"WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 1917,
LA GRANGE EVBNlNG OBSERVER.
PAGE THEE
(This serial story Is being shewn
and Thursday at Colonial theatre.
the Colonial Theatre.)
8YNOP8I9.
Windward Island Palldori tatrtgnet
Ooldan Into an aDDearanca of avll
Vhlch
lch causes Golden to capture and tor-
tar the Italian by branding his face and
crwning ni nana, i-anaon opens tna
dyke gates and floods the Island and In
-the general rush to escape the flood kid"
Daps Gulden's six-year-old daughter Mar-
ery. Twelve years later In New York a
asked One calling himself "the Hammer
of God" rescues an eighteen-year-old girl
Trom the cadet Casavanti, to whom Jules'
XjSgar has delivered her, and takes her to
he home of Enooh Golden, millionaire,
wnence sne is recapturea Dy iegar. iegar
na mem are aiscoverea Dy Aiamey, uoi
eo's secretary, setting Are to Qolden's
ulldlnrs. bat escane. Marrerrs mother
fruitlessly Implores Enoch Golden to
flnd their daughter, The Masked On
again, takes Margery away from lgar,
Ugar loots the Third National bank, ut
gain the Laughing Mask frustrates tils
plans. Legar sends Golden "The Spotted
Warning." demanding a portion of a chart
of the Windward Island. Margery meets
her mother. The chart Is lost during a
fight between Manley and one of Legar's
tienchmen, but Is recovered by the Laugh
ing Musk.
EIGHTH EPISODE
The Stroke of Twelve. I
Enoch Golden had never been known
a a half-hearted fighter. He was. In
act, of that pertinacious breed who
Ight best when half defeated. And
as he grew Into a fuller realization of
the virulence of Jules Legar's hatred
for him and his house, he proceeded to
take more effective steps to protect
himself.
One of his precautions was to place
tin armed guard about the home which
bad been repeatedly and audaciously
Invaded by Legar and his agents.
But the mere posting of a couple
of paid eentlnelB about his doors did
pot mark the limit of his activities.
Jie strove for still more substantial
protection by Installing in one of the j
upper rooms of bis house a huge bur- 1
Klar-proof vault of chromium steel.
The installation of so ponderous a
Vault, however Involved much mate
Mai strengthening of a structure not
primarily designed for the support of
seven-ton safes, and for days a small
body of expert workmen had been busy
putting In pillars and girders and
disguising these ponderous supports
tinder a veneer of mahogany celling
beams and oriental teakwood columns.
In the ornamentation ot the latter, in
fact, the owner of the house found a
Valued assistant in Count Luigl Da
Espares who, with his finished taste
.end his knowledge of the fine arts, ad
vanced many suggestions for beautify
ing what might otherwise have been
an ungainly and cumbersome innova
tion. It was Margery Golden, even more
than her father, to whom Da Espares,
In these small efforts, looked for grati
tude. And the more Margery Golden
taw of that gallant young antiquarian
the more mysteriously impressed she
became.
David Manley, who was not alto-.
gether Ignorant of this new turn in' j
the tide of events, found little to add;
to his happiness In this evergrowing j
Intimacy between Margery and her '
guest For Manley, by this time, did
more than merely distrust Da Eav
pares; he hated him.
These vague misgivings of Man
ley's extended even to the costume
dinner-dance which this esthetic for
eigner undertook to engineer for Mar
gery's amusement. And in talking
over his plans with Golden himself,
as the latter was making ready for,
' one of his hurried trips to Washing
ton, the young nobleman even ven-'
tured the hope that this fete might
be made the occasion of an even more
auspicious announcement.
But the morose-eyed old millionaire
did not quite follow the other's line'
of thought. So Da Espares was driven
to the expedient of openly yet cour
' teously requesting the privilege of.
pressing his suit for the hand of this;
tatrest daughter of America.
"What d'you mean by that?" de
manded the astounded financier. "Are
you trying to tell me that yon want to
marry my daughter?"
"That is the honor of which I have
dreamed," was Da Esparea quietly in
toned reply.
"Well, the point Is, has my Margery
been dreaming along the same line?"
"That I cannot venture to say," re
plied that unctuously gallant suitor.
