S
y . CHAPTER 7.
fj The Armored Man.
Speed called on us early the
following morning, and Kennedy
•t once took advantage of the
thance he had wanted in order
to question the young man alone.
“There’s one thing I’d like to
fcsk you,” said Kennedy, “Last
.night when we came to that pri
>Kte dining room where we found
Iktwhkaya I noticed that she rec
ognized you.”
Speed met the question fjank
ly
“Yes, I know her, but not in
timately,” he replied. “You see,
•ae might, when some friends of
Koine who were former dass
Xnatea at college were here, we
had a theater party. Some of the
follows knew her, and I was in
troduced along with the rest.”
“But what'do you know about
“‘Very little,” replied Speed,
"She seems to be very popular—
always has plenty of friends,
with money to spend. I can find
»ut more for you if you wish.”
Just then Ravenal dropped in,
witting off further private ques
tioning of speed.
Kennedy nodded to Speed, and
he departed, quite delighted at
having something to perform.
Glad of the Job.
"Since you told me last night
of that gambling den out on Long
Inland,” suggested Ravenal
thoughtfully, *‘1 wonder whether
I couldn’t get in there without
exciting suspicion? I’ve many
society friends. Will you let me
try it?”
Kennedy considered a moment.
"By all means,” he assented.
Ravenal seemed glad of the
commission and departed eager
ly to make such inquiries as
might lead to his introduction to
the de luxe gambling joint that
fciffbt.
Evidently the Black Menace
Was waiting to see how after the
failure of the strange attack in
the field, the devlish germ letter
might work.
Nothing further took place
during the day though we kept
in close touch with Clare.
“Having failed to get Clare,
perhaps lie’s content to rest
awhile,” I remarked.
Kennedy shook his head
doubtfully. “At least we must
give him no chance. Between us
all, I thing wo ought to be able
to get something.”
As evening approached I
could see that Kennedy was get
ting restive for action. Speed
bad not returned: Clare seemed
to be safe for the time being at
least; and Ravcual was busy.
•So far we had nothing to show
for our day’s work. We had
made very little better progress
than Speed and Ravenal alone.
What of the mansion of mys
tery, the society gambling joint
Out at Heaton Hills? Had the
•trange figure in the field any
connection with it?
The same though must have
been in the mind of Kennedy
as he paced up and down the lab
oratory considering what was to
be his next move.
'“I think I’ll take my own
tepeedster, Walter,” decided
Craig finally. “We’ll do some
•routing about tonight on our
own responsibility. Perhaps the
thing will put in an appearance.
I’d like to see it myself.”
And so, alone, we retraced the
drive which we hiv'l taken the
night before, going over the same
roads that Clare ami Speed had
taken on their return.
Dark at the Hills.
It was quite dark by the time
that we arrived at. Heaton Hills.
But there seemed to be many cars
out. The wealthy colony out
there were much given to fast
and reckless driving, and we had
to exercise caution especially
when we came to crossroads
down which some scion of wealth
was likely to be tearing in sheer
" ymeut of speed,
ennedy had brought a road
map and we began an apparently
aimless tour of the country, hop
ing that by chance our way might
oroes that of the strange figure.
There seemed to be nothing else
to do.
We kept in the neighborhood
of the mansion of mystery, pass
ing and repassing it any number
of times. Early in the evening
there did not seem to bo many
people there, but as the night
advanced the ears began to pull
up, I wradered vkether RaveJi
al had been able to gain admit
tance, and if so, what might be
6
taking place inside.
Nothing happened as the night
wore on, but there were fewer
and fewer headlights that passed
us on the roads.
We did not go very far away
from the society gambling den,
but stuck close to it, hoping that
something might turn up. At
last after the play at the place
had become frenzied and high,
we might repeat our performance
of the evening before and per
haps a half mile away from it, a
tion worth while, outside, while
Kavenal was at work inside.
