Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-04-06
The Gray Phantom's Romance
Astonishing Adventures Of an Unusual Hero.
by Street q init


thought II was drawing closer to where
he sat. As If gently propelled by an
invisible hand, the paling circle OF
light was creeping slowly nearer, NOV
Ing steadily toward his chair.
He pulled at the ropes. Now the
! fringe of light was so faint that the
skull was only a shapeless blur. but its
dimness rendered its creeping APP
proach all the more uncanny. In
| little while, If it continued in its pres
/ ent course. il would touch his face.
/ He wondered why his senses shrank
/ from the encounter, for he knew that
! the contact could not harm him.
Finally the light died. leaving an
| intense. oppressive darkness. Though
| he could neither hear nor see. he was
aware that the object was still creeping
/ toward him and that in few moments
/ he would feel its chilling touch. There
was something subtly enervating
about it's silent and stealthy advance
something that inspired him with
feeling he had never experienced when
standing face to face with a foe Of
flesh and blood.
Then, without apparent cause. he
sensed change in the atmosphere.
The oppression suddenly left him and
he knew instinctively that something
thing. He drew a long, deep breath as
he tried to account for the relief that
had come so suddenly to him.
His thoughts were interrupted by
the opening of a door at his back and
the entrance of two men. He could
not see them, but their footballs told
him that they were cropping toward
the point where he sat. Silently they
fell to work and released him from the
chair, but his arms and legs were still
tied and he was as helpless as before.
He wondered. as he was being carried
from the room, what fresh ordeal
awaited him.
The two men carried him across the
hall and into another room, where he
was placed in a chair. He was sur
prised to see the sunlight streaming
in through the window. for the dark
ness from which he had just emerged
had left an impression Of impenetrable
night on his mind.
1.-THE big chief will be in directly"
announced one of the men as they
were leaving.
The Phantom felt a thrill of ex-
pectancy at the thought that at last
he was to come face to face with the
| Dukes chief agent. Then he began
to look about him. From where he
sat, all that was to be seen through
the window was the murky wall of a
factory building. The room was small.
and the only furniture was a table and
three chairs. In vain he looked for
something that might suggest a way
| OF escape.
The Phantom Hears Scream.
He turned quickly as a step sounded
outside the door. 1t came open, and
for several moments he stared at the
man who entered. Then he laughed.
| short, unnatural laugh that sounded
hollow even TO himself. The man who
stood before him was DR.. Tyson
Bimble.
| He would never have guessed that
the anthropologist was the man
| through whom the Duke directed his
criminal enterprises from his cell in
prison, but on second thought the dis
covery was not so surprising. Since
their first meeting he had suspected
! that anthropology was not Bimble's
sole interest in life. He had felt that
| it was merely cloak for other activi-
ties, though it had not occurred to
him what these might be.
You are pale" observed Bimble,
| looking at him through his thick
| lenses; but I shan't trouble to feel
your pulse this morning. / have no
doubt it's normal"
| The doctor, with his stiltlike legs
and topheavy head, seemed as ludi'
/ crous as ever, and his face wore the
same beatific smile that had greeted
| the Phantom when they first met. but
his eyes were trifie stern, and there
was an unfamiliar briskness about his
movements.
| The Phantom swallowed his emo.
tions and braced his mind for a duel
of wits with the doctor. Many time
| in the past he had outmaneuvered men
as crafty as his present adversary.
For the present he tried not to think
of Helen, for he would need clear
mind and steady nerves if he was TO
help her.
sHave you made any new scientific
discoveries since saw you last, doc
tori" he inquired chattily.
Bimble's eyes twinkled. 'No; but
I dare say you have. ="
81 have discovered new use for
skeletons"
New? You are mistaken, my ex-
cellent friend. The efficacy Of skele
tons and like objects as means OF
moral suasion has been understood for
a long time. Il DEI6NG lllc W1Ch6u OlO
doges of Venice used similar methods
when they wished to put their enemies
into a receptive frame of mind and did
not care to resort to physical torture.
1t is strange how all of us-even a
strong man like yourself--stand in
awe OF objects associated with death
and decay"
1T Isl agreed the Phantom dryly.
But don't quite get the idea. /
admit the ghostly vaudeville you
staged for my benefit was bit creepy
would rather face a regiment OF
smooth rascals like you than grin
ming skeleton. But If you expected
me to come out of that spook chamber
broken man you are doomed to dis
appointment.
81 didn't, as a matter of fact" The
doctor smiled amusedly. II am wei
aware that it takes something more
than that to break a man like the
Gray Phantom"
"Then what was the object?"
''You shall see presently. My friend
you have given me no end of trouble
Since the day you made your first nn
expected appearance in my laboratory
I have done my best to save you from
the police. but you seemed determined
to rush blindly into their arms. ] die
not realize how stubborn and fool
hardy you were till the morning wher
entered your bedroom and found Il
empty. You knew the police were
, combing the town for you, and hat
hoped that would keep you in"
at was a shameless abuse OF hos
pitality," confessed the Phantom. Blu
take it you were not altogether nm
. selfish in your desire to save me from
arrest"
, Bimble smiled as he ran his eyes III
|, and down the Phantom's figure. Dor
rowed feathers are not becoming t
YOU" he observed critically. "Thes'
: togs are atrocious. But the idea itsel
was excellent. / did not even guess
, that the Gray Phantom was mas
, querading as a newspaper reporte