"Well, tn America that's about the
first thing that counts! And I guess
we'd better call off this courtship talk
vntil we find out how the girl feels
about it!"
The disappointed, but not disheart
ened, count, accordingly, proceeded
quietly yet earnestly to sound Margery
Golden herself as to her feelings in
the matter. But here, too, he was
met with a reply which, If graciously
worded, was at least noncommittal.
"But you at leasCknow that I wish
to bring you happiness, that I was
your friend In the past, that always
In the future I want to be your
friend!"
"But when friendship remains
masked, it remains harder to under
stand!" "Then the mask may be withdrawn,
and withdrawn sooner than you ex
peot" Just what does that mean?" asked
tfba clear-eyed girl, studying his face.
in motion pictures every Wednesday
Read it in the Observer and see it at
"It means that I am about to make
a move which wilt deliver you and
your father from his enemy. And this
time I think the plan will succeed."
Mysterious as that plan was,-It de
veloped through an incident which
soon brought things down to the plane
ot the practical. For when the ma
sons and Ironworkers who were com
pleting the installation of the new
Golden vault returned from their mid-,
day meal a far-from-attractive stranger
stole into the house at their heels.
And when David Manley happened to
catch sight ot this stranger deep in
talk with Count Da Espares, he
promptly jumped to the conclusion
that he had at last discovered some
thing on which to concentrate all his
earlier Scotch-mists of suspicion.
For Da Espares' visitor unmistak
ably bore the earmarks of the un
kempt denizen of the hop-joint and
the Bowery saloon.
'What is this man doing here?" he
asked as he confronted the intruder.'
"This man is here at my request'
And the happiness of this house de
pends much on his visit," was Da Es
pares'' retort
"'What has a crook like Red Egan
got to do with the happiness ot this
house?" scoffed the irate Manley.
"And what right have you to bring a
tool of Legar's into this room?"
But still Da Espares remained out-:
wardly calm-. .
"Pardon," he replied. "But this
man you call Red Egan is no longer,
a crook and no longer a tool of Le
gar's!" "Then what is he doing here?"
"That, monsieur, concerns mostly
the young lady for whom I have sent!"
The soft-spoken foreigner swung
about as Margery Golden stepped a
little wonderlngly into the room,
"This, Miss Golden," said Da Es
pares, "is the man of whom I spoke
to you. As your friend here protests,
this man has been a tool of Legar's.;
But he has tired of being the serv-.'
ant of so evil a man, He now seeks
to have the state extend its pardon
to htm. And as a price for this par
don he Is willing to deliver into our
hands Jules Legar!"
"But tfhat Is the plan?" asked the
girl, with a touch ot impatience.
Da Espares, with upthrust shoul
ders, looked from the one to the other,
"It Is a plan which we had thought
it wise to keep a secret" he suavely
explained,
"Mr, Manley has earned the right
to be Included In any secrets which
may involve the capture of Legar,"
Margery Golden quietly assured the
faintly smiling count who bowed In
acquiescence. And realizing the note
of authority in that reply, he outlined
the plan In as few words as possible,
That plan, with Rett Egan as their
emissary, was not a complicated one.
This renegade from Legar's gang was
to go to his old-time chief and report
that Margery Golden might be found
at such and such a spot at such and
such a time. She would be alone. And
to Legar and his men, waiting there,
it would seem a simple enough matter
to recapture the girl. But that cap
ture would never be effected. For a
squad of police would bo hold there,
tn hiding, and when the moment ar
rived, they would promptly surround
Legar and his men and put them
where they belonged.
"In other words, monsieur, what we
proposo to do is to set a trap, and
when this Iron Claw Is about to gather
In his prey, he himself will be gath
ered tn."
"You propose to set a trap," repeat
ed the Incredulous Manley, "and you
also calmly propose to take this un
protected young girl and use her as
the bait for that trap!"
"On the contrary, monsieur, she will1
not be unprotected. Many duly ap
pointed offlcors of the Inw will be
there. And, as I have already ex
plained to her, I also will be there.
And Miss Golden, I think, knows that
I would readily give up my life for the
sake of keeping her from harm!"
