Show t ww www I 1 sh at the exploits of elaine 0 ne i i i i A detective novel and a motion picture drama dy y ARTHUR D REEVE tin the well known novelist and ae creator this 1 I of 0 craig kennedy presented in collaboration with the rathe pattie players and the eclectic film C company pany copyright 1 1611 by the star company all foreign night reserved Kec erred SYNOPSIS the now new york pollen pollee are by a arles of murders antl anil other crimes crime tile the principal erin cipal clue clua to the criminal la in tile the warning ng letter which Is sent in victims signed with a clutching hand the tha latest latent ale llin din of 0 the alio mysterious assassin Is tolor taylor dodge the insurance president ills laughter evolee employs crate craig kennedy lie IB famous lenti fic det detective octive to try to unravel the mystery ny tery what kennedy uc no la Is told by hla his friend jameson L newspaper man enraged at the deter mined effort which alne anil and calk kennedy aro are making to put nn im end to hla his cr crimea inies ho clutching hand na as th taj arrange criminal la Is known resorts to nit ail sorts of the most diabolical schemes to to put pit them out of tile WILY way erich eccli chapter of tile story tells or of a now new plot against their lives anti and of the way the great detective use ahot nil all his skill to save ravo this pret y r girl and himself from froin death fleat li thirteenth EPISODE THE DEVIC DEVIL worshipers worshipers elaine was seated in the drawing romi with aunt josephine ono one after boon when her lawyer perry hen ben nott dropped in unexpectedly lie had hardly greeted erected them when tile the butler jennings in his usual jm hn passive thinner rna announced that aunt 11 josephine was wanted on the telephone no sooner were elaine and nonnett bennett alono alone than E laine turning to him exclaimed last night I 1 dreamed that father came caine to me and told me that if I 1 would give up kennedy and put my trust in you I 1 would find the clutching hand I 1 dont know what to think of it bennett nen nett who had been listening in teL telitla tei itly moved over nearer to elaine and bent over her elaine EI alne lie ho said in a low tone ills his remarkable eyes looking straight into her own you must know that 1 I love you then give elvo ma ino tile tho right to protect you it was your father s dearest wish I 1 believe that wo we should marry let me share your dangers and I 1 swear that sooner or later there will bo be an end to the clutching hand live me your answer elaine lie urged and mako make me the happiest man in all the world elaine listened and not thet leally as aa dennett bennett continued to plead for or her answer walt waft a little while iville until tomorrow sho she replied finally let it be as you wish vish then agreed dennett bennett quietly ile he took her hand band and kissed it pas an instant later aunt josephine returned elaine unstrung by what had happened excused herself and went into the library involuntarily her mind traveled baik back over the rapid succession of events of tho the past few weeks and the part that she had bad thought at least kennedy had come to play in her life then she thought of their recent misunderstanding might alight there not be aborno simple explanation of it after all which she had bad missed what should she do doa site she sol sell 1 the problem by taking ap the tele wo ino and asking for ken addys number I 1 was chatting with cral brals in his laboratory and at the same bamo time was mas watching him in ills experimental work just as a call came on tho the telephone ho he was pouring some altro hydrochloric add acid into a test tubo tube to complete lom tom a reaction the telephone tinkled and ho he laid down the bottle of add acid on his desk while he moved a few steps to answer the lite call whoever the speaker vas ras r as craig seemed deeply interested and not knowing who was waa talking on tho the wire I 1 was eager to learn whether it was anyone connected with the case of the clutching hand yes this Is mr air kennedy I 1 heard ersig say I 1 moved over toward him film and whiskered whispered eagerly Is thoro there anything new A little impatient at being interrupt od col kennedy waved me ma ott oft it occurred to me that he ha might need a pad and pencil to make a noto note 0 of some omo information vind ind I 1 reached 01 over er the desk for them As I 1 did so my iny arm inadvertently struck the bottle of add acid knocking it aver ver on tho the top of the desk its contents streamed out saturating the telephone wires before I 1 could prevent it tn in trying to right the bottle my land hand tame came in contact with tho the add acid which burned like liquid fire and I 1 cried out in pain craig hastily laid down the receiver seized TOO me and rushed me to the lid back of the laboratory where he drenched Iren ched my hand with a neutralizing liquid lie bound up the wounds caused by die be add acid which proved to be slight blight after ter all and then returned to the telephone ili oue to h ill a evident annoyance ha dl discovered caver fil that tho the add acid had burned through the wires and cut ott off all connection tion at tho the other end of the line elaine r as listening impatiently for a re to her first eager words of in S marv irv