Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1917-03-16

VI y CIdAllly C|OublEuCA5u cape WHICH,
for purposes Of disguise, could be
promptly converted into a woman's
skirt.
SO sure was Maud Of his defensive
arrangements that when he caught
sight Of Peggy o'Mara and her father
at the window he promptly reached
for his rife, adjusted the barrel be-
tween the shutter Stats, and took aim.
Then he pulled the trigger.
The next moment a bullet went
crashing through the window OF the
O'Mara home.
Instinctively the two startled fig
ures leaped away from the window.
AS they did so they realized hat a
third person had entered the room.
And a second glance showed them
that It was the Laughing Mask him
self.
He stood for a moment OF two, star
ing down at the spotted warning that
lay face upward on the floor. Then
he stared at the shattered window.
The next moment he was pushing
Peggy and Dan O'Mara bodily back
from that square OF light.
"But what's the meanin' Of all this,
anyway" demanded the astonished
householder.
1T meant that a bullet came through
that window" the Laughing Mask ex-
planned. "And ! know that bullet was
intended for your daughter here"
The next moment the Laughing
Mask had caught a broom from the
corner and about It was draping one OF
Peggy O'Mara's well-worn waists.
Above this he placed the girls hat,
tying It In place with a scarf. Then
dropping to his knees well out Of sight
on one side Of the window. he slowly
advanced his improvised dummy into
the square OF light.
That rough outline of a human hg-
ure was scarcely in position at the
window before a second pane crashed
in and the broom was knocked from
the hand Of the masked man hold
ing II.
THAT shot could have come only
from one of those three houses across
Ah0 way Ahh IL . NDhN " Oho "
that empty house on the right"
He drew away from the window and
stood for a moment deep in thought.
"O'Mara, 1 want you to slip out by
your back door and get help. Call on
any n~eighbors you can trust in a case
like this. Then hurry back here, for
/ don't want that scoundrel to suspect
II, ,yo,, hovn,fR yrorlrad oY,k avocAIv
as he imagines!"
"We'n get the divill" announced
O'Mara as he slipped away. And while
waiting for his return the Laughing
Mask sent Peggy for a cupful Of -four.
With this he powdered her hands and
blanched her thin young face. Dan
O'Mara had stepped back into the
house before the masked visitor had
completed his task.
Now, / want that sniper to think
he's done his work, / don't want him
TO break from until your friends
have surrounded that house. So take
your daughter and carry her out. just
as though she were a dead girl"
Dan O'Mara doing as he was di
rected. stepped from the doorway with
his W white-faced daughter hanging
limp In his arms. He acted his part
with a sincerity that was not without
conviction. For, two minutes after he
had staggered into the open with that
apparently sad burden. the sniper from
the shattered house was detected slip
ping out OF a cellar window and sour
rying along a broken fence.
That escape, however. came before
Dan O'Mara's friends could completely
take up their position about the sus
peeted house. But one of those friends
caught sight OF the fugitive in the
strange-looking cape, the alarm wal
given. and the pursuit began.
Il was not a long chase. but It wal
a stern one. Determined as those In
dignant factory-toilers were to ruI
down the mysterious gunman 70 wan
tonly threatening their homes, the
fleeing Mauki proved himself starting
ly heet Of foot. He gained sufficiently
on his pursuers to round a corner
dodge into an empty coalshed, and
emerge a moment later as a STOPPED
old woman in am~bereolored spectacleI
and a rusty gray wig. Being obviously
hard OF hearing, this same old woman
could not give much information Il
the group Of excited men suddenly &C
; costing her as she hobbled across thu
street.
Five minutes later a swarthy-skinne'
man with wiry black hair was hurry
ing across country TO one OF the well
concealed dens Of Jules Legar, WHERE
he duly reported TO the Iron Claw thu
} news OF his enemys ruse and his owl
! narrow escape.
Before the second day had passeC
Legar had evolved yet another plaE
for the subjugation OF his enemies
This took the form OF q decoy mes
sage delivered 20 the. u~nBuspectinl
Peggy o'Mara. p~urporting 10 bo
! hAsty request from Prank Almick d
come 70 his studio Il niDo O'Clock tina
,N-hs - tha - thnt NJ Wofght hurr,