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Show A DETECTIVE NOVEtf and Motion Picture Denial , Loavins the un.lertaluVs, Ken u.'h land I made our wav, kccmuK ofTUior oushfares. to pol.ee 'pa'1 ! where, after makinR ourselves known Craie made arrangement for a the house across the street tron, . the at) oratory, Tvhere wc had seen the optia glass reflection. ,- Then, as sccretlv as we had cornc. . we went out again, lett.ns oun-ehos .. o the laboratory, stealthily look.nu J and down the street. We entered . 0 a basement door, which Kennedy eart fully loeked again. . , Kennedv went over to a cabinet, from it took out a notebook and a ' box. Opening the notebook on the mo-oratory mo-oratory table he rapidly turned the Pa'K'Hrc, Walter.'' he remarked. "This; will answer your question about tne mvsterious deadly ray." "I moved over to the table , Mger to satisfy my curiosity, and read the. noie. which he indicated with his finger. 1XFHA-RKD HAY NOTKS. The pure infra-red which has been developed by Le Croix from the experiments of the Italian scientist scien-tist tlivi, causes, when concentrated concen-trated bv an apparatus perteited bv Le Croix, an instantaneous combustion com-bustion of non-relieciing surfaces. It is particularly deadly in its effect on the brain centers. . ' It can be diverted, it is said however, bv a shield composed ot platinum backed by asbestos. Next Kennedy opened the case which he had taken out of tile cabinet, and from it lie took out the platinum asix-s-tus mirror, which was something of hii-own hii-own invention. He held it up, and in pantomime flowed nis just how it would cut off the deadly rays. lie had not finished even that when a peculiar noisn in the laboratory itself disturbed him, and he hastily thru-it the asbestos platinum shield into his pocket. Though we had not realized it, our return had been anticipated. Suddenly, from a closet projected a magazine ' gun, and before we could movn the Clutching Hand himself blowlv Beared bohi,,d n" " Ah. bo exclaimed with nin.-k rn- hro iJh nn ? bv lho "'"-toon Vy through the basement, jumped into the room through that door cove p I t-lef'Vrte,i t0 0,lr fept. but" in an X &.d UrSdVC3 bth PwH"6 i n t' i",ot1b,l;r ei"ok had been hid-fl' hid-fl' ol ,h? '?,f'k ,ed "3 witb a" the. .kill V "l0lhhn l"'la-ver' gainst whom we had no detense. stan'tly. f the'" ' WOre UP" "3 in" At the same time Thomas, the faith-n faith-n a i.0t 1?n,,,i had been dis-r dis-r t , by SUe tlutchin Hand to ,-on.rrMr,,l,er his master's roadner in V ""i an' ' car7'ii: out the in-vtr.-t,ons he had iriv-n p before hlainc a house at the very moment when the was j,fjiK out fm a wa,k I homa jumped out of the ear and tow-lied hi, hat deterentiallv ",A '"rjo from Mr." Bennett, n,a am, he explained. " Mr., Kennedy and .Mr. Bennett have s:ent me to ask yo-i to come over to the laboratorv." L "su.ei-tinK, Klaine stepped into the car and drove off. Iintead. however, of turning and pull-mi; pull-mi; up on the laboratorv side of the st re. t. Tuomas stopped opposite it. He f:n out, and Elaine, tiiir.liing that J,er-ha J,er-ha - it was to save time that he bad not turne, tl,e car around, followed. If' t wh.-n the valet, instead of eross-:i eross-:i j '-he street, then went up to a door ol a hou-e and rang the bell, she began to ..spe'-t that all was not as it should be. ''.Wiat are vou goinp there for, Tho-:,.r" fhe asked. "There's the laboratory over there.-' 'Cli;t. Miss Dodge," he apologized, "Mr. Ki-nn-dy and Mr. Bennett are he-. Ti.,-y told me they'd be here." T.'.e do"r was opened 'juicklr by a look. uit of the Clutching "and, and the valet asked if Craig and Elaine's law-yer law-yer w-ere in. Of course the lookout re- plied that they were, and before Elaina knew it she was jostled into the dark V hallway and the door was banged skat 'r Resistance was useless now, and sne f was hurled along until another door ' was opened. There she was with Le Croix and ths ' other crooks. And, as tbe door slammed, she eaugh sight of the fearsome Clutching Hanj ) himself. iShe drew back, but was too frig'jt- "' ened even to scream. , f With a harsh, cruel laugh the snper- f criminal beckoned to her to follow him and look down through a Email trap ; door. i 1'nalde now to resist, she did so. -There she saw Le Croix and the other ; had told the truth. Kennedy was standing in deep thought, while I Bat "r on an old box, smoking a cigarette-' very miserable. I Was this to be the sole outcome dl -Kennedy 's clever ruse, I was wonder- ing. Were we only to be shipwrecked in sight of port? 1 As the various ineffectual schemes for 1 escape surged through my head I hap. I pened to look up, and caught a glance of horror on Craig's face. I followea T his eyes. There, above us, was Elaine' -I saw her look from us to the Clutch- ; ing Hand in terror. But none of ui Z-uttered Z-uttered a word. "I will now show you, -ray dear vonng j lady,-' almost hissed the Clutchiaa ; Hand at length, "as pretty a game c! hide aud seek as you have ever seen.'