The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-07-13
Thirteenth EPISODE
THE DEVIL WoRsHIPERs.

THE DEVIL WoRsHIPERs.
Elaine was seated In the drawing
room with Aunt Josephine one after
noon. when her lawyer. Perry Ben
nett, dropped In Unexpectedly.
He had hardly greeted them when
the butler, Jennings, in his usual i'm
passive manner announced that Aunt
Josephine was wanted on the tele-
phone.
No sooner were Elaine and Bennett
alone than Elaine. turning to him. ex-
claimed:
Last night l dreamed that father
came to me and told me that If
would give up Kennedy and put my
trust inSyou, l would find the Clutch
ing Hand. l don't know what to think
of it,
Bennett, who had been listening in
tently. moved over nearer to Elaine
and bent over her.
Elaine" he said in a low tone, his
remarkable eyes looking straight into
her own, you must know that / love
you. Then give me the right to pro-
tect you. 1t was your fathers dearest
wish, believe, that we should marry.
Let me share your dangers and l
swear that sooner or later there will
be an end to the Clutching Hand
Give me your answer, Elaine" he
urged, "and make me the happiest
man in all the world"
Elaine listened, and not unsympa-
thetically, as Bennett continued to
plead for her answer.
"Wait a little while-until tomor-
row." she replied finally.
Let 1t be as you wish, them"
agreed Bennett quietly.
He took her hand and kissed 1t pas
sionately.
An instant later Aunt Josephine re-
turned Elaine, unstrung by what
had happened, excused herself and
went into the library.
Involuntarily, her mind Travelled
back over the rapid succession of
events of the past few weeks and
the part that she had thought, at
least, Kennedy had come to play in
her life.
Then she thought of their recent
misunderstanding. Might there not
be some simple explanation Of 1t, aft
err all, which she had missed? What
should she do?
She solved the problem by taking
up the telephone and asking for Ken
nedy's number.
l was chatting with Craig in his
laboratory. and, at the same time.
was watching him in his experimental
work Just as call came on the tele-
phone. he was pouring some nitro
hydrochloric acid into test tube to
complete reaction.
The telephone tinkled and he laid
down the bottle of acid on his desk,
while he moved few steps to answer
the call.
Whoever the speaker was, Craig
seemed deeply interested, and, not
knowing who was talking on the wire.
l was eager to learn whether 1t was
anyone connected with the case Of
the Clutching Hand.
Eyes, this is Mr.. Kennedy" heard
Craig say.
/ moved over toward him and whis-
pered eagerly, rs there anything
new?'
A little impatient at being interrupt,
ed, Kennedy waved me OF. 1t &C.
CURED to me that he might need q
pad and pencil to make note of
some information, and reached over
the desk for them.
AS l did SO my arm inadvertently
struck the bottle of acid, knocking 1t
over on the top of the desk. Its con-
tents streamed out saturating the tele-
phone wires before could prevent it.
In trying to right the bottle my hand
came In contact with the acid which
burned like liquid fire, and cried out
In pain.
Craig hastily laid down the re-
ceiver, seized me and rushed me to
the back Of the laboratory, where he
drenched my hand with a neutraliz-
ing liquid.
He bound up the wounds caused by
the acid, which proved to be slight.
after all, and then returned to the tele-
phone.
To his evident annoyance. he dis
covered that the acid had burned
through the wires and cut of all con-
| nection.
At the other ed of the line. Elaine
was listening inpatiently for a re-
Spouse to her first eager words Of In
curry. She was astonished to find,
at last, that Kennedy had apparently
left the telephone without any expla-
nation or apology.
"Why-he rang off," she exclaimed
angrily to herself, as she hung up the
receiver and left the room.
I
In the center of devious and wind.
ing way, quite unknown to all except
| those who knew the innermost secrets
| of the Chinese quarter, and even un.
known to the police, there was dingy
tenement house. apparently inhabited
by Woodworking Cinnamon, but in re-
atty the headquarters of the notori
GUS devil worshipers, a sect of satan.
lists, banned even in the Celestial EN-
pire.
The followers of the cult comprised
some Of the most dangerous Chinese
criminals, thugs and assassins, be
sides a number of dangerous charac
tiers who belonged to various Chinese
secret societies. At the head of this
formidable organization was Long Sin
the high priest of the devil god, and
Long Sin had, as we know, already
Joined forces with the notorious
Clutching Hand.
The room In which the uncanny rites
of the devil worshipers we're conduct
ed was a large apartment decorated in
Chinese style. with highly colored por
traits of some of the devil deities and
costly silken hangings. Beside large
dais depended huge Chinese gong.
On the dais itself stood, or rather
sat, an ugly figure covered with some
sort of metallic plating. 1t almost
seemed to be the mummy Of China
man covered with gold leaf.
Into this room came Long Sin at
tired In an elaborate silken robe. He
advanced and kotowed before the
dais with its strange figure. and laid