Once, when we had passed the
front of the place and were per
hapsra a half mile away from it, a
roadster loomed up, coming from
the direction of the city. For
a moment our own lights played
I on it.
In it, there were two people.
Not a Good Look.
“ Breshkaya 1” I exclaimed.
“Who was the man with her?”
“I didn’t have a very good
look at his face,” returned Craig,
“but it looked to me like our
I friend Werner.”
“They had not seen us. Ken
nedy stopped. It seemed as
though there were no use in try
ing to trail them, for by the time
we could turn around in the nar
row road they would be gone.
However, it was a chance. Up
and down the roads we had been
trailing, now and then all but
lost, and frequently getting out
to study signposts and the road
map'in the light of ur own head
lights. This was at least a
chance, and we turned and fol
lowed.
It was long past midnight, and
I had for. sometime been con
vinced that it was a wild-goose
chase upon which Kennedy had
taken me. We had been running
almost continuously for a mat
ter of some hours and our engine
was missing badly.
As we approached the man
sion of mystery, Kennedy pulled
up at a point where the road
widened out and crawled oxxt
from under the wheel, raising the
hood to give the engine some ad
justment.
As he stood there he looked
out over the big field near the
gambling house.
“Look!” he exclaimed in a
whisper, pointing.
I followed the direction of his
finger.
There, in the field, I could just
make out the indistinct outlines
of a moving figure.
It was a strange thing, inhu
man, like nothing I had ever seen
before. Its head was, as Speed
had described it, pointed; its
body unwieldy, almost clumsy.
Laboring Slowly.
oiowiy me luiug whs mooring
into the field.
We watched it.
Wkat was it—man or beast?
“Shall we go after it?” I
asked, reaching mechanically for
my automatic.
“Just a minute,” cautioned
Craig.
Quickly he leaned over and
turned the adjustable electric
spotlight just above the wind
shield. It flashed full across the
field.
“Halt?” he cried, as the beam
of light revealed the uncanny
monster, none too distinct at the
distance, even yet.
There was no answer.
Instead the figure turned,
leaped out of the spotlight rays
and began zig-zagging with sur
prising agility.
At the same time Kennedy
fired, emptying his revolver af
ter it.
Together we dashed forward
it off the wirepand began exam
Thaugh we were unencum
beredTit had to® great a stUrt on
us and by the time we came to
the trampled place it had crossed
the strip of field that separated
it ,from a clump of woods, had
gained the shadow of the trees
and was gone.
We followed, although I felt
pursuit was useless.
Suddenly we stopped sharply.
A barbed wire fence separate the
field from the clump of woods.
Quickly Kennedy flashed a light
up and down the fence.
There sticking on one of the
barbs of the wire he could see
something fluttering. He pulled
i toff the wire and began exam
ining it. I too, felt of it. It
was a piece of cloth of most pe
culiar texture.
“What is it—a beast” I asked,
“Beasts don’t leave traces like
this,” he returned, fingering the
cloth.
rt ot a Cdioou.
"A phantom?"
"Shadows don’t stop bullets."
"Then what is it?’*'
"This is some of the newly in
vented armor-cloth," he ' re
turned.
We let ourselves through the
barbed wire carefully and started
into the woods, but there was no
trace.
At least we had part of the ex
planation.
It was an armored man who
had made the attack on Clare
and Speed the night before.
Who had it been?
There was only one thing to
do and that was to wait for the
report of Ravenal on his investi
gation at the mystery house in
the morning.
CHAPTER 8.
The Tear Bullet.
Ravenal was bursting with in
formation when he met us at the
laboratory the next day.
I got into the place, all'
right,” he reported eagerly.
“And such a place you nevei^
dreamed of. I was introduced
properly, too—found a friend at
one of the clubs who knew about
it. It cost me some money before
I got away, but I think no one
suspected me. I can get you in,
now I think, if you want to go.”
“I shall want to go there lat
er,” replied Kennedy. “Tell me
—what happened? Did you see
Breshkaya.”
