The Elbert County tribune., 1915-04-23

! when ! heard the telephone ring. It
was Craig. Without a 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 a
ITO Let" sign was on the side of the
house.
Hello. Walter" cried Craig at last.
bustling along.
He led the way around the side of
the house to window, and. with a
| powerful grasp, wrenched open the
closed shutters. He had just smashed
the window when a policeman ap-
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 l want" he parried,
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 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.
j., 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, l 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 a 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 effluvi-
um seemed to escape. aud 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.
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.
whats that thing?" puffed. as
helped Craig with the headgear.
IAN 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 dc
you suppose 1t comes from?"
why" replied the officer, "the st
James viaduct-an old sewer-is some
where about these parts
Kennedy puckered his face as he
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 mar
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 her
Tell me-" repeated Kennedy.
'Humphl" snorted the prisoner. more
close-mouthed than ever.
Kennedy was furious AS he SEN
tho man reeling away from him he
seized the oxygen helmet and begar
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 aftel
another down 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 &
. narrow. low passageway leading on