Show the exploits exploits E of elaine A detective novel and a motion picture drama by A ARTHUR HURD B REEVE the WH well known novelist and iab ihs of cals kennedy stories presented to la collaboration tion etli the kalhe players ind and the eclectic film company copyright OH 1914 by the th company all AH bight Z SYNOPSIS the new york tork police are mystified by a series mi leg of murders and other crimes the principal clue to the criminal to ie the warning letter which Is 8 sent the victims signed with a clutching hand the lat eat cat victim ot 0 the mysterious assassin la is taylor dodge tho the insurance ranee president ills Is daughter elaine employs employs craig ken nedy the famous lie detec detective tle to tr try to unravel the myn mystery tery what kennedy n y a accomplishes Is I 1 told old b by v his friend jame jainel a newspaper man vy fly an ingenious I 1 ja ra ruse wee clutching hand smuggles into Ilal noa os h home ome a flask of liquid air which she bhe supposes to be a package pac kitKo of 0 valuable papers it blows blown open the safe ante in which fayers it I 1 Is placed but kennedy arrives in time to prevent the robb robbery fry the detective narrowly biase de wi ji in his apartment where liz clutching to in iland has placed a shot bim no 0 that hot it I 1 Is 3 ald by if lie elcuri electrical ca connect connection lo formed when kennedy places his hands on a framed photograph or of elaine FIFTH EPISODE the poisoned room elaine and craig were much together during the next few days somehow or other it seemed that the chase of the clutching hand involved long confer conferences entes in tho the dodge library and even in fact extended to tc excursions into the notoriously crime infested neighborhood of Rivers riverside de drive with its fashionable procession of automobiles biles and go carts as far north indeed as that de desperate sperato haunt known as grants tomb dut but to return to the more serious side ide of the affair kennedy and elaine had scarcely come out of the house and descended the steps one afternoon whoa when a sinister face appeared in a basement areaway near by it was the clutching hand ho wore ware a telephone inspectors hat and coat and carried a bag slung by a strap over his shoulder for once ho he had left oft off his mask but in place of it his big face was covered by a scraggy black beard the disguise was effective lie he saw kennedy and miss dodge and slunk unobtrusively against a railing with ft ath his big head turned away laughing and chatting thoy they passed then he turned in the other direction and going up the steps of 0 tho the dodge house rang the bell telephone inspector he said eald in a loud tono as michael in jennings place for the afternoon opened the door ile ho accompanied tho the words with the sign and All michael chael admitted him As it happened aunt josephine was upstairs in El elainea aines room she was fixing powers flowers in a vase tin on the dressing table of her idolized niece meanwhile rusty the collie lay ay half bait blinking on the floor bloor who Is this she asked as michael led the bogus telephony telephone inspector c into the room A man from the telephone company he answered deferentially aunt josephine unsophisticated at ap lowed them to enter without a further question quickly like a good workman clutching hand went to the tha telephone instrument and by dint of keeping his linger jinger on oil the hook and his big back to aunt josephine succeeded in convoying conveying tho th illusion that lie ho was examining it no sooner was vas the door shut than the clutching hand hastily opened ills his bag and from it drew a small email powder spraying outfit such as I 1 have seen used for spraying bug powder ile ho then took out a sort of muzzle with nith an elastic bend on oil it and slipped it over his head so that the muzzle protected his nose and mouth ile ho seemed to work a sort ot of pumping attachment and from the nozzle of atio ho spraying instrument blew out a cloud of powder which he be directed at the wall meanwhile michael ichael At in the hallway on in guard to see nee that no one bothered both pred the clutching hand at his work was overcome by curiosity to see bee what ills his master was doing lie he opened the door a little bit and gazed stealthily through the crack into the room clutching iland hand was nias now spraying the rug close to tile dressing table of 11 alaine and was standing near the mirror ile he stooped down to examine the rug then as lie he raised his head he be happened to look into the mirror in it lie be could see the full reflection of ll chiel chael behind him gazing fazing into tho the TOM loom alio llio scoundrel muttered clutch in llana alth repressed fury at the tha daco d y lie I 1 a roo roke quickly and shut off tho the spra rg stuffing ng it into abo bag ill ile ho took look it step or two efto toward the door michial drew back fearfully pretending now to be on guard clutching iland hand opened the door and still wearing the muzzle beckoned to michael michael could control ills his fears dut but he obeyed entering El blaines aines room after the clutching hand who locked the door were you no me demanded the master criminal with rage michael trembling all over shook his head for a moment clutching hand looked him over