“Yes,” replied Ravenal in sur
prise. “How did you know, she
was there?”
Kennedy did not answer at
once.
“And did you see Werner?”•
“Werner?”
“Yes, that tango tout, you re
member—at least that was the
name they gave him at the Crys
tal palace.”
“No,?1 returned Ravenal. “I
didn’t sec him. Indeed, I don’t
believe he would fit in such a
place as that. He might be a
capper for it, I suppose, but
hardly anything more.
“What of Breshkaya?” asked
Kennedy.
“Between you and me,” re
plied Ravenal slowly, “it’s my
opinion that she has been going
the pace at a pretty lively clip.
I don’t believe she can afford to
lose money at the rate I saw her
lose it last night—not at least,
unless there is someone with un
limited resources backing her.’*
He had scarcely finished when
the door to the laboratory opeed
and Clare and Speed entered.
Anything New?
is mere aiiyunng new j in
quired Clare eagerly.
“Not much, except what Mr.
Ravenal has discovered out at
Heaton Hills,” returned Ken
nedy.
Clare turned to Ravenal, and
soon they were chatting with ani
mation as she drew from him the
story of his experiences of the
night before.
“What did you find out about
BreshkayaV” inquired Kennedy
the moment he was able to speak
alone to Speed.
Speed east a swift glance over
at the corner where Clare was
talking with Ravenal, and low
ered his voice.
“Not very much,” he replied,
“but enough, perhaps. She seems
to be very popular with some of
the fast set. I tried to find out
something about that gambling
place. She must be a constant
visitor—and they say that she
has been a heavy loser, too. Of
course, that may be only gossip;
but I found out something else
that bears it out. Evidently
things are not so prosperous with
her, as I thought. She’s going to
take an engagement to dance in
the new revieu at the Crystal pal
ace. I don’t think she’d leave
the stage for that if she didn't
need the money badly.”
Kennedy considered. Bresh
kava prosperous was one thing.
Breshkaya in debt was quite an
other. What might she not be
capable of doing to recoup her
losses at the gambling palace?
An Ominous Silence.
“Do you know,” remarked
Speed, still under his breath, but
nervous, “this silence on the
part o-f the Black Menace, who
ever it is, is ominous? I’ve been
wondering whether it may not
mean some new deviltry. I wish
we could forestall it. Why can’t
you and Jameson and myself go
out there and watch tonight?”
he ■whispered, glancing over at
Clare to make sure that she did
not hear.
“Good,” agreed Kennedy.
“Then tonight we watch to
gether. Don't tell a soul about
it—not even Clare.”
Speed odded.
A few moments later Kennedy
executed himself and left us.
Ravenal left a few moments later
to go to his studio-office and fl*
bally with a ueeru.. to me,
f-peed persuaded Clare to return
lorae, urging her to remain there
vhere it now seemed she was
nost safe.
I did not see Kennedy again
vntil after dinner that night. It
vas dark when Speed joined ns
lief ore the laboratory door.
“Does Clare suspect any
thing?’' Craig asked.
Speed negatived. “I don’t
think she heard,” he replied con
fidentially. “The last thing I
jia.de her promise wa3 that she
’ivculd not leave the house.”
As we three crowded into the
seat that had been built for two
I felt something bulging in Ken
nedy's pocket.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“A new gun I succeeded in
finding after looking all over the
city,” he returned briefly.
We shot out over the town;
across the bridge and again
through the splendid road to
Heaton Hills.
Once more we found ourselves
in the neighborhood of the man
sion of mystery.
“I think,” decided Kennedy,
‘‘that here’s a good place for ob
servation.” *
We pulled up in the shadow
of a bend in the road on a rising
spot of ground.
With Lights Dimmed.
Here we waited with lights
dimmed. Our senses alert to
catch any unwonted sounds. Each
of us concentrated his attention
in a different direction.
It was a quiet night, which
seemed to add to our suppressed
excitement. The sound of the
wind in the trees added to the
tenseness of the country dark
ness.
