Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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{@ke Skek 8 d&Jl&nda AUTHOR OF "BEYOND THE FRO "MY LADY OF 1 Movtuzeo fHOM THE PMOTOft IV OeOAOI StITZ COrvilOMT, i?l* SYNOPSIS. Adventurous Jerry Carson embarks Si search of hidden treasure with the I premise of Leontine Wakrott to be his wife on his return. Her father favors Sebastian Navarre. Jerry's ship is burn* ed? he is reported lost. Sebastian presses ibis attentions. Jerry suddenly^Aurns up to confront charges -of the Kfiwarres against him. In a itruggle for a forged tjtaper Diego Navarre is killed and Jerry .is convicted of the murder. He escapes, and finds the treasure and a wonderful choinical pellet. Leontine is forced to marry Sebastian. On the honeymoon, he attacks iter in a rage. Suddenly lie is confronted by a weird apparition. Ravengar forces a confession from l.ouie. Sebastian attempts to get it. An earthquake occurs; in the excitement, Red Finn steals tlie confession and flees. He appears in New York as Romanoff and j enlists the aid of Madame Blanca. ( "Leontine confronts her husband in the gambling house. The Shadow buttles for her and she escapes with the confession. One-Lamp Louie follows her and takes the paper from her. The Shadow saves Navarre from robbery. Romanoff attempts to kidnap Sebastian and Leontine. but Raven gar appears to thwart him. Blnnca and her thugs are puzzled ; by Ravengur's repeated escapes and re- t turns to his cellar prison. Leontiue con- | sents to accompany Hamilton on a bal- | loon ascension. Sebastian drugs Hamilton! and arranges to have Loon tine sot adrit't I in the balloon. The balloon bursts into 1 flame and Leontine finds that her com-! panion is Ravengar. They are rescued, but One-Lntnp Louie reports that they perished in a hurricane. Sebastian arranges to marry Bianca. Louie prevents; it to save himself and is thrown to death by Sebastian who changes his mania- e flans. Ho sees Leontine alive and well, .atcr Sebastian kidnaps Leontine. hut ti e Shadow lias promised her protection. Ravengar delivers Leontine from the hands of her enemies, hut Bianca's thugs capture him. Bianca hesitates to kill him as she i is passionately in love with him. By maintaining that Leontine is insane, Sebastian again gains possession of her. Ravengar. after a terrific battle, resell-s lur, but the mystic mantle which renders them invisible, is stolon. ELEVENTH EPISODE The Passing of Bianca. . Stumbling along the forest trail. Ravengar and Leontine pursued their way for what seemed an eternity of hours, | Ravengar growing weaker and more wearv as time went on. He leaned i more and more heavily upon Leontine. But neither dared to stop, for they knew that their pursuers were close upon them. At last. Just as Ravengar was ready j to drop from weakness, they saw a small, abandoned hunting shack before them. They went in. It consisted of a single room and a kitchen, with a small cellar for storing ice. Ravengar sank down on the wooden bed and lay there, half unconscious from his wound. ? Leontine looked about her. The shuck had been occupied at no distant date, and still contained the camping apparatus, including a shotgun and a j pair of binoculars. She took the j glasses and, going to the door, looked out. Through the trees she could see the | rocky hillside down which they had come in their first flight. And on the hillside, little black specks against the - brown, she saw the forms of their pur- ! suers. Kavengnr rose and came out to her. ; "I must leave you here, Leontine," j he said. "The cloth must he recov- j 4?red. Without that we are lost." He w ent hack and tooa down the j shotgun. In it were two unexplodcd i cartridges. He handed it to Leontine. ; 1 It Wat Hitting. 'You will be safe with this," he said. "Don't .hesitate to use it. Wait for me here; I shall come h?ck to you." He went out of the door, and Leon t!ne, watching him with a sinking {heart, saw h'im disappear, carrying the glasses, among the trees. Ti .iW.? in 'Til., i * * +:*< ..^i iH, Winfc' +>~ hgSkadow IParrish. ffij INTIER." "MAID SF^fHE FOREST.