Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1915-04-24

when ] heard the telephone ring. 1t
was Craig Without word of apology
for his rudeness, which | knew had
been purely absent-minded, | 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 | 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 window, and, with
powerful grasp, wrenchcd open the
closed shutters He had just smashed
the window when 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 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 1t 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 | 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. | wondered2
From our hidden vantage we could
now see square piece in the foor'
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 a tank which he car
, ried buckled to his back.
> Quickly he closed down the cover OF
the tube, but not before a vile eflluyi
= 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 regular football interference,
o 1t was the work of only a moment
y for us to subdue and hold him, while
Craig ripped off the helmet.
y 1t was Dan the Dude.
I whats that thinf?" ! puffed, as
helped Craig with the headgear
"An oxygen helmet" he replied
There must be air down the tube tina
cannot be breathed,'
He went over to the tube. CAREFUL!
he opened the top and gazed down
starting back second later, with hi
face puckered up at the noxious odor
Sewer gas" he calculated, as III
' slammed the cover down. Then h
added to the policeman: Where d
y you suppose It comes FROM
why" replied the officer, "the 81
|" James viaduct--an old sewer--is some
D. where about these parts
Kennedy puckered his face as b.
l. gazed at our prisoner He reached
. down quickly and lifted something oil
- the mans coat
T. Golden hair" he muttered
"Elaine's"
o A moment later he seized the mai
and shook him roughly
% where is she-tell me-" he de
u manded
u The man snarled some kind OF RI
u ply. refusing to say a word about hel
10 Tell me" repeated Kennedy.
"Humph" snorted the prisoner, NOR
ID close mouthed than ever
D. Kennedy was furious. AS he sen
the man Keeling away from him h
O. seized the oxygen helmet and bega
I rutting it on There was only on
u thing to do-to follow the clue OF tn
AZ 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
lg another down a series Of iron rune
le inside the hole he found that the WI
ter was I'D to his chest At the DO
le tom Of the perpendicular pit was
g. narrow, low passageway leading oil