The Elbert County tribune. [volume] (Elbert, Elbert County, Colo.) 18??-1920, 1918-02-22


heavy darkness of the closet 1t fairly
stified me. At last / managed TO get
into a stopping position and peek
through crack in the door. The room
was again lighted. And over against
the farther wall stood a tense figure,
poised as II to spring.
That figure was aiming a gun stead
ily-but at whom? On the scowling
face there was marked an angry
awareness that the room boosted hui
man presence other than his own. And
all my senses told me that 1 was look
ing at Simeon Gold.
In the meantime events in the life
of Madeline Grey were moving along
lines OF which we knew nothing. Just
after telephoned my message of en-
couragement and cheer, new danger
threatened the woman 1 was trying to
help. The maid entered and presented
her mistress with a card. Mrs. Grey
looked at it and felt horror and resent
ment when she saw that it bore the
name of ''The Vampire" editor.
A second later Gold staggered into
the room.
All unlimited, he put down hat and
stick and seated himself. Madeline
Grey remained standing, looking at
him with a cool contempt which she
made no effort to conceal.
Gold leered up at her, just maudlin
enough not to feel the GOODNESS of her
onptap,pt opd cuN; oiantlv ,,pdar tho
influence of liquor to enjoy the aloof-
ness which he felt could be only tenn
porary.
81 thought perhaps we could come
to an agreement about those letters"
said he.
Madeline continued to stare at him
without replying. Suddenly the man
rose and approached her. He smiled
at her with an air of complete under
standing.
If you haven't the money, my dear
"A kiss might do as partial payment"
The man leaned close as he spoke
and Madeline suddenly awoke to the
fact that he had completely misinter-
preted her attitude. Sudden fury took
possession of her. She struck him
across the face with the flat of her
hand, and as he staggered away she
cried in sudden fury: "You beast, I'll
have the letters in an hour from now"
Too late she realized that the man
was not sufficiently intoxicated to fail
to get the implication of her words.
She had warned him. He stared at her
for moment, then sneered in triumph
and rushed from the room.
| And the unhappy woman felt that
she had put herself beyond any chance
of help.
1t was Madeline Grey's rash declara-
| ton that she would have her letters
in an hour which brought Simeon Gold
rushing home so far ahead of schedule
| time.
While stood crouched in the dark
closet waiting for Jimmy's action to
| give me the signal as to what 1t were
| best for me to do next / saw through
the chink of light which was giving
me my bulletin that Jimmy had pulled
silken mask from his pocket and
was peering through the eye-slits quite
| as IL he were accustomed to the part
of Raffles.
Gold, still holding his gun ready to
fire, stepped to the safe and tried its
door. Finding that the combination
had sufficed to battle whatever burglar
had been in the apartment, he smiled
in ugly triumph.
He hurried over to the closet door
and jerked it open, springing back as
he pulled the handle. He was sure he
had discovered the hiding place of his
burglar and he had no hesitancy about
shooting-if bullet turned out to be
his best weapon.
As the door jerked open I staggered
Into the room and Gold, seeing wom-
an, forebore to dispose of her at once,
and snarled out a savage demand that
she explain her presence there.
1 had decided on a course of action.
We could not open the door of the
safe. Gold must.
"Pm a friend of Mrs. Grey's," l
smiled my reply in the most matter of
fact tone.
"And suppose you came to get the
letters? Well, the safe door is shut
1t doesn't look much as If you had sue
ceeded; SO you haven't got the thing
you came for, have your"
Back of the waving curtains knew
Jimmy Barton was poised to spring