Speed left us to report back to
the Star, where his job was very
elastic as fitted his character of
a scion of wealth, for he was
• now given much more latitude
by his father, having once, at
least proved his capacity for
making good. Ravenal, too, de
parted, with much head-shaking
and finally, my work very nice
ty cleared up, I closed the lab
! oratory and decided to return to
; ©ur apartment where I knew
.fnat Kennedy was impatiently
fretting at his enforced rest.
A LOT OF THINKING
I found Craig still weak,
though slowly improving. He
moved restlessly in bed as I re
counted the trilling chase and
peril of (flare and Speed.
Though he did not say much, I
could see that he was doing a
great deal of anxious thinking,
especially when I told him of
the resolve from which none of
us had been able to move Speed.
It was late that evening that I
was sitting reading to Kennedy
when the telephone rang.
Before I could answer it Ken
nedy, who was becoming decid
edly nervous, reached over the
side of the bed and grasped the
instrument from the table where
he kept it.
“What — you—Miss Clare
mont7” I heard him repeat, as
his face betrayed utter amaze
ment. “You are at Bresh
kaya's7 What in the world—
what’s that? Jack is there? Yes
yes-I’ll be right up. Get some
, one -a policeman-anyone- don’t
atay alone. Yes-I’ll be there -as
soon as I can get there.”
He hung up the receiver, and
in spite of his wounds and his
weakness, leaped out of bed. But
he stopped short as he started to
walk and his face betrayed the
| pain he strovo to conceal. Men
tally he might be as alert as ever.
1 But be was not physically him
l self, and T was more concerned
! over him than over the whole
case, now.
1 “Remember,” I cautioned,
i “What the doctor said.”
1 “Hang the doctor,” he growl
. ed, but just a little weakly, as
he supported himself by one of
the posts of the bed “These
people are children—they need
a guardian.”
“What’s the matter!” I ask
ed hoping that in this way T
might lead up to some argument
that would dissuade him.
“Matter enough. Clare had a
telephone message from Brcsh
kaya herself that evening.
Breshkaya said that Speed was
at her apartment—with her—
and drunk. She was icily in
Bulting, Clare said. You know
what a message like that would
mean—Clare would go up there
and see for herself if it was the
last thing she did. I asked her
if she had gone. She had—was
telephoning from Breshkaya’s.
APPARENTLY DRUGGED
“And was Speed thereT” I ask
ed, seeing how hopeless my at
tempt at delay was, for Kennedy
was struggling, as excitement
brought back some of his
strength, to array himself in
street clothes.
_ " Yes-r-apparently under the
Influenee of some drug.”
"Whew!” I whistled. "Well,
you remember what I told you,”
he said "Where was Bresh
kayaT” “There when Clare ar
rived—alone. She taunted her—
then disappeared into the next
room—and that was the last
plare saw of her. Evidently she
put it over on Speed—and was
satisfied just with stirring up
trouble between hra an<J Clare—
'a refinement of torture, I take it..
She left word with her colored
maid that when Clare removed
the intruder she would return.
The intruder was Speed.”
Kennedy was evidently very
much vexed at Speed for getting
himself in such a predicament
and well he might be, for it was
a rather risque position, especi
ally in the eyes of a high-spirited
girl like Clore.
"What happened7” I asked,
as he finished dressing, with my
aid, for 1 saw now that it was
useless to try to hold him back.
"That’s what I don’t know
and want to find out.. Speed’s
tuwonscious apparently, and
is almost frantic—between
fear and doubt.”
We hurried out and summon
ed a cab from a nearby stand.
"I tell you that woman’s a
devil/' muttered Craig, as we
bumped along through the still
unfinished
12
We arrived at the apartment
facing the park where we had
waited so long the other day,
only this time we did not pause,
but entered and demanded to be
taken to Breshkaya’s.
However, I could see that, al
though he was still shaky, Ken
nedy had not lost his natural
sense of caution, and he entered
and proceded to the suite with
every care, as though we might
be entering a trap. And indeed
T did not blame him. As far as I
knew, perhaps that was just
what it was.
We came at last to the door
and pushed the buzzer. It was
immediately opened, and we
could see down a wide hall that
Clare was still there. As we en
tered she almost ran toward us,
her face flushed with excite
ment, appealing to Kennedy.