Once the quietness was broken
by the purring of the motor on
the road beside us.
A car shot past containing only
a single figure, a woman.
“Clare!” exclaimed Speed in
voluntarily. “She can’t be kept
away. We might better have
brought her with us.”
Kennedy jammed on the star
ter. It would never do to let this
girl be alone in this neighborhood
at night. It was foolhardy.
We gathered speed.
The moon was just rising, and
there was sufficient light to see
the car as it wound along the
road, now and then coming into
the moonlight.
Clare’s car turned off the road
to another between two fields.
It dipped down over the brow of
a hill ahead and we followed.
As we nosed our way up to the
crest we could see that she had
stopped, and was looking about
as though not quite sure where
she was.
“Look!” exclaimed Speed,
leaning forv ird.
• We straii ed our eyes in the
blackness, where the moonlight
had not yet struck.
In the field to the right was
the very figure we had seen the
night before.
A hundred half-formed ideas
rioted through my head.
Had there been some new
plot?
Could Clare have been clever
ly enticed here in our absence for
the purpose of being lured into
danger while those who must
have helped her were supposed
to be safely sidetracked
ouuuen Grasn.
Speed shouted, as Kennedy
stepped on the gas and sent the
car hurtling along for every ,
ounce of power in it. As he
shouted I leaned over and
looked again. The weird figure
was advancing menacingly full
at Clare.
There was a crash.
Kennedy had driven the car
right through a rail fence and
into the ploughed field the short
est cut, as the road wound down
the hill.
In the still night I heard the
crack of a pistol. There was a
spit of fire in t’he darkness. Clare
had fired at the incoming fig
ure.
But her bullet had no more ef
fect than if it had been a pith
ball.
Still the thing advanced on
her, evidently oblivious of our
approach. Another moment and
it would be upon her.
Speed shouted. But it was of
no use. In spite of everything,
it was evident that we could not
get to Clare in time. Nor was it
any use to shoot against the
thing in its bulletproof cloth.
(To Be Continued Next WeekT)
The European poj Is boiling.
Ask in your prayers that we be
kept out of it. ^The Greek fleet
threatens the Dardanelles. Yesterday
the British Admiral Broca, command
ing the MediterranAn fleet, started
for the Dardanelles, a flotilla of de
stroyers following.
Mustapha Hemal, with 50.000 men,
is ready to start another war if the
Greeks cross the Mariua river.
I»% I wltiVM I Uy . w. ^ UA«</ A NO
BOOZE.
THE federal supreme court has
ruled that foreign ships may not
bring beverage alcohol within the
ihree-mile zone. Five foreign gov
ernments, Britain, France. Sp«an,
Italy, and Holland, have protested to
the American department of state.
Britain asserts that under interna
tional law the United States supreme
court has- not the power to interfere
with the stores or rations of foreign
ships even in American ports. • The
British view would limit the court’s
jurisdiction to commodities designed,
or perhaps reasonably likely, to be
imported into the United States.
The other four nations base their pro
tests on the inconveniences caused
them fcy the court’s ruling.
The American treasury depart
ment, which makes the regulations
for the enforcement of the prohibi
tion act, has hit upon a solution by
constituting itself an interpreter of
the supreme court—an Interpreter
of the interpreter, so to speak. The
treusury department decides that the
liquor among the stores of foreign
ships is to be considered part of the
medicinal supplies of the ships, itnd
80 permissible under the Volstead
law and the supreme court’s under
standing of the purport of that law.
Obviously this is an evasion,
though helpful, and like «:11 evasions
partakes of dishonesty. It is an
anomaly to enforce prohibition, a
great moral experiment, in a man
ner tainted with dishonesty. Ob
viously, too, the supreme court
decision creates a difficult situation,
Involving international complications.
Taking it for granted that the
supreme court’s interpretation of the
law is correct, the trouble must lie
with the wording of the law itself.
