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RUNNING IN THE AUDITORIUM.
® ° 1
The Exploits of Elaine
A Detective Novel and a Motion Picture Drama
By ARTHUR B. REEVE
The Well-Known Novelist and the Creator of the CraigKennedy” Stories
Presented in Collaboration With the Pathe Players and
RS
SYNOPSIS.
The New York police are mys by a
geriés of murders and other eri 5
rinct os, clue to the criminal is ig warn-
pr which is sent the victims, signed
with a “clutching hand.” The latest vie-
Boas of the mysterious assassin {s Taylor
, the Insurance president. His
ter, Elaine, employs Craig XKen-
i the famous scientific detective, to
unravel the mystery. What Kennedy ac-
complishes is told by his friend Jameson,
a newspaper man. Enraged at the deter-
mined effort which Elaine and Craig Ken-
nedy aré making to put an end to his
crimes, the Clutching Hand, as this
strange criminal is known, resorts to all
sorts of the most diabolical schemes to put
them out of the way. Each chapter of the
story tells of a new plot against thelr
Hves and of the way the great detective
uses all his skill to save this pretty girl
and himself from fn death,
NINTH EPISODE
{ THE DEATH RAY.
Kennedy was reading a scientific
treatise one morning, while 1 was
banging on the typewriter, when a
knock at the laboratory door disturbed
us. *
By some intuition Craig seemed to
know who it was. He sprang to open
the door, and there stood Elaine
Dodge and her lawyer, Perry Bennett.
" Instantly Craig read from the
startled look on Elaine's face that
something dreadful had happened.
“Why — what's the matter?” he
asked, solicitously.
“A—another letter—from the Cutch-
ing Hand!” she exclaimed breath-
lessly.
Craig took the letter and we hoth
read, with amazement:
Are you an enemy of society? If not,
order Craig Kennedy to leave the country
by nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Oth-
erwise a pedestrian will drop dead outside
his laboratory every hour until he leaves.
The note was signed b, the now fa-
milia: sinister hand, and had added
to it a postscript which read:
As a token of his leaving, have him
place a vase of flowers in his laboratory
window today.
“What shall we do?” queried Ben-
nett, evidently very much alarmed
at the letter.
no?” replied Kennedy, laughing
contemptuously at the apparently fu-
tile threat, “Why, nothing. Just
wait,”
We got up as usual the next day,
and quite early went over to the labo-
ratory. Kennedy, as was his oustom,
plunyed straightway into his work
and appeared absorbed by it, while I
wrote.
“There is something queer
on, Walter,” he remarkéd. 8
thing registers some ind of wireless
rays—infra-red, I think—something
like those that they say that pales
scientist, Ulivi, claims he has, cOV-
ered and called the ‘F-rays.'”
“How do you know?” I look-
ing up from my work. s that
ingtrument you are using?”
“A bolometer, invented by the late
Professor Langley,” he replied, his
attention riveted on ft
Some time previously Kennedy had
had installed on the window ledge one
of those mirrorlike arrangements,
known as a “busybody,” which show
those in a room what is going on in
the street.
As I moved over to look at the
bolometer I happened to glance into
the “busybody” and saw that a crowd
was rapidly collecting on the side-
walk,
“Look, Craig!” I called hastily.
He hurried over to me and looked.
We could both see in the busybody
mirror a group of excited passers-by
bending over a man lying prostrate on
the sidewalk.
The excited crowd lifted him up and
bore him away, and I turned in sur-
prise to Craig. He was looking at his
watch.
It was now only a few moments past
nine o’clock!
Some time later our door was ex-
citedly flung open and Hlaine and
Perry Bennett arrived.
“I've just heard of the accident!”
she cried, fearfully. “Isn’t it terrible!
What had we better do?”
For a few moments no one said a
word. Then Kennedy began carefully
examining the bolometer and some
other recording instruments he had,
while the rest of us watched, fasci-
nated.
Somehow that “busybody” seemed
to attract me. I could not resist look-
ing into it from time to time as Ken-
nedy worked.
I was scarcely able to control my
excitement when again I saw the same
scene enacted on the sidewalk before
the laboratory. Hurriedly I looked at
my watch. It was ten o’clock!