Quickly she led him down the
hall to a very luxurious living
room. On a deep Oriental divan
lay Speed, in a most uncomfor
table position. His eyes were
partly open, glassy, and he was
breathing very rapidly, but it
was evident that he knew only
vaguely what was going on
about him.
Clare was almost hysterical as
she glanced from the man she
loved, about at the sybartic
splendor of the apartment of a
woman she hated.
“I got her message, the vix
en. she began, talking rapidly
and quite as much for the bene
fit of the negro maid as for us.
“Of course, I came up here right
away. She was positively insult
ing. Even Jack did not know
me—what is it, Professor Ken
nedy? She said she thought he
must be drunk. Is he?”
A glance from Kennedy’s
practical eye was sufficient to
remove that possibility, even- to
give him a pretty good clue as to
what drug Speed was under the
influence of.
“Tell him the next time he
calls on a lady to remen\ber he
is a gentleman,” the hussy sneer
ed as she left me,” recounted
Clare, with blazing -eyes. What
did she mean? I can’t imagine.
It was then that I called you.”
Kennedy bent over Speed and
began feeling his pulse, as he
moved uneasily, as though try
ing to throw off the effects of
the drug. Then he began search
ing through Speed’s pockets, as
if to determine whether he had
been robbed. He had not, of
course. Breshlcaya was far too
clever for that. In fact I felt
rare that she was far too clever
to ha^a ns there if there was a
thing that might be likely to re
ict on herself.
A. SMALL BOTTLE
As Kennedy’s hand reached
nto an inside pocket, he pulled
from Speed’s coat a little bot
tle. He held it up, uncorked it
ind first smelled, then tasted a
few drops that remained in the
rial.
“Chloral,” he muttered.
By this time Speed was much
recovered. Under the 'soothing
touch and care of Kennedy he
moved, his eyes cleared a bit,
ind he began looking dazedly
ibout.
“Wh-where am I?” he moan
id, as if striving to recollect.
“What happened—tell met”
prompted Kennedy.
•Slowly, as he came back to
consciousness, Speed began to
talk. “I met her—at the Cry
stal Palace. Jameson- Ravenal
they were right. She said she
had some papers-some letters
lere. I seemed to fall for it-I
had a plan-I came here-with
her.”
bpeed shifted his position,
as his mind grew clearer.
“When she was getting the pa
pers, there were two glasses of
wine poured for us on the table.
Her back was turned. I drop
ped some of that stuff in her
glass. I thought under a drug
die might talk. At least I might
Rearch. Then she came back
iianded me the papers. They
were nothing. I soon saw that
as I studied them. Then she
proposed a toast. I drank it. I
waited for her to pass away—
that’s the last I remember.”
Kennedy was listening atten
tively. I saw that he was trying
to reconstruct the event. And as
he did so a quiet smile played
ibout his face. Speed was now
ible to wave a gesture or two as
he talked.
“Where were the drinks7”
isked Craig.
“On that table.”
“And the papers?”.
“Over in that cabinet.”
TWT0 ORDERS
Kennedy looked about keenly.
Then he stood over by the table,
on which hiTplaced two glasses
taken from another table.
“Walter,” he directed,
'‘stand over there. Face the
jabinet.”
I did so. And as I did, I was
surprised to see that in a mirror
over the cabinet I- could see the
table beside which Kennedy
was standing. As I watched, I
saw his hand in the mirror, pour
ing something apparently, into
the glass. I turned.
“Still it does not explain it,”
T suggested impressed.
“Now stand by the table,
where I am.” Craig directed, as
the eyes of both Clare and
Speed dilated. “Near the glass.”
I did so and he handed me
a letter from his pocket turning
partly as he did so. “Read it,”
he ordered.
I tried to do so,
I looked down at the table.
My glass had been moved and
an empty one was in its place.
Kennedy laughed.
“Don’t you see7” he cried in
his old-time glee. “She saw
Speed drugging her drink. She
did not bertay a thing to him—
let hin\ think he was getting
away with it. Instead, she cooly
handed him some papers. While
he wasn’t looking she switched
the glasses. That is all. Then
she waited till the drug took
effect on him. Finally she call
ed Miss Claremont, ou can be
sure that she figured it all out.
You have nothing on her. She
has it on you—you tried to drug
bar first, Jack. It was easy
money for Breshkava.”
