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Show I TWELFTH EPISODE 1 The Sunken Vault. Aware of Phil Kelly's approach to the House oi Mystery, Pat was fully prepared to gie him it r ptlon that 1 furnished him with the surprise Of his life. When Kelly arrived he investigated every available entrance, and decided to adopt the expedient of climbing a tree that stood beside the house and grew tall enough to give him access to an open window. One man remained under the tree as a look-out, while tho other two climbed to the window. After they had entered the room through the window, they stopped to Investigate. The room they were in was perfectly perfect-ly devoid of any furnishings and the one door providing entrance and egress was the only Interesting feature of the place. Kelly jerl't d open ihe door and found a second room, exactly like the one they had first entered Inviting further fur-ther Investigation': Opposite was a door lending into still another room. And when Kelly turned the knob, his surprise party made a speedy beginning. Pat was sitting In one corner of the room, In a large armchair. Other than this one piece of furniture the room was empty. Kelly made a move to approach the elusive girl whom he was now determined deter-mined to capture. Pat pressed n pushbutton push-button in the arm of her chair. In a twinkling two swiftly-moving partitions parti-tions were run out from the wall, coming com-ing together In such a manner that they shut Pat behind their shelter ns completely ns though she were locked In nn entirely separate room. Kelly and his man stood dumbfounded, dumbfound-ed, fur a second, and then tried to leave the room the way they had entered. en-tered. The door was locked. Suddenly the floor dropped from under un-der them. They landed In a great wooden box thnt had been placed under un-der tho trap-door through which they had fallen. Before they could make a move, some of Pat's men rushed forward and Slammed down the cover of the box securely imprisoning the detectives. Then strong hands pushed the wooden ease toward an opening in the wall. Down a chute the sleuths proceeded, riding In their moving prison. The box and contents presently emerged through an opening in tho outer wall of the building. There was a motor truck waiting to receive It, and immediately the box shot through the wall and landed on the truck. The driver started his engine en-gine and drove away. An hour later, with Kelly and his assistant still Inside, In-side, the box was shoved off the truck, landing In a ditch. When the Sphinx and his man had kicked their way out of the box, sometime later they found themselves far out in the country, near an infrequently infre-quently used trail that led across the fields. "I'm not going back to the chief to report this fizzle," said Kelly. And then the two men started to walk back home. There was a period of qiilot, lasting a month, after Kelly's adventure. "I must start something pretty soon," Pat said to her chief lieutenant ono morning when he had called to learn if she had any Instructions for the Apaches. "This peace and quiet Is getting monotonous." The Apache had called while the girl was at breakfast. As she talked to him, sipping her toffee, she occasionally occa-sionally glanced at the headlines In the morning paper. She Dually discovered an Item that fixed her attention. It referred to nn Immensely wealthy man who had contrived con-trived a vault that he believed would be absolutely burglar-proof. "Here's something I want investl- ! gated," said Pat to her lieutenant. "We may be nl lo to start n little excitement if wo can find out how this man gets so much money. If he doesn't get it ' honestly, I may decide thnt he is a good subject for your attention. Lenrn nil you can about him. how he makes his money, and report as soon as you can confirm your fucts." After several days, spent In cnreful Investigation, Pat received a full report re-port from her lieutenant. The information informa-tion made It clear to the girl thnt It w;is a case worthy of Apache action. Johnson was one of the most dangerous dan-gerous men In the city. For years tho authorities had tried to Invest their suspicions with legal evidence. Nobody No-body doubted but what his Immense wealth came from tho most despicably illicit means known to the law. Put to be suspicious was one thing and to "jet the goods" on the crafty Johnson was another. Head of a syndicate syn-dicate of the worst kind of crooks, Patsy's men reported that ho lived and profited immensely upon the downfall - of weaklings who fell under the evil S Influence of his subordinates. Money rolled In to Johnson from cv- ery part of the country and It nl- ways came in cold cash. For the ren-! ren-! son he found It not alone advisable but necessary