The L'Anse sentinel., 1915-10-16
TWENTY-FiRsT EPISODE
THE EAR IN THE WALL.

=
a THE EAR IN THE WALL.
Elaine sat in the library reading one
morning when her maid Marie entered
carrying long pasteboard box, dain
tily tied with ribbon.
Some flowers for you, Miss Elaine
think" she said handing the box to
her mistress.
Marie left the room, and Elaine. af
ter contemplating for q moment in
keen anticipation what she thought al
first was q gift from Craig Kennedy
opened the box. There lay q splendid
bunch OF longstemmed red and white
roses.
Nesting In the green leaves was a
little white note. She picked 1t up
expectantly and tore It open.
Instantly. however. her face
blanched. Instead of billet doux, II
was the most fearsome threat yet
which the savage Chinese master Grim
inal, ,Wu Fang, had sent in the venge-
ful vendetta which he had sworn on
account of the loss of the Clutching
Hands millions.
Elaine had scarcely time to exclaim
at its dire meaning when Kennedy
himself entered.
Good morning" he greeted cheer.
lily. then cut the greeting short as he
caught the horrifed expression on her
pretty face. why. what's the mat.
teri"
Elaine was too terrified even yet to
speak. All she could do was to hand
him the note:
The first victim shall be Craig
Kennedy or your aunt. You may
choose. Place the red roses In
the window for your lover, tho
white for the sllver-haired one.
At the end appeared the mysterious
sign OF the serpent, darting from his
fangs a death more than figurative.
"Wh--what shall I do?" she ap.
pealed.
Craig did not answer directly. He
could not. Thoughtfully he walked to
the window and gazed out. There was
only dirty, bent cripple standing by
the corner selling papers to pedes-
TRANS.
! Kennedy's forehead wrinkled in
thought. He turned and walked back
from the window. Mechanically he
picked up his hat and cane. then laid
down the cane again.
y II must look into this at once" he
said, lifting the flowers and putting
them back into the box carefully. as
II he expected trouble to come Of the
affair.
"You--youIl be very careful.
Craigf" pleaded Elaine. as they left
the library and went into the hall.
Il viii be--for you," he repeated,
with . reassuring smile. "Oh--I for
got my cane"
Quickly he returned to the library.
leaving her standing in the hallway.
There he had purposely left his stick
on the table beside the flowers. He
selected some from the bunch Of red
roses and hastily stuck them in a vase
and placed the vase on the window
sill. Then he picked up the cane and
rejoined Elaine In the hall.
es
Outsids the Dodge house the dirty.
bent cripple looked about cautiously
out Of the corner Of his eye.
Suddenly he paused as II he had
caught sight Of . mendicancy oficer
bearing down on him. There on the
window sill of the library was a vase
Of red roses. Hastily he shufied ofl
on his way.
AZ fast as hts supposedly bent body
could straighten itself safely out he
hurried downtown with one idea--tc
rsach the secret apartment of wv
Fang, the serpsnt.
Wu, I,ond Sin ana several other Chi
namen were gAthered about table or
which We 1ouS eblong oak box. In
he cover, which Was open. were fas
touo6<on the inside Two aet spools ol
ollh>nleovered wiyA AZ each end d
~ to3 Woo ylaeed a ordinary stor
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