"Is that the way yon feel about It?"
demanded Manley, swinging about to
the slightly frowning girL
"Count Da Espares and I will carry
out this plan, and we will carry It
out I hope, quite as successfully as
we may carry out still other plans.
And in tho count's hands I shall al
ways feel that I am fully protected!"
David Manley, thus dismissed, had
the dubious satisfaction of knowing
that he had once more made a mess
of things.
Yet ho did not remain altogether in
active. Ho watched his chance and
quietly Installed a dictaphone In the
room, attaching the transmitter-disk
to the underside of the desk ledge
where Da Esparea did most of his talk
ing, and running his well-hidden wires
down through the floor to a linen
closet, which the ever-dependable Wil
son threw open for him. There Man
ley made the discovery that police
headquarters had actually been com
municated with and that the feint for
Legar's capture, however its end, was
intended to carry every sign or sin
cerity. Before another hour slipped by, how
ever, Manley made two further dis
coveries. The first was that the ap
pointed tlm for the coup had been
suddenly changed to an hour earlier.
The second was that the trap for Le
gar was not to be set along the wood
ed road leading up to th'e clubhouse of
the Greeuoch golf links, as first decid
ed upon. But Margery Golden was to
motor alone to the west end of the
turnpike bridge and there encounter,
her old-time enemy of the Iron Claw,1
And the police, Da Espares assured
her, bad been duly warned as to the.,
change ot location.
Manley, on overhearing that declara-1
tion, promptly called up headquarters
and made the startling discovery that
no such message had "gone in to the
authorities there. . . . ' '
In five minutes he was In his own
car, hastening to a conference with
central office itself. In another Ave
minutes, on learning from Wilson
over the wire that Da Espares and
Margery had already left the house in
the limousine, Manley had Mb car
filled with armed plain-clothes men
from the central office and was speed
ing out through the city as fast as a
motor could carry him. As they swept
up the dusty approach to the bridge
they even saw that they were none
too soon;
For already in the bright afternoon
sunlight, they could make out a glim
mering limousine as it came to a stop
at the end of the bridge. They could
see a somewhat hesitating and white
faced girl step from this limousine at
the same moment that they caught
sight of a group of men emerge quick
ly from the shrubbery at the end of
tho bridge Itself.
These men, spreading out fanlike,
swept past the limousine in which Da
Espares and the chauffeur were still
seated. Four of them, rounding the
car, cut off the girl's avenue of retreat.
Another four advanced on her from
the bridge-end, at the same time that
a fifth man leaped to the running
board and started to struggle with the
chauffeur.
Even as he stared at that quickly
shifting scene Manley could make out
the figure ot Legar himself, He coild
see the Iron Claw reach out for the
startled figure of the girl, crouched
back against the bridge railing, even
as his own car-wheels leaped trom the
approach to the bridge timbers them
selves. He could also make out Da
EspareB' sudden leap from the waiting
limousine, Manley, on beholding this,
gave a cry of warning to the plain
clothes men about him, for he could
plainly see the glint of a revolver in
Da Espares' hand. But Da Espares,
as that car of deliverance thundered
on across the bridge, did not turn to
face it, Instead, he fought his way
through the circle of burly flgureB sur
rounding Margery Golden. He fought
The Figure Was Strangely Stoop-Shouldered.
and shouldered his way through to
the Bide of the girl even as Legar
readied for her shrinking body. He
struck blindly at that outstrotched
arm, struck still again at Legar's face,
at tho same moment that Manley'B car'
shuddered to a stop and the armed
men from its tonneau leaped into the j
fight.
It was a brief fight, but a blttor one.
and much of it escaped Manley's at
tention. Tho one thing that held him
transfixed was the sudden vision of
Da Espares dodging through the Iron
girders in sudden pursuit ot Legar, as
tho latter, breaking free from his ene
mies, ran to tho opposite Blue of the
bridge. There, Booing retreat on ei
ther quarter already cut off, that mas
ter criminal nimbly mounted the iron
railing and gave one glance towards
the water below him. Yet, as he poised
thore, ready to leap, Da Espares lev
eled his weapon and fired.