to build the sunken I vault. i With this report from Pat's men ! came tho statement that, seeing strango figures moving about his grounds late at night, Johnson had colled In Phil Kelly to consult him. Tho "strange figure," It need hardly be snld, were Pat's Apaches on their mission of investigation. The knowledge that she was thus once more to be Involved In an adventure adven-ture that would bring her in corapetl- i tlon with the Sphinx was good news to Pat. A smile of Intense satisfaction overspread her beautiful face as sho issued an order for her men to meet In consultation in the House of Mystery and get their orders. Johnson lived In a stately mansion, surrounded by spacious grounds in a part of town not far from Pat's headquarters. head-quarters. It was in this house that Johnson made his business headquarters and h re he was having built the sunken vault. Workmen were putting the finishing fin-ishing touches on the wall of watertight water-tight masonry that was to form the outer shell for the flood that was intended in-tended to baffle the craftiest of crooks. One of Pal 8 Investigators intercept-ed intercept-ed the foreman of the men who were doing the work, and by a generous bribe obtained n place for nn expert Apache Investigator to become one of the bricklayers on the Job. This man was Pat's most skilled assistant, and his keen wit ami intelligence soon provider! pro-vider! the Purple Mask with all the i details she needed. Measurements were taken, the grounds were mapped and a plan of .Johnson's home was drawn. And While ho was In the vault at work, the Apache managed to interest Johnson's hOUSi keeper in a scheme to add vastly to her Income. The final report that her "bricklay- ! or" made to Pat especially delighted her. It concerned Phil Kelly's visit to the vault, when Johnson brought him In to Show how cleverly the old villain had planned to protect his wealth. "When they left the vault." said Pat's informant, "Johnson told Kelly that it was Important that Kelly should get on the job at once, and I heard Kelly say he would call this evening at nine o'clock to go over all the details de-tails with Johnson." "Good boy!" said Pat approvingly. "Everybody has their Instructions and it only needs for them to know th time to begin operations. We will start on the job tonight at six o'clock, and be ready to put Kelly where he cannot interfere." That evening the Apache In the vault managed to hide when time came for the workmen to leave. And tho housekeeper house-keeper also got her instructions. Manley, secretary to Johnson, having hav-ing finished his day's work, called on his employer to notify him that he was leaving for the night Johnson told him he must be on hand at nine o'clock to admit Phil Kelly to the confer. con-fer. nee. It wns just dusk as Manley passed through the front door and started across the spacious lawn toward to-ward the front gate. Four of Par's Apaches were lying in wait for him, and as Johnson's man passed them on the path, when under especially heavy and low-spreading branches of a giant tree, they felled him to the ground and made him captive. cap-tive. Manley was rushed in haste to the House of Mystery and taken into Pat's drawing room. One of the Apaches, bearing n strik- I lng resemblance to Mauley, made a close study of his features, Py use of cosmetics, and slightly changing the cut of his beard and hair, the Apache presented an exact "double" of Johnson's John-son's secretary. Mauley's keys were taken from him and the new "secretary" "secre-tary" hurried away to perform his share In the adventure nt Johnson's home. By this time It was quite dark. The Johnson grounds, Immediately surrounding sur-rounding the mansion, preaeuted unusual un-usual aspects. Lurking everywhere were Pat's men robed In purple dom-lnos. dom-lnos. One group of active men was busy with picks and shovels, digging into the ground. They had three hours in which to complete a tunnel planned to lead directly under Johnson's traas-ure-vnult. Inside the mansion Johnson was In his own apartment, awaiting the arrival ar-rival of the detective. Before him, on the table where he was at work, were i reports from his subordinates, and from time to tima he opened a drawer, and counted over hugh piles of currency. cur-rency. Phil Kelly and his chief assistant arrived at the Johnson homo a few moments abend of time. The Apache made up to Impersonate Johnson's sec retary met the detectives nt the doot and ushered them into the drawing room. Pat's man went upstairs, and returned re-turned in a moment to say thnt Mr Johnson would see the detectives short ly. Meanwhile they were to make themselves comfortable In an adjoin lng room, where n light repast hn d been prepared for them, In this room the Apache led Kelly and