Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-09-08

hardest part of the case to come! He
was going to arouse sydney Thames
from the stupor of drugs and hypno-
tism. He needed him now. There
must be eyes upon which he could de-
pend for the final work on the case.
He had worked without eyes, follow
ing each step to its stone wall; turn
ing to begin all over again every
time Now he saw the straight path
at last, and he had proved it straight.
There was no chance of failure now.
Those against whom he was pitted
had but one course of action left:
They would take II, because ne hau
forced them to take 1t.
In the darkened library he pour
ed himself a drink OF brandy. Cotton
never drank: a glass of Celestins had
been his limit of dissipation for years.
The fire OF the liquor coursed through
his veins with its artificial stimulant.
He knew that 1t was artificial, that 1t
would demand its price in reaction.
but the game demanded it, and Thorn
ley Cotton always played his games
to the limit. There was no thought
Of self; every part of him was strain
ed for one thing - the solution OF
! crime puzzle.
He swathed his eyes again in the
cooling, soaked bandages. and made
| his way through the darkness to
! where Sydney Thames lay. The sec
retary was sleeping quietly, and his
/ breathing was regular. Colton's fins-
er on his pulse felt that the effect OF
the drug had worn Off 1t had taken
but a touch, when he had found
Thames at police headquarters. to de-
tect the peculiar bounding" pulse of
I nOFnhia No I'm All
nosis of the wonderful old woman
with the remarkable eyes was still
strong. He was going to try and COM
| bat II without the greatest aid of hyp-
notism - the peculiar eyes of the hyp-
notist.
He placed his hand on the hot fore
head of Sydney. The man stirred un-
easily, and a humble came from his
throat. The super-keen ears of the
blind man caught the word Nelson" 4"
and he knew that even in the uncon-
sciousness of sleep his secretary was
repeating his lesson.
Forget the eyes. Sydney Thames!
Forget! Sydney Thames Sydney
Thames! Sydney Thames!"
All the wonderful will of the blind
man was in the words. His whole
face was drawn with the concentra-
ton of every ounce of strength he
possessed that was in the tone of his
voice, clearer, stronger, repeated the
words:
George Nelson. Waiter. Biggest
stunt New York ever saw"
Behind the words Thornley, Cotton
could see the woman. grim, terrible.
commanding the drugged man. He
could see the secretary lighting hope
lessly again her, trying to make his
morphia-weakened brain carry out
the orders of the blind man.
", ,lz.. -
Thornley Cotton? This is Thornley,
Cotton, Sydney! You are sydney
Thames! Sydney Thames"
over and over, in endless repeti-
uon, came the words. At times the
voice of the blind man was soothing,
grooming. Then the words came in
hard-voiced command, sharply, cold
~ The white hair that usually curl
ed from the pink scalp Strengthened
damply as the perspiration came from
every pore. The GOODNESS o the band
age was gone; the dead eyes under the
folds burned with the soaring flame
hours exposure to the light had caus.
ed.
George Mel - son - twenty -
age - seven - waiter"
The words came slowly haltingly
as though the man on the bed were
repeating a lesson ne had not thor.
oughly learned.
Cotton was winning! Winning! Syd.
ney was forgetting the words that had
peen driven into his brain; the phrase
that had been repeated to often thai
even the crows mechanical brain had
learned 1t, was being lost. In the mind
or the semi-conscious secretary, the
VIII OF the woman with the terrible
eyes and the will of the blind man
were waging battle. But THORNLEY,
Cotton was winning:
sudden chill shook the BODY NJ
the man on the bed; his arm raised
so that his hand could rub his fore
head shakingly. Coltons finger tins
resting gently on Sydney's shoulder
felt the movement His voice became
tense, flintlike.
sydney Thames! Sydney Thames"
FOR minute the mumbIed words
that came could noe be understood
then they came more plainly, but So
slowly that there seemed spaces he
tween the very letters:
G-e-o-r-g-e Mel - Thames
Ihames - sgd - waiter - age -
Thames"
(To Be Continued)