The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1915-06-24
We'll, there u.s." growled the driver.


taxicab driver aside.
Let me try it," he said miss
Dodge, will you arrange that spark
and throttle?"
Elaine, equal to anything, did so, and
Craig bent down and cranked the en-
CINE 1t started on the first spin.
See" he exclaimed. There wasn't
anything, after all"
He took a step toward the taxicab.
"Mr. Kennedy-look out!" cried
Elaine
Craig turned But it was too late.
The rough-looking fellow had awak-
ened to life, Suddenly he stepped up
behind Kennedy with blackjack AS
the heavy weight descended Craig
crumpled up on the ground uncon-
scious.
With a scream, Elaine turned and
started to run. But the chauffeur
seized her arm.
Say, bo," he asked of the rough fell
low, what does Clutching f md want
with her? Quick! There's another
cab likely to be along in moment
The rough fellow, with an oath,
seized her and dragged her into the
taxicab. 60 ahead" he growled, in
dicating the road.
And away they sped, leaving Ken
NEEDY unconscious on the side of the
road, where we found him.
What are we to dor l asked help
lessly of Kennedy, when we had at
last got him on his feet.
His head still ringing from the force
of the blow of the blackjack, Craig
stopped down, then knelt in the dust
of the road, then ran ahead a bit,
where it was somewhat muddy.
(Which way-which way?" he NUT
tered to himself
I thought perhaps the blow had af-
fected him and leaned over to see
what he was doing. Instead, he was
studying the marks made by the tire'I
of the Clutching Hand cab
More slowly now and carefully, we
proceeded, for mistake meant losing
the trail of Elaine.
We came to another crossroads and
the driver glanced at Craig. "StopI"
he ordered.
In another instant he was down in
the dirt, examining the road for marks.
That way!" he indicated, leaping
back to the running board
We piled back into the car and pro-
ceeded under Kennedy's direction, as
fast as he would permit. So it con-
tinued, perhaps for a couple of hours.
At last Kennedy stopped the cab
and slowly directed the driver to veer
into an open space that looked partic-
ularly lonesome Near it stood one
story brick factory building. closed.
but not abandoned
AS / looked about at the unattrac-
tive scene, Kennedy already was down
on his knees in the dirt again, study
ing the tire tracks. They were all
confused, showing that the taxicab
we were following had evidently
backed in and turned several times
before going on.
Crossed by another set of tire |
tracks" he exclaimed excitedly,
studying closer. THAT must have
been the limousine, waiting"
Laboriously he was following the
course of the cars in the open space,
when one word escaped him, Foot
prints!"
He was up and off in moment, be-
fore we could imagine what he was
after. We had got out of the cab,
and followed him as, down to the |
very shore of a sort of cove or bay, !
he went. There lay rusty, discard
ed boiler on the beach, half sub /
merged in the rising tide. At this
tank the footprints seemed to go
right down the sand and into the |
waves, which we're slowly obliterating
them. Kennedy gazed out as II to
zon where the cove widened out.
"Look!" I cried.
Further down the shore, few feet,
had discovered the same prints, go
ing in the opposite direction, back to-
ward the place from which he had |
just come. | started to follow them,
but soon found myself alone. Ken |
nedy had paused beside the old boiler. |
What is it," | asked, retracing my |
steps.
He did not answer, but seemed to be
listening. We listened also There
certainly was a most peculiar noise
inside that tank.
Was it a muffled scream?