The Springdale news., 1915-05-14
FOURTEENTH EPISODE
THE RECKONING.

Pacing up and down his den in the heart of Chinatown. Long Sin was thinking over his bargain with Ken nedy to betray the infamous Clutch ing Hand.
 At length he seated himself on a lockwood table still deliberating over the promise he had been forced to make to Kennedy.
 Suddenly an idea seemed te strike him. Lifting a little hammer he struck a Chinese gong on the table at his side. At the same time he leaned over and turned the knob at the side of large roll-top desk
 4 few seconds later a sort Of hatch way. covered by a rug on the floor, In one corner of the room, was slowly lifted and Long Sins secretary, a pale, eadaYerous Ghinaman, appeared from below. He stepped noiselessly into the room and shufIled across to Long Sin and handed him letter
 Long Sin scowled. as though some thing had interfered with his own plans. but tore open the envelope with out a word spreading out on his lap the sheet of paper il contained.
 The letter was typewriter mes sage, all in capitals, which read.
 "BE AT HEADQUARTERS AT 12. DESTROY THIS IMMEDIATELY"
 At the bottom Of the note appeared the sinister signature of the C1uteAing Hand.
 Rowing low aeain.the secretary shaflled across and down again through the hatehWay. closing the door as he descended.
 Long Sin read the note once more. while his inscrutable face assumed an expression of malicious cunning
 With an air Of deliberation he reached for match and struck it.. He had placed the paper in the flame when suddenly he seemed to change his mind He hastily blew out the match, which had destroyed only a corner of the paper, then folded the note carefully and placed it in his pocket
 few moments later. with malig- nant chuekle, Long Sin rose slowly and left the room
 Meanwhile the master criminal was busily engaged in putting the finishing touches to q final scheme of tiendish ingenuity for the absolute destrue- tion of Craig Kennedy.
 He had been at work in small room fitting up a sort of laboratory in the mysterious house which now served as his headquarters.
 Clutching Hand, at bench in one corner, had just completed an internal machine of diabolieal cunning. and was wrapping 1t carefully in paper 10 make an innocent package
 He was interrupted by knock at the door. Laying down the bomb he went to answer the summons with stealthy movement. There stood Long Sin. who had disguised himself as a Chinese laundryman.
 "On time-good' growled Clutch ing Hand surlily as he closed the door with equal care.
 No time was wasted in useless for malties.
 This is a bomb, he went on, point ing to the package. "Carry it care fully. On no account let it slip oi you are a dead man. It must be H Kennedy's laboratory before night Understand? Can you arrange 1t?
 Long Sin glanced at the dangerous package. then with an expressive LOOK replied, Have no fear. can do Il It will be in the laboratory within al hour Trust me
 
 In Kennedy's laboratory l was watch ing Craig make some experiments with a new X-ray apparatus.
 We were oblvious to the passage O time, and only a call over our speah ing tube diverted our attention
 opened the door and few secoho' later Long Sin himself entered
 Kennedy looked up inquirlngly a' the Chinaman approached, holding ou a package which he carried.
 "A bomb" he said, in the most mat ter-of-fact way. T promised to haV' 1t placed in your laboratory befor' night"
 Kennedy took the bomb and care fully placed it under the wondertu rays, then with the horoscope over Ill eyes studied the shadow cast by th rays on it's sensitive screen
 Its a bomb, sure enough, Crall exclaimed. looking up from 1t at las to me. Its timed by an ingenlou