The Washington herald., 1916-10-08

A thud, In the outer han, shook The
whole apartment. Running out to
investigate, they found Parrish lying
at full length on the hallway floor. As
Harold drew near the detective slowly
raised himself to his knees, clutching
agonizingiy at his throat.
IL guess I must have keeled
over" he evaded, brokenly, in answer
to Stanley's excited questions. i
oh, there you are, Miss Montrose."
Half an hour later, leaving Felix TO
notify the doctor of Parrish's pres
ence, Harold and Florence went to
the Photographic dark room" the
girl had equipped on the second floor
Of the Montrose home.
At the same moment, Pierre Ia
Rue, creeping along the hallway,
halted just outside the dark room"
door, and listened, in evident worry.
Leaving the door he ran noiselessly
toward the now empty laboratory. re-
turning a minute later carrying an
odd-shaped tank to which was at
tached a tube.
Holding the end Of the tube to the
keyhole Of the unventilated dark
room," La Rue turned on the tap.
The dark room" straightway began
to I'LL with a dizzying vapor. But in
his haste Pierre turned the lever too
suddenly in order to increase the
pressure. AS a result the tank ex-
ploded with q force that tore the
dark room" door from its hinges.
Stanley staggered out In the hall,
and, at glance, recognized La
Rue from his Photographic likeness.
With a shout he sprang at the man.
La Rue, deftly wriggiing out Of reach
OF Harold's descending arm, bolted
across the hall and upstairs. Harold
followed.
Up, up ran La Rue: the two young
men at his heels. He sprang at last
up the scuttle ladder, kicking 1t away
from under him, and gained the
roof. Harold. picking up the fallen
ladder and climbing In turn to the
roof, was in time to see La Rue
crouch for an instant on the parapet
edge, then launch himself into the
air.
Across a ten-foot space La Rue
sprang; till his outfiung arms seized
the boughs of a tall tree that grew
beside the house. He worked his way
swiftly to the trunk and, with the
speed Of a. cat, slid down to the
ground far below. 4
AS P1erre's feet touched the earth.
Stanley bent over the parapet and,
drawing his revolver, fired at the
fleeing figure. La Rue's left arm
was suddenly jerked upward by
spasmodic twttch of the nerves.
Felix, alone of the household, took
no part in the man-hunt. In the de-
serted laboratory he stood, his left
sleeve rolled up; bathing a wound
in his forearm.
At last the searchers realized that
they were on a FOOLS errand. They
gathered in the great lower hallway,
painting from their fruitless EFFORTS
And there Felix, descending the stair
way, found them.
Il have been searching the roof,
sir" he said in reply to a question
from the unhappy doctor. mo trace
Of him up there"
There is a trace Of him here,
though" said Florence, in sudden tri-
umph, as she recalled that she still
carried the precious Photographic
plate. Look, dadi"
She handed it to DR.. Montrose. He
held the negative to the light, study
ing it long and earnestly, his face
gray with suffering. Then Parrish
stretched out his hand for 1t.
IT'S our best clew, go far" said
Harold. ''The photograph Of the
Crimson Stain" murderer. And no
one VIII believe how we got It.
We"
He broke off with a cry of anger.
Parrish, clumsily handling the fragile
plate, had let it slip from between his
fingers. 1t fell to the polished floor
and smashed into a dozen pieces.
Lord, but I'm sorryi" sputtered
Parish, In noisy contrition, I'm a
butter-hngered boneheadI That's
what ami I'm"
Harold Stanley was not listening.
He had caught queer look In Fe-
ix,s crafty eyes, as the plate fell.
Florence. watching her lover, saw
light OF sudden knowledge and un-
derstanding flash across his face.
His was the expression of a man
who has all at once triumphautly
solved a baffling problem.
(To be continued next week)