disdainfully lit at the clumsy llo ile then te be brutally struck in as ali lure kmack lag hini him donn dobya an un almost insane fury furt beeme possess the man as he stood ove the prostrate footman cursing cural ng get cupl up he ordered michael obeyed thoroughly cowed take mew me to the cellar now ho he demanded michael led thu the way from the room without a protest the master criminal following folio v ing him closely down into tho the cellar by a back way they went clutching hand still wearing ills his muzzle and All michael chael saying not a word suddenly clutching hand turned on him and seized him by the collar now go upstairs you ho he muttered shaking him until hla his teeth fairly chattered and it you watch me again ill kill youl you ile he thrust michael away and the footman overcome by fear hurried upstairs still trembling and fearful michael All chael paused in the hallway ile he put his hand on his face where the clutching hand had struck him then he waited muttering to himself As aa lie he thought it over anger took tho the place of fear ile he slowly turned in the direction of the cellar meanwhile clutching hand was standing by the electric meter ile he examined it carefully feeling where tile the wires entered and left it and starting tar to trace them out at last ting he came ame to a point where it seemed su suitable lt table to mare make a connection for some purpose he had in mind quickly he took some wire vire from his bag and connected it with the electric light wires next he led these wires concealed of course along the cellar floor in the direction of the furnace the furnace was waa one of the old hot air heaters and he paused before it as though seeking something then lie he bent down beside it and uncovered a little tank ile he thrust his hand gingerly into it bringing it out quickly the tank was nearly full of water next from his capacious bag he took two metal poles or electrodes and fastened them carefully to the ends of the wires placing them at opposite ends of the tank in the water for federal moments he watched the water inside the tank seemed tho the same as before only on each electrode there appeared bubbles on one bubbles of oxygen on the other of hydrogen the water was decomposing under the current by electrolysis another moment he surveyed his work to see that lie he had left no loose ends then he quietly let himself out of tile tho house the next morning rusty who had been El mines aines constant companion s since lice the trouble had begun awakened his mip mistress tress by licking her hand as it hung limply over oer the side of her bod bed sho she awakened with a start ind put her hand to tier her head she felt ill poor old fellow she murmured red halt dazedly rusty moved away again wagging sagging ajo 1 la tall tail listlessly the collie to too ofelt felt ill why miss elaine claine what ees ze mattair you are so patel pale exclaimed the maid marle as she entered the room a moment later with the mornings mail on a salver 1 I dont feet feel well marle marie she re plied piled trying with tier her slender white hand to ti brush the cobwebs from tier her brain 1 I I 1 wish tell wt aunt joephine F to telephone doctor hayward 1 yes mademoiselle answered marlo languidly elaine took tile tho letters one by one ott oft the salver finally she selected one and slow ly tora it open it had no superscription but it at once arrested her attention and transfixed her with terror it read you ou are sick this morning tomorrow you will be worse gorse tile tho next day you will die unless you discharge disc haigo craig kennedy it was signed with the mystic mystle trade mark of the fearsome fear somo clutching handl hand drew back into the pillows horror stricken quickly bid called to marle go get aunt josephine right away avay and marle lew flow down tile the hall elbano eclied tile the telephone and called kennedo kennedys Ken Kenn neds edys number 4 kennedy in ills his stained laboratory was a work before ills his table while I 1 was watching etching him with interest when the telephone rang without a word lie he answered tho call and I 1 could seo bee a look of 0 perturbation tur bation cross his face I 1 knew it was waa from elaine but could tell nothing about the of the message an instant later ho he almost tore off tho the apron and threw on oil his hat and coat I 1 followed him film as lie he dashed out of tho the laboratory this la is terrible terrible ile he muttered ns an he hurried across tho the campus of tho university to a taxicab stand I A few minutes later when we arrived at the dodge mansion we se found aunt josephine and marlo doing all they could under the circumstances doctor hayward had bad arrived and had bad just finished taking tailing the patients pulse and temperature as our cab pulled up elaine was as qute quite III indeed ohl oh im so BO glad to see you she ho breathed with an air of relief relict as kennedy advanced why what aliat is the mattert matter asked craig anxiously doctor hayward shook his big head dubiously biou blou sly but kennedy did not notice him for or as he approached elaine she drew from the covers where here she had concealed it a loiter letter and handed banded it ib to him craig took it and read you are sick alck this morning tomorrow you will be worse the next