bh was waa astonished to find at last that kennedy had apparently left tile tho telephone without any explanation or apology why ho he rang off ehe alto exclaimed angrily to herself as she hung huner up the receiver and left the room 0 0 0 in tho the center of a devious and winding way ay quite unknown to all except those thosa who knew the Inn innermost ermont secrets of 0 tile the chinese quarter and even unknown to the police there was tt a dingy tenement house apparently inhabited by hardworking hard working but in reality the headquarters of the notorious devil worshipers a sect of satan lats banned even in the celestial empire tho the followers of the cult comprised some bonio of tho the most dangerous chinese criminals thugs and assassins be bides a number of dangerous characters who belonged to various chinese secret societies at the head of this formidable organization was long sin tho high priest of the devil god and long sin had as we know already joined forces with tho the notorious US clutching iland hand the room in which the uncanny rites of the devil worshipers were conducted was a large apartment decorated in chinese stylo style with highly colored portraits of borne bonio of tho the devil deities anti and costly silken hangings hannings hang ings reside beside a large abarge data dais depended a huge chinese gong on oil the tha data dais itself stood or rather sat an ugly figure covered with soma bome sort of metallic plating it almost seemed to be tile the mummy of it a chinaman covered with gold leaf into this room came long sin attired in an elaborate silken robe lie advanced and before the drita dais with its strange figure and laid down an offering before it this performance was nina witnessed by twenty c e thirty Clif namen who knelt in the rear of the room at the same time an aged chinaman carrying a prayer wheel entered the place and after prostrating pro himself devoutly placed the machine on a r bort 0 rt of low stool or ta bourette and began turning it slowly muttering A few moments later long sin who had been bowing before the metallic figure in deepest reverence suddenly sprang to his feet ills glazed eye anti anil excited ex cited manner indicated that chehad he had received a message from the lips of the strange god the worshipers who had prostrated themselves in awe we at the sight of their high priest in the unholy frenzy all rose to their feet and crowded tor for ward long sin struck several blows on tho the resounding gong and then raised his voice lit in solomn tones chau chair the terrible de demands ands m a consort she V 1 t be foreign fair ot of faco face and with tn in hair 0 0 0 4 0 at tho the same bame time in a room of the adjoining house the clutching hand himself was busily engaged in making the roost most elaborate for some nefarious which bluj fertile mind had bad evolved tho the TOOM room had been fitted up us is u mediums parlor two of the clutching hands most moat trusted confederates and a hard faced woman of ru iddle ao ae dressed in plain ack were warn puling the finishing touches to clies to this apartment when their chief entered clutching hand gazed about the room now and then lien giving an order or two to make more effective the setting tor for the purpose which lie he had in mind finally he nodded in approval and stepped over to the fireplace where logs were burning brightly in a grate pressing a spring in the the master criminal effected d an instant transformation the logs in the fireplace still burning bur disappeared imme that aly through tl ti bottom of the brick tiling and a metal sheet covered them an aperture opened at the back LS it if by magic through this opening clutching vand hand made his way quickly and dis die I 1 appeared emerging on the other side of the peculiar fireplace clutching iland hand pushed allda a curtain urt aln which barred tho the way and looked into the chinese temple taking up a position behind the metallic figure on the dais tho the had by this time finished their devotions it such euch they might be called and the tha last one was waa leaving while long sin stood alono alone on oil the dais the noise of the departing satar botanists lists had scarcely died away when clutching hand stopped stepped out follow me ho he ordered hoarsely seizing long sin by tho the arm and leading him away they passed through tile the passageway of the fireplace and haying having entered tile the room clutching iland hand began briefly explaining tho the purpose of tho the preparations that had been mado made long sin wagged ills his head head in in voluble approval elaine was standing in the library gazing sadly at kennedys Kenn Renn edys portrait thinking over recent events event 11 and a nil above a 0 0 all tho the rebuff over the phona which eb sha supposed sho she had bad received jennings entered with a card on a salyer salver elaine took it and saw with surprise the tha name of her caller MADAME medium beneath tile the engraved name were the words written in ink 1 I have a message from tho the spirit of your tather yes I 1 will bee her cried elaine eagerly in response to tho the butlers inquiry she followed jennings into the adjoining room and there found herself face to face with the hard featured woman who had only a few moments before left tile the