Chapter 16
The Raid
Both the cleverness of Bresh
l&ya and the foldness, of the
Black Menace determined on
sterner measures, although he
was careful to betray nothing as
long as we might be overheard
here.
We made a hasty search of
Breshkaya’s apartment, but as
was to have been expected, ye
discovered nothing, for she was
far too clever to leave the place
with us in it and forget anything
that was of any importance.
Speed was far enough recover
ed from his drugging by this
time to be taken home in a cab.
Even yet Clare had not recover
ed from the shock of finding her
lover in another woman’s apart
ment, in spite of the ready ex
planation. As for Speed, he did
not say much. Twice, once with
Clare and now again, he had
tried his own hand at the game,
and each time he had tried his
own hand at the game, and each
time he had failed.
Kennedy was pretty well done
out when I managed tjo get him
back at o\\r apartment and was
glad enough to retire.
The next day much as he
hated it Craig was forced to re
main very quiet for the effort of
the night before had been a
great tax on his strength.
However it did not kpep his
mind from working and I could
tell by his growing restlessness
that he was better. In fact, it
was soon after luncheon that he
began to feel a final return of
his old strength and energy. I
knew restraint was useless.
HARD TO TELL
“Walter,” he remarked, after
a long period of silence in which
I saw that he was planning
something, “there is no telling
what these criminals may pull
off next. And I’m always in
favor of getting the jump on the
other fellow. They think I’m
down and out. I’m just going
to give them the surprise of their
lives.”
He paused and I watched
him anxiously, fearful that he
was going to overtax his
strength again. But this time he
seemed quite equal to the task.
“I’m going to make a final
cleanup of that house of mystery
out there,” he announced finally
“A regular raid?” I inquired.
“No—I don’t know the
authorities out there well
enough for that. I don’t want
jomeone to tip the Black Menace
off that I am coming. As it is,
we can’t be sure just how much
nfluence that Black Menace
nay have, through his wealthy
ictims. I’m not even going to
ell Speed and Clare until we are
actually ready to start.”
Quickly he thought out his
plan of campaign and,'as he ex
plained it to me, I must admit
that Iwas forced to confess that
it was likely to prove a good one.
At least it had the merit of a
surprise attack; one that would
take the place off guard.
While I made arrangements to
secitre the fast cars, three of
which he decided would be suf
ficient, Craig over the telephone
took care of the legal details of
the raid.
On his own evidence hfc was
able to make sure that he would
have warrants out for “John
Doe” and “Jane Doe.” As he
revealed to me that part of his
plans I wondered whom he
meant. Was it the polished
Monsieur Jacques and tJwe sylph
like Madam Rone? Or was it the
Hack Menace and Breshkaya....
or some, third party?
Once having sat the machinery
in motion, Kennedy was impa
tient to be off, fpr every moment
now meant "that something
might happen to anticipate us.
EVERYTHING READY
Accordingly it was with great
relief that I saw that between us
we had completud carefully and
secretly, all the initial prepara
tions for the raid on the Mystery
Mansion.
There’s no use,” Craig ob
served, “unless we can pull the
hing off with a fair prospect of
success. Now if you will call up
Speed and Clare, and have them
meet us in half an hour at Co
lumbus Circle, I think we have
done all that can be done until
we get out there. Only be care
ful to say nothing about what we
re doing. I’ve come to believe
hat this Black Menace has his
spies everywhere.”
Half an hour later we emerged
from the subway at Columbus
Circle, I think and there we
found the three motor cars wait
ing for us, as I had arranged. A
few moments later there arrived
some private detectives from a
downtown bureau, and by the
next train came Speed and Clare
highly- excited by the cryptic in
vitation that I had given them
over the telephone.
Like a general disposing his
forces Kennedy now outlined his
plan, which, briefly, was that we
should leave immediately in the
three cars. Of one I was to take
charge. Speed, now totally re
overed from his drugging and
reconciled with Clare, wds plac
ed in charge of another, and I
was relieved to see that he was
less headstrong and quite ready
to take orders from Kennedy.
Craig himself took the third,
and in each of the three he
placed four of the private de
tectives from the bureau.
“I think, Miss Claremont,” he
decided finally, “that you had
better come along with me in
my car.*’
Speed smiled rather sheepish
ly but did not raise any protest.
