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Author ef
-The occa-
SIONAL OF
FENDER.’THE
WIRE
PERS,"
runners;
Novelized from
THE PAT HE
PHOTO PLAY
OF THE .
SAME NAMEf
On Windward Island Palldorl Intrigues -W tho fac0 of Ju,os Logar hlmBelf.
Mrs. Golden Into nn appenranco of evil
which causes, Golden to capture and tor
ture .the Italian oy brundintf his fuce and
crushing; hts lhand. Palldorl floods tho Is
land and ktdpaps Golden’s little daughter
Margery. Twelve years lator In New York
a Masked One rescues Margery from Le-
wlience she ‘ Is recaptured. Margery’s
mother ’fruitlessly Implores Golden to llnd
their daughter. Tho Laughing Mask
again takes Margery away from Lcgar.
She went on, from that moment,
crowding every Inch of speed out of
her car, oxultlng in tho fact of Its
power, ignoring the shouts of onlook
ers as she swept up through Coleman’s
villago, took the turn in a smother of
dust, nnd brought the steaming road-
sior up Bharp against a cedar-hedgo
crowning tho topmost ridge of tho
river cliffs. She leapod bodily through
the hedge and ran to tho outermost
lip of the Pallsados. There, cupping
her hands to her lips, sho called but a
Dingle name again and again.
_ _ From a crovlco in the broken rock-
gar escapes; but Da .Esparcs Is crushed’ In loco below her a flguro wearing a yol-
the ruins. Margery rescues tho l<uughing . .. , » , , .. , . .
Mask from the police. Manley finds Mar- low ^ask looked cautiously out and
gery not indifferent to hia love. He saves ; waved up to l*er with an equally cau-
her from Mauki’s poisoned arrows. Man- mu« „ „u
ley plans a mock funeral which falls to ™ oua Blgnul. The next moment flho
men. but is recovered by tho Laughing
Mask. Count Da Esparcs figures in a
dubious attempt to entrap Lcgar and
claims to have killed him. Golden’s house
Is dynamited during a masked ball. Le-
accomplish the desired purposo, the cap
ture of. the Iron Claw and his gang. Mar-
he Iron Claw by tho Laughing Mask. An
attempt by the Iron Claw to blow up tho
O’Mara Cottage Is frustrated In* the nick
of time. .The Laughing Mask discloses
his Identity to Margery.
FOURTEENTH EPISODE
The Unmasking.
A strange mood of happlnoss, ns un
reasoning as it was inexplicable,
seemdd to hnvo taken possession of
Margery Golden. A less timorous light
shone from tho depths of her pool-
brown eyes. At all times of the day,
too, she could be heard singing about
the house.
This wayward blilhcncss ot spirit
was something more than a puzzle to
her heavy-browed father, who found
little In tho situation immediately con
fronting him to cause him any unduo
lightness of heart. For that situation
had unexpectedly taken on tlio form
of a defeat.
After all Jules Logar’s campaign for
the possession of that pregnant scrap j flipped to tho back of the cave. When
was clambering nimbly yet carefully
down tho lodge of broken rock.
A pair of stalwart young arms wero
waiting to hold her up. But she quick
ly broke away from their clasp.
“Quick, they aro coming to capturo
you!”
“Who are?"
“The police. They have found out
you aro hiding hore. And Legar also
1ms found out!”
Tho man in the mask darted back to
a small table on which stood a shaded
lamp. Ho bont quickly over and blow
out tho llame. This left tho back of
the cave In darkness. Then ho ran
back to where the girl still waited.
“Do you trust mo?” he asked.
“1 tnrnt you in everything,” was her
reply.
"Then liBten! Tho water at tho foot
of this cliff is deep. It is a drop of a
hundred feot. But it may bo our only
chance. Are you willing to tuke that
,16ap witli mo?”
”1 trust you—In everything,” she
told him, as she drew herself up. He
held her there for a moment, and then
of, parchment .which carried the key
to ’the Secret of the lost treasure of
Windward island, tho long-fought-for
document had suddenly disappeared
from the Golden vault. And all evl-
, denco pointed to' tho fact that it wa3
the Laughing Mask who had stolen
the’ chart and cipher code from tho
safe.
'Golden was in the midst of his
second' conference with tho russot-
faced Captain Brackett of tho head
quarters staff, when a telephone call
came for that official. Tho talk over
the wire was onesided. Then with
great deliberation .the official hung
up the receiver hud swung about to
Enoch Golden.
