Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-12-08
CHAPTER CCCLXX.
copyright, 1919, King Features
Syndicate Inc.)

(Copyright, 1919, King Feature
Syndicate Inc.)
In utter amazement / staggered
hack from the wreck of SheldoI
Blake's car. Those heavy leathel
straps. used to hold baggage, hat
not been torn, nor had they burst
They were cut. The tank was un
damaged. It was the forward par
of the car that was crumpled.
| tried to recall the car hat
looked this morning. Shutting my
ewes L made an effort to visualize
the appearance of the tank ter
hours before. [ could almost recol-
lect-but just when / thought
had it, 1 realized that 1 was try,
ing so hard that saw whaI
thought rather than what L feheIh-
bered.
Then 1 recalled the sensation ia
had q few minutes before-the feel
ing that something heavy and mani
mate had brushed against me. A
ghostlv feeling, but one | know
Very we'll must have been produced
by some human agency transport
ing an Inanimate thing. A piece OF
leather luggage. The figure Ia
seen crouchings at the top of the
hill? | knew now that ! had ac-
tually seen it, and that it wasn't a
figment of my IMAGINATION. WhS
could it have been?
Who indeed? Who beside myself
had any motive for removing any
tell-tale piece of evidence? ENVY
Mason, But if ENVY Mason had been
there before me, what motive coulo
she have had in coming to do wha,
I had done out of pity for Val and
in friendship for Lane? EVvys
part in the whole terrible business
was mysterious undeclared.
My feeling of ghosts and haunt
ing fear seemed suddenly to crys-
talize. All this had been premonl-
tion. ] had feared evil. Ana no"
/ had the answer.
ENVY had come to work it.
| knew now that the figure l had
glimpsed at the top of the hill was
no figment of my overwrouSh'
IMAGINATION but Envy. The heavy
thing that had brushed me was
something she had carried away
from the scene of the tragedy. 1t
was undoubtedly what 1 had come
to get and hide--the only piece OF
evidence that could condemn Val.
What was Envy doing with it?
WHY had she gone toward Dream
void, the Harrison place. with it?
dreaded her malice. Val was in her
power and the Envy I knew would
use such power remorselessly to
serve her own ends. What those
ends were ! didn't know. Mischief
might inspire Envy Mason to cruelty.
A deeper motive would make her
even more dangerous.
Again [ examined the heavy
leather straps ON the tank. They
had given way. made my
way, cautiously around the car,
turning my fiashlight on it as I
went. CE1er the wrecked side,
tucked away carelessly, noticed n
trailing leather strap. Gingerly I
pulled it out. A bulk of sole
leather came with 1t and marked in
black against the tan were staring
black letters: IS. b."
Shelly's Poor old Shelly's!"
whispered to my soul. I'm too
late. Too late to count. Envy hid
this for purposes of her own.
Then 1 turned and fed up the
bank. When I got to the plateau, |
stopped, breathless, looking back
over the sheer side of crumbling
clay up which I had rushed. But
with hardly a moments halt
started to force my may up again
through the tangle of underbrush
on the upper bank.
Il must hurry-hurry!"
1t danced through my brain, re-
peating itself over and over again
with diZzying insistence. For now
the probable solution of the whole
thing had come to me.