-' HE NORTH." ETC. ! LAY SUMAl Of TNt WH NAMt , MilAMD IY fATMt m iowmu ftman. Presently he saw something that | brought his heart Into his mouth. It I was the solitary figure of a iiiau stand*> log on the crest of a hill, apparently In perplexity what to do. Ravengar began hurrying through the thick brush toward him, now los- j ing him, now regaining him. At last I he caine near enough to be able to make out the form of Joe, apparently resting upon the hilltop in fancied safety. As he drew neurer Ravengar saw that he was holding the mantle in his hand and examining it attentively. As he held It, Ravengar, creeping up within leaping distunce, suddenly sprang. ' ills right fist crashed full into Joe's mouth, and the thief went over like a rabbit and, striking his head against the rocks, lay motionless. Ravengar picked up the mantle and began to make his descent among the rocks. The crest was faced by another crest across a valley. I'pon the second crest .Sebastian and Biuncu, with Biunca's second follower, stood, anxious spectators of the light. They did not know t l .i . l. it . i i. j??e i:;mi uit' iiianue, mil uiry recognized him ami also Bavongur. As they whlehed they saw ltavengar knock out his antagonist and start down the declivity. lie found a dililcult passage among tlu? crumbling rocks on the face of the steep cliff; hut It seemed to offer a quick return to Leontine. and ltnvengar wanted m<?re titan anything else to gi \ e her t lie namt b> At last he fell, and, in falling, dislodged a bowlder, which rolled downward, carrying him with it in a shower * of pebbles. ltavengar could no more stop his descent than an Alpine climber can stop an avalanche. Fortune favored him. The boulder stopped at the edge of the steep lower drop, and ltavengar managed to catch a tree and draw himself to ids feet. Seizing the mantle, lie folded it invisible side outward, and thrust it into a gap between two rocks. Then he fell over in a deud faint. Sebastian, Rianca and her follower, pursuing their way, came to the spot , where the tight had occurred. At the bottom of the slope the throe could make out the inert figure of ltavengar, lying apparently dead or unconscious. : "We've got hint!" cried the man exultantly. Sebastian shook with fear. The proceedings of the day had not been at ull to his liking. "You settle with liliu. I've got to go home," he said. And, as Bianca looked at him contemptuously, he turned and made his way back ulong the trail. Bianca and her companion began to descend tlie precipice. At the bottom they came upon ltavengar, lying insensible and bleeding freely from his wound. Bianca's companion looked ?i. ...i. 1.1 .. uipuui niiii. tie espieu u .lagged stone and, taking it in his hands, poised it above Itavengar's forehead. With a scream Bianca leaped at him In fury and dashed him backward. But at that moment the figure of his companion, Joe, with a big bruise on j llie forehead and a split lip, emerged through the trees. "Cut it out! Wait!"; lie yelled. "Did you get the cloth?" "That's so, boys," cried Bianca,' grateful for the intermission. "We've! got to get him round first and make him tell us where the cloth is. There s ! a hunting shack somewhere# about here. Let's follow the trail and take him to it. Then we can give him the third degree and find what we want to, know." Leontine had seen them coming. She did not know it was ltavengar whose | body was being borne through the: trees. Then suddenly her eyes fell upon the shotgun, and she remembered Ituv- j engar's instructions. She grasped it j from the wall and looked about lier. Binnca's voice was to be heard plainly outside the door. Leontine saw that the kitchen shelves wore covered with a curtain, which hung right down to the floor, j She rushed behind it, carrying the: loaded gun. It was not much of u1 refuge, but it. offered a temporary respite. From here she could hear the luer. bringing in their burden. They faii 1 it on the bed. "Where are you going?" Leontine i ' i - iicui u unv ul 1111*111 iisk rnnnca. "Into the kitchen," she replied. "I'm going to search for sotncthing to bring him to." The mnu growled something Unit was Inaudible. Then Leontine became aware that Bianca was in the room. She could see nothing, but she heard Bianca's steps coming toward the shelves. A moment later the curtain was thrown back. Leontine and Bianca looked into each other's faces. Leontine, holding the loaded gun, watched Bianca defiantly. She was