clutching hand elaine looked rather than spoke her inquiry your father my dear purred the medium with a great pretence predence pre tence ot of suppressed appeared to me tile the other night from tho the spirit world I 1 was in a trance and he asked me to deliver a message to you what was the message asked elaine breathlessly now aroused to intense interest 1 I must mint go into a trance again to get it replied the insinuating and it if you like ilka I 1 can try it at once provided wo we can be left alone long enough seated in her chair the medium muttered wildly tor for a fow few moron moments moronts ts rolled tier her eyes and with shirt convulsive movements pretended to go into a trance suddenly the curtains were pulled aside and aunt josephine and hennett ben who h I 1 it come in entered 1 I can do ling here exclaimed start starting iLig upend looking about severely you must come to my chamber where we shall rot r ot be interrupted 1 I will said elaine vexed at the intrusion at that moment 1 I must have that message I 1 must all this elaine 7 demanded aunt josephine hurriedly elaine poured forth to tier her aunt and uennett bennett the story of the mediums visit and the promised message from her father in the other world aunt josephine who was not one easily to bo be imposed on strongly objected to blaines Elal El aines nos proposal to accompany to the chamber but E laine would not bo be denied it might be safe for elaine to go dennett bennett finally suggested to aunt josephine josephine se if you and I 1 accompanied her A few moments later in the dodge car elaine the medium and her two escorts started tor for the chinese quarters at the house the medium opened the door with her ley hey and ushered la in her three visitors entering the room the medium at once prepared toi foi he hy by pulling down tho the wl wi jw Bli biliades ades suddenly nn art indistinct face was seen to be peering through the tha black curtains A voice deep sepulchral was heard in slow blow and solemn tones 1 I am beko the spirit of taylor dodge I 1 v will ill give no message until one named josephine leaves leavea tile the room no sooner had the words been ut than the medium came writhing out of her trance what happened she asked looking at elaine elaine reported the spirits words we can get nothing it if your aunt stays here Sa added insisting ge 4 1 Y Z t X ir kiet elaine la Is hurried through the hidden passage in the fireplace that aunt josephine must go your father cannot speak while she Is 13 present aunt josephine annoyed by what she had heard indignantly refused to go and was deat deaf to all El blaines Elal aines nos plead lugs jugs 1 I think it will be all right finally acquiesced dennett bennett how bent elaine was waa on securing curine se the message ill stay and protect her aunt josephine finally agreed very well then she protested marching out of the room in a high state of indignation she had scarcely left the tha house however when sho alm began to suspect that all was not as it ought to be in tact fact the idea had no sooner occurred to her than she alto decided to call on kennedy and she ordered the chauffeur to take tier her as quickly ns as possible to the laboratory kennedy had not been in tho the laboratory all tile the lay jay alter after iny experience with the acid and I 1 was impatiently awaiting his bis arrival at alast last there came a knock at the door and I 1 opened it hurriedly there was a messenger boy who handed roe me a note I 1 tore ore it open it was from fram kennedy and relm reu 1 I shall probably be away for cwb or three days call up elaine and tell her to beware of a certain I 1 was still puzzling over the note and was just about to call up elaine when the speaking tube was blown and to my surprise I 1 found that it was aunt josephine who had called where Is mr air kennedy she asked greatly agitated lie he has gone away for a few days I 1 replied blankly Is there anything I 1 can do she was very excited and hastily related what had happened at the parlor of the medium what was her name I 1 cried acx Af madame adame Save taky she replied to my surprise astounded I 1 picked up craigs note from the desk and handed it to her without a word she read it with breathless eagerness come back there with me please she begged almost frantic with fear now something terrible may have happened aunt josephine had hardly left when the trance was resumed suddenly from the mysterious shadows of the cabinet there appeared the spirit of long sin whose death elaine still believed she had caused when adventuress mary alary had lured her to the apartment elaine was trembling with fear at the apparition As before a strange voice sounded bounded la in the depths of the cabinet and again a message was heard in low solemn tones 1 I urn am keka and I 1 have with me long sin ills blood cries for vengeance elaine was overcome with horror at n the words then a dim ghostly figure apparently that of lo 10 long ng si sin n appe appeared red with arms outstretched the figure glided from the cabinet and approached elaine she shrank back farther in fright too horri horrified ed even to scream c earn at the same moment the medium drew a vapor pistol from her dress and as the ghost of long sin leaped at elaine darted forward and shot a stream of vapor full |