Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1915-07-20
Seventeenth EPISODE
THE WATCHING EYE.

Not clue had been left by the Kid
napers when they had SO mysterious
ly spirited Elaine away from the
apartment of WI Fang. She had dis
appeared as completely as If she had
vanished into thin air.
Kennedy was frantic. WI and Long
Sin themselves seemed to have van
ished, too. Where they held her, what
had happened to her, was a sealed
book. And yet no move of ours was
made, no matter how secret, that it
did not seem to be known to them. 1t
vas as though weird, uncanny eye
glared at US, watching everything.
Craig neglected no possibility in
ais eager search. He even visited the
little house in the country which
Elaine had given to Aunt Tabby, and
spent several hours examining the
collapsed subterranean chamber in
the vain hope that 1t might yield
clue. But it had not
Unescapably, he was forced to the
conclusion that not only Elaine's
amazing disappearance, but the tragic
succession of events which had pre-
eeded it had been caused, in some
way, by the curiously engraved ring
which Aunt Josephine had taken from
her.
Craig had taken possession Of the
mystic ring himself, and now, forced
back on this sole clue, it had occurred
to him that If the ring were so valu-
able, other attempts would, without
doubt, be made to get possession Of it.
came into the laboratory, one aft
ernoon, to find Kennedy surrounded
BY jewelers. tools, hard at work max
ing an exact copy of the ring.
What do you think of it, Walter?"
he asked. holding up the replica.
Perfect" replied. admiringly.
What are you going to do with it?"
Il can't say-yet," answered Ken
Hedy, forlornly, "but If l understand
these Chinese criminals at all, l know
that the only way we can ever track
them is through some trick. Perhaps
abe replica will suggest something to
us later"
Lets see if Aunt Josephine has re-
eeived any word" he remarked alb
ruptly, putting on his hat and coat,
and nodding to me to follow.
Kennedy and l were not the only
visitors to the subterranean chamber
where it had seemed that the clue
10 the Clutching Hands millions
might be found.
1t was as though that hidden, watch
ing eye followed us. The night after
our own unsuccessful search, WI
Fang, accompanied by Long Sin, made
ais way into the cavern.
WI examined the safe which had
been broken into,
Long Sin was now going over the
walls of the cavern infinitely, his close
set, beady black eyes examining every
square inch of it.
A sudden low cultural exclamation
caused WI to turn to him quickly.
Long Sin had discovered, back of the
debris. long oblong slot, cut into the
rock. Above 1t were some peculiar
marks.
WI hurried over to his henchman,
and together they tried to decipher
what had been scratched on the rock.
AS Long Sins slender and sinister
forefnger traced over the Inscription
WI suddenly caught him by the ell
bow.
"The ring!" he cried. as at last he IN
terpreted the meaning of the cryptic
characters.
But what about the ring? For mo-
ment WI looked at the slot in deep
thought Then he reached down and
withdrew ring from his own finger
and dropped it through the slot.
They listened a moment. They could
hear the ring tinkle as though it were
running down some sort of tracklike
declivity inside the rock. Then, faint
E, they could hear it drop. 1t had
fallen into little cup of a compart-
ment below at their feet
Nothing happened. WI recovered
his ring. But he had hit at last upon
the Clutching Hands secret
Bennett had devised a ring lock
which would open the treasure vault!
No other ring except the one which
he had so carefully hidden was of the
size or weight that would move the
lever which would set the machinery
working to open the treasure house.
Again WI tried another of his own
rings. and a third time. Long Sin