determined that she would sell her life dearly. Bianca looked back at her; then she lifted her hand for silene* . She drew nearer. ' "Ruvengar Is In great danger front those men/* she whispered, "and I an powerless to help him. Go and tine aid. Go quickly/* She reached up her hand and took the key of the padlock from u tumbler. Leon tine had fulled to see it In her excitement. She went swiftly to the hack door, uulocked the pudlock. and indicated to Leontine to go. Leontine looked at Bianca In amazement. She could not understand the motive which prompted this woman, who hud been her and Ravengar's bitterest enemy. However, she gathered her wits together and went swiftly out. "Hurry up!" shouted Blanca's man, Joe, from the Inner room. "We got to revive this guy aud give him the third degree, aud then fiuish him/* Bianca came quietly back, carrying a bottle which she had picked off the kitchen shelf. Bianca kneeled over Rnvengur and applied the contents of the bottle to his forehead. It was white vinegar, and It answered its purpose effectively. Ruvengar stirred, opened his eyes, aud fixed them on Bianca. "Hush !*' she whispered, laying her finger oil her lips. "Can you understand what 1 am saying to you? If so, make the least nod." Ruvengar nodded. "Your only chanee of lire is to make a dive for the cellar as soon as I open tho trap door. Don't stir till then. You get my meaning?" Austin Ravengar nodded. Rianca turned toward a closet wldrh was in the room, as if with (ho intention of getting something out of it. She hoped, in fact, to find an ax or some such weapon. Rut there was something in the closet hotter than an ax?an 1 also worse. It was a shotgun; I at it would require an appreciable moment to load it. and that was denied her. Holding the shotgun behind the door. Rianeu leaned forward toward the cellar door, reached it. an 1 coolly opened 1 it. At the same instant Ravengar, who had 1 eon watching her. gathered all his strength and leaped from the bed. His action was so quick and welldevised that the two men were com- ; plot el.v taken by surprise. Before the\ could draw their pistols Ravengar was in the cellar. They drew; but before they could, aim and tire they saw Bianca standing by the trapdoor, covering them will) the shotgun. "Hands up!" she called. They threw their hands up. Bianco had them at her mercy. And then en-! sued the hallling mystery of feminine! psychology. Instead of disarming them, Bianca dashed down into thp pcllnr A* she ran a bullet from Joe's revolver pierced her gown. Crouching ori either side of the trapdoor, the men bred, with the hope cf i wounding Kavengar by rundom shots. A spray of shot came up in return, spattering upon the wall. The twc drew back and considered. "We got to finish them?both of em," growled Joe's companion. "We're done now, so far as Kiahca's concerned.; See this trick, Joe?" He picked up a piece of board and. hoisting a hat on it, so that it resembled the upper part of a man's face, moved it cautiously around the corner. As it came into sight from the cellar j be'ow two shots rang out from the i shotgun. The hat twirled upon the hoard, j which dropped froir. the crook's hand. As it revealed the hand, two answering shots came from the crook's revolver. Aimed along the line taken by the pellets from below, it was difficult for the weapon to miss. Kavengar, wounded again, dropped to the cellar floor. The men a hove heard the thud, and rushed toward the trapdoor in exultation. An instant later the shotgun | spoUe again. Joe yelled as half a dozen ! pellets caught him in the leg. The two men beat a hurried retreat; but in that second they had caught sight of Pdancu, standing like a lioness at bay above the body of Rnvengar. They drew off. Joe limping painfully and cursing hard, lie slammed the cover down and looked at his companion. "We've gol one of them," he said. "We've got to get her too." 6i?nca Had Them / IIJ), CONWAY, __ Suddenly fee uttered an exclamation and pointed to one of the shelves. Upon1 It lay a stick of dynamite, all reudy set with a fuse. | lie pulled down the stick and began winding the fuse about It. When it was "endy he struck a light, lit the fuse, | and, holding the stick In one hunJ^ opened the cover hastily with the other and flung the fuse down the