Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-03-14
A Wolf I.ickS His Chops

NUTSIDE the house Crang continued
Oio run. He was unconscious that he
|, had forgotten his hat. His face worked
In livid fury. Alternately he burst out
into Short. ugly gusts Of laughter that
made of laughter an evil thing: alter.
nately, racked with unbridled passion
he mouthed food of oaths.
He ran on for some three blocks, nnd
finally dashed up the steps Of small
drab. looking. cheap frame house. A
brass sign, grecnish with mold from
neglect, fanked one side Of the door
Under the street light it could JUS
barely be dcciphcrcd:
SYDNEY ANGUS CRANG. NJ. d.
He tried the door. 1t was locked. HI
searched impaticntly, and hastily in hi'
pockets for his pass key. and failing
to find it instantly, he rang the bell
and then. without waiting for IN an.
swer 10 the summons. he Immediately
began to bang furiously upon the
panels.
An old woman. his housekceper,
whose bare feet had obviously beer
thrust hurriedly into slippers. and who
cutchcd at the neck of n woolen dress
| ing gown that also obviously. and with
equal haste. had been flung around her
shoulders over her nightdrcss. finally
opened the door.
Get out OF the road" Crang snarlcd
and brushed his way roughly past her.
He stepped forward along M un.
lighted hall. opened a door and slammed
| II behind him. He switched on the light.
He was In his consulting room. The
next instant he was standing beside his
desk and had wrenchcd John Bruce's
letter from his pocket. He spread this
out on the desk and glnrcd at IL. Re
yond any doubt whatever. where Claire $
tears had fallen OH the paper traces OF
writing were family disccrnible. Here,
out of an nbortivc word, was we'll
formed "e": and there, unmistakably,
was a capital "L."
! Crang burst into torrent OF abuse
and oaths; his fists clenchcd and lie
shook ono of them in the air.
Double. .crosscd-ch?-damn him ~
he choked. He tried to double.cross
me--did hp:"
Carrying the letter. he ran now into
little room behind his office. where he
compounded his medicines. and that was
fitted up az sort of small laboratory.
"i'm a clever man." Crang mumbled
10 himself. well sec about this
With sudden complacencc he began
10 study the sheet Of paper. He nodded
curtly to himself rs he noted that the
!, traces of tho secret writing were all on
tho lower edge Of the paper. -.
'Wc'll be very careful, very careful
DR.. Crang was still mumbling-'it
may be useful in more ways than one. =,
Hr turned on the water faucet. wet
n camel s.hair brush and applied the
brush to the lower edge OF the letter.
The experiment was productive OF no
result. He stared at the paper for n
while with wrinkled brow, and then
suddenly he began to laugh ironically.
mo. OF course not" Hc was ,eer'
ing at himself now. "Clcver? You are
not clever. you arc fool! She cried
on the paper. Tears. Tears possess a
slight trace of"--he reached quickly
for glass containcr. and hcgan TO pre-
pare solution of some sort--'a very
arters that already show are so fni Int.
'''M wv " S'P, VT. b'hu i""V' W." '
yonvr got to say Salt.
A little salt. chg
He dipped the camel's-hair brush in
the solution and drew it across the bot =
tom edge Of the paper again.
"Ha. ha.' exclaimed DR.. Crang in
eager excitement. Letters. words and
sentences began to take form under the
brush, "Ha. ha: He'd play that game
with mo would hep' !.
Very carefully Sydney Angns Crang,
NJ d.. worked his brush upward on the
paper line by line. until still we'll be-
low the signature that John Bruce had
ahScd in his. Crang's. presence. there
Jailed 10 appear any further trace OF
the secret writing. Hc read as fast as
word appcared-likc starving beast
snatching in ferocious greed at mOrsels
h food. 1t made whole and complete
sense, His eyes fcasted on II now in
Its entirety:
Keep away. This is a trap. Stall
y W YOU can turn tables. Information
obtained while ! was delirious. Am
prisoner in hands Of gang whose
leader is q doctor named Crang. Ne-
MIA will tell. you where Crang lives.
G"t Noniza' $ address from Lnvergne
at tn" house. The only way TO save
either OF us is to trick Crnng. Look
ont for yourself. BRUCE.
lie tossed the camcl's hair brush
away, returned TO his desk. spread tn,
,et'cr out on blottcr to allow th,
lower edge to dry, aud slumping dowt
IN his chair glued his eyes on the sccrc
message. reading 1t over and over again
'Trick Grams g-ch?-ha. ha !" he be
gan TO chucklc low; then suddenly hi
myers, crooked and curved until the,
looked like claws, reached out al
inough to fastrn upon some prey a
hand, And then he chuckied once NOR,
and then grew sombcr. and slumpct
eeepcr in his chair, and his eyes
ofooding, were half closed. mot to
hlght,' hc muttered. Gone job of 1
tomorrow " squcal like n pair o
rats that"
ne sat suddenly bolt upright in hi
.aair 1t came again-a low tappin,
w lhe window two raps, three time
s.peated. He rose quickly, crossed tn,
syonl, opened the door, and stood mo
Moniess for moment peerlng out int,
nall, IL was purely precaution
I'M measure he hnd little doub
M Als "a h9psskssger had lppg sine