The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-05-14

| tclllIlS YOU.
He fiourished a hand, palm outward.
| before her face. In the palm she saw
the hilt Of a knife WHIT Sc long. shining
blade was half-hidden H. the cuff.
IF you want taste OF that-:
She found her voice and criets out.
disappearing, the fellow bent ever and
picked her bodily out of the chair.
His strength was extraordinary. She
was helpless in his arms.
Parr had just recovered the bracelet
from waiter when he heard Patria's
cry in the lobby.
He dashed through the doors. to find
the place empty Of all but four or FIVE
liveried men.
"Where's the lady who was waiting
for me?" he demanded Of the nearest
man.
"Gone of with her manager" the
other grinned. "They had some sort
Of row and he picked her up and"
"You fool" Parr cried. "That lady
has no manager! She Is Miss Chan
ning-Patria Channing!"
"G'arn!" was the reply. "She's
Elaine, the dancer, and the mans
Jules Edouard, her manager. You bet
ter keep out Of this, she's his girl. and
he's a hard man"
But Parr was already running down
the corridor. 1t led him out upon an
empty roof beneath the stairs.
The faintest echo Of a call for help
drew him to the head Of the flre-escape.
How he got down that flre-escape, he
never knew. When he reached the bot
tom. 1t was to find the paved court
destitute of any trace of the kidnaper
and his prey. He dashed round it in
frenzy, trying door after door. One
yielded, disclosing long and tunnel
like passage between two buildings. At
a venture he ran down this. Coming
out at the far end, he saw the base
ment door to dilapidated Forty-first
street residence closing, and threw his
weight against it, with the added mo-
mentum of short run. full-tilt.
Entering basement hall, he saw be-
fore him flight Of stairs leading to
the first floor. At the top Of these he
paused to listen. From some indeter-
inmate point in the upper stories he
heard sound Of heavy pounding. He
took the stairs to the third story three
at stride.
The sound of hammering came from
behind closed door at the back of
the hallway. But that door was not
locked: Parr thrust 1t open and dis
covered Patria's prosecutor standing
over an old trunk against one wall of
what was evidently used as store
room for discarded articles Of furni-
ture and the like. OF Patria there was
never a sign. But the drunkard SEEM
ed possessed with the notion that she
had hidden in that trunk, which he was
endeavoring to break open.
In one bound Parr was at grips with
the man. who turned just in time to es-
cape being taken at a disadvantage.
A struggle ensued that demanded |
every ounce Of PARIS strength and de-
termination. every atom of his wit !
and will. The fellow fought with the !
power and fury Of demented thing,
and presently cOntrived to trip Parr |
across the trunk. The cap
tain was up again almost as quickly |
as he had been thrOwn-but only to |!
see his man throwing himself across
the room toward knife which, Parr !
saw for the first time, lay on the floor |
close by some rOlled-up rugs.
In trice Parr was upon his back,
and the contest was renewed. !
AT the moment Of final extremity. |
when the captain was on the point of !
giving up and trying to find something |
wherewith to defend himself before it |
was too late, one of the rugs became
animate. It rolled like
a live thing across the floor, unrolling !
as 1t came. From it Patria emerged. !
q creature of cat-like grace and quick ,
ness. Her hand closed upon the knife !;
In the nick of time.
The man leaped to his feet as Parr !
released him. But now the disadvan-
tage was his. Parr closed in, raining !,
blows upon him. He sought vainly to !
guard against them until one caught /
the point Of his jaw. his head jerked |
sharply back. and he fell like q dis !
carded mariOnette, clearly knocked /
out.
AsSASsINs.
Dawn. q fOrmless sheen Of gray,
In the skies when Captain |;
Parr sought his bed.
He spent hours after leaving Patria :
at her hotel in the care of Mrs. Adair j
(whOse agitation seemed natural !
enough), in cross-examining the chauf- !
feur Of the kidnaper's car, and with
men searching a cheap
street hotel for two |
guests who were not there.
The sum of his investigations was as
On the words of half a dozen
creditable witnesses the woman who
danced nightly under the name Of
''Mademoiselle Elaine" was strik;ngly
like Miss Patria Charming. The wom-