Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1915-05-15
THIRTEENTH EPISODE
THE DEVIL WoRsH,pERs.

Elaine was seated in the drawing
room with Aunt Josephine one after.
noon when her lawyer, Perry Ben.
nett, dropped in Unexpectedly
He had hardly greeted them when
the butler, Jennings, in his usual i'm,
passive manner announced that Aunt
Josephine was wanted on the tele.
phone.
No sooner were Elaine and Bennett
alone than Elaine, turning to him, ex.
claimed:
Last night dreamed that father
came to me and told me that if |
would give up Kennedy and put my
trust In you, would find the Clutch
ing Hand. don't know what to think
of IT,"
Bennett who had been listening in
tently, moved over nearer to Elaine
and bent over her
Elaine" he said in a low tone, his
remarkable eyes looking straight into
her own, "you must know that love
you, Then give me the right to pro
tect you. 1t was your fathers dearest
wish, believe, that we should marry.
Let me share your dangers and
swear that sooner or later there will
be an end to the Clutching Hand.
Give me your answer, Elaine" he
urged, "and make me the happiest
man in all the world
Elaine listened, and not unsympa-
thetically, as Bennett continued to
plead for her answer.
"Wait a little while--until tomor-
row." she replied finally
Let it be as you wish, then"
agreed Bennett quietly
He took her hand and kissed it pas
sionately.
An instant later Aunt Josephine re-
turned Elaine, unstrung by what
had happened, excused herself and
went into the library.
Involuntarily, her mind Travelled
back over the rapid succession of
events of the past few weeks and
the part that she had thought, at
least Kennedy had come to play in
her life.
Then she thought of their recent
misunderstanding. Might there not
be some simple explanation of it, aft
er all, which she had missed? What
should she do?
She solved the problem by taking
up the telephone and asking for Ken
nedy's number.
| was chatting with Craig in his
laboratory, and, at the same time,
was watching him in his experimental
work. Just as call came on the tele-
phone, he was Touring some nitro
hydrochloric acid into a test tube to
complete reaction.
The telephone tinkled and he laid
down the bottle of acid on his desk,
while he moved few steps to answer
the call.
Whoever the speaker was, Craig
seemed deeply interested, and, not
knowing who was talking on the wire,
| was eager to learn whether 1t was
anyone connected with the case Of
the Clutching Hand.
Eyes, this is Mr.. Kennedy" heard
Craig say.
moved over toward him and whis-
pered eagerly, rs there anything
new"
go A little impatient at being interrupt
ed, Kennedy waved me off. 1t &C.
CURED to me that he might need
pad and pencil to make note OF
some information, and | reached over
the desk for them.
" AS / did so my arm inadvertently
struck the bottle of acid, knocking it
over on the top of the desk. It's con-
tents streamed out saturating the tele-
phone wires before could prevent it.
In trying to right the bottle my hand
came In contact with the acid which
burned like liquid fire, and | cried out
IN pain.
Craig hastily laid down the re-
eeiver, seized me and rushed me to
the back of-the laboratory, where he
drenched my hand with neutrallz'
ing liquid.
He pound up the wounds caused by
the acid, which proved to be slight,
after all, and then returned to the tele-
phone.
To his evident annoyance, he dis
covered that the acid had burned
through the wires and cut off all con-
nection.
At the other end Of the line, Elaine
was listening impatiently for a re-
Spouse to her first eager words OF In
quiry. She was astonished to ma,