hatchway. Madly the two ran from the shuck as fast as they could go. The second shot hud struck Ravengar in the forehead, Inflicting a sculp wound, but glancing off the bone. He was still alive, und breathing heuvlly. A gleam of light flooded the cellar as the hutch was raised. Biunea grasped the shotgun uud pointed toward the opeuing. But the lid fell down before she could fire, and something same tumbling down the steps. Bianca heard the outer door slain as the men hurriedly tcok their departure. She lifted the thing she held In her hand. It was hissing. She run up to the top of the steps, pushing open the lid of the cellar with her free hand. It was a stick of dynamite, and the fuse was nearly burned down. She hurried toward the door, tugging at the fuse. She raised the stick of dynamite on high to fling it from her. As her hand went back to her shoulder the explosion happened. The room was filled witlrsmoke; the walls of the cabin tottered, stood for a moment, i and collapsed inwardly. Where had , boon the shack was only a heap of: smoking ruins. From their hiding place the two con-: federates watched with grim satisfaction. i * % . . . . -- i i.ei s neat n. .100," sai't one of then. Ills communion, without answering, <*1 liti*In'tl 11 i: 1 < by tlio am. and pointed. An automobile had emerged from jii.mii;' tho trees an;! was standing bo-| side 1I10 raino.'l sliaolc. Someone in it ? a woman?was crying out a:? ! pointing toward them. The oar a; preached. They darted through tho trees. As they ran tlioy hoard tho oar come whirling along tho road at.'! stop. Somebody cried again?a man. The ory was tlio noto of discovery. The clamo was taken up. The two ran faster. lloforo thorn hiy a patch of irregular, rookv country, in which it seemed froodom might lu? found. Their pursuers were no longer near them, though they 01 uld still hoar their cries. Creeping cautiously forward, .Joe rocoimoitered, tmd then beckoned to his companion to follow thorn. In front of tliem lay a sort of tunnel in the rocks. Within the mouth of the cave there should lie safety. ? * ? * * * * I Leontinc tied down the trail. She hardlv dared linno t<? fiiwi tmi-? s?. She had only gone a couple of hundred yards when tlie sound of an approaching automobile arrested her at- ; tent ton. A moment later she saw the j machine Whizzing toward her, and. planting herself in front of it, called 10 the driver. The machine stopped. In it was a party of men, touring the woods. Leontine hurried toward them. "Help!" she gasped, almost inarticulately. "Yes. Where?" She pointed back along the trail. "There are a band of crooks there, and j they're going to commit murder," she j cried. I She tried to get them to drive on, but the leader of the party shook his head. "I'll drive you to the sheriff," he j said. "You can tell ym.r there." I lie would not listen to Leonline's , frantic appeals. They drove to the sheriff's oflice; and in a moment she was telling him her incoherent story. He hurried to the door, "l'ut the machine about," he commanded. The auto, running at full speed, came Into sight of the shack. Leontine saw Binnca run into the doorway, and her heart leaped joyfully. He was unharmed then ! The next Instant a rush of flame came from the hut, the roar of the explosion followed it. The Hut collapsed into a heap of debris. Leontine jumped from her seat and ran to where P.ianca had been. There Sgrffi {HnS9yHM H S :'-t2ff,^iiW \:: : t Her Mercy. ? ;" was no traca of her. The Queen of the Underworld had met her fate. Leontlne flung herself down upon the sill of the bri'fceu door and wept Utterly. . The sheriff, half stuzmed by the suddenness of the disaster, quickly regained his wits. Watch the trees, irentletuen, and nee If you can find any traces of them.** The car moved on, leaving Leontiu? behind, crouched In the doorway. Half a minute elapsed. Then the sheriffs hand feh on the chauffeur's shoulder. He pointed to the side of the road, where the long grass was trampled down. The car stopped. One of the occupants uttered a cry and pointed through the trees. Two men were to be seen running at top speed across a little patch of open ground. "Come along, boys; we'll get 'era," called the sheriff. He' tossed a revolver to the man nearest him, and, holding another in his hand, started in the pursuit, followed by all but the chauffeur. ******* The explosion In the shuck was not the only one which took place thut afternoon. Another, on a much lurgcr scale, and less impromptu, had been planned to occur half an hour later, within the new aqueduct tunnel which J was being blasted among the rocks. | The gang had departed, and the man in j charge of the blast was talking with : the foreman. "You'll let her go In three minutes," said the latter. "I'll go to the road ami hold up any auto parlies that's < 1 lli! 1II?