Evening star., 1923-11-26
(continued from Yesterdays Starr
XVI.
A Wolf Licks HIS Chops.

that made of laughter an evil thing
alternately, racked with unbridied
passion, he mouthed a flood of oathhs'
He ran on for some three blocks,
and finally dashed up the steps of a
small, drab-looh!ng. cheap frame
house A brass sign, greenish with
mold from neglect, fianked one side
Of the door. Under the street light 1t
could just barely be deciphered
SYDNEY ANGUS CRANG. NJ. D.
He tried the door. 1t was locked.
He searched impatienuy and hastlly
In his pockets for his pass key, ana
falling to find it instantly. he rang
the bell; and then, without waiting
,, for an answer to the summons ne I'M
mediattly began to bang furlousiy
upon the panels.
An old woman, his housekeeper,
whose bare feet had obviously been
thrust hurriedly into slippers, anu
who clutched at the neck OF WOODEN
dressing gown that also obviously
and with equal haste. had been nuns
around her shoulders over her nlsht-
dress, finally opened the door.
Get out of the road" CranG
snarled-and brushed his way rough :
ly past her.
med it behind him, He switched on
the light He was in, his consulting
room. The next instant he was
standing beside his desk and had
wrenched John Bruce's letter from ms
pocket He spread this out on the
desk and glared at it. Beyond any
doubt whatever, where Claires tear :
had ALLEN on the paper traces OF
writing were family dlscernlbIe Here
out Of an abortive word was a We'll
II n -
was a capital L.
CranE burst into a torrent of abuse
and oaths; his fists clenched and he
shook one of them in the air. -
Double crosSed-eh?-damn him!
he choked. He tried to double-cross
me--did he?"
Carrying the letter, he ran now into
a little room behind his office. where
he compounded his medicine, and
that was fitted up as a sort or small
laboratory.
"Im a clever man." Crang mumbied
to himself Wen see about this!
with sudden complacence he began
to study the sheet OF paper. he NOD
ded curtly to himself as he noted that
the traces OF the secret writing were
all on the lower edge of the paper.
Wen be very careful, very care
ful'-Dr. Crang was still mumbllng-
.it may be useful in more ways than
one"
a camers-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 a
while with wrinkied brow. and then
suddenly he began to laugh IRON
ically.
NO. of course mott He was jeer-
ing at himself now. Clever? You
are not clever. you are fool. She
cried on the paper. Tears. Tears
possess a slight trace of--he reached
quickly for glass container, and be-
gan to prepare a solution of some
sort-"a very slight trace
that's why the characters that al
ready show are SO faint. Now We'll
see, Mr.. John Bruce, what you've got
to say 8 Salt. A little
salt, eh?"
He dipped the camels-hair brush in
the solution and drew il across the
bottom edge of the paper again.
"Ha, hal" exclaimed DR.. Crang in
cGrcr excitement. Letters, words and
sentences began to take form under
the brush. "Ha. ha, He'd play that
game with me. would he?"
Very carefully Sydney Angus Crang.
NJ D., worked his brush upward on
the paper line by line. until. still well
below the signature that John Bruce
had affixed in his. Crang's presence,
there failed to appear any further
trace of the secret writing. He read
as fast as a word appeared-like a
starving beast snatching In ferocious
greed at morsels of food. 1t made
whole and complete sense. His eyes
toasted on 1t now in its entirety:
Keep away. This is a trap. Stall
till you can turn tables. Information
obtained while I was delirious. I'm
II prisoner in hands of Il gang whose
leader is a. doctor named Crang. We
MIA will tell you where Crang lives.
~ IA r rty,,t
at the house. The only way to save
either of US is to trick Crang. Look
out for yourself. BRUCE.
He tossed the cameps hair brush
away. returned to his desk, spread
the letter out on a blotter to allow
down in his chair glued his eyes on
the secret message, reading IL over
and over again.
Trick Crang-eh?-ha, hap' he be-
gan to chuckle low: then suddenly
his fingers. crooked and curved until
they looked like claws, rea"lled out
as though to fasten upon some prey
at hand. And then he chuckled once
more-and then grew somber, and
slumped deeper in his chair, and his
tonight" he muttered. One job of
it tomorrow squeal like a
pair Of rats that"
He sat suddenly bolt upright in his
chair 1t came again low taplSng
on the window; two raps three times
repeated He rose quickly. crossed
the room. opened the door, and stood
motionless for a moment peering out
into the hall. 1t was a purely pre-
cautionary measure-he had little
long since mounted the stairs and
! returned to her bed. He stepped
| ra pidly then along the hall, and OPEN
! ed the front door.
THAT you, Birdie?" he called in a
| A mans form appeared from the
shadow Of the stoop.
"Sure!" the man answered.
Come in!' DIR. Crang said tersely.
He led the way into the consulting
room, and Slumped down again in his
| chair.
"Well?" he demanded.
Peters arrived all right" Birdie
reported: He registered at the
Barney Miloy Hotel, and he's there
now"
"Good!" grunted Crang.
For a full five minutes he remained
silent and without movement in his
chair, apparently utterly oblivious of
the other. who stood, shifting a little
awkwardly from foot to foot, on the
opposite side of the desk.
Then Crang spoke-more to him.
self than to Birdie.
He'll be anxious, OF course, and
make a break of some kind. I'll have
. to fix that. I'm not ready yet. What? ?"
Birdie, from staring namely at the
wall, came to himself with a sudden
start at what he evidently interpret
| cd as a direct question.
"Yes-sure!' he said hurriedly. mo
Il mean, no, you're not ready"
Crang glared at the man contemptu-
| ously.
What do you know about it?" he
INQUIRED caustioally.