The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-04-14

mere -SOuleknluS cfOOkeQ going on
here. Follow US in"
We climbed into the window. There
was the same living room we had
seen the day before. But it was now
bare and deserted.
Come on" cried Kennedy, beckon-
ing US on.
Quickly he rushed through the
house. There was not thing in it to
change the deserted appearance of
the first floor. At last it occurred to
Craig to grope his way down cellar.
There was nothing there.
Kennedy had been carefully going
over the place, and was at the other
side of the cellar from ourselves
when l saw him stop and gaze at the
floor.
Hide" he whispered suddenly to
We waited moment. Nothing hap
pened. Had he been seeing things or
hearing things, 1 wondered?
From our hidden vantage we could
now see a square piece in the floor,
perhaps five feet in diameter, slowly
open up as though on a pivot.
The weird and sinister figure of
man appeared. Over his head he wore
a peculiar helmet with hideous glass
pieces over the eyes and tubes that
connected with a tank which he car
ried buckled to his back.
Quickly he closed down the cover of
the tube, but not before a vile effluvi-
UNI seemed to escape, and penetrate
even to us in our hiding places. AS
he moved forward, Kennedy gave
flying leap at him, and we followed
with a regular football interference.
1t was the work of only a moment
for US to subdue and hold him, while
Craig ripped off the helmet.
II was Dan the Dude.
whats that thing?" 1 pulled, as 1
helped Craig with the headgear.
''An oxygen helmet" he replied.
There must be air down the tube that
cannot be breathed."
He went over to the tube. Carefully
he opened the top and gazed down,
starting back a second later, with his
face puckered up at the noxious odor.
Sewer gas" he calculated, as he
slammed the cover down. Then he
added to the policeman: Where do
you suppose it comes from?"
why" replied the officer, the st.
James viaduct-an old sewers some
where about these parts"
Kennedy puckered his face as he
gazed at our prisoner. He reached
down quickly and lifted something off
the mans coat.
Golden hair" he muttered.
"Elaine's!"
A moment later he seized the man
and shook him roughly.
where is she-tell me?" he de-
manded.
The man snarled some kind of a re-
ply, refusing to say a word about her.
Tell me-" repeated Kennedy.
"Humph!" snorted the prisoner, more
close-mouthed than ever
Kennedy was furious. AS he sent
the man Keeling away from him he
seized the oxygen helmet and began
putting it on. There was only one
thing to do-to follow the clue of the
golden strands of hair.
Down into the pest hole he went, his
head protected by the oxygen helmet.
AS he cautiously took one step after
another down a series of iron rungs
inside the hole, he found that the wa
ter was up to his chest At the bot
tom of the perpendicular pit was a
narrow, low passageway leading OF.
It was Just about big enough to get
through, but he managed to grope
along it
The minutes passed as the police
cellar by the tube. looked anxiously
at my watch.
"Craig!" l shouted at last, unable
to control my fears for him.
No answer.
By this time Craig had come to q
small, open chamber, into which the
viaduct widened On the wall he found
: another series of iron rungs, up which
he climbed. The gas was terrible.
, AS he neared the top of the ladder
he came to a shelf-like aperture in the
sewer chamber, and gaZed about. i
| was horribly dark. He reached ou
and felt piece of cloth. Anxiously he
pulled on it. Then he reached further
: into the darkness.
There was Elaine, unconscious, ap
5 parently dead.
: In desperation Craig carried he
down the ladder.
With our prisoner we could only lool
t helplessly around.
: by George, I'm going down afte
t him." l cried in desperation.
a Don't do it." advised the police
1 man. You'll never get out"
One Whit OF the horrible gas told M
? that he was right
e Listen" said the policeman.
e the black depths below US. A rop
:, alongside the rough ladder began L
move, as though some one was pulling
;. it taut. He gazed down.
! Craig! Craig!" l called. rs tina
= = your"
. No answer. But the rope still
: moved Perhaps the helmet made
impossible for him to hear.
He had struggled back in the swir
ing current almost exhausted by hi
helpless burden. Holding Elaine
= head above the surface of the waite
and pulling on the rope to attract m
: attention, he could neither hear no
shout. He had taken a turn of the rop
about Elaine. l tried pulling on i
There was something heavy on tn
other end, and I kept on pulling.
y At last / could make out Kennel
6imly mounting the ladder. TIL
j weight was the unconscious body c
Elaine which he steadied as he noun
. ed the ladder. 1 tugged harder and h
slowly came up