“Well, we’vo got your Laughing
•Mask for you.”
“You’ve got him?” repeated Golden.
"Our man Walcott located him by
of the fugitive and started in pursuit, slio crossed to tho doors on tho far oldo
Thqy ran well, and they run deter-; ot the room and locked thorn, "that
mlnedly. Lcgar, realizing tlmt they you or I will hnvo to steal like a thief
were galntng on him, nnd further real- through this housol”
lelng that he could not keep. up his The Laughing Mask, who was work-
gait for long, veered suddenly towards Ing at tho vault door, looked up as she
the Tlver, whero a road-builder's tool spoke,
shed stood at tho extreme end of a “But It's not often thieves break into
rock-cut along tho cliff-top. Through a safo to put things back,” he Baid as
the doorway of this shod he darted, ho swung tho heavy steel door open,
with his two purBUers. now Joined by Sho stood watching that open door
a third officer, not a hundred yards he- us lie stopped Into the darkness of
hind him. tho vault. Ho seemed to he having
Ho had hoped, in diving into that trouble with tho lock of ono of tho In-
ompty building, to throw his purauors nor drawers.
off his track, if ouly for n few mo- Thon a tingle of alarm spread qulclt-
mentB. But in this ho was disappoint- ly through her body, for tho call-boll of
ed,' just as ho was disappointed in ffnil- the tulephono on tho rosowood desk
lug that the shack he hud entered pbs- suddenly rang out through tho room,
sessed no’sccond exit or entrance. And The shrill of that boll brought the
as he stared quickly about ho realized Laughing Mask from tho depths ot tho
that he had unwittingly entered a trap, vault.
Running to the far end of the shack, "Don’t unswor It!” warned tho girl,
ho sent his woodon arm crashing "But WilBon or ono of tho servants'
through the window, leaped to tho sill, will suroly come," explained tho
and stared out. Below him lay tho Luughlng Mask as ho movod towards
Hudson. Crouching low, he looped tho door that still remained unlocked,
from tho sill whoro ho stood, leaped "But tho chart—is it back?"
out into space and thon dropped llko a "it Ib back whero it belongs,” was
plummet to the river below. tho unswor.
'•We’ve lost him!" guspod tho fore-, “Then I’ll shut tho vault door. And
most of the pursuers, crossing to tho, the soonor wo get out to your cur tho
shack and staring breathless through
the shattered window sash.
“He’s done for!” cried thp second
man. "No guy can take that drop and
—By God, we’ro wrong! He's up!
He’s striking out for shore!"
The oldest of the three suddenly ran
back across tho shack floor.
"Then get down by tho Coloman
road, you men, and head that hell-
diver off before ho’s half way across
Jersey!”
Tho End of tho Trail.
Margery Golden crossed to the still
open window and stared out.
“You should not have come hero,”
sho said without turning to tho man
in the yellow mask who stood smiling
so close behind her.
‘‘I had to come!” ho said in suddenly
sobered tones.
“Why?" asked the troubled girl.
“Because 1 couldn't stay longer with
out seeing you," was the other’s an
swer.
The girl at the window turned slow
ly about and faced him.
"But think of the risk! It's not
half' an hour since I heard father tele
phoning for that police captain. And
bettor!"
Ho stood watching hor as sho
crossed to the heavy Bate door and
swung It Bhut. Ho saw hor gloved
hand go up to tho nickeled handlo, to
throw on tho lock. Thon bIig did
startling and unexpected thing. With
nn oddly birdllko movement of the
head sho stopped and stared intently
at his figure, clearly outlined against
tho dark folds of the portlore bohtnd
him. Then, lnstcnd of locking tho
vault door, sho took four quick stepB
to the heavily carved tenkwood table
on her right. From this sho caught up
a Roman lamp of heavy bronze, hurling
it with all hor‘force at tho swaying
portiere behind lilul at the same mo
ment that she uttered her sudden
scream of warning.
For from tho folds of that portiere
sho had caught sight of an Iron claw at
tlio end of a proternaturally long arm.
And as this iron claw was lifted high
in the air she caught tho glint ot a
naked stool kntfo-bldde, pointed and
slender, hold, in some inexplicable man
ner, in tho clutch ot that circle of iron.
"Legar," was all sho had time to cry
out as tho bronze lump went swinging
he reappeared lie carriod a rough pine
table in his arms. This he placed
on "end close to the entrance of the
cave.
