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RUNNING IN THE AUDITORIUM. MEYERSDALE, EACH THURSDAY EVENING. READ THE STORY AND SEE THE PICTURES.
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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 “Craig Kennedy” Stories
Presented in Collaboration With the Pathe Players and
the Eclectic Film Company
Copyright, 1914. by the Star Company
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All Foreign Rights Reserved
SYNOPSIS.
The New York police are mystified by
a series of murders and other crimes.
The principal clue to the criminal is the
warning letter which is sent the victims,
signed with a “clutching hand.” The lat-
est victim of the mysterious assassin is
Taylor Dodge, the insurance president.
His daughter, Elaine, employs Craig Ken-
nedy, the famous scientific detective, to
try to unravel the mystery. What Ken-
nedy accomplishes is told by his friend
jameson, a newspaper man. Enraged at
he determined effort which Elaine an
Craig Kennedy are making to put an en
to his crimes, the Clutching Hand, as
this strange criminal is known, resorts
to all soris of the most diabolical schemes
to put them out of the way. Each chap-
ter of the story tells of a new plot
against their lives and of the way the
great detective uses all his skill to save
this pretty girl and himself from death.
FOURTEENTH EPISODE
THE RECKONING.
Pacing up and down his den in the
heart of Chinatown, Long Sin was
thinking over his bargain with Ken-
nedy to betray the infamous Clutch-
ing Hand.
At length he seated himself on a
teakwood table still deliberating over
t1.e promise he had been forced to
make to Kennedy.
Suddenly an idea seemed to strike
him. Lifting -a little hammer, he
struck a Chinese gong on the table
at his side. At the same time he
leaned over and turned the knob at the
side of a large woll-top desk.
. A few seconds later a sort of hatch-
way, covered by a rug on the floor, in
one corner of the room, was slowly
lifted and Long Sin’s secretary, a pale,
cadaverous Chinaman, appeared from
below. He stepped noiselessly into
the room and shuffled across to Long
Sin and handed him a letter.
Long Sin scowled, as though some-
thing had interfered with his own
plans, but tore open the envelope with-
out a word, spreading out on his lap
the sheet of paper it contained.
The letter was a typewritten mes-
sage, all in capitals, which read:
“BE AT HEADQUARTERS AT 12.
DESTROY THIS IMMEDIATELY.”
At the bottom of the note appeared
the sinister signature of the Clutching
Hand.
Bowing low again, the secretary
shufied across and down again
through the hatchway, closing the
door as he descended.
Long Sin read the note once more,
while his inscrutable face assumed an
expression of malicious cunning. :
With an air of deliberation he
reached for a match and struck it.
He had placed the paper in the flame
when suddenly he seemed to change
this mind. He hastily blew out the
match, which had destroyed only a
corner of the paper, then folded the
note carefully and placed it in his
pocket.
A few moments later, with a malig-
nant chuckle, Long Sin rose slowly
and ‘left the room.
Meanwhile the master criminal was
busily engaged in putting the finishing
touches to a final scheme of fiendish
4ngenuity for the absolute destruc-
tion of Craig Kennedy.
He had been at work in a small
room fitting up a sort of laboratory,
in the mysterious house which now
served as his headquarters.
Clutching Hand, at a bench in one
corner, had just completed an infernal
machine of diabolical cunning, and
was wrapping it carefully in paper to
make an innocent package.
He was interrupted by a knock at
the door. Laying down the bomb he
went to answer the summons with a
stealthy movement. There stood Long
Sin, who had disguised himself as a
‘Chinese laundryman.
“On time—good!” growled Clutch-
ing Hand surlily as he closed the door
with equal care.
No time was wasted in useless for-
malities.
“This is a bomb,” he went on point-
ing to the package. ‘Carry » care-
fully. On no account let it slip, OT
you are a dead man. It must be in
Kennedy's laboratory before night.
Understand? Can you arrange it?”
Long Sin glanced at the dangerous
package, then with an expressive look,
replied, “Have no fear. I can do it.
It will be in the laboratory within an
hour. Trust me.”
* ® * ® * * ®
In Kennedy's laboratory I was watch-
ing Craig make some experiments
with a new X-ray apparatus.
We were oblivious to the passage of
time, and only a call over our speak-
ing tube diverted our attention.
I opened the door and a few seconds
later Long Sin himself’ entered.
Kennedy looked up inquiringly as
the Chinaman approached, holding out
a package which he carried.
“A bomb,” he said, in the most mat-
ter-of-fact way. “I promised to have
it placed in your laboratory before
night.”
Kennedy took the bomb and care-
fully placed it under the wonderful
rays, then with the fluoroscope over his
eyes studied the shadow cast by the
rays on its sensitive screen.