Hanley could hear the shrill scream
of tho girl, and the shouts of the star
tled men, the great splash of the tum
bling body as it catapulted down in
the black-running water. The next
moment the captain and his uni
formed squad from the Greenock
clubhouse were charging across the
bridge, Joining in with their plain
clothes colleagues already forcing the
last of Legar's adherents to flight. And
as Manley made his way toward the
glimmering limousine and Margery
Goldon he could hear the latter's nerv
ous sobs as she leaned weakly against
the bridge railing and wept.
"Did you kill him?" she asked with
a voice tremulous with horror as Da
Espares stopped to her Bide.
"Your enemy is dead!" was tho lat
ter's quiet-toned roply. "He sank at
once. And this time he will never
return."
The Unbidden Guest.
- The gallant Count Luigi Da Espares,
in view of his much-talked-of victory
on the Turnpike bridge, found himself
forced Into the not uncongontal .role
of a hero. It that dtscreot nobleman,
took advantage of the high esteem In
which he momentarily Btood to push
through to completion certain arrange
ments for the costume ball on whloh
he seemed to have set hlB heart.
Knowing what he kAewi the secre
tary still regarded that impending'
function as a danger In disguise, JUBt
as he still nursed very substantial,
doubts as to the actual death of Legar.
So fixed wag Manley In his suspl
dons, however, that he Insisted on a
conference with Enoch Golden him
self. From that conference he wrung
small consolation for his suspicions.
Manley, In fact bad given up any
hope ot further argument on the ques
tion, when a trivial yet disquieting In
cident occurred, and In ocourrlng
brought about a slight change in
Enoch Golden's attitude. This Inci
dent Involved the receipt ot a strange
missive bearing the signature ot that
elusive interloper in the affairs of the
house ot Golden known as the Laugh
ing Mask. It read as follows:
Count Luigl Da Espares Is not only
an Impostor, but also your enemy. And
as a friend I herewith warn you that
he Is not to be trusted.
Even this epistle, which bore only
the emblem of a Laughing Mask for
signature, might have been accepted
as of no great importance, had not
Enoch Golden been the recipient of
still another communication. This
time It was a telephone message from
a stranger, acknowledging himself to
be an active colleague ot the Iron
Claw's.
"Legar may be gone," said this un
known voice over the wire, "but his
work Is going to go on, and don't you
forget it! You still hold that chart.
It the chief didn't get his chart, before
he cashed in, I'm the guy who's going
to get it!"
"All right," was Golden's shouted re
sponse. "You come up here and get
it! And at the same time you'll get
what you deserve!"
Then, having slammed down the re
ceiver, the deliverer of that ultimatum
promptly sent tor bis secretary,
"I want extra guards put around
this house!" was Golden's command.
"And I want nobody to come Into it
who can't be accounted for."
"Tonight will be a hard time, I'm
a id, to put that order Into execu
tion," explained Manley.
"What d'you mean by that?"
"You can't give a masked ball and
put every guest on a microscope-slide
bb he comes in!"
"Manley, how are we to know Just
who or what those guests are, it
they're coming into this bouse with
all sorts of mako-up on?"
"That's exactly what I've been try
ing to nmko you Bee for the last four
days!" was Manley's roply. "And It's
exactly what that man Da Espares has
boen maneuvering for, or I Iobo my
one last bet! And if this man Legar
,fl Btm al,vo; M Wve beeu do,ng ,
putting a strip of rod carpet down for
him to walk in on!"
"Woll, I'll be at the other end of
that carpet waiting for him!" was the
old fighter's thunderous retort.
"That's exactly what I want you to
do, what I ask you to do. That's our
one chance, If what I Buspect proves
to be tho caBe! You can disguise
faces, In an affair like this tonight,
but you can't disguise a lost hand."
Golden stood slowly shaking his
head up and down In comprehension.
"And If our Iron Claw Is there,
Davy, we'll give him a welcome that
he's going to remember!"
Two hours later, as Enoch Goldon
stood with his daughter at hla sldo
receiving their guests, It would hnvo
taken a particular pcnctratlrip: eye to
detect any darker undercurrent of In
trigue to that rippling tide of color
and mirth which eddied about them.
Bo punctilious was Golden in his hearty
hand-grasp to each of those Incoming
visitors, that Margery herself made
note of this newer phaBe In her fa
ther's character.
