The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-04-28

He followed me, and says you have
done his work for him. If you will
give him ten thousand dollars for ex-
penses he will attend to hiding the
body"
Here, at least,was a way out.
1T is the safest way out of the
trouble. Yes, I'll do it. I'll stop at the
bank now and get the money"
They rose and Mary preceded her.
eager to get away from the house.
At the door, however. Elaine asked
her to wait while she ran back on
some pretext.
Our telephone rang in the middle
Of our conversation on blood crys-
tails. and Kennedy himself answered it.
1t was Elaine asking Craig's adj
vice.
They have offered to hush the
thing up for ten thousand dollars" she
said in muff1ed voice.
She seemed bent on doing it, and no
amount of argument from him could
stop her. She simply refused to ac-
cept the evidence of the blood crys-
tails as better than what her own eyes
told her she had seen and done.
Then wait for half an hour" he
answered, without arguing further.
You can do that without exciting
suspicion. Then go with her to her
hotel and hand her over the money"
'All right-IIl do it," she agreed.
What is the hotel?"
Craig wrote on a slip of paper what
she told him-"Room 500, Hotel La
Coste."
Hastily he threw on his street coat.
go into the back room and get me
brace and bit, Walter, he said.
did so. When returned I saw
that he had placed the detectascope
and some stuff in bag. He showed
in the brace and bit also.
Come on-hurry!" he urged.
We must have made record time in
getting to- the La Coste. 1t was an or
nate place, where merely to breathe
was expensive. We entered, and by
some excuse Kennedy contrived to
get past the vigilant bell-hops. We
passed the telephone switchboard and
entered the elevator, getting of at
the fifth floor.
With hasty glance up and down
the corridor, to make sure no one was
about, Kennedy came to Room 500,
then passed to the next room, 511,
opening the door with skeleton key.
Quickly Craig went to the door
which led to the next room. 1t was,
Of course, locked also. He listened
moment carefully. Not sound. Quick
Iy, with an exclamation of satisfac-
ton, he opened that door also and
went into 500.
This room was much like that in
which we had already been. He
opened the hall door.
Watch here, Walter" he directed.
Let me know at the slightest alarm"
Craig had already taken the brace
and bit from the bag and started to
bore through the wall in Room 81,
selecting spot behind a picture of
Spanish dancer-a spot directly back
of her swapping black eyes. He fin
ished quickly and inserted the detecta-
scope so that the lens fitted as an eye
in the picture. The eye-piece was in
room 511. Then he started to brush
up the pieces of plaster on the floor.
Craig" 1 whispered hastily as I
heard an, elevator door, someone's
coming!"
He hurried to the door and looked.
There they are" he said, as he saw
Elaine and Mary rounding the corner
of the hall
Across the hall, although we did not
knowsit at the times in room $40, al
ready Wong Sin had taken up his sta.
| ton, just to be handy. There he had
been with his servant, playing with
his two trained white rats.
Wong placed them up his capacious
sleeves and carefully opened the door
to look out Unfortunately he was
| just in time to see the door of 500
open and disclose us.
| We hurried into 511 and shut the
door.
Kennedy mounted a chair and ap-
piled his eye to the detectascope. Just
then Mary and Elaine entered the
next room, Mary opening the door
with regular key.
Wont you step in?'' she asked.
Elaine did so and Mary. hesitated
in the hall. Wong Sin had slipped
out. on noiseless feet and taken ref
uge behind some curtains. AS he saw
her alone. he beckoned. to. Mary.
There's a stranger in the next
ROOM" he whispered. 81 don't like
him. Take the money and as quickly
as possible get out and go to my
apartment"
At the news that there was a sus-
picious stranger about Mary showed
great alarm. Everything was so rap
i'd now that the slightest hesitation
meant disaster. Perhaps by quick
ness even a suspicious stranger could
be fooled, she reasoned. At any rate
Wong Sin was resourceful. She had
better trust him.
Mary followed Elaine into the room
where she had seated herself already,
and locked the door.
"Have you the money there?" she
asked.
EYES," nodded Elaine, taking out
the package of bills which she had got
from the bank during the half-houI
delay,
All this we could see by gazing al
ternately through the detectascope.
Elaine handed Mary the money
Mary counted 1t slowly. At last she
looked up.
IT'S all right" she said Nov. II
take this to that tong leader. Hes in
a room only just across the hall"
She went out.
Mary had just succeeded in getting
on the elevator as Kennedy hurried
down the hall. The door was closed
and the car descended. He rang the
push bell furiously, but there wai
no answer.
He dashed back to the room witt
US and jerked the telephone receiver