Tho next moment a shadow dark
ened tho mouth of the cave, Silhouet
ted clear agaiust tho outor light they
mould see the stooping figure ot the-
ilrou Claw. ,
As he stood there, peering cautious
ly about the ledge of the rockshelf,
lie was stealthily joined by his fol
lowers.
“They’ro coming,’’ the Laughing
Mask whispered to Margery Goldeh,
as he drew her closer in beside the
rocky wall of the tunnel. Then, using
the up-ended table as a screen, he
advanced with her towards the cave-
, mouth, slowly, Silent, foot by foot.
They wero within six feot of the
opening when Legar turned about to
trailing his chauffeur. And before . givQ a wor( j 0I . tW o of command to his
nightfall we epu have him rounded
up."
“Where was he found?”
"Just whero you’d least expect a
man of that character to ho found.
He’s hiding, in a cave in the Hudson
Palisades, not ton miles from where
we’re sitting at'the moment, just ubovo
Coleman’s village. And tho fact he’s
ducked to a Mallna like that hears
followers. Two flgures, those of a
masked than holding a slender girl
lirmly by the hand, came running out
of the cave.
So suddenly did they come that they
scattered Legar’s men as they ad
vanced. And before thoso astounded
inen could recover either their foot
ing or their wltB, the man in the mask,
' holding tho girl close to his side, had
out what we’ve always claimed, that j, crossed to the cliff-edge and had taken
he’s as big a crook as this Iron Claw j. a ilying leap out lnt0 apace .
hlmonlf lirmoat mon (Inn t.'CrRWl : .
himself. For honest men don't crawl
into river caves! • f tron-burst from that startled group of
Golden was about to reply in the at- . - ne3lera as thoy atood watC hing the
i jjAn involuntary gasp of consterna-
'(■■tion-1
Amative to this self-obvious statement j , c|aspo(1 flgurea hurtle thr0UEh the
when he was Interrupted by the en-
air, strike the surface of the water
trance of his daughter. : clean, and go down into its blue
"But supposing our fugitive, said ! |<loptujj- Thon> a£ter what B(jeme(1 an
interminable wait, a second shout,
down on the somewhat startled police
captain, “had enemies who seemed at
the moment stronger than he was and
at the same time found himself in pos-
nepsipijjat. something which it was es
sential that he should guard? Wouldn’t
it seem natural for him to go whero
fie’d be least likely to he found?”
The russet-faccd . captain blinked
stolidly up at her.
"When an honest man has some
thing it seems dangerous to hold, he
goes to the police for protection. When
a crook has pade a haul, and is shaky
about, losing his swag, he beats it to
his Malina, to his fence, the same as
your friend "the Laughing Mask has
done!. And the; sooner we get tho
wheels moving and root that masked
ground-hog out of his dugout the bet
ter!"
. .“I’m ready,’.' announced Enoch Gol
den.
With a gasp of sudden-resolution
Margery rang the hell, called for her
roadster, and struggled into her hat
arid coat, as she ran down the sand
stone steps to the street.
She sped off through the city at a
rate that was an open and obvious
- violation of all the speed laws. She
laughed rebelliously as. once freo of
the congested ferry traffic, she swung
lightly past the'car in which she be
held her own astounded father decor
ously seated, giving him her dust hs
she mounted to the crest ot the Jersey
bills and struck the road leading north
ward along the wide-bosomed river.
Then as she swung past still an
other hurrying car the smile Budden-
And, of Course, It Ended in a Wedding.
as. involuntary, apparently, as the first,
burst from the watchers as they be
held the two flgures reappear, swim
ming-strongly side by side along the
undulating surface of the water. But
that shout was not a prolonged one.
It merged suddenly into calls and cries
of a Bomowhat different character, for
with that repeated shout Legar and
his men had betrayed their position to
a russet-faced police captain and six
.stalwart men at his heels.
The next moment there was a
charge In force down the broken face
of the cliff. And as the minions of
the law descended on the cave-mouth
the evil-eyed group gathered there
orupted into sudden life. There was a
wild scramble up the rock-ledges,
quick encounters and combats, blows
and counter-blows, the impact of ash
night-sticks on resounding skulls, the
capitulating cry of haft-stunned cap
tives.
