The Elk Mountain pilot., 1917-11-29


That's the fellow. Friend Of yours"
"No," said Ravengar decisively. Il
know him. that's all. Did you happen
to notice whether he was holding any
thing in his handr
II guess not" said the policeman.
"Wait bit! Now come to think Of
1t. did notice that he had one of his
hands clenched tight. as II he wanted
to hold on to 1t. But I guess there
wasn't nothing in it-there couldn't
have been. because his fingers was
so close together he couldn't have had
pea or penny inside"
ut mightn't have been a medicine
bother" Ravengar persisted.
The policeman shook his head, and
Ravengar went back to LeOntine, who
had been unable to push toward him.
"It was Sebastian" he said, "and
they've taken him to st. Luke's. 1t
seems as If he's got rid of the pellets.
but they may be in his clothes. Wen
have to see him."
Ravengar shouted to a passing taxi,
which drew up to the sidewalk. "St.
Luke's!" he shouted. and, helping Le-
ontine in, he followed her.
Sebastian, alone in the motorboat,
put on all speed.
He crossed the river. put In at
little private dock. left the boat there,
and hurried nlong the waterfront. He
entered shop where sailors clothing
was sold, and purchased a cap and
long overcoat, which hid his dripping
garments.
Then, feeling safer from scrutiny, he
made his way along the river front,
and worked back toward his home.
He was approaching the house when
he saw Leontine and Ravengar leave
and hail a taxicab. He followed the
traffic until 1t reached the street on
which Ravengars laboratory was situ-
ated. Here 1t quickened Its pace. Sc
bastian began to run. He painted along.
the taxicab drawing farther and far
ther away from him, until. just as he
began to despair of catching it, 1t
drew up at the house in which the
laboratory was situated.
Sebastian watched them enter. He
wondered whose house 1t was, and why
they were going there. He crept up
to recOnnoiter and perceived that an
alley ran between this house and the
next. Entering this, he heard Raven
gar and Leontine enter room on an
upper floor.
Sebastian was a good climber. He
Skinned up pipe like monkey, until
he was clinging to the window sill op-
posite Ravengar's laboratory, yet II lit
tie below the direct line of vision.
Hanging there Sebastian heard Raw
engnr begin to explain his secret to
LeOntine. He gathered enough to real
ize what power lay in his grasp.
Ravengar set the bottle down on the
table with the cloth andturned away.
Sebastian could hardly believe his eyes.
What fool the man was! He
stretched his arm out, clinging with
the other hand to the window ledge.
The hand stretched out toward the
laboratory window crept quickly for
ward. 1t passed through the open win
dow, grasped the bottle and the cloth,
and disappeared.
Sebastian balanced himself for IN
instant upon the window ledge and
then swung back into the room of the
house adjoining.
Sebastian ran through the room,
along the passage, down the stairs, and
made his escape by the back door into
the street. Still clutching the cloth
and the pellets. he ran on blindly.
He looked up as he heard an auto
horn. He heard the shouts Of the
chauffeur. Then the car containing
the joy riders drove down on him,
catching him and flinging him beneath
the wheels, one Of which passed over
his chest.
A policeman came up. The body
was lifted from under the car. A doc
tor. who happened to be passing, was
summoned. After brief examination,
he announced that Sebastian was not
badly hurt, but advised that he be
taken to hospital.
The car with the policeman drove
of, at his directions, toward st.
Luke's, and Sebastian was put to bed
in the ward.
There he opened his eyes a few min
utes after his arrival. to find himself
alone, except for a sick man in the
opposite corner. The nurse had gone
out of the ward.
Sebastian tried to remember what
had happened. He wondered why his
fist was tightly clenched and why he
was conscious of a strong impulse not
to open it.
Then he knew why. So powerful
had been his exercise of will power
that all through the period Of his un-
consciousness he had clutched hard
to the filmy mantle, the entire bulk
of which could be held in one hand.