Thus we set out and soon were
over the bridge and out along
the road which we had travelled
so many times lately. It was
only then that Kennedy reveal
ed to the operatives where we
were bound, so careful was he
to guard the secret from a pos
sible telephone warning.
THE PLAN OF ATTACK
Outside the village of Heaton
Hills Ave halted and there we
separated, as part of the plan of
attack which Kennedy had
worked out for us.
“My idea,” he outlined, “is
that Ave shall approach this
house from three directions at
once—from the front road in
each way, and from a back road
that passes some quarter of a
mile behind it. You will each
proceed to a bend in the road
just out of sight of the place and
Avait. The signal for us all to
close in Avill be a daylight rock
et Avhicli I Avill fire, since it Avill
take me a little longer to get
into position on the back road.
Then our parties can converge
on the place at precisely the
same moment and there will be
no chance of scape in any di
rection.”
His plan Avas simple to under
stand and seemed strategically
correct. My party Avas delegat
ed to approach from the road in
front of the house in the eastern
ly direction. The other, with
Speed Avas to come at the place
from the Avest along the same
road. Thus there could be no
way of their getting off at either
of the tAA'O gates that opened
from the grounds to the road,
one used as an entrance and the
other as an exit. From this side
it seemed that the road would be
effectively guarded.
For himself, Kennedy planned
that he Avould take the back
road, to the south and come up
from the rear, cross-country,
cutting off the retreat which the
other two attacking parties
would invite. Above all, Craig
cautioned us to exercise care, as
we Avaited, not to convey any
alarm to cars that might be pass
ing at the time.
We separated and drove
through the town as though we
were perfect strangers to each
other. Our first lookout was to
allow Kennedy to get a start in
the detour that was necessary to
reach the back road. My detour
which I chose to come around
on the other side of the house
without passing it, was much
shorter, and I started off to
make it, leaving Speed to drive
about a bit before shooting out
on the road to his position,
which was nearest the village.
WAITING FOR THE SIGNAL
We arrived soon at the turn in
the road just before it passed
the Mystery House, and while
we w'atched for Kennedy’s sig
nal, I had the driver of the car
left the hood and pretend an
elaborate tinkering with the
motor to cover our stop by the
road side. Nothing passed as
we waited except a delivery ^vn
gon, and as that did not turn
into the house, I felt reassured
that we were so far unobserved.
“There’s the rocket,’-’ ex
claimed one of the operatives.
Through an opening in the
trees we could see Kennedy’s
signal.
hrom our point of vantage it
was only a matter of minutes
for us to reach the house. We
drove forward, turned in at the
exit from the grounds and left
the car squarely across the gate
way so as to barricade it.
“Come on” I shouted td the
four operatives, as we leaped
out with drawn revolvers and
proceeded on a run up the cin
der drive.
From the other direction
along the road I could see Speed
already turning in._ He noted
how I had left my car, backed
his own across the entrance in
the same way and with his f<K£r
men, began running u p the
driveway.
As I ran I could see that Ken
nedy must have got somewhat of
a start of us, for already his
party was visible, emerging
from a clump of woods in the
rear.
Thus we converged bn the
house, almost without warning,
and I am convinced that it was
only the suddenness of the on
slaught that saved us from a
rapid fire of bullets from those
in the house.
(Continued Next*‘%'eelc
♦ MUTT MAY BE NEXT *
♦ OPEN GOLF CHAMPION ♦
++++++++++♦♦♦++++++
Mutt In Action.
Mutt, of Mutt and Jeff fame, has
Invented the magnetic golf ball and
he's going to play In the Open Golf
Championship tournament this week.
He may be the next champion. Watch
for his “stuff" In The Tribune dur
ing the meet.
Had Confidence in Himself.
Prom the New York Sun and Globe.
Confidence in one’s self is an asset
much to be desired, as has often
been pointed out. Sometimes, how
ever, confidence Is likely to be over
confidence.
In the days when the Uganda rail
road was first In operation there was
placed In charge of a lonely station
a babu who lived alone with a couple
of native servants. His post was In
the center of t»>e "lion country" and
though the railroad testified to the
progress of civilization in^Afrlca the
trains ran only once a day and the
Hons and other wild game came to
look upon It with contempt. Occa
sionally they made a raid on one of
the lonelier stations and this was
what caused this babu to wire head
quarters frantically:
“Am besieged by five Hons. Send
one rifle and five cartridges.”