But Lcgar fought, backed close
agaiust the rock, with the ferocity of
a wildcat, holding off every attack and
with his flailing Iron claw sweeping
hack every assailant. Then, swing
ing about, he leaped up the cliff-face,
springing from rock to rock with the
agility of a mountain goat. '
At the top of the cliff, when Enoch
Golden himself, Bide by side with the
police captain, attempted to bar that
flight, the fugitive bowled over those
two rotund flgures and bolted north
ward along the topmost ridge of the
cliff, heading for the timber not more
than a hundred yards away.
that captain has said over and over
again that he will never rest until he’s
effected your capturo. And we both
know that Legar is still at large.”
“I am willing to take chances now
that I’d never have taken before. For
I know that you love me now, and I'm
never happy when I'm away from
you!"
“But wo can’t be together, in this
house-j-even if it is my home. It will
always be a house of danger."
“Then why should either of us stay'
in this house?” he demanded. “Why
can’t we slip away from these walls ot
intrlguo and go whero wo can find our
own happiness?”
Margery Golden shook her head
slowly from sido to side.
“We would only be going with a
cloifd over us. And with that cloud
there could never be happiness.”
"Then our first duty is to get rid of
the cloud. It’s true I took this chart
from your father's vault, but you know
as well as I do I took it only to pro
vent Its theft by Legar. And if that
is tho blot that stands between us we
can wipe out that, blot by restoring
tho chart to whore it belongs.” Ho
stooped and turned her face to the
light., “And if that is douo, will you
promise to come with me?”
"Dearest," sho murmured as she
olosed her eyes to his caress, "your
against that upraised tentaclo of wood
and iron. But tho warning was suf
ficient.
Tho Laughing Mask, leaping to one
side, escaped before the knife could
he recovered. Then he ran towards
the girl in the contor of tjie room,
standing between her and the door,
as though to shield hor body with his
own, for by this time Legar was in tho
room itself. And as he advanced on
them ho tossed the knife away and
drew a revolver from his pocket.
lJut the man in the mask, moving
even moro quickly than his enemy,
swung tho girl about and half carried
and half dragged her back to the vault,
whero with ono tug of his freo hand
ho sprung tho heavy steel door half
open. Legar fired/ as he did so, but
Ao shot ricocheted harmlessly against
the safe-front of japanned steel.
“Father keeps a navy revolver in
the coin drawer of the vault hero,”
called out the girl as the man in tho
mask pushed her deeper into tho shad
ow of tho protecting door.
» At tho same momont that tho Laugh
ing Mask swung about and tugged
open tho coin drawer, Wilson and a
round-eyed footman, having heard the
sound of the shot, came running to the
library door. But before that door
people shall bo my people and your could be opened, Legar, realizing that
way my own. And I will go wherever his time was short, had taken matters
you ask me to go!”. ( in his own hand. Charging bodily
it was ten minutes lator that tho two j against the half-closed vault door, ho
of them, hand in hand, stolo quiotly | Bwung it shut before the meaning of
down through the shadowy house to , his maneuver could he understood,
the library. The girl was heavily Then lie threw on the lock, spun the
veiled and dressed for tho street. And
with hor she carried a handbag into
which she had fevorishly thrown what
°y died from herface. Tor" she YeTt I two ofthe "’ things sho most needed for the flight,
•sure that one of the faces la that car I ^1^^ IndSuies to which they ‘' ThU 18 the la8t t ‘ Be -” 8h6 8aii 60
lndlgnltios to which they
had been subjected, had caught sight 1
dial, and wheeled about to cover tho
two. white-faced and gaplng-mouthed
servants with his revolver.
"Stir one foot, either ot you, and it’ll
he your last move on this earth!” he
cried as he edged guardedly towards
the door, still covering them as ho
wont.
Ho would have reached tho door
and passed out through It without In
terruption, lint! not tho entrance door
of tho house been thrown open and the
riotsa of ninny (not sounded through
tho wide hallway. And tho noxt mo
ment tho ludlguunt voice ot Enoch Gol
den could he hoard calling for his
vanished servants.
Logar, with a movement of his
weapon,, motioned Wilson anil the
Bhuldng-iuieod footman out through
tho door. Thon. Blaring frantically
about the room, ho ran to a Poruglan
panel sercon ot faded tapestry and
crouched behind It, with his revolver
still In his hand.
Tho noxt momont tho room wns
tilled with a clatter of hurrying feet
and n babel ot voIcob. Wilson, almost
Inarticulate with excitement, attempt
ed for tlio third tlmo to oxplaln tho
situation to Enoch Golden and tho of
ficials from tho control office who fol
lowed at hlB heols.