‘Craig!” I cried. “Another!”
Instantly he was at my side, gazing
eagerly.” There was a second innocent
pedestrian lying on the sidewalk while
a crowd, almost panic-stricken, gath-
ered about im
“It’s no use,” he muttered, as we
gathered about him. “We're beaten.
I can’t stand this sort of thing. I will
leave ¢omorrow fo- South America.”
1 :hought laine Dodgc would faint
at “he shock of his words coming 80
goon after the terrible occurrence out-
side. She looked at him speechless.
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the Eclectic Film Company &@
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Copyright, 1914. by the Star Company All Foreign Rights Reserve 8
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It happened that Kennedy ep “Bere
artificial flowers on a stand, which he
had been using long before in the
study of synthetic coloring materials.
Before Elaine could recover her
tongue he seized them and stuck them
into a tall beaker, like a vase. Then
he deliberately walked to the window
and placed the beaker on the ledge in
a most prominent position.
Elaine and Bennett, to say nothing
of myself, gazed at him, awe-struck.
“is—is there no other way but to
surrender?” she asked.
Kennedy mournfully
head.
“I'm afraid not,” he answered slow-
ly. There's no telling how far a fel-
low who has this marvelous power
might go. I think I'd better leave, to
‘ave you. He may not content him-
self with innocent outsiders always.”
Nothing that any of us could say,
not even the pleadings of Elaine her-
self, could move him. The thought
.2at at eleven o'clock a third innocent
passer-by might lie stricken on the
street seemed to move him powerfully.
“I'm so sorry—Craig,” murmured
Elaine, choking back her emotion and
finding it impossible to go on.
“So am I, Hlaine,” he answered,
tensely. “But—perhaps—when this
trouble blows over’—
He paused, unable to go on, turned
and shook his head. Then with a
forced gayety he bade Elaine and
Perry Bennett adieu, saying that per-
haps a trip might do him good.
They had scarcely gone out, and
Kennedy closed the door carefully,
when he turned and went directly to
the instrument which I had seen him
observing so interestedly.
Plainly I could see that it was reg-
istering something.
He walked fairly close to the win-
dow this time, keeping well out of the
direct line of it, however, and there
stood gazing out into the street.
“We are being watched,” he said
shook his
slowly, turning and looking at me fix- |.
cdly, “but I don’t dare investigate lest
it cost the lives of more unfortunates.”
He stood for a, moment in deep
thought. Then he pulled out a suit
case and began silently to pack it.
Although we had not dared to in-
vestigate, we knew that from a build-
ing across the street emissaries of
the Clutching Hand were watching
for our signal of surrender.
The fact was, as we found out later,
that in a poorly furnished room, much
after the fashion of that which, with
the help of the authorities, we had
once raided in the suburbs, there were
at that moment two crooks.
One of them was the famous, or
rather infamous, Professor LeCroix.
The other was the young secretary of
the Clutching Hand.
This was the new headquarters of
the master criminal, very carefully
guarded.
“Look!” cried LeCroix, very much
excited by the effect that had been
produced by his infra-red rays. “There
is the sign—the vase of flowers. We
have got him this time!”
LeCroix gleefully patted a peculiar
instrument beside him. Apparently
it was a combination of powerful elec-
tric arcs, the rays of which were shot
through a funnellike arrangement
into a converted or, rather, a sort of
concentration apparatus from which
the dread power could be released
through a tubelike affair at the end.
It was his infra-red heat wave, F-ray,
engine.
“I told you it would work!” cried
LeCroix.
* * * * *® * %
I did not argue any further with
Craig about his sudden resolution to
go away. But it is a very solemn pro-
ceeding to pack up and admit defeat
after such a brilliant succession of
cases as had been his until we met
this master criminal.
He was unshakable, however, and
the next morning we closed the
laboratory and loaded our baggage
into a taxicab.
Neither of us said much, but I saw
a quick look of appreciation on Craig’s
face as we pulled up at the wharf
and saw that Elaine's car was already
there. He seemed deeply moved that
Elaine should come at such an early
hour to have a last word.