Side by side with a Flemish nun
walked a Paris Apache, then came a
Montenegrin peasant and a flowhig
robert Oriental Swaml, then a rod
sashrd pirate and a velvet clad Vene
tian Doge. Then, following a man on
"lifters," who laughingly proclaimed
himself to be Hully Geo, the Chinese
Giant, came an equally tall figure tn a
gold braided Arabian burnoose. This
I it
?At
The Merriment at the Crowded Table Was at Its Height
figure, for all Its height, was strangely
stoop-Bhouldered, moving with a dig-'
nity ot step which went well with the.
voluminous drapery In which it was
clad. And Manley watched closely as
this stately Arabian chieftain, bowing
gravely to Golden, reached out two un
gloved hands to greet the two hands!
which his host extended to htm. About
these bands he saw at a glance, there
could be nothing doubtful.
But Manley had little time to give
further thought to the scene, for at:
that moment he became aware of the
fact that Da Espares had slipped away
to another part of the house and dur
ing that night, Manley had determined
he would keep an eye on his enigmati
cal foreign friend. But Instead of
following Da Espares, on discovering j
Dim stopping quietly into tne assertec j
library, the alert-eyed young secretary
promptly retreated to the quarter
where the receiver of Lis dictaphone. .
was concealed. There, on placing this
watch-case, receiver to his ear, Manley
had the satisfaction ot catching the
faint hum of voices. Much of that
guarded talk taking place In the li
brary Manloy could not overhear. But
he caught enough to arouse his curi
osity. "Then the plan has worked?" asked
the anxious voice of Da Espares.
"Without a hitch," answered the
other voice. "The girders have been
cut through and the bomb placed 1"
"And the clock fuse adjusted?"
"Yes."
"But what was it set for?"
"For the stroke of twelve!" an
swered the unknown voice. "By that
time the crowd will be at the table,
eating!"
"But how," asked the anxious voice
of Da Espares, "could we get Legar
Inside?"
The sound of a triumphantly quiet
laugh came over the little Instrument.
"Legar Is already here!" announced
the other.
"Hush! Not so loud!" warned Da
Espares. And from that point on It
was only broken phrases that trickled
into the hidden listener's ear.
, . . "Came as an Arab chief. . ,
Nloclila the Dago acrobat on his back
. . . yes, under cloak . . . could hold
out both hands . . and never even
suspected. . . '. being watched ,
can't afford to lose this timet"
Again camo the sound of the quietly
triumphant laugh. And It was Do Es
pares' voice that sounded cloarly the
next momont.
"But how dlcThe work that bridge
fall?"
. . . "long dive . . . came up under a
lumbor schooner's Btern and hung to
ruddor chain . . .down with tide . .
an hour lutor . . . swam ashore . , .
launch to Oystor Joo'sl"
Manley did not wait for more. Mid
night, ho know, was already too peril
ously close for half measures. By tho
time he reached tho upper floor, in
fact, he found Enoch Golden already
heading the grand march to tho great
table running almost the full length of
the huge room opening off the conserv
atory. The next moment ho saw Da
Espares himself step hurriedly, yet
smilingly to the Bide of Margery Gold
en and take their places in that gayly
colored line thnt rippled with laughter
and movement as the orchestra onco
more struck up. Then, remembering,
what ho had ovorheard about mysteri
ously weakened girders and planted
bombs, Manley likewise remembered
the nowly Installed vault and the fact
that Legar's final object was the pos
session of a certain paper which that
vault held. And ho Bllpped out through
the door, and on through the empty
conservatory, frantically wondering
Just what his first move to avert that
Impending catastrophe should be.
The figure which Intervened In that
crisis, however, was a much more pic
turesque one than the slight figure of a
young private secretary in somcwhnt
dishovoled evening clothes. For when
the merriment about the great crowd
ed table was at Its height an unex
pected and uninvited guest strode In
through the wide door and confronted
the company there assembled. This
figure wore a dust-Btalned motor coat
and cap. But the moBt conspicuous
feature of hlB attire was the yellow
mnsk which covered his face. Equally
conspicuous was the huge blue-bar
reled revolver which ho firmly held In
hifl right hand. TnIB weapon, in fact,
glinted menacingly in the strong light
as the strnngor'B left hand was sud
denly lifted for silence.