"My daughter, you Bny, shut up In
that vault!"
“Yos, Blr, Bhut up with tho man In
tho yellow mask!"
Golden wob breathing hard as he
stooped ovor tho lock-dial and worked
with shaking Ungers on tho combina
tion. I
"Stand ready, Captain Brackett, for
you know what', thlB Laughing Mask
is!” tho old capitalist warned the of
ficer beside him.
Thon Golden, throwing hack tho
look-bars, swung open tho vault door.
But Instead of encountering a criminal
with a drawn gun, thoy found only a
somewhat droopfng-Bhouldorcd young
man, in a yellow mask, supporting the
body of a half-fainting girl.
“Get some wator, somebody, quick!”
said the preoccupied young man in the
mnBk, as he stepped slowly and some
what shakily out to the light. But no
one moved to oboy that command.
"So we’ve got you at last!"
It waB Enoch Golden who Bpoko,
confronting the abstracted youth tn
tho mask as the latter lifted awuy the
girl's veil and starod half-smlllngiy
down into her white face at tho same
time that sho slowly oponod her eyes.
Then he lookod up at tho girl's father.
"Yes, you’ve got me at last,” he
quietly announced.
“Thon we’ll juBt boo who it is wo’vo
got!" declared the russet-faced officer
as ho stoppod closer to the youth in
the yellow domino. With a quick move
ment of his hand he Jerked the mask
frorii its wearer’s face.
Golden was not tho only person in
that circle who stood for a silent mo
mont or two staring at tho face so sud
denly disclosed to them.
"My God,” gasped tho old million
aire, dropping weakly into a' chair,
“it’s David Manley! It’s—It’s our own
Davy!"
"Well, whoover he Is,'and whatever
he is, we’ve got him!" triumphantly
announced the russet-faced captain.
And the watching circle could see tho
glint of the handcuffs which ho so
promptly and so pregnantly produced.
"Yes, you’ve got mo,” acquiesced
their prisoner. "But there is ono per
son, remember, that you hnvo still
failed to get. And when you get him,
gentlemen, I'm afraid thore’s a chance
of your losing mo!"
“What d’ you mean by that?” de
manded Golden. '"And what d’ you
mean by breaking Into my vault and
carrying off my papers?”
"The only thing I intended to carry
off, sir, was your daughter. And all
your papers you’ll find quite Intact In
your vault. If I. hid ono of thorn, as
I hid my own identity, it was enly to
protect you and your house from the
Iron Claw!”
"That sounds well,” sneered tho rus-
net-faced captain. "But I want, to soo
that chart with my own eyos.”
"Then supposing you look In the safe
for It," suggested Manley.
There was a general movement to
wards the vault door. But at the same
moment there was a more abrupt
movement from another part of the
room. For Lcgar, realizing that the'
' eyes of his enemies ■ wero directed
towards another quarter, Btole from
his hiding place and ran, crouching
low, along tho library wall towards tho
door. Ho had almost reached that
door when Margory Golden, glancing
up, caught sight of the sinister apd all
too familiar figure.
"The Iron Claw!” she cried, in a
voice with alarm, as Legar dove
through the heavy portlores, swung
out into tho wldo hallway.
He darted through a second room,
sprang through still another door, and
found himsolf in tho conservatory. He
sprang through the glass wall as un
hesitatingly as a circus-rider springs
through his paper-hoop, carrying lead
ed panes and tho tendrils of climbing
vines with him as ho wont.
Ho was on his foot again, evon be
fore his pursuers had awakened to the
fact that he had brokon from the
house. And before they came tum
bling out of the house-door the.fugi
tive had ducked under a hedge, vault
ed a wall, and roundod tho street cor
ner. Ho was a desperate man now,
ready to face a desperate chance.
And that chanco presented itself to
him as a trolley car came to a stop
at the avenuo corner ahead of him,
and a conductor, leaping from its plat
form, crossed to a signet box at tho
roadside. Tho conductor had not yet
returned to his car when Lcgar sprang
-to tho steps of tho front platform, and
swung aboard.
When the motorman standing there
turned to expostulate at this over-
preclpitato invasion he found a re
volver thrust against his ribs and an
iron claw attempting to drag him away
from his controlling-lever. Being Cel-
tto, and a man of spirit, he naturally
resented such coercion. Disregarding
tlio flrenrm, ho snatched tho control
ler handle of brass from its standard
and knpeked asido his assailant’s' loft
hand at tho snmo moment 11101 ho
9truek at tho one-armocl stranger's
hntiess head.