Our car stopped, and Kennedy
moved over toward her car, direct
ing two porters, whom I noticed that
he chose with care, to wait at one
gide. One of them was an Irishman
with a slight limp; the other a wiry
Frenchman with a pointed beard.
In spite of her pleadings, however,
Kennedy held to his purpose, and as
we shook hands for the last time I
thought that Elaine would almost
break down.
We finally tore ourselves away,
followed by the porters carrying as
much as they could.
“Bon voyage!” called Elaine, brave:
lv keeping back a choke in her voice.
Near the gangplank, in the crowd, I
noticed a couple of sinister faces
watching the ship’s officers and the
passengers going aboard. Kennedy's
quick eye spotted them, too, but he
did not show in any way that he no-
ticed anything as, followed by our two
posters, we quickly climbed the gang-
lank.
P ;
" “In there,” pointed Kennedy, quick-
ly to the porters, indicating our state-
room, which was an outer room.
“Come, Walter.”
. I followed him in with a heavy
heart.
Outside could be seen the two sin-
ister faces in the crowd watching in-
tently, with eyes fixed on the state-
room. Finally one of the crooks
boarded the ship hastily, while the
other watched the two porters come
out of the stateroom and pause at the
window, speaking back into the room
as though answering commands.
Then the porters quickly ran along
the deck and down the plank to get
the rest of the luggage.
They took a small, but very heavy
box and, lugging and tugging, hastened
toward the boat with it. But they
were too late. The gangplank was be-
ing hauled in.
They shouted, but the ship’s officers
waved them back.
The porters argued. But it was no
use. All they could do was to carry
the box back to the Dodge car.
Miss Dodge was just getting in as
they returned.
“What shall we do with this and
the other stuff?” asked the Irish por-
ter.
She looked at the rest of the tagged
luggage and the box which was
marked:
Scientific Instruments
Valuable
Handle With Care!
“Here—pile them in there,” she
sald, indicating the taxicab. “I'll take
care of them.”
Meanwhile one of our sinister-faced
friends had just had time to regain
the shore after following us aboard
ship and strolling past the window
of our stateroom. He paused long
enough to observe one of the occu-
pants studying a map, while the other
was opening a bag.
“They're gone!” he said to the other
“Bon Voyage,” Cried Elaine, Bravely Keeping Back a Choke in Her Voice.
as he rejoined him on the dock, giv-
ing a nod of his head and a jerk of
his thumb at the ship,
“Yes,” added the other crook, “and
lost most of their baggage, too.”
Slowly the car proceeded through
the streets up from the river front,
followed by the taxicab, until at last
the Dodge mansion was reached.
Elaine sighed moodily as she walked
slowly in.
“Here, Marie,” she cried petu-
lantly to her maid, “take these wraps
of mine.”
A moment later Aunt Josephine left
her and Elaine went into the library
and over to a table.
She stood there |
an instant, then sank down into a
chair,
and gazing at it with eyes filled with
tears.
Just then Jennings came into the
room, ushering the two porters laden
with the boxes and bags.
“Where shall I have them put these,
things, Miss Elaine?” he inquired.
“Oh—anywhere,” she answered hur-
riedly, replacing the picture.
Jennings paused. As he did so,
one of the porters limped forward.
“I've a message for you, miss,” he
said in a rich Irish brogue, with a look
at Jennings, “to be delivered in pri-
vate.”
Elaine glanced at him surprised.
Then she nodded to Jennings, who
disappeared. As he did so, the Irish-
man limped to the door and drew to-
gether the portieres.
Then he came back closer to Elaine.
A moment she looked at him, not
quite knowing from his strange ac-
tions whether to call for help or not.
At a motion from Kennedy, as he
pulled off his wig, I pulled off the
little false beard.
Elaine looked at us,
startled.
transformed,
“Wh—what”—she stammered. “Oh—
I'm—so—zglad. How—"
Kennedy said nothing. He was
thoroughly enjoying her face.
“Don’t you understand?’ 1 ex-
plained, laughing merrily. “I admit
that I didn’t, until that last minute
in the stateroom on the boat when
taking up Kennedy's picture |
we didn’t come back to wave a last |
good-by. But all the care that Craig |
took in selecting the porters was the
result of work he dic and
the insistence with
1 yesterday,
which he
LeCroix and the secretary were there,
chose |
our traveling clothes had a deep-laid |
purpose.