"Ladles and gentlemen," he pro
claimed in a clear voice, "this Intru
sion, I foar, may shock you. But you
i ftp .
are about to be shocked In a much i
more serious way. On the stroke of
twelve there is to be an accident here,,
perhaps something much graver that.
an accident, in which it is my great,
desire that you should not participator'
So I must ask each and every one of
you to leave this room, and this house
as quietly yet as quickly as possible!
Every one," repeated that authorita'
tlve-volced Intruder as Da Espares andli
the tall man tn the Arabian burnoosa
rose to their feet, "except these twr
gentlemen here."
Out of the silence that ensued on,
that declaration arose a small muiu
mur of wonder, a stir of nervousness,! '
and one shrill laugh from a woman
holding a wine glass. Then Enoch
Golden himself called out an angry e
postulatlon, followed by a sharp word
or two of command. But the company
had already risen. For the masked
stranger, stepping still closer to D
Espares and the figure In the flowing)
burnoose, had coolly Intercepted them
as they moved In unison towards ft
side door. ,
"Get back, both of you," the deal
voice behind the yellow mask had'
called out, "or before God I'll shoo
you down where you stand!"
That sudden threat of violence was
the spring whloh released the ten
ston. There were mingled shouts of
resentment and fear, followed by ft
quick and unreasoning rush for the
door, courtiers and nuns and peas
ants and Apaches and Geisha girls far
contending flurry of finery and fright'
ened ,'aces. - 1 ; t
i For a minute or two the master of
the house struggled in vain to sto
them. Then his attention was directed, '
towards the Laughing Mask, for the
latter, advancing with a quick stride)
to the man In the burnoose, Jerked
aside that flowing garment and re
vealed Legar himself, Legar with s
stntsterly seared face and an iron claw',
at the end of his right arm. And tha
same moment that this movement was
taktng place, Da Espares himself, with
his eyes always on the Laughing Mash
stole quick step by step towards the
door on his left He had reached that:
door before his enemy detected him,'
The man with the revolver wheeled
about and fired as the Spanish knight
In Bilk and lace dived through the open
ing. Legar, seeing his chance in that
division of interest, charged bodily
through the damask-laden table, scot
terlng silver and glass and flowers ac
he went. In another breath he had
reached the conservatory, where, ft
second or two later, his Iron-shod arm
could bo heard flailing through the fra
gllo barrier of glass between him and
the outer world. And by the tlms
Enoch Golden reached tho spot hla
enemy had vanlBhed.
Yet in almost the same breath th
Laughing Mask had leaped In the op
posite direction, In pursuit of the flee
ing Da Espares. But that flight, wher
ever It led or might have led, was in
terrupted by a sudden detonation that
shook the great house to Its founda
tion. There was a roar of falling gir ,
derB, tho splintering of wood, the rum
ble ot a great avalanche, as a seven
ton steel vault, deprived ot Its sup
ports, crashed down through the film
By flooring, carrying dUBt and debris
and tumbling pieces of household fur
niture aB It went. Nor did that mas
sive thing ot metal stop until it bedded
Itself In the broken cement flooring
of the cellar below. Then above the
rattle of falling plaster and echoing
showers of scattering brlc-a-brac rosei
tho quick cry of human voices calling!
j for help.
, Golden, staring dazed at the greBt'
i room through which sudden ruin had
erupted, was scarcely conscious of thei
frightened girl clinging so forlornly
to his arm. He was scarcely conscious
of the throng of servants and watch-:
men who ran back and forth through
the dusty rooms. He quaverlngly'
helped hla daughter to a chair. Shel
stared wide-eyed at Wilson as the lnt-i
tcr led David Manloy, limping a little
and much disordered as to apparel,
Into tho room.
"Is anybody hurt?" asked the white-i
faced girl.
Tho ever dopetidnble old butler lookv
ed at Manley, who In turn looked'
away.
in Borry, mibb margery, wusooi
i hesitatingly explained,
'but It Is thai
, Count Da EspnreBl'
; "You mean he Is"
The old hutlor nodded.
"I'm afraid so, Miss Margery. They'
have Just found his body, crushed un-,
der tho vault!" .
(TO BB CONTINUED.) I