Judsonia weekly advance., 1917-03-28
FIFTH EPISODE
AbIaze in Mid-Air.

The loose planking that had been care1essly nailed to form the floor that separated Pat from the room below, rattled under the girls feet as she hurried to the rescue of Phil Kelly, who was struggling against odds in the room below. With feverish haste the girl grasped the edge of the board, forcing her fingers through the wide cracks that separated the blanks, one from the other.
 She could hear Kelly's wild shouts for help, coming to her from the room below. The ominous swish of the tails of score of alligators as they strug- gled in the water to reach their hap less victim, added note of extreme terror to the situation.
 Kelly's hands and fingers were bleed- ing from his mad work, trying to save himself from falling into the tank of water among the alligators.
 Jacques who had followed Pat up the rickety stairs where she had run in the hope of finding a means of res cuing the Sphinx, added his efforts to i, the girls eager struggles.
 s.Hold on for your life," Pat called down to the detective. "I'll not see you eaten alive if my efforts can pre- vent it.'
 While Jacques worked with his strong hands, Pat scurried about the room in which she suddenly found borcolf ond flicooyorod o p;aoa of ropo As q gift from the gods she bounced upon the rope, and by using short pieces of planking to pry the boards loose Jacques soon made a hole in the floor large enough to accommodate Kellys body.
 When they had drawn Kelly far enough to permit him to help himself by reaching up to grasp the blanks and rafters, Pat shouted to Jacques:
 You stay and see him out of his trouble. I'm going to disappear" It was the next day before Kelly could reach Pat on the phone and ask permission to call upon her. And then the girl put him off with series of excuses that exasperated him.
 T can't understand why you will not let me call and thank you for sav- ing my life, Miss Pat" Kelly finally said over the phone.
 '@The truth is, if you must know, don't require any thanks. It was just the logical action of one human being toward another in distress" said the girl.
 But your action puzzles me" Kel- 1y started to continue
 And that's just what I have set out to do," interrupted the girl, ito keep you guessing and make you prove that what your admirers say about your be- ing the greatest detective in all Eu- rope"
 Before Kelly could continue the con- versation Pat had terminated his op- portunity by hanging up the receiver.
 .'I'll make MT. Kelly regret the day he snubbed me-" she said to herself, as she lit cigarette and languidly dropped upon the divan.
 Mrs. Van Nuys interrupted her rev erie by entering Pats boudoir and an- nouncing:
 We are invited to the Crosbys to- night, my dear. They are giving party and want you and me to attend" said Mrs. Van Nuys.
 ''The Crosbys are all right suppose but would rather remain at home," said Pat a little wearily. But if you would like me to go, auntie, am per- fectly agreeable to the idea," she add ed.
 And it was finally agreed that they should be numbered among the Cros- by's guests at the party. After Mrs. Van Nuys had left the room Pat began to conjure some method to ring Kelly into the occasion and further humiliate him. And in the hour or more she devoted to the subject, Pat thought out a way to make the Sphinx still further regret that he had been rude , to her.
 Taking up her pen, Pat wrote note, in disguised hand, informing Kelly that there would be a great display of jewels at the Crosby fete, and asking that he attend to protect the valu- ables.
 There will be one jewel, almost priceless, that the Apaches are plan ning to get. We hear you are great