“The 1
the stateroor
on the ccat
and hat he wore, whils |
ras made quickly -in |
Kennedy's man threw |
' opera glass reflection.
—_— A
Craig donned the rough clothps of]
the porter and added a limp and a
wig. The same sort of exchange of
clothes was made by me, and Craig
clapped a Vandyke beard on my
chin.”
“Mum’s the word,” cautioned Kens
nedy. “You must smuggle us out of
the house some way.”
Kennedy lost no time in confirm-
ing the suspicions of his bolometer as
to the cause of the death of the in-
nocent victims of the machinations of
the Clutching Hand.
Both of them, he had learned, had
been removed to a nearby undertak-
ing shop, awaiting the verdict of the
coroner. We sought out the shop
and prevailed on the undertaker to
let us see the bodies.
As Kennedy pulled down the shroud
from the face of the first victim he
disclosed on his forehead a round,
dark spot about the size of a small
coin. Quickly he moved to the next
coffin and, uncovering the face, dis-
closed a similar mark.
“What is it?” I asked, awe-struck.
“Why,” he said, “I've heard of a cer-
tain Viennese, one LeCroix, I believe,
who has discovered, or perfected, an
infra-red ray instrument which shoots
its power a great distance with ex-
treme accuracy and leaves a mark
like these.”
. We thanked the undertaker for his
courtesy and went out.
Meanwhile Elaine had called up Per-
ry Bennett.
“Mr. Bennett,” she exclaimed over
the wire, “just guess who called on
me?”
“Who?” he answered; “I give it up.”
“Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Jameson,”
she called back.
“Is that so?” he returned. “Isn’t
that fine? I didn't think he was the
kind to run away like that. How did
it happen?”
Elaine quickly told the story as I
had told her.
Had she known it, however, Bennett's
valet, Thomas, was at that very mo-
ment listening at the portieres, in-
tensely interested.
As Bennett hung up the receiver
Thomas entered the room.
“If anyone calls me,” ordered Ben-
nett, “take the message, particularly
if it is from Miss Dodge.”
“Yes, sir,” nodded the valet with a
covert glance at his master.
It was not long afterward that a
knock sounded at the door of the new
headquarters of the Clutching Hand.
as well as a couple of gthers.
“The Chief!” exclaimed one.
The secretary opened the door,
and, sure enough, the Clutching Hand
entered.
There came another knock. This
time, as the door opened, it was
Thomas, Bennett's faithless valet, who
entered.
“Say,” blurted out the informer, “do
you know Kennedy and Jameson are
back?”
“Back?” cried the crooks.
“Yes — they didn’t go. Changed
clothes with the porters. I just heard
Miss Dodge telling Mr. Bennett.”
Clutching Hand eyed him keenly,
then seemed to burst into an ungov-
ernable fury.
Quickly he began volleying orders
at the valet and the others. Then,
with the secretary and two of the
other crooks he left by another door
from that by which he had sent the
valet.
* *® * * * * ®
Leaving the undertakers, Kennedy
and I made our way, keeping off
thoroughfares, to police headquarters,
where, after making ourselves known,
Craig made arrangements for a raid
on the house across the street from
the laboratory where he had seen the
Then, as secretly as we had come,
we went out again, letting ourselves
into the laboratory, stealthily looking
up and down the street. We entered
by a basement door, which Kennedy
carefully locked again.
No sooner had we disappeared than
one of the Clutching Hand's spies,
who had been watching behind a bar-
rel of rubbish, gave the signal of the
hand down the stre 8 (0 8 ont der-
ate , going to the door, ered by |
me of a skeleton k i
We entered our lal tory which |
had closed the day before. |
With shades drawn it now looked de-|
serted enough.
Kennedy went over to a cabinet, |
and from {it took out a notebook snd
Kennedy
oo —————— ect ens GTR
fier delight and urged his men on.
TI} thing was getting closer and
| closer.
Suddenly we heard a strange voice
Ce .s ZacH SHURSDAY EVENING. READ THE STORY AND SEE THE PICTURES.