George Carter, former Iowan, will
come in for a large part of the cred
it for the $1,000,000 saving which is
shown in the United States printing
bill for the year just closed. As
head of the printing department the
$60,000 reduction in proof reading
costs and $SO,000 in the costa of
printing annual reporta3 should be
credited to hftn. No doubt he also
had a hand in doing away with de
luxe editions of government pub
lications and elimination of emboss
ed letter heads, two needless
extravagances.
Among the poeta of China the
women jwatfomlnate.
i
BEST EVER MADE ’
v STATES NELSON
"Tanlac ended my troubles and made
me hale and hearty." Is the character
Istic statement of Hoy Nelson, 6th 8t
and Pleasant View Drive, Des Motoes,
Iowa.
I "Flu and a railroad accident left me
Where for two years I was almost a
Wreck. I lost my appetite and my
stomach got out of kilter until cftat X
ate always caused gas to form so bad
the pressure of it made my heart pal
pitate and nearly cut off my breath, 1
ached In every muscle and Joint, often
had dizzy spells, was always nervous
and felt wretched all the time.
“Tanlac built me up twelve pounds
tn weight and gave me the strength
and energy of an Iron worker, my
appetite Is fine again; I never have
Indigestion and always feel fine. Tan
tac Is the best medicine ever put In
bottles.”
Tanlac is for sale by all good drug^.
gists. Accept no substitute. Over 87
million bottles sold.
Tanlac Vegetable Pills are Nature’s
own remedy for constipation. For «mi+
• everywhere.—Advertisement.
Jazzy,
1 Jack—Giving a dance, eh? Who’s
going to furnish the music?
Clarence—Won’t need any; there’s s
boiler factory next door.
f!
Especially Prepared for Infants
and Children of All Ages
i Mother I Fletcher’s Castoria had
ceen In use over 80 years to relieve
babies and children of Constipation;
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Food; giving natural sleep without
opiates, pie genuine bears signature
Far Gone.
"In love, hey?”
! “Why, he reads poetry to her over
the telephone.”
RECORD IN CROPS
-
Western Canada Farmers As
sured of Bountiful Yields.
. -
Conditions Reported From All Parti
*f the Provinces Satisfactory In the
Highest Degree—Pass Expectations.
From as early as April 17, when
seeding became general throughout the
(Western Canadian Provinces, was
'there anything but optimism in the
I feelings of the farmers of that coun
try. An uninterrupted chain of favoiv
able conditions have bound the early
seeding data with the conditions o^
the crop today. There were no set
: backs. There may have been a hall
storm or two with some ill effects
through portions of the country, but
the track they took was so small
that the percentage of loss was al
most Imperceptible compared with the
whole. Rains fell just when needed,
the sun shone as if regulated by the
farmer himself, the ground, generally,
was In perfect condition and fully r©
sponsive. It is now a quest.on of rival
ry between districts and provinces
which will produce the greatest r©
| suits in crop yields and averages. Out
in Alberta, whether It be in the nortrf
I or in the south, that which gave a©
jsurance, in a well-prepared seed bed,
of an excellent crop is passing expec
tation, and experts say there will be.
produced a crop away greater than
{ever before In the history of the prov
ince, and Alberta has had some big
{yields. Then, In Saskatchewan there
;ex\st the same conditions. The ex
treme north and extreme south will
vie with the east and west In the
story at harvest and threshing time.
Manitoba, while not boastful, com
placently watches fields of wheat,
oats, rye and barley that promise to
jet a new record for that province,
j The fact Is apparent that Western
Canada will have a crop yield In oil
(grains away ahead of any year In the
{history of the country. This will be
ipleaslng news to the thousands In the
United States, who have friends and
relatives farming in that country. It
should not be forgotten that these
crops will be raised on land that in
many cases cost less than $40 an acre
| and some of It was procured by mere
ly homesteading.* It Is possible today
{to secure improved farms at very low
I figures, as well as raw or virgin
! prairie. Any Canadian government
{agent will gladly give Information as
!to the condition of the crops, and
{dates when special rates may be had
by those who wish to look o\er what
Is probably one of the greatest grain
fields on the continent.—Advertise
ment.
Any summer resort folder w’lth pic
tures Is fascinating. The water is so
'blue.