Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-04-22
CHAPTER I.

You recall the sudden death Of my
uncle, Martin Dale, a fortnight ago."
1t was a very anxious and worried
young lady who had come to Ken
nedy's laboratory and introduced her
self as Clare Claremont.
Her clear gray eyes looked out
searchingly beneath the rakish hat
Titian-tinseled hair. Altogether,
Glare Claremont, from the %nervously
nodding tip Of feather above her head
to the dainty toe of her modish lit
tie boot, vas of fascinating creature,
trebly 81 in her appealing distress.
Il recall IT perfectly" encouraged
do to help you?"
Craig shot a sidewise glance at me.
Indeed, We did remember the case,
for we had discussed it several times.
spected president of the One Hun
dredth National Bank had passed ont
of life most mysterionsly and most
dramatically. and we had wished that
we might have an excuse for becoln-
ing connected with the case.
1t had happened. IN the evening Of
a birthday, which had been arranged
for his niece and ward, Clare Clare
mont, to celebrate the arrival If her
eighteenth birthday. The party was
already assembling at the Dale man
according TO the newspaper reports,
Glare herself, followed by a young
man we'll known in society, Jack
NSpeed, had rushed up. There they
found Dale in his room, lying on the
floor, an ugly wound in his forehead
and ,clutched in his hand a revolver.
There had been the usual attempt
to~hush the matter up-the conflict
ing stories of an intruder and of his
cleaning a gum" but 1t was generally
understood that, although the coron
er's jury brought a non-commital YER
dict, Dale had committed suicide.
A Nervous Girl.
Clare leaned nervously forward,
watching Kennedy's face, i~ntently,
Professor Kennedy" she went on, In
a very tremulous> tone. 'when my
estate of over a million dollars WI.
dissipated. There was o q cent lef,
nor a cent OF his own.
Is She leaned over even closer in hel
excitement, talking rapidly, though
without Mysteries.
But 1 did find in some of his pa
pers. which he overlooked or forgot
to destroy with the rest Of his books
a number of strange letters. Some.
n had blackmailed him. Every
dollar was gone. / was penniless.
set out with a detective trying t.
make something out of the letters, foi
they seemed to point to a gang Of
blackmailers. / determined to ge,
back what l could" She paused
thoughtfully and added. Somehow
believe that the money, or at least 1
large part of it. Is somewhere, If ]
could only find It," N
She laid down on the Laboratory
table = piece of paper On which wa,
some writing, in a peculiar disguised
scrawl. The paper was dirty and
crumpled.
To-day, / received this" she ex.
planned.
1 bent over with Kennedy and read;
You will call off your detective
Ravenal as we'll Al that young mar
Speed-or we will get you all:
The Black Menace.
Jack Speed, I happened to know
was at the time a newspaper man on
the Star. His father, a broker, had
become tired OF Jacks wild and motor.
ious society career and had told him
that he would have to do some seri-
GUS work. Speed had come down tc
issO 0A WASAA AV ARSAASA 4NVVC1 @HEOs
posal that, owing to his close society
connections, he could write a great
deal OF stun that no one else could
get.
The novelty Of the thing had ap-
peaIed TO the Star and they had Civ
en- him job. To the amusement OF
everybody OF the paper. Steed wal
actually making good. He had neves
done anything serious before. but
now seemed to ZEE his chance and
was Q mos nkable fellow and the ex-
perience was making . man Of him.
a Yoang Desective.
More than that, II WA easy to 80
from the way In which Glare spoke
eof Jack Speed.tha& she thought I
treat deal OF him, and 4 felt sure that
u he came through or the Star II
vwnNalA hof-tho hA@t xhlu~ /u- h>AatS-S