—
a small box. Opesias the notebook on
the laboratory table, he rapidly turned
the pages.
“Here, Walter,” he remarked. “This
will answer your question about the
mysterious deadly ray.”
I moved over to the table, eager to
satisfy my curiosity and read the
notes which he indicated with his
finger.
INFRA-RED RAY NOTES.
The pure infra-red ray which has been
developed by LeCroix from the experi-
ments of the Italian scientist, Ulivi, causes,
when concentrated by an apparatus per- )
fected by LeCroix, an instantaneous com-
bustion of non-reflecting surfaces. It {is
particularly deadly in {its effect on the
brain centers.
It can be diverted, it is said, however,
by a shield composed of platinum backed
by asbestos.
Next Kennedy opened the case
which he had taken out of the cab-
inet, and from it he took out a plat-
inum-asbestos mirror, which was
something of his own invention. He
held it up, and in pantomime showed
me just how it would cut off the dead-
ly rays.
He had not finished even that, when
a peculiar noise in the laboratory fit- ;
gelf disturbed him, and he hastily
thrust the asbestos- platinum shield
into his pocket.
“Thouzh we had not realized it, our
return had been anticipated.
Suddenly from a closet projected a
magazire gun, and before we could
move Clutching Hand himself slowly |
appeare | behind us.
We started to our feet, but in an .
instant found ourselves sprawling on :
the floor.
In th» cabinet, beneath the labora-
tory table, another crook had been
hidden, and he tackled us with all
the skill of an old football player,
againgt whom we had no defense.
Four of them were upon us in-
tantly.
At thn same time Thomas, the faith-
less valet of Bennett, had been dis-
patched by the Clutching Hand to
commandeer his master’s roadster in
his absence, and, carrying out the in-
structions, he had driven up before
Elaine’s house at the very moment
when she was going out for a walk.
Thomas jumped out of the car and
touched his hat deferentially.
“A message from Mr. Bennett,
ma’am,¥ he explained. “Mr. Kennedy
and Mr, Bennett have sent me to ask
you to come over to the laboratory.”
Unsuspectingly, Elaine stepped into
the car and drove off.
Instead, however, of turning and
pulling up on the laboratory side of
the street, Thomas stopped opposite
it. He got out and Elaine, thinking
that perhaps it was to save time
that he had not turned the car around,
followed.
The door was opened quickly by a
lookout of the Clutching Hand and the
valet asked if Craig and Elaine's law-
yer were in. Of course, the lookout
replied that they were, and before
Elaine knew it she was jostled into
the dark hallway.
And as the door slammed she caught
sight of the fearsome Clutching Hand
himself. |
She drew back, but was too fright. ,
ened even to scream.
With a harsh, cruel laugh, the super-
criminal beckoned to her to follow
him and look down through a small
trapdoor.
Unable now to resist, she did so. |
There she saw us. To that extent ;
‘the valet had told the truth. Ken-
-
nedy was standing in deep thought, Jr
while I sat on an old box, Smoking a
cigarette—very miserable. |
Watching his chance, when the
street was deserted, the Clutching'
Hand and his followers had hustled '
us over to the new hangout from the
laboratory. There they had met more
crooks and had thrust us into this vile !
hole. (
As the various ineffectual schemes |
for escape surged through my head, I
happened to look up and caught a
glance of horror on Craig's face. I
followed his eyes. There, above us,
was Elaine!
I saw her look from us to the Clutch:
ing Hand in terror. But none of us
uttered a word.
“l will now show you, my dear
young lady,” almost hissed the Clutch-
ing Hand at length, “as pretty a game
of hide and seek as you have ever
geen.”
As he said it another trapdoor near
the infra-red ray machine was opened
and a beam of light burst through. I
knew it was not that which we had to
fear, but the invisible rays that ac-
companied it, the rays that had af
fected the bolometer.
Just then a spot of light showed
near my foot, moving about the ce-
ment floor until it fell on my shoe. In-
stantly the leather charred, even be-
fore I could move.
Kennedy and I leaped to our feet
and drew back. The beam followed
us. We reteated further. Still it fol
lowed, inexorably.