his rilnn, and gently turned the key as he passed out of the door. "This old guy must have heaps ol money in that vault," said Kelly n. the two detectives seated themselves at the table. "He hos a swell place here and this food and wine can't be purchased for a song." The two enjoyed themselves, safe behind the locked door, while Pat stealthily rambled through the lower floor of the mansion, to make sure thnt nil her orders were being carried out. The housekeeper had dismissed all of the servants for the night, and the Johnson mansion was completely in tho hands of Pat and her associates. Meanwhile the men who were burrowing bur-rowing undertrroun-l worked rapidly and were progressing on sc edule time. When they reached the s 6t directly di-rectly under the floor of the vault, their mission wns practically accomplished. accom-plished. With drills and bars they began operations on the masonry that formed the foundation. Every man in the gong was expert ex-pert in his line. Supplied wi.u the best drills nnd appliances, working safe from fear of detection they made rapid progress. Inside the vault the Apache who had remained hidden when the other workmen left for the night, was contributing his share to the proceedings. pro-ceedings. Unmindful of what was going on In the rooms below. Johnson remained absorbed In his selfish enjoyment. He carefully pehdsM every report, made sure count ot ' the money and Jotted down occasional notes, from which he Intended to Issue Instructions to his lieutenants. Having occasion to use the telephone, tele-phone, he was annoyed to find that he could not get a connection, even with central. Passing the Incident as another an-other annoyance that so often comes Johnson went on with his work. Pat's men had cut the telephone wires. Meanwhile, as the moments passed, Kelly and his man became impatient. They were too wise in their generation to absorb too much of the liquid refreshments, re-freshments, and their appetites had heon satisfied by the delicious food. "Old Johnson must bo a busy- man! to keep us waiting ns loug ns this." snid Kelly, as he looked at his watch. 1 "It's Just nine o'clock we must get j some action pretty soon or we will Investigate." In-vestigate." Kelly arose from his chnir and walked restlessly about the room. Once he stopped as if to reach for the knobs that would open the door, but he! changed his mind. Ho moved leisurely h to the window, and drawing aside the curtain, tried to look out. , "It's dark as pitch." he remarked. And then he resumed his nervous r tramping up and down the room. 1 "Don't get Impatient," said his subordinate. "Johnson will let us know when he wants us. He Is Just 1 as anxious ns you are." j "Well, I'll wait a few moments j more, then I'll go out and see what's keeping the old man," said Kelly osjT he again seated himself at the table ' and turned out a small portion of wine. This he sipped while conversing on f general topics with his man. At the moment Kelly's watch read " nine o'clock Pat was bringing her i f plans to a focus. The men who wre drilling into the vault at that Instant' loosened the first brick in the floor of I the spacious room. In another moment mo-ment enough bricks hud yielded to pressure from below to allow one , the Apaches to raise his head through the opening. Tho strong-room was flooded with light. On shelves ranged arouud the walls were bags and boxes known to be filled with money. There were also several piles of bills, fastened with i paper binders, carefully stacked, side by side, upon the shelves. Inside tho Johnson mansion mat-' ters wore progressing at a lively pace. 1 The two detectives, having exhausted their patience started to open the door. When they discovered that they were locked In, Kelly hurried to one of the w indows. As he pulled the curtain aside, two , men In purple masks nnd gowns held j revolvers to cover the detectives IC threateningly. Kelly and his man ? rushed to another window only to face ' c a like menace. The four windows1) that opened from tho room were all : guarded by Pat's men. 1 At that same Instant Pat was stealth-lly stealth-lly ascending tho stairs that led to the upper floor. Directed by the house- r keeper Pat and two of her assistants i went straight to the door of Johnson's 1 room. It wns standing open, and In the middle of the room, with his back to b the door, was Johnson pouring over j his honrd of money. With er men flanking her right and left. Pat ap- c proached with cat-llko tread, holding, ready for use, a heavy purple cloak."' u Coming within reaching distance of " Johnson the girl bounded forward and D flung the cloak over Johnson's head while her assistants attached them- w selves to each of the old villain's arms K' rendering him helpless. (END OF TWELFTH EPISODE.) f11 |