The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1915-02-23

lie, in alarm, Where will this thing
end?'
Well" Elaine laughed, little nerv.
ously, now that it was all over, Il
want you all to go to bed and stop
worrying about me. Don't you see
I'm perfectly able to take care of my
self? Besides, there isn't a chance
now of the burglar coming back. Why,
| shot him"
Yes" put in Aunt Josephine, but
/ Elaine laughingly interrupted her
I and playfully' made as though she
! were driving them out of her room
! Rusty she called Down. there"
The intelligent collie seemed to un-
derstand. He lay down by the door
way. his nose close to the bottom of
the door, and his ears alert.
Finally Elaine, TOO, retired again.
Meanwhile the wounded man was
being hurried to one of the hangouts Of
he mysterious Clutching Hand.
The car containing the wounded
Pitts Slim drew up, and the other
two men leaped out OF it. With a hur-
rfed glance about they unlocked the
front door with pass key and Ell
tered carrying the man.
Indoors was another emissary of the
Clutciing Hand, rather studious-
looking chap.
why, what's the NATTER" he ex-
p1aiyp al n tho ii.
supporting their half-fainting, wounded
/ pal
Slim got couple OF pills" they
/ painted as they laid him on a couch.
How" demanded the other
Trying to get into the Dodge house.
/ Elaine did it,
Slim was. quite evidently, badly
wounded and was bleeding profusely.
A glance at him was enough for the
studious-looking chap He went to a
| secret panel and. pressing It down,
+ took out what was apparently secret
house telephone
In another part of this mysterious
house was the secret room Of the
clutching Hand himself. where he hid
his identity from even his most trust
ID followers.
His telephone rang and he took
down the receiver
Pitts Sims been wounded, badly,
chief was all he waited to hear,
With scarcely word he hung up
the receiver, then opened a table
drawer and took out full face mask
/ Next he went to a nearby bookcase,
pressed another secret spring, and
panel opened. He passed through, the
mask adjusted.
Across, in the larger outside study,
another panel opened, and the Clutch
Ing Hand, all crouched up, trans
1 formed, appeared. Without a word he
advanced to the couch on which the
wounded crook lay, and examined him.
dow did it happeno" he asked at
/ length
Miss Dodge shot him." answered
the others, with an automatic"
THAT Craig Kennedy must have
given it to her' he exclaimed with
suppressed fury
For moment the Clutching Hand
stopped to consider. Then he seized
the regular telephone.
Doctor Martini he asked, as he got
the number he called.
Late as it was the doctor. who was
wel-known surgeon in that part OF
the country, answered from an eX-
tension of his telephone near his bed,
The call was urgent, and apparently
from a family which he did not feel
that he could neglect,
Doctor Martin was a middle-aged
man. one of those medical men on
whose judgment one instinctively re-
les
| 1t was only matter of minutes be-
fore the doctor was speeding over the
aow deserted suburban roads, appar-
! entity on an errand CT mercy.
At the address that had been
given him he drew up to the side OF
The road, got out and ran up the steps
to the door. A ring at the bell
brought a sleepy man to the door, IN
his trousers and nightshirt.
"How's the patient?" asked Doctor
Martin. eagerly.
Patient" repeated the man, rub
bling his eyes. There's no one SICK
| here"
Slowly it dawned on the doctor that
it was false alarm, and that ne
must be the victim of some pracucai
Joke.
well, that's great note ne
growled, as the man shut the door.
He descended the steps, muttering
harsh language at some unknown
trickster. AS he climbed back into
his machine and made ready to start
two men seemed to rise before hin
as If from nowhere.
| As a matter OF fact they had Deen
| sent there by the Clutching Hand, ana
were hiding in a nearby cellarway un-
/ til their chance came.
| One man stood on the running
board, on either side Of him. and two