Clutching Hand was now holding
Elaine near the door where she could
not help seeing, laughing diabolically
while he directed LeCroix and the rest
to work the infra-red ray apparatus
through the trap.
As we dodged from corner to corner,
endeavoring to keep the red ray from
touching us, the crooks seemed in no
hurry, but rather to enjoy prolonging
the torture, as does a cat with a
mouse.
“Please—oh,
Elaine.
Clutching Hand only laughed with
please—stop!” begged
ring out above us.
“Police!”
“Where?”
Hand in fury.
growled the Clutching
a
. _—
“Optslde—s raid! Run! He's told
i we could hear the hams
mers and axes of the police whom
Kennedy had called upon before, as
they battered at this outside door.
At that door a moment before the
lookout suddenly had given a startled
stare and a suppressed cry. Glancing
down the stre>t he had seen a police
Pali 1 wuicu wele a SCOre or more
of the suous-arm squad. They had
,Lmped oui, some carrying sledge-
hammers, others axes.
Almost before he could cry out and
retreat to give a warning they had
reached the door and the first re-
sounding blows had been struck.
The lookout quickly had fled and
drawn the bolts of a strong inner
door, and the police began battering
that impediment.
Instantly Clutching Hand turned to
LeCroix at the F-ray machine.
“Finish them!” he shouted.
We were now backed up against a
small ell in the wall of the cellar. RK
. was barely large enough to hold us,
but by crowding we were able to keep
out of the reach of the ray. The ray
shot past the ell and struck the wall a
couple of inches from us.
I locked. The cement began to
crumble under the intense heat.
Meanwhile the police were having
great difficulty with the steel bolt-
~tudded door. Still it was yielding a
bit.
Hurry!”
to LeCroix
Kennedy had voluntarily placed him-
self in front of me in the ell. Carefully,
to avoid the ray, he took the asbestos-
platinum shield from his pocket and
slid it forward as best he could over
the wall to the spot where the ray
struck.
It reflected the ray.
But so powerful was it that even
that part of the ray which was defiect-
ed could be seen to strike the ceiling
in the corner, which was of wood. In-
stantly, before Kennedy could even
move the shield, the wood burst into
flames.
Ah~ve us now smo'e vas pouring
into the room where the deflected ray
struck tho foor and flames broke out.
“Confound him!” ground out Clutch-
ing Hard. as thev saw it
The other crooks backed away and
stood hesitating, not knowing quite
what to do.
The police had by this time finished
battering in the decor and had rushed
into the outer passage.
While the flames leaped up, the
crooks closed the last door into the
room.
“Run!” shouted Clutching Hand, as
they opened a secret gate, disclosing
a spiral flight of iron steps.
A moment later all had disappeared
except Clutching Hand himself. The
last door would hold only a Tew sec-
onds, but Clutching Hand was waiting
to take advantage of even that. With
a last frantic effort he sought to di.
rect the terrible ray at us. Elaine
acted instantly. With all her strength
she rushed forward, overturning the
machine.
Clutching Hand uttered a growl and
slowly raised his gun, taking aim with
the butt for a well-directed blow at
her head.
Just then the door yielded and a
policeman stuck his head and shoul
ders through. His revolver rang out
and Clutching Hand’s automatic flew
out of his grasp, giving him just
shouted Clutching Hand
She Looked at Him Speechless.
enough time to dodge through and
slam the secret door in the faces of
the squad as they rushed in.
Back of the house Clutching Hand
and the other crooks were now passe
ing through a bricked passage. Tha
fire had got so far beyond control by
this time that it drove the police back
from their efforts to open the secret
door. Thus the Clutching Hand had
made good his escape through the
passage which led out, as we later dis
covered, to the railroad tracks along
the river.
“Down there—Mr. Kennedy—and
Mr. Jameson,” cried Elaine, pointing
at the trap which was hidden in the
strife.
The fire had gained terrific head
way, but the police seized a ladder
and stuck it down into the basement.
Choking and sputtering, half-suffo-
cated, we staggered up.
“Are you hari asked Elaine, anx-
iously, taking Cra
“Not a bit—thanks to you!” he re
plied, i g the
eager ful
eyes.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
a SESE
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