Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-06-11

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when l heard the telephone ring. 1t
was Craig. Without 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 Leighs
house."
Half an hour later l was waiting
near the house in the suburbs to
which | had been directed by the
strange telephone call the day before.
l noticed that it was apparently de-
serted. The blinds were closed and a
"To 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 a 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 I want" he parted,
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 thing in it 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.
Kennedy had been carefully going
side of the cellar from ourselves
when | saw him stop and gaze at the
floor.
: Hide" he whispered suddenly to
us.
We waited a moment. Nothing hap
pened. Had he been seeing things OF
hearing things, l wondered?
From our hidden vantage we could
now see a square piece in the floor
perhaps five feet in diameter, slowl!
open up as though on a pivot.
: The weird and sinister figure of {
man appeared. Over his head he wore
peculiar helmet with hideous glass
pieces over the eyes, and tubes tina
connected with tank which he car
ried buckled to his back.
Quickly he closed down the cover o
the tube, but not before a vile effiuvl
UNI seemed to escape, and penetrate
even to us in our hiding places. Al
{. he moved forward, Kennedy gave
flying leap at him, and we followed
with regular football interference.
1t was the work Of only momen
/, for us to subdue and hold him. Will
Craig ripped off the helmet.
1t was Dan the Dude.
t whats that thing?" I puffed, as
helped Craig with the headgear.
I "An oxygen helmet" he replied
There must be air down the tube tina
cannot be breathed."
He went over to the tube. CAREFUL
he opened the top and gazed down
i starting back q second later, with hi
face puckered up at the noXious odol
Sewer gas" he calculated, as h
: slammed the cover down. Then h
added to the policeman: Where d
: you suppose it comes from?"
"Why," replied the officer, "the 81
James viaduct-an old sewer-is some
l. where about these parts"
Kennedy puckered his face as h
!. gazed at our prisoner. He reache
4 down quickly and lifted something Of
the mans coat.
: Golden hair" he mutteret
"Elaine's!"
0 A moment later he seized the ma
and shook him roughly.
@ Where is she-tell me?" he dc
d manded.
0 The man snarled some kind of a RI
d ply, refusing to say word about hel
e Tell me-" repeated Kennedy.
"Humph!" snorted the prisoner NOR
s close-mouthed than ever.
j. Kennedy was furious. AS he ser
the man Keeling away from him h
, seized the oxygen helmet and bega
t putting 1t on. There was only on
l. thing to do-to follow the clue of tn
t golden strands of hair.
a Down into the pest hole he went, hi
| head protected by the oxygen helme
AS he cautiously took one step afte
g another down a series Of iron rung
9 inside the hole, he found that the W,
ter was UP to his chest. At the bo
Q tom Of the perpendicular pit was
:, narrow, low passageway leading OF