The hummer. (Houston, Miss.) 1914-19??, 1915-06-25


As
sthaf window witch hs Aa1 opened IS
moment Be hestated. seelnF Elaine
asleep. Then he tlpt0ed over % The
bed. let Ne say. and for e moment
looked at her. sleeping.
A second later he had thrust hts
hand into his pocket and had taken out
q small glass bulb with q long thin
neck That was ethyl chloride
drug which produces q quick anesthe-
STA. But It lasts only a minute or two.
That was enough. As he broke the
glass neck OF the bulb-lettlng the
pieces fall on the floor near the bed
he showed the thing under Elaine'a
face. turning bis own head away and
holding a handkerchief over his own
nose. The mere heat Of his hand Is
enough TO cause the ethyl chloride to
spray out and overcome her instantly.
He steps away from her a moment and
replaces the now empty vial in his
pocket
Then he took a box from bis pocket,
opened It. There must have been g
syringe and a bottle Of scopolamin.
Where they came from do not know,
but perhaps from some hospital.
shall have to find that out later. He
went to Elaine, quickly iabbing the
needle, with no resistance from her
now. Slowly he replaced the bottle
and the needle in his pocket He
could not have been in any hurry now,
for It takes time for the drug to
work.
Kennedy paused. Had we known at
the time, Miehael-he of a sinister
face-must have been in the hallway
that night careful that 20 one saw
him. A tap at the door and the
"Clutching Hand" must have beckoned
him. Amoment's parley and they sep
arated-"Clutching Hand" going back
to Elaine, who was now under the in
fuence Of the second drug.
"Our criminal" resumed Kennedy
thoughtfully. may have shaken
Elaine She did not answer. Then he
may have partly revived her. She
must have been startled. 'Clutching
Hand, perhaps, was half crouching,
with a big ugly blue steel revolver
leveled full in her face.
lone word and / shoot! he prob
ably cried. Get up!
Trembling, she must have done so.
Your slippers and a kimono, he
would naturally have ordered. She
put them on mechanically. Then he
must have ordered her to go out Of
the door and down the stairs. Clutch
ing Hand must have followed, and as
he did so he would have cautiously put
out the lights"
We were following, spellbound, Ken
nedy's graphic reconstruction Of what
must have happened. Evidently he
had struck close to the truth. Elaine's
eyes were closed. Gently Kennedy led
her along. Nov, Miss Dodge" he en-
couraged, "try-try hard to recollect
Just what It was that happened last
night-everything."
AS Kennedy paused after his quick
recital, she seemed to tremble all over,
Slowly she began to speak We stood
awestruek. Kennedy had been right!
The girl was now living over again
those minutes that had been forgot
ten-blotted out by the drug.
And 1t was all real to her, too-ter
ribly real. She was speaking. plainly
In terror.
Il see a man-oh, such q figure
with a mask He holds a gun in my
face-he threatens me. / put on my
kimono and slippers, as he tells me.
l am in a daze. I know what / am
doing-and ! don't know. l go out
with him, downstairs, into the library"
Elaine shuddered again at the reeol
lection. "Ughl The room is dark
the room where he killed my father
Moonlight outside streams in This
masked man and I come in. He
switches on the lights.
Go to the safe, he says, and
do 1.-THE new safe, you know. DC
you know the combination?' he asks
me. Yes reply, too frightened to
say no.
"'Open it then he says, waving that
awful revolver CLOSER. l do so. Hast
| lily he rummages through It, throwing
papers here and there. But he seems
not to find what he is after and turns
away, swearing fearfully.
"'Hang it, he cries at me. Where
else did your father keep papersY
point in desperation at the desk. He
takes one last look at the safe, shoveE
all the papers he has strewn on the
floor back again and slams the safe
shut
Now, come on, he says. indicating
with the gun that he wants me to fol
low him away from the SAFE At the
desk he repeats the search. But be
finds nothing. Almost I think he ii
about to kill me. Where else did YOU
father keep papers? he Kisses fiereely
still threatening me with the gun.