Why not eliminate possible dis
honesty in the enforcement by
amending the law’ so as to obviate tbe
grounds for the supreme court’s
ruling? It would be but a simple
undertaking.
Mr. Forbes, who undestands fi
nance, says the American people no
longer object to the “billion dollar
corporation.” He names $1,000,000,
000 concerns, the Pennsylvania the
New York Central railroad, the big
steel company and the telephone
company. We haven’t any $1,000*000,
000 bank yet, but the National City
of New York is close to it.'
The people would like to see one
first-class $20,000,000,000 concern
with an absolute monopoly. That
would be the combined railroads of
the United States, owned, by thei
people, honestly purchased with re
munerative emulation replacing the
present basis of grafting competi
tion.
A new drug, developed in the
Rockefeller institute, cures the Afri-r
can sleeping sickness. The tse-tse
fly bites the gums, tongue, or lips of
the crocodile sleeping with its mouth
open. Then the fly bites human be
ings, implanting in them germs from
the crocodile’s blood that cause sleep
ing sickness and death.
While the tse-tse fly was biting
the crocodiles in Africa, John D.
Rockefeller was gathering oil and a
comfortable fortune in America.
With the money his trained scien
tists prepare the remedy, called for
short ’Tryparsamide,” its real name
being "the sodium salt of rhenyig
lyclnea para-arsenic acid.”
The crocodiles and all the tse-tse
flies in Africa will die without un
derstanding any more of John D.
Rockefeller’s oil business and plans
that govern this universe.
One big carpenters’ union, having
arranged for $1 a day extra, gets a
minimum of $10 for eight hours for
the next six months. At that n«ws,
expected to stabilize carpenter work,
many will raise their hands to heav
en and ask what we are coming to.
For their comfort it may be said
that if this republic doesn’t fall until
destroyed by high wages for work
men, it will last a long while.
The Scientific American invited
spiritualists to demonstrate the
genuineness and sincerity of their
spirits, under scientific observation.
Houdini, the magician, was there
and promptly demonstrated the fact
that the medium and his ghosts were
“fakes.” * •
There are mediums ,that deceive
themselves and the public; there are
mediums that deceive the public
only. There are no mediums that
talk to ghosts, or bring messages
from dead people.
Spiritualists say It wasn’t fair to
have the magician there to expose
the tricks. No scientist would ob
ject to the presence of any magician.
You couldn’t prove the radio a fake
with all the magicians of the world.
Truth operates, no matter who is
watching.
One European correspondent says
Belgium is getting tired of her trip
into the Ruhr, hand in hand with
France. It is costing too much; there
Isn’t enough in it—money or coal.
Another correspondent says a Bel
gian statesman suggests seizing and
operating German railroads and oth
er natural monopolies. The people
will have to use them and pay the
fares demanded. That sounds rea
sonable, but it isn't.
They would pay in marks, and the
higher the fare the lower the marks
would go. If you want a hen to lay
eggs, make her physically healthy.
If you want a nation to pay repara
tions, make it economically healthy.
You can’t squeeze eggs out of a hen
by squeezing her neck.
• _
A Sugar Cura.
From Philadelphia North Am<*"ioarv.
What Wall street’s "Rug:> tat>y
needs is someone to sing “£v»cet an4
Low.”
I
I '
Sofia, Bulgaria, June 9.-The Bul
garian government was overthrown
at three o’clock this morning by an
organization of reserve officers sup
ported by the active army.
All the ministers were placed un
der arrest. A government has been
formed by all the opposition parties,
with the exception of the commulsts. <
The movement is suported by tha!
provincial garrisons.
The Bulgarian peasant government [
headed by Alexander Stamboullsky [
as premieh, was first formed in Oo- '
tober, 1919, and has continued in of- J
fice since that time, with some chang-',
es in the cabinet personnel. The pre- \
sent movement originated in tho*
popular resentment throughout tho!
country against the war policy pur- t
sued by former ,Klng Ferdinand, who i
threw the country in on the side of
Germany and the central powers. ,
The Stamboullsky government took j
a strong stand against the member*
of the former ministries whom it ac
cussed of aiding in the war plans of!
the ek-king, and brought a number ;
of the former ministers to trial.
