him in momen- tary terror. What was he doing here?
 He stood and watched the players for few moments, and then made his way quietly from the room. Entering a passage, he pushed back curtain, disclosing paneled wall. Romanoff touched spring and one of the panels slid back, forming little doorway in- to an anteroom of the next house. He closed the door behind him and passed on into a larger room, where a woman was seated upon divan covered with Persian draperies, listening to the re- marks of two men who were talking to her in low and eager tones.
 Rnp,opoH optorod ho u,ov,