- -As be said it another trap door neat ' the infra-ray machine was opened anc t a beam of light burst through. I knew -it was not that which we had to fear but the invisible rays that accompanied it, the rays that had affected the bolom- . eter. " Just the spot of light showed nea : my foot, moving about the cement flooi until it fell on my shoe. Instantly : the leather charred even before I conla move. - Kennedy and I leaped to our feel and drew back. The beam followed : its. We retreated further. Stiil it followed, fol-lowed, inexorably. Clutching Hand was now holding ; Elaine near the door where she could i not help ..seeing, laughing diabolically, . while he directed Le Croix and the rest ; to work the infra-red ray apparatus. "Please oh, please stopl'' begged t Elaine. ; Clutching Hand only laughed with ; fiendish delight aud urged his men on. The thine; was getting closer and closer. i Suddenly we beared a strange Toic. ring out above us. ' Police! -' "Wherel" growled the Clutching ; Hand in fury. "Outside a raid! Eunl He's told : them!" At that door a moment before the ' lookout suddenly had given a startled stare and a suppressed cry. Giancicg : down the street he had seen a police : patrol in which were a score or mores of the strong-arm squad. They htf lumped out, some carrying sledge-hani mors, oihers axes. ; Almost before he eould cry out and . retreat to give a warning they had t reached the door and the vast resounding resound-ing blows had .been struck. The lookout quickly had fled and : Jrawn the bolts of a strong inner door, : and the police began battering that im- pediment, lnstantiv Clutching" Hand turned to Le Croix tit the I'-ray machine. "Finish them!" he shouted. We were now backed ttp against ; sn-all ell in the wall of tbe celiar. It ; was barely large enough to hold tts. but bv crowding we were able to keen ; out of the reach of tile ray. The ray ' shot past the ell nnd struck the wa'.l a . couple of inches from us. ; I looked". The cement began to ; crumble under the intense heat. Meanwhile the police were havinj , groat ditlic-.tltv with the steel bolt-studded bolt-studded door, 'Still, it was yielding a ; bit. " Hurry! '' shouted Clutching Hand to Le Croix. Kennedy had vnluntarilv placed himself him-self in front of tr.e iu the ell. Carefully, Care-fully, to avoid tho ray. he took the I nsbostor platinum shield from his pocket : and slid it forward as best he could ' over the wall to the spot where the ry struck. It .letlccied the ray. But so powerful was it that even ttt part of the rav which was rietlectetd , ould be soon to strike the ceding in the ...ritci. which was of wood. Instantly, In-stantly, before Kennedy could vfU move 'the shield, tho wood burst into dames. Above its now smoke was pouring inlo the room where the dellectea ray struck the tloor nnd names broke out. "Run!" shouted Clutching Hand, a thev opened n secret Rate, disclosing a spiral lligltt of iron steps. A moment later all had disppex,i except Clutching Hand himself. Tn last, door would hold oulv a few seconds, sec-onds, but Clutching Hand was waittn to take ad.'autae of even that. Vit a last frantic i-tioit he sotiL'ht to direct the letiible rav at us. l'.latne acted instantly. Willi all her siretijtth sti ru-died lorward, overturning t lie clime. Clutching Hand uttered a growl ar.d slowly raised his gu". taking aim the butt, for a wcU-directod blow ' her bond. .lust then the door yielded and i f' liconian si tick his head and shoulders Ibroiti-.h. His revolver rang out i"1'. Clutching Hand's automatic (lew out his giMsp, e,i,,g him 10M enoucli ',nn' to iod.;e through and slam the secret door m tin- luces of the ed,iind ' ,lu'-' lushed in. Hack of tho house Clutcrtins and lho other etooks were now psssuuf through n bricked pt.ssag.v The re" had tot so far b.-vond control bv lh' time that it drove the police back ft.'1 their ollorts Io open the secret doer. Thus the clntchiim Hand had made C'-'i1 his ,-scapi. thrnttcli the passage who" led out, 11s we later discovered, to U" railroad tiaeks iiloiig the river. "I'o.vn there- Mi. Kenned. '' Mr. .lame-.,.,,, 'cried l'biine. pcnti,'.: ' the t,i.. which ns hidden ,11 the si'"''' The lit e had gained terrific tiendn a. bill II, e police soi.-ed the ladder slucli 11 down inlo the basement. Choking nnd sputtering. half s"rr'v catod, w o -itai-...;, !,.,! up. " Are M.11 hint ?" -ke.l ITai.c " icii'il. . t a U in o t 't :n e a , .... "Not a b,l tl.:,,.),H Io ou' " I"' r,f pliod. 1 01 col 1 1110- nil in inoctu.K ''" -aget qm- lion,,, c ol her wondolul .'..' t'Vo bo coutnu.ed ) |