Considerable sentiment however,
developed in favor of the imprisoned
statesmen and some of them were re
turned to parliamentary seats in th*
last election.
The political situation has been In i
an unsettled shape for some time and
several revolutionary attempts hav*:
been reported, the latest only last
THOSE FOCAL
INFECTIONS
, F
By H. Addington Bruce »
Impressive evidence of the great
variety of human ills that may re
sult fronf so-called focal infections;
of the teeth, tonsils, nose, and!
sinuses of the face is presented;
by a -Boston physician, Dr. Oliver)
^.mes Lothrop, in a paper contri-;
buted to the Boston Medical and;
Surglca) Journal. Ift the trope ofi
assisting thereby to the alleviation'
of suffering, I gladly give addition-;.
al publicity to Dr. Lothrop’s find
ings. rs-j
They are based in the main on
the experience of persons long bur
dened with disease symptoms that;
remained unrelieved because, until
they consulted Dr. Lothrop, there:
had been no suspicion that focal i
infection might have something!
to do with their troubles. And
certainly in several instances it is
not surprising that the possibility;!
of focal infection was overlooked. ‘
Dr. Lothrop tells, for example,
of a man of sixty who, for nearly
forty years, had been hard of hear-;
ing. There were times when he
was Btone deaf. It was during
one of these times that examina
tion by X-ray and translllumina
tion showed that both antra—the!
large sinuses of the cheeks—w;ere
seats of Infection.
Treatment by drainage and ir
rigation of the antra was at once
begun, and immediately an im
provement of the hearing set in.
Several years have passed and1
there has been no return of the
deafness of forty years' standing.
In another case, a middle-aged
man was troubled, not by deaf
ness, but by a chronic eruption
of the skin. This was aggravated
by the eating of certain foods,
notably lobster. But abstention
from such foods only mitigated
the eruption instead of completely^
clearing it away.
No remedies gave more than
temporary relief until, it being
found that the patient’s tonsils
were in poor condition, an opera
tion was performed for their re
moval. "Within twentyjour hours
after the removal of his tonsils,”
Dr. Lothrop reports, "his skin was
all cleared up, and has remained
so for over a year.” Also the)
once offending foods offend no
longer.
A woman, blind In the left eys
for more than a year, regained her'
vision following an operation fo»
the removal of pus from an in
fected frontal sinus. In two other
coses failing eyesight was restored!
through, in one case, a tonsil op
eration, and, in the second, drain
age of an infected antrum.
“Neurasthenia,” characterized by
chilly sensations, fatigue, obschre,
aches and pains, and general ner
vousness, was overcome in the casa
of one woman by extraction of
teeth having apical abscesses. Even'
more spectacular were the results
obtained through tonsillectomy per-!
formed on a woman twenty-two)
years old.
For a long period this young ,
woman had been afflicted with ep
ileptic attacks, occurring both by
day and by night. Her general;
health had failed markedly, and
altogether the outlook for her v,*8s
dismal In the extreme.
The discovery that her tonsils
eqj peA-sd pepejuj Aiptq ojoav
rnent meteorologist.
!
SIOUX CITY SHRINERS TO 1
RETURN SATURDAY MORNING)
Sioux City Shriners who attended j
the anual conclave at Washington ■
this week are scheduled to arrive at }
the Milwaukee depot here at 11:30 j
o'clock Saturday morning.
i
-—-,
VALUABLE NECKLACE MISSING,
London, June 8.-A necklace said to )
be valued at 25,000 pounds, the pro
perty of Mis. William E. Corey, for
merly Mabells Gilman, an American
acthess. disappeared from her apart
ment In the Carlton hotel Wednesday
evening.
Scotland Yard detectives bellevo
the necklace was misplaced or tost,
and that it was *tot stolen.