* 1'iilltwl f ln? 'Iv- 1 " ivvinti I lit: irvilil. I line JUT. lie made oil across the broken j ground as far as the edge of the woods. There he saw a ear coining slowly along i lie road, the solitary chauffeur peering through the trees intently, as thotieh following somebody. "Hey! You there!" shouted the foreman. holding tip li s hand. The chauffeur, who had not heard hint, continued on hi.s slow way. ''You there!" yelled the foreman. "Stop that machine! The blast's just going off!" And he begun running toward him, shouting "dynamite!" The chauffeur caught the word and put on the brakes hard. He had 1* id enough dynamite that afternoon, lie pointed through the trees, and the horrified foreman saw the party, led by I he sheriff, beating the hushes for the fugitives. "There they are!" he yelled, as the two crooks made their l'mal clash across the open space. "Come along, boys. We'll get them sure." The horrified foreman saw him darting immediately toward the tunnel, followed I)V tile whole 4*.Min? of i>vr?l?ml i ? o"-n "? * " tourists. One of the crooks turned and i fired at random. The sheriff answered j him, and the pursuers closed in on the pursued. The foreman yelled loudest of all as , he turned to cut oil' the approach of; the party. Time was precious; the i three minutes must have half gone. Panting, the foreman caught up with the sheriff fifty paces from the tunnel' entrance. "Hey! Dynamite!" lie yelled, planting himself in front of 1dm. The sheriff grasped his meaning. He turned and bolted at tlie top of ids speed, shouting and waving back the 1 party. Within the tunnel the two crooks were crouching, desperate men, but armed and resolved to sell their lives dearly. Suddenly with a roar that was heard throughout the couutryslde, the charge exploded. A ton of rock smashed down from above. The earth upheaved to receive what remained. Sebastian had hurried homeward, overcome with panic at Leontine's dis-1 appeurance. For the first time he be- j gan to despair. He decided to prepare for flight. Suddenly, glancing into the mirror of a cupboard, he jumped to his feet with an oath. In the mirror was to be seen the reflection of the window opposite, and looking through the window were the mysterious eyes that had haunted hirn. On the table beside him stood a heavy glass water pitcher. Sebastian stretched out his hand cautiously, seized it, and hurled it through the window, shattering the glass. Tim .... 1 A..*; <.* vo vitlll^HCTU, IUIU 11 grOtU (llflmnnd-shaped star appeared. Sebastian left the library and went into the Hi tie gardeti at the rear of the house. As he did so he caught sight of a figure dodging behind u tall syrlnga bush. "What do you want?" he shouted. The ninh stepped forward a little Sheepishly. "I want to speak to you in private?about your wife," he said. Sebastian hesitated; then he indicated to the 2.inn to l'oilow kiln hack into the library. "Well?" he demanded, swinging round upon him. "Well?er?Mr. Navarre, you are under arrest," said the e ther. "I'm going to hold you till the police come," he said. "You are not from the police?" "I'm acting for Mr. ltavengar. That's enough." I '! unilu-olnn.l " ~? 1 "** * aoluUU) omu oi'nuKiiuiit uuy I get my coat?" The other nodded, and the two proceeded upstairs toward Sebastian's bedroom. Sebastian took his coat from the closet and, turning back, tripped over the garment and fell to the ground. As the young man bent forward to assist him Sebastian sprang to his feet and felh'd him with a violent blow. In a flash he was upon him, and the two struggled upon the floor. Sebastian snatched the revolver from the detcctlre's pocket and detached bl?