Evening star., 1918-06-09
Mystery of the Steel Room

One of 'nobbling? Somebody trying
to get at the mare"
Eyes. A desperate somebody who
doesn't stop even at murder. A very
devil incarnate who seems to possess
the power Of invisibility and who
strikes in the dark. Save me, Mr..
Cleek! All I've got in the world is
at stake, and if anything happens to
Black Riot I'm ruined man."
'Yar-r-r" yawned the elderly sea
captain, rising and stretching. do
believe, constable, I've been asleep.
Warm weather this for May. A glo-
rious week for Epson. Shan't see you
tomorrow, I'm afraid. Perhaps shan't
that, my lad. and have half-a-crown's
worth on Black Riot for the Derby;
she'll win it sure"
'Thanky. sir. Good luck to you,
SIR"
Same to you. my lad. Good day"
Then the old gentleman In the top hat
and gray spats moved slowly away,
passed down the tree shaded walk,
passed the romping children, passed
the Princess Louise's statue of Queen
Victoria, and, after a moment, van
ished. Ten minutes later, when Mar
kom and Sir Henry returned to the
waiting motor they found him seated
within it awaiting them, as he had
promised. Giving Lennard orders to
drive about slowly in the least FREE
quented quarters. while they talked.
the superintendent got in with Sir
Henry and opened fire on the ease"
without further delay.
MY dear Cleek," ne said, "as you
appear to know all about Sir Henry
and his famous mare. there's no need
: SO may as well begin by telling you
at once that Sir Henry has come up to
town for the express purpose OF get
ting you to 60 down to his place IN
You are his only hope Of outwitting
a diabolical agency which has set out
to get at the horse and put 1t out OF
commission before Derby day, and in
scrutable manner ever heard of. my
dear chap. Already one groom who
sat up to watch with her has been
killed. another hopelessly paralyzed.
to balk the almost superhuman rascal
who is at the bottom of it all"
Conceive. IL you can, my dear
fellow. a power SO crafty. SO dia-
bolical. that it gets into locked
and guarded stable, gets in. my dear
Cleek. despite four men constantly
pacing back and forth before each
and every window and door that leads
into the place and with a groom on
in the same mysterious manner with
out having been seen or heard by
living soul. In addition to all the
windows being small and covered
with a grille Of iron, a fact which
would make it impossible for any
one to get in or out once the doors
were closed and guarded. Sir Henry
himself will tell you that the stable
has been ransacked from top to bot
tom, every hole and every corner
probed into. and not living crea-
ture of any sort discovered. Yet only
last night the groom. Tolliver, was
set upon inside the place and killed
outright in his efforts to protect the
horse; killed. Cleek. with four men
patrolling outside, and willing to
that nothing and no one, either man.
woman. child or beast, passed them
going in or getting out from sunset
until dawn"
'Hm-m-mr' said Cleek. sucking in
his lower lip. Mysterious. to say
. Did the men on guard hear no cryT'
"In the case of the first groom.
Murple, the one that was paralyzed
mo-" said Sir Henry as the question
waf addressed to him: But lin the
him C cry out. heard him cali out
Help! but by the time they could
get the doors open 1t was all over.
He was lying doubled up before the
entrance to Black Riots STALL. with
HIS AaCc " TIC uOoEs do Ocdu do ultuS
Caesar. poor fellow, and not sign
Of anybody anywhere"
And the horse? Did anybody get
at that?"
mo; for the best Of reasons. As soon
as these attacks began. Mr.. Cleek. l sent
up to London. A gang Of twenty-four
men came down, with steel plates, steel
joists. steel posts and in seven hours
time Black Riots box was converted
into a sort Of safe, to which alone hold
the key the instant 1t is locked up for
the night. A steel grille about half a
foot deep, and SO tightly meshed that
nothing bigger than a mouse could pass
through, runs all around the Enclosure
close to the top of the walls, and this
supplies ventilation. When the door Is
closed at night it automatically connects
itself with an electric gong in my own
bedroom, so that the slightest attempt to
open 1t, or even to touch it, would ham,
ner out an alarm close to my head
HAS it ever done so?"
Yes: last night, when Tolliver was
How killed. Sir Henry? Stabbed or
shot?"
Neither. He appeared to have been
strangled, poor fellow. and to have died
in most awful agony"
'Strangled! But, my dear sir, that
short a time. You say your men heard
him call out for help. Granted that it
took them a full minute-and 1t prob
ably did not take them half one-to open
the doors and come to his assistance, he
would not be stone dead in SO short a
time, and he was stone dead when they
got In, ! believe you said?"