Owingsville outlook., 1922-11-02
CHAPTER III-continued.

would spare such a man as your You
draw your rents from the poor and
destitute. your mortgages cover half
the parishes I'm the state. and I'm your
heart is neither compassion nor pity
for man or woman. BAH l could
shoot you down without qualmw
In his voice was so deadly a menace
that Maillard trembled.
There is nothing of mine in that
safe" he said, his voice a low grOwl
81 have given It to my son to use. He
is not here"
That" said the MasQuer calmly.
''is exactly why / desire you TO open
IT, Your son must make his cOntri-
button, for keenly regret his absence.
II you are a criminal. he is worse
You rob and steal under shelter of
the law, but you have certain limIta-
tions, certain bounds Of an almost out
grown honor. He has none, that son
of yours. Why, he would not hesitate
TO turn your own tricks back upon
you, to rob you, If he could! Open
that safe or take the consequences
no more talk, nOww
The command cracked out like a
whiplash. With a shrug Of helpless
ness the banker turned and fumbled
with the protrudlng knob Of the safe.
With one exception all eyes were fas-
tened upon this amazing Masquer
The exception was Jachin Fell, who,
suddenly alert and watchful, had
turned his attention to Maillard and
the safe, a keen speculation in his
gaze as though he were wondering
what that steel vault would produce.
All were silent. There was some
thing about this Midnight Masquer
that held them intently. Perhaps
some were inclined TO think him a
Jester, one of the party masqueradIng
under the famous bandits guise: II
so, his last words to Maillard had re-
moved all such thought. That indict-
ment had been deadly and terrible
and true, as they knew. Bob Maillard
was not greatly admired by those
among his fathers friends who best
knew him.
Now the door of the safe swung
open. The compartments appeared
empty.
"Take out the drawers and turn
them up over the table," commanded
the Masquer.
Mainard obeyed. From the last
drawer there fell out on the table a
large envelope, sealed. The MasQuer
leaned forward, seized upon this en-
velope, and crushed 1t into his pocket.
THANK you" he observed. "That
is ALL"
"D-n you" cried Maillard. shaking
fist. You'd try blackmail, would
your"
The bandit regarded him a moment,
then laughed.
IF you knew what was In that en-
velope. my dear financier, you might
not speak so hastily. If l knew what
was I'm 1t, might answer you. But
don't know. I only suspect-and hope.
And now, my friends-au revoir"
The Masquer sprang backward into
the hall. The door slammed, the key
clicked. He was goneI
Maillard was the first to wake into
voice and action. THE other door I"
he cried. Into the dining room"
He flung open a second door and
dashed into the dining room, followed
by the other men. Here the windows.
giving upon the garden, were open.
Then Maillard came to a sudden halt.
and after him the others; through
the night was pulsating, with great
dIstinctness, the throbbing roar Of an
airplane motorI From Maillard broke
a bitter cry:
"The detectives-Tn get the fools
herel You gentlemen search the
house. That fellow can't possibly
have escaped"
They hastily separated. MailIard
dashed away to summon the detec-
tives. also TO get other men to aid
In the search.
The result was vain. No one had
been seen to enter or leave the house.
and certainly there had been no air
plane about. The Masquer had not
appeared except In the library, and
now he was most indubitably not in
the house. By all testimony, he had
neither entered 1t nor left It'll
"Well, I'm d-dp said MaiIlari,
helplessly, to Judge Forester, when
the search was concluded. "Not a
trace Of the scoundrell Here, Fell
can't you help us out? Haven't you
discovered a thing7"
Nothing" responded JachIn Fell,
calmly.
At this instant Bob Maillard rushed
up. He had just learned of the
Masquer's visit. In response to his
excited questioning his father de-
Scribed the scene In the library, and
added:
81 trust there was nothing impor-
tant among those papers of yours,