“it's a bomb, sure enough,” Craig
exclaimed, looking up from it at last
to me. “It’s timed by an ingenious
RS SS SAS RS sos
ou
Po
RX
RSS
and noiseless little piece of ¢lockwork,
in there, too. And it's powerful
enough to blow us all, the laboratory
included, to kingdom come.”
As he spoke, and before I could re-
monstrate with him, he took the in-
fernal machine and placed it on a
table where he set to work on the
most delicate and dangerous piece of
dissection of which I have ever heard.
Carefully unwrapping the bomb and
unscrewing one part while he held an-
other firm, he finally took out of it a
bottle of liquid and some powder.
Then he placed a few grains of the
powder on a dish and dropped on it a
drop or two of the liquid. There was
a bright flash as the powder ignited
instantly.
“Just what I expected,” commented
Kennedy with a nod, as he examined
the clever workmanship of the bomb.
One thing that interested him was
that part of the contents had been
wrapped im paper to keep them in
place. This paper he was now care-
fully examining with a microscope.
As nearly as I could make it out, the
paper contained part of a typewrit-
ten cremical formula, which read:
TINCTURE OF IODINE
THREE PARTS OF—
He looked up from his study of the
microscope to Long Sin.
“Tell me just how it happened that
you got this bomb,” he asked.
Without hesitation the Chinaman re-
cited the circumstances,’ beginning
with the note by which he had been
summoned.
“A note?” repeated Kennedy,
gerly. “Was it typewritten?”
Long Sin reached into his pocket
and produced the note itself, which he
had not burned.
As Craig studied the typewritten
message from the Clutching Hand I
could, see that he was growing more
and more excited.
“At last he has given us something
typewritten,” he exclaimed. “To most
people, I suppose, it seems that type-
writing is the best way to conceal
identity. But there are a thousand
and one ways of identifying typewrit-
ing.
“Look, Walter,” he remarked at
length, taking a fine tipped pencil and
pointing at the distinguishing marks
as he talked. “You will notice that
all the ‘T's’ in this note are bat-
tered and faint as well as just a trifle
out of alignment. Now I will place the
paper from the bomb under the micro-
scope and you will see that the T's’
in the scrap of formula have exactly
the same appearance.”
1 strained my eyes to look. Sure
enough, Kennedy was right. There
was that unmistakable identity be-
tween the T's in the formula and the
note.
Kennedy had been gazing at the
floor, his face puckered in thought as
I looked. Suddenly he clapped his
hands together, as if he had made a
great discovery.
“I've struck it!” he exclaimed, jump-
ing up. “I was wondering where I
had seen typewriting that reminds me
of this. Walter, get on your coat
and hat. We are on the right trail at
last.”
With Long Sin we hurried out of
the laboratory, leaving him at the
neargst taxicab stand, where we
jumped into a waitiug car.
«1t is the clue of the battered “T’s,””
Craig muttered.
Aunt Josephine was in the library
knitting when the butler, Jennings, an-
nounced us.
«Where is—Miss Dodge?” inquired
Kennedy, with suppressed excitement
as we entered.
«[ think she’s out shopping, and I
don’t know just when she will be
back,” answered Aunt Josephine, with
some surprise. “Why? Is it anything
important—any news?”
“Very important,” returned Kennedy
excitedly. “I think I have the best
clue yet. Only—it will be necessary
to look through some of the household
correspondence immediately to see
whether there are certain letters. I
wouldn’t be surprised-é¢f she had some
—perhaps not very personal—but I
must see them.”
Kennedy lost no time. He went to
a desk where Elaine generally sat,
and quickly tcok out several type-
written letters. One after another he
examined them closely, rejecting one
after another, until finally he came
to one that seemed to interest him.
He separated it from ‘the rest and
fell to studying it, comparing it with
the paper from the bomb and the
note which Long Sin had received
from the Clutching Hand. Then he
folded the letter so that the signa-
ture and the address could not be
read by us.
A portion of the letter I recall read
something like this:
“This is his contention: Whereas,
TRUTH is the only goal and MATTER
is non-existent—"
“Look at this, Walter,” remarked
Craig, with difficulty restraining him-
self. “What do you make of it?”
A glance at the typewriting was suf-
ficient to show me that Kennedy had,
indeed, made an important discovery.
We stared at each other almost teo
2
3
3
i
ea-
| ing a few minor letters without first
At that moment we were startled
by the sudden appearance of Elaine.
She entered the room carrying in
her arms a huge bunch of roses which
she had evidently just received.
The moment she saw Craig, how-
ever, she stopped short with a look of
great surprise.
Her keen eye had not missed the
fact that several of her letters lay
scattered over the top of the desk.
“What are you doing with my let-
ters, Mr. Kennedy?” she asked, in an
astonished tone, evidently resenting
the unceremoniousness with which he
had apparently been overhauling her
correspondence.
As guardedly as possible, Kennedy