day you will die unless you discharge craig kennedy at tho the signature of tho the clutching hand he frowned then noticing doctor hayward turned to him and repeated hla his question what la Is the matter doctor hayward continued his head 1 I cannot diagnose har symptoms ho be shrugged there seemed to be a faint odor almost as if ot of garlic in tile the room it was unmistakable and craig looked about him curiously but said nothing As he be sniffed he moved impatiently and his foot touched rusty under the bed rusty whined and moved back lazily craig bent over and looked at him the matter with rusty he asked la Is he sick too why yes answered elaine following craig with her deep eyes craig reached down and gently pulled tho collie out into the room rusty crouched down close to the ills nose was hot and dry and feverish lie ile was plainly ill how flow long has rusty been in tho the room asked craig all night answered elaine 1 I think of being without him now may alay I 1 take rusty along with me mol craig asked finally elaine hesitated surely she said at length only be gentle with him of course he said simply 1 I thought that I 1 might be able to discover the trouble from studying him we stayed only a few minutes longer for kennedy seemed to realize the necea alty of doing something immediately med lately and even doctor hayward was fighting in the dark back in the laboratory kennedy set to work immediately brushing everything else aside ile he began by draw well added craig you see ml aft chael chad lias has become lafi elated by the treatment he recel received from the clutching hand I 1 believe bo be cuffed him in tile the face yesterday anyway he ha r ho he has determined to get oven an ani ti lye 0 we otray him I 1 did not like tho the looks of the thing and said so craig I 1 objected vehemently dont go to meet him it la is a trap kennedy had evidently considered my objection already it may be a trap he replied slowly but elaine Is dying and weve got to see aeo this thing thine through As he spoke he took an automatic from a drawer ot of a cabinet cabine tand and thrust it into hla his pocket Thenh then he iF went went to another drawer and took out several sections of thin tubing which seemed to bo be made to fasten together as a fishing polo pole Is fastened but were wera now separate parate ae as aa it ready for or traveling then he went out I 1 followed still arguing if you go I 1 go I 1 capitulated all there is to it following the that michael had given over the telephone craig led me into ono one of the toughest parts of the lower west bide aide heres tho the place he announced stopping across the street from a dingy raines law hotel pretty tough I 1 objected are you sure quito quite replied kennedy consulting his notebook again reluctantly I 1 followed and we entered the place 1 I want it a room asked craig as aa we were accosted by the proprietor comfortably clad in a loud chocked checked suit and striped shirt sleeves 1 I had one here once before forty nine I 1 think fifty I 1 began to correct kennedy trod hard on my toes yes forty nine lie he repeated the proprietor called a stout negro porter waiter and bellhop bell hop all combined in one who led us upstairs forty nine sah he pointed out its as kennedy dropped a dime into hla his ready palm the negro left us and as aa started to enter I 1 objected but craig it was fifty nine not forty nine this is the wrong room 1 I know it he replied 1 I had it written in the book but I 1 want ant forty nine now just juat follow roe me walter nervously I 1 followed him into t the 0 room dont you understand he went on room forty nine la Is probably just 4 V 4 w T Z 1 11 1 7 1 11 A aai f P Z is 1 A kj craig reached down and gently ing off a little of blood in a tube very carefully here walter ho he said pointing to the little incision he had made will I 1 you take care ot of him quickly craig made one test after another As he did so BO I 1 sniffed there was an unmistakable odor of garlic in the air which made me think of what I 1 fact ait already noticed in El blaines Elal aines nos room hydrogen lie he answered still engaged in verifying his tests this is the marsh falarsh test tor for arsenic arsenic I 1 repeated in horror I 1 had scarcely recovered from the surprise of kennedys Kenn edys startling revelation when the telephone rang again kennedy seized the re receiver ceier thinking evidently that the messa message 0 o might be from or about alaine but from the look on his face and from his big manner I 1 could gather that although it was not from elaine herself it was about something that interested inte tn te to rested him greatly good I 1 heard him eay any finally 1 I shall keep tho the appointment absolutely what was it I 1 asked eagerly it was El Elal aines nos footman michael he be replied thoughtfully As aa I 1 tile BUS pecked he says bays that ho he Is a confider ste ato of the Clutch clutching ng hand and if we will protect him ve lo 10 l o will tell us the trouble with elaine I 1 considered a moment ilow how blatt I 1 queried guer ted pulled the collie into the room the same as fifty nine except perhaps the pictures and furniture only it la is on tho the floor below ile he gazed about keenly then lie took a few steps to the window slid and threw it open As he stood there he |