The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1915-04-02

AB NFdl1 NenncUy tuFHb OF VI" SuT
Rise AZ
when heard the telephone ring. 1t
was Craig Without a word of apology
for his rudeness, which knew had
been purely absent-minded, l heard
him say: Walter meet me in half
an hour outside that Florence Leigh's
house"
Half an hour later | was waiting
near the house in the suburbs to
which l had been directed by the
strange telephone call the day before.
| noticed that it was apparently de-
serted. The blinds were closed and
ITO Let" sign was on the side OF the
house
Hello, Walter" cried Craig at last,
busting along.
He led the way around the side OF
the house to a window, and, with a
powerful grasp, wrenched open the
closed shutters. He had just smashed
the window when a policeman APP
peared.
"Hey, you fellows--what are you
doing there?" he shouted.
Craig paused a second, then pulled
his card from his pocket.
'Just the man | want" he parted,
much to the policeman's surprise.
There's something crooked going on
here. Follow us in"
We climbed into the window. There
was the same living room we had
seen the day before. But 1t was now
bare and deserted.
Come on" cried Kennedy, beckon-
ing us on.
Quickly he rushed through the
house. There was not a thing in it to
change the deserted appearance of
the first floor. At last 1t 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 | saw him stop and gaze at the
floor
Hide" he whispered suddenly to
| us.
We waited moment. Nothing hap
pened Had he been seeing things or
| hearing things, | wondered?
From our hidden vantage we could
now see square piece in the floor,
perhaps five feet in diameter, slowly
open up as though on pivot,
The weird and sinister figure of a
man appeared. Over his head he wore
peculiar helmet with hideous glass
| pieces over the eyes and tubes that
connected with tank which he car
ried buckled to his back.
Quickly he closed down the cover OF
the tube, but not before vile eftluvi
UNI seemed to escape, and penetrate
even to US in our hiding places. AS
he moved forward, Kennedy gave a
flying leap at him, and we followed
with a regular football interference.
1t was the work of only moment
for us to subdue and hold him, while
Craig ripped off the helmet.
1t was Dan the Dude.
What's that thing?" | pulled, as
helped Craig with the headgear.
IAN oxygen helmet" he replied
There must be air down the tube thai
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 hi
slammed the cover down Then h'
added to the policeman: Where d.
you suppose it comes from?"
why" replied the officer, "the st
James viaduct an old sewer-is some
where about these parts"
Kennedy puckered his face as HI
gazed at our prisoner. He reached
down quickly and lifted something OF
the mans coat.
Golden hair" he muttered
'Elaine's!"
A moment later he seized the maj
and shook him roughly.
Where is she-tell me?" he de
manded.
The man snarled some kind of re
ply, refusing to say word about heI
Tell me-" repeated Kennedy.
"Humph!r snorted the prisoner, NOR
close.mouthed than ever,
: Kennedy was furious. AS he sen
the man reeling away from him h
: seized the oxygen helmet and begai
putting it on There was only on
: thing to do--to follow the clue Of tn
GOLDEN strands of hair.
! Down into the pest hole he went, hi
head protected by the oxygen helme'
As he cautiously took one step afte
! another down a series of iron rung
J inside the hole. he found that the WI
ter was up to his chest. At the bo
. tom Of the perpendicular pit was
/, narrow, low passageway leading OF