Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1917-03-30
vnro what seemed 70 be tiny tentacloF

The clicking levers we're beginning
to work more rapidly. In another mo
ment the great vault door would swing
open-to what7
Quick, Margery," he whispered
what / have just given you Is what
1 have called tho octopus bomb. It Will
save us. II the need should be dire, II
there should be- no other manner OF
escape"
Az the man In the mask finished the
rapidly spoken words the door OF the
vault swung outward. Margery stepped
forward.
The detectives, with whom the room
swarmed, paid no heed to Margery.
Their quarry emerged from the gloom
Of the vault a moment after her. He
glanced abOut-frOm revolver muzzle
to revolver muzzle, all leveled at him.
Margery glanced back at the Laughing
Mask as he stood thus, facing this des-
perate denouement. Then she cried
out in~voluntarily, for one Of the detec-
tives had approached the Laughing
Mask, raised his hand to the mask It
self and was about to tear II of. But
the Laughing Mask stepped backward
and with a gesture commandingly
stopped him.
"One moment, II you please, gentle
men. There is no need for this. My
mask stays where 1t is. AS for the
crimes which you seem TO think are
matter for tHese revolvers-I believe
this confession Of the Iron Claw &C
counts for the chief Of them and,
therefore, for the rest"
The captain was about to glance at
It, but turned to Golden for a word OF
instruction. The next moment there
was a crash at the other side of the
room. Legar had heard every word
from his hiding place behind the an
tique screen and he knew that this was
the most desperate case for his for
tunes that had yet befallen. AS the
captain stretched forth his hand, ex-
tending the confession to Golden, Le-
gar, with a rush, dashed past him,
grasped the confession from his fingers
and made for the window. Snatching
his cap down oVer his eyes, he
plunged head first through the glass,
shattering it to sp~linters.
Legar had flashed across the room
like a missile from q catapult. Three
OF the detectives were knocked from
their feet. The others gaped at the
shattered window. The captain was
the first to recover his wits. He
shouted an angry command, one of his
-, - ahrour - kH0 hnAkAra1 auah aud
the rest leaped ont.
Inside the Golden library, the detec-
tive who had tried to disclose the iden-
tity Of the Laughing Mask was again
intent upon solving this mystery. That
is why he had remained behind.
TITS no use. your times ONE. on
with the mask, / tell you'll"
The Laughing Mask looked straight
into the beady eyes before him and he
saw that their gaze was not OF the
sort that is open to argument or per-
suasion. Then he looked steadily on
beyond to where Margery stood, be-
hind the detective.
Margery understood his glance and
interpreted his gesture Alright. She
deftly slipped the octopus bomb from
her handkerchief, in which she had
held it, clutched tightly within her
fingers, ever since she and the Laugh
inE Mask had left the vault. AS the
detective strobe forward to peer the
more closely at what he expected to
see revealed Margery hurled the bomb
to the floor.
The next moment the room was
filed with an impenetrable cloud of
back smoke. Completely it enveloped
everyone and everything in the library.
Gradually the black, sootlike pail
rose to the high ceiling Of the library,
disclosing Margery, her father and the
detective to one another. But the
Laughing Mask had vanished. The de-
, tective dashed to the door leading to
the adjoining reception hall and flung
!, It open. Golden followed and both ran
through this spacious chamber and on
10 the stairs. Margery, still apprehen-
8ive for tho safety of the man in the
yellow mark. ran after the s~earchers,
who were fairly bafled.
AS soon as all three were clear OF
l the reception hall the Laughing
Masks head emerged from a large
, ancient Roman vase; swiftly, he
Q climbed from out it's great sheltering
bowl and stepped noiselessly back to
the library.
l Silently the Laughing Mask lifted
l the window and climbed over The sill
In another moment he had leaped Il
i the ground below. But he had moi
reckOned upon the quick discourage
ment that oyertakes that limp arm Of
a the law known as a central office de
t%ectiVe. The half dozen OF the type
r with their chief, who had pursued lie
gar when their %revolvers failed to stOI
n him, had quickly given up the chase
r They we're walking briskly when thu
captain quickly motioned to his mel
e to hug the wall of the house. Some
thing at the shattered window of thu
o library had caught hfa aftanfiOu L