But tho ono-nrmod -'stranger, fight
ing with a ferocity that knew no
bounds, clnwod anil struck and kicked
tho wlcldor of tho controller handlo ,
from tho car platform, snatching his
improvised weapon from hia Jlngora u«
ho foil.
- The noxt momont, realizing that a
band of Bhoutlng pursuors had already
dobouchod into tho avenuo behind him,
tho captor of tho car slammod and
locked shut tho platform doors, throw
on tho powor, and wont enrooning off
up tho ompty stroot.
Tho fUgltivo lookod back for a mo
mont, only to illscovor that tho polico
captain at tlio head of ills band of pur-
suors had already commandeered, a
passing, automobile and piled his men
into it. So Lcgar, turning back to ills
.siS
"Yes, You've Got Him," Acquiesced
, tho Prisoner,
controller, throw on the .last, bolt of
power and sent his car bbuhding along
tlio rails as that car had never before,
bounded. As it caroonod, northward,
block by, block, a high-power motor
car crow’dod with armod men drew
slowly down on it.
The trolley oar thundered on, with
its wheel-flanges screaming against
the switch curve as It swung down
the approach to Viaduct bridge. It
pounded on as the protesting trucks,
smiting malletlike on .their overtaxed
metal guides, refusod to. conform to so
flimsy a guardian. It pounded across
the footpath ot tho high-arched bridge,
and leaped llko a hunter through tho
wrought-tron guard rails along tho
bridge aide, catapulted out into space,
and turned ono complete' somersault
as It fell Into the valley below. -Tliero
it crashed hoad-down on a macadam
road as hard as stoho, crushing un
der Its weight of splintering wood and
twisted stoel the body of the one-
armed man who had ventured to tam
per with a power which ho had boon
unnblo to control.
It was an hour later that tho still
shaken yet impersonal-vlsaged Wilson
U3hored Into tho presence of David
Manley and Enoch Golden and his
daughter Margery, a! certain russet-
faced police captain. That official, as
ho seated himself before tho rosewood
desk and took a number of papers
from his pockets, looked about with
a smilo "that was neither altogether
apologetic nor altogether triumphant.
"Well, we’ve rounded up tho last
man of that Iron Claw baud,’’ he an
nounced, with a passing touch of ani
mosity in his eyes as ho looked about
at young Mnnloy.
“And Le'gar?” asked tho anxious-
oyed girl on the othor side of the desk
“Legar, young lady, was stone
before wo could get him out from un-
dor tliat smashed trolley. But we
found enough data on his body to
gather In every crook that hung out
In Owl’s Nost, bosldos Rod Egan's
turned state’s ovldenco/ and, I might
add, convinced us that this young man
who was fool enough to parndo around
in a yollow mask wasn’t as closely con
nected with that series of crimes ns
wo onco supposed. And I call this
day’s work, sir, to round-up that tho
police may well bo proud of!
"But tho most remarkable haul ot
all, I think,' Is this portion of a map
and code chart which wo found sowed
up In' Legar’s clothing. Now. can you
explain to mo the precise moaning of
tlieso hieroglyphics, and tho reason
why Legar should have boon so anxious
to obtain possession ot what I take to
bo the othor half Of this chart?"
Golden gazed down at tho scrap of,
time-worn papor as it lay on tho pol
ished rosowood desk, tho scrap of p
por about whlph scorned to have r
volvod so many of his sorrows, si
much of his life. Then ho dropped I
back Into Ills chair, with a sigh, anil,
looked wistfully up at the fair-haired
girl who had crossed to his side.
"That’s Bomothing, I’m qfraid we’lli
havo to go Into at some future date,"
announced the grim-jawed old milHon-i
airo, with a twitch of tho mouth that;
most unmistakably broadened into a
smilo/
“But why not now?" inquired
officer, puzzled by the older man’
altogether undignified grimace.
"Well, to tell tho truth, capi
wo’vo got to talk ovor the
ments for a wedding to which
two young folks here seem to
ridiculous Importance! And - till:
of mine’s got to find out' what ki
flowers she’s going to carry, or
whole solar system’s going to si
ntrm rlrrllt IIGW ”
and stop right now.’
THE END.
tipi