The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1921-08-25
SYNOPSIS.

PROLOGU Elm December, lslS, four
man gathered in q hotel in BerRe and
hard one OF the quartet outline n plan
% pGralyze Great Britain and at the
came 0nIe seize world power. The other
three. Hooking, American, aud SteinemRn
and Won SrAJZ. Germans. all mlllionaires.
agree 70 tie scheme. providing another
nan. Hiram Potts, an American. is taken
m The iHstlgaJor Of the plot gives MS
nane Comic de Guy. but when he
leaves for England with his ShJer he
6Scides 10 use the name Carl Peterson.
CHAPTER l. 80 Capt Hugh tBulldogl
DrEnIn.ouu. Il retired officer. adv ertlses
s1gniCS KID" AS a result he meets
Phyllis Benton. young woman who an
HSeT,L .-.a al. she tells him Of strange
murders AID robberies Of which she slIs-
poets band headed by Carl Peterson and
Henry darlington Of being the leaders
CHAPTIR u.-Drummond decides 70
60 10 Tie Larches. Miss Benton home
An attempt IS made on the road 10 wreck
MS machine WuenN another. OCCupled by
Peterson. Lexington and a strange man,
blocks JLe road. While dining With Phyl-
lis BeaJol and her father DFJWmund
hears terrible shrek at The ElEl$. Dur
ing Jse uIs..t DrummouG leaves The
Larch.s and Explores The Eims- lie dis
covers i-Jniustou and Peterson using =
Ghumbscrew On American who signs
. paper D-Ummord rescucS the Ameri-
can after struggle and takes him to
his home The nllE Is Hiram G Potts
CHAPTEH Iu.-pcterson visits Drum
rnord tile lest Cay. departing with a
threat yu RETURN later aud recover Potts
and also o. torn paper which DTummond
seized ,.-a u.-lj o. the uEny- N'Jl the
aid OF Fer DGrrel an ola army friend
DruninrEJ JrralSes 10 hide Potts. and
subs tlt--i" N.r r'a-s one Eu.-i0.~-. = de-
mObiIlZed soldier WHO is - god by Peter
son and lis gang and taken To The Elms.
along with L-CI.---ond-
He stepped back Il pace and stood
rigid, staring at the spot from which
the sound had seemed to cOme-but
he cOuli see nothing Then he leaned
forward and once more moved the
curtain. Instantly it came again,
sharper and angrier than before.
Hugh passed a hand over his fore
head and found it damp. Germans he
knew, and things on two legs. but
what was this that Kissed so ViciOusly
in the darkness? At length he deter
mined to risk it, and drew from his
pocket a tiny electric torch. Holding
II well away from his body, he
switched on the light. In the center
OF the beam, swaying gracefully to
and fro, was a snake. For moment
he watched 1t, fascinated as 1t spat at
the light angrily; he saw the fiat hood
where the vicious head was set on the
upright body; then he switched or the
torch and retreated rather faster than
he had come.
"A cOnvivial household" he NUT
tered to himself through lips that were
a little dry. "A hooded cobra is an
unpleaslng pet"
Hugh had just determined to recon
hotter the curtained doorway again to
see If it was possible TO circumvent
the snake, when Il low chuckle came
distinctly to his ears from the landing
above.
He flushed angrily in the darkness.
There was no doubt whatever as TO
the human origin of that laugh, and
Hugh suddenly realized that he was
making the most profound fool Of him
self. To be laughed at by some dirty
swine whom he could strangle in half