>H self. As the other grappled with h!n>^| he knocked hiin down again, hesitnted^B uti Instant, and rau through the door-^B way at the fnr end of the room, stop~^fl ping a moment to lock it behind hltm^B There was a hull beyond the door.^B leading to a window With u little bul-^B cony. Sebastian thrust the window^^B open and ran out. lie hesitated. He^| could go no further. ^B As he stood there he heard the door I behind him splinter. It crushed froro^| Ifc hllt?AO ????' ** - -1-1 * ..r. anu Hie uviccuve appeared. M Sebastian took otiu deliberntdfl ?uTOU?h the window. H he hoard the butler's foot at ops In the B bedroom. He poised himself like a B swimmer, and plunged. Hy a miracle of good fortune he fell fl into the leufy brunches, clung to a H bough, und made the descent unln- H He fired. The detective staggered fl and dropped. He did not move again. H Beneath the window, but some din tance away, was a tall tree. As Sebas tlan hesitated, uncertain whether to H make the desperate leap or to go back, H "You'll Ue Sr.fe With This," He Said- 9 juivd, save Cor a few scratches. I! 9 dot god back Into 111?* library, siikkiiI;- . iiig Ills clothes as he <'i< 1 so, mid gained jJ his chair satisfied that lie had been 1111- 9 observed. Half a minute later the but- I let* und another servant came running I "There's been a murder upstairs, 9 sir!" the butler gasped. 9 Sebastian rose. "A murder?" he In- 9 qui red blandly. 9 "Two burglars, sir. We heard them 9 lighting. One shot the other and mude 9 his getaway." 9 "Get a doctor, quick!" 9 "It's too late for a doctor, lie's dead, 9 <ir VI... II I > - - ' ? ?... .Jimii 1 ivit'lMlWIie JUI lilt! JJOIlCe C "No, leave it to me. I'll see to it," I Sebastian unswereU. * V The shock of the explosion tliat hud 9 cost Bianlca her life brought Itu- I vengar back to consciousness in the m cellar. He opened his eyes to find the 1 walls dissolving about hlin. The cellar rocked under the force of the detonation. A heavy beam came crashing down upon him. Almost miraculously it fell across his body in such a manner as to pin him where he was without further injuring him. ills unconsciousness had partaken more of the nature of sleep. He felt refreshed, ulniost invigorated as he rose to ids feet. Rut he remembered, nothing of what had happened since lie entered the cellar. One tiling, however, flashed Imck into his consciousness. That was the mantle. He had hidden it in the cleft between the rocks, and lie must obtain it. The walls of tlie cellar gaped apart in many places. ltavengar crawled slowly and painfully out between two stones, lie gained the open and looked about him. Nobody was in sight. As a matter of fact, the two crooks were on the other side of the house* watclnng the result of their devilish plot with glee. Had Itavengar emerged , upon that side they would huve seen, him. Luck had brought him out at the back, among the thick foliage of the low shrubs that grew almost to the * kitchen door. Staggering painfully Ravengar made 1 his way among the pines. lie had gone a little way when ne heard the sound ^ of an approaching automobile. He did not wait hut hurried into the recesses of the forest. Stumbling on; at length 1 he reached the spot where he had hidden the mantle after his fall from the cliff. He put his hand between tin stone's, and drew It out tenderly, fear- ' fill of tearing it. He put it about him and returned to the hut. His heart was tilled with forebodings as to Leontlnc's fate. Dearly as he had longed to find her, he had known for 1 both their sakes that the mantle must ' he liis first objective. Now, as his brain began to clear, he wondered what the explosion had been which wrecked the hut. He wondered whether Leontine had been iu the hut at the time. But he would not let his mind dwell on that possibility. And he did not know that the entire hut was wrecked. He hurried on, feeling stronger every moment. For the first time since his wounding, too, he realized that he was hungry. ! He was nearlng the hut when he saw the automobile in the road, in charge of the chauffeur. He walked boldly toward It, stopped and regarded the man quietly. The chauffeur's eyes passed by ills without a sign of perception. Havengar was now completely satisfled. The rough handling to which the \ mantle had been subjected had done it no Injury. He went on toward the cabin. His heart was heating fast, and nameless