Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-03-28

from tts gloom 70 hgol ana perhaps 10
love.
Before she left. she looked about
the room. What assurance had she
that this very excursion was not q
trap. and that In her absence the vault
would nOt be looted again? Ii con-
tanned now something infinitely val.
liable and incriminatins-the roll Of
film. She glanced about. and seeing q
silver vase Of roses, hurriedly emptied
the water out, wrapped the film in
oiled paper, and dropped it down
among the stems.
The Street of the Wise Virgins vas
not heal the palace. Even by walking
briskly she was in danger Of being
late. The wind kept her back. too.
Then, at last, the Street Of the Wise
Virgins and the facre. standing at the
curb, with a driver wrapped In rugs
against the cold of the February night,
and his hat pulled down owe his eyes.
The countess stopped beside him.
you are expecting q passenger?"
"Yes, madame"
With her hand on the door, the
countess realized that the facre was
already occupied. AS she peered into
its darkened interior, the shadow re-
solved itself into q cloaked and masked
figure. She shrsnk back.
Enter. madame" said a voice.
The figure appalled, her. 1t was not
sufficient to know that behind the
horrifying mask which covered the en-
tire face and head, there was a hu-
man figure. human pulses that beat,
human eyes that appraised her. She
hesitated.
Quickly" said the voice.
She got in. shrinking into o corner
Of the carriage. Her lips were dry,
the roaring Of terror was in her ears.
The door closed.
Then commenced a drive Of which
afterward the countess dared not
think. The figure neither meved nor
spoke. Inside the carriage reiened the
most complete silence. Then the car
riage stopped, and at last the shrouded
figure moved and spoke.
Il regret, countess. that my orders
are to blindfold you.v
She submitted u%ngracefully, while
he bound a black cloth over her eyes
He drew it very close and knptted II
behind. In the act his fingers touched
her face, and she felt them cold ant
clammy. The contact sickened her.
!. Your hand, madame"
She was led out Of the carriage, anG
: across soft earth, a devious course
again. as though they avoided small
! obstacles. Once her foot touched
| something low and hard. like marble
Again, In the darkness, they stumbled
= over u mound. She knew where SHIT
. was, then-in a graveyard. Blu
which? There were many about tn,
q city.
( An open SPACE, the opening Of f..
gate or door that squeaked softly,
flight of steps that led downward, ant
a breath of musty, cold air, damp ant
cellarlike.
At last, still in unbroken silence. sh'
a knew that they had entered a larg
space. Their footsteps nc longe
q echoed and reechoed. Her guild
walked more slowly, and at last paus
ed, releasing her hand. She felt agaii
the touch Of his clammy fingers as b,
united the knots Of her bandages. II
took 1t off.
At first she could see little. Whel
u her eyes grew accustomed, she mad
> out the scene slowly.
., A great stone vault, Its wall
u broken into crypts which had cor
tanned caskets Of the dead. But tn
caskets had been removed, and wer
piled In q corner, and in the niche
were rifles. In the center was a pin
0 table, ~curiously incongruous, and o
1t writing materials, a cheap clocl
and a pile Of documents. There wer
4 two candles only, and these were stuc
n In skulls-old brown skulls so infinite
\ ly removed from all senblance to tn
human that they were not even ho1
n rlble. 1t was as If they had been uset
\ not to inspire terror, but because the
n were at hand and convenient for tn
VI purpose. In the shadow, ranged in
semicircle, were nine figures, all mi
tionless, all masked, and cloaked l
. black. They sat, another incongruit,
= on plain wooden chairs. But 10 spit
Of that they were figures Of drea'
The one who had brought her mad
the tenth.
Had she not known the past recor
of the men before her, the rather opeI
bouffe setting with which they ,os
to surround themselves might ha,
aroused her scorn. But Olga Losche
Y knew too much. She guessed shrew'
; ~ that, with the class Of men vii
whom they dealt, 1t vas not enoue
that their name spelled terror. The
must visualize 1t. They had take
their III from that very church, Il
deed, beneath which they hid. tt
church. with its shrines and image
appealed to the eye. They, too, a,
pealed to the eye. Their masks, Il
carefully constructed and uphe'
mystery Of their identity, the trappin.
'e. of death about them-it was sklllfui
ne done.
u. Still no one spoke. The counte!