Evening star., 1918-04-21
By THOMAS w. MANSHlEW
81 CLEEK, THE MASTER DETECTIVE 800 b.

SVS SVS
gency, and I've carried a few things
into the passage for :afterward.' I sup
pose that fellow Merode, as he calls
himself, is in his room, waiting"
alone tonight, he has other men with
him, hideous. rufffanly looking crea-
lures. whom saw him admit after the
servants had gone. The countess has
left the house and gone, I don't know
where"
"I do. then. Make certain that she's
at The Twisted ARM waiting, first. for
the coming of Clodoche. and, second.
for the arrival of this precious 'Merode'
with the remaining half of the docu-
ment. I've sent Dollops there to carry
out his part of the program, and when
once I get the password Margot re-
quires before she will hand over the
paper the game will be in my hands en-
tirely. They are desperate tonight.
Miss Lorne, and will stop at nothing
not even murder. There! the rugs re-
placed. Quick! lead me to the baron's
room, there's not a minute to waste.
through the darkness. and in another
moment he was in the Baron de Car
jorac's presence.
"Oh, monsieur. God forever bless
you!" exclaimed the broken old man,
throwing himself on his knees before
Cleek.
"out with the light-out with the
light" exclaimed he, ducking down
suddenly. Were you mad to keep 1t
burning till I came, with that" point
upon a balcony, "uncurtained and the
grounds, no doubt, alive with spies?"
Miss Lorne sprang to the table
where the baron's reading lamp stood,
darkness enveloped the room. darkness
tempered only by the faint CLEANS of
the moon streaming over the balcony
and through the panes of the uncur-
tained window.
Cleek, on his knees beside the kneel-
ing baron, whipped a tiny electric torch
from his pocket and. shielding it's flare
with his scooped hands, flashed it upon
the old mans face.
Simple as rolling off a log-exactly
like your pictures" he commented. "Tll
do you as easily as I do Clodoche. and
I could do him in the dark from men,
ory. Quick smoking off the light of
the electric torch and. rising to his feet.
Into your dressing room. baron. l
want that suit of clothes; I want that
ribbon, that cross-and I want them at
once. You're bit thicker set than me.
but I've got my Clodoche rig on under
meath this, and it will fill out your coat
admirably and make us as like as two
peas. Give me five minutes, Miss Lorne.
and promise you surprise"
He flashed out of sight with the
baron as he ceased speaking. and Ailsa,
creeping to the window and peering
cautiously out, was startled presently
by a voice at her elbow saying, in a
tone of extreme agitation, "Oh, made
moiselle, I fear. even yet I fear. that
this Anglais monsieur attempts too
moch, and that the papier he is gone
forever"
'Oh, no. baron, no." she said, soothing
ly, as she laid solicitous hand upon his
arm. DO believe in him: do have faith
in him. All, if you only knew"
Thanks. I reckon 1 shall pass mus
teri" interposed Cleek's voice; and 1t was
only then she realized. you'll find the
baron in the other room. Miss Lorne.
looking little grotesque in that gray suit
Of mine. In with you, quickly. go with
low before those fellows begin to stir.
Get out of the house as quietly and ex-
peditiously as yoG can. With Gods help
I'll meet you at the Hotel Louvre in the
morning, and put the missing fragment in
the baron's hands"
land may God give you that help" she
answered fervently as she moved toward
the dressing room door, "Ah, what a
man! What man.
Then in a twinkling she was gone. and
Cleek stood alone in the silent room.
Giving her and the baron time to get clear
of the other one. he went in on tiptoe.
locked the door through which they had
passed, put the key in his pocket, and re-
turned. Going to the door which led from
the main room into the corridor, he took
the key from the lock of that, too. re-
placing 1t upon the outer side, and leaving
the door itself slightly ajar-
'"Now. then. for you, Mr.: The Red
Crawl" he said: as he walked to the
deep chair beside 1t, leaned back with his
eyes closed as If In sleep, the faint light
OF the moon half revealing his face. u
want that password, and I'll get it if
have to choke it out of your devils throat;
And she said that she would be grateful
to me all the rest of her life. Only CRATE
full 1 wonder? Is nothing else possible?
What a good. good thing a real wom-
an is"
How long was 1t that he had been re-
clining there waiting before his strained
ears caught the sound Of something like
the rustling OF silk shivering through the
stiffness. and he knew that at last 1t was
coming? 1t might have been ten min
utes, it might have been twenty-five had
no means of determining-when he caught
that first movement. and. peering through
the slit of a partly opened eye, saw the
appalling thing drag its huge bulk along
the balcony, and, with tentacles writhing.
settle down in glowing red heap on the
floor. Fake though he knew it to be.
Cleek could not repress swift rush and
prickle of goose flesh at sight of it.
FOR a rev SeCoHuS II lay uoIlldul, lAeit
one red feeler shot out, then another and
another, and 1t began to edge its way
across the carpet to the chair. Cleek lay
still and waited. his heavy breathing
sounding regularly. his head thrown back,
his limp hands lying loosely, palms up
ward. Nearer and nearer crept the loath-
some. red, glowing thing.
1t crawled to his feet, and still he was
quiet; it slid first one tentacle and then
another over his knees and up toward his
breast, and still he made no movement:
then, as it rose until its hideous beaked
countenance was close to his own, his
hands flashed upward and clamped to-
gether like a vise-clamped on palpitat-
ing human throat. In the twinkling of
an eye the tentacles were wrapped about
him, and he and 1.-The Red Crawl were
rolling over and over on the floor and bat
Ting together.
."Serpice, you low-bred hound, know
your he whispered. as they struggled.
You can't utter a cry. You shant ut
ter cry to bring help. I'll throttle
you, you beastly renegade that's will
ing to sell his own country-throttle
you, do you hear?-before you shall
bring any of your mates to the rescue.
oh. you've not got a weak old man to
It's the 'Cracksman.' the 'Cracksman'
who went over to the police. If you
doubt it, now that we're in the moon
light, look up and see my face. Ohio!
you recognize me. 1 see. Well. you
will die looking at me, you dog, If you
deny me what I'm after. II loosen my
grip enough for you to whisper and no
Clodoche must give to Margot tonight
at "The Twisted Arm? Tell me what
1t is; if you want your life. tell me
what it is