The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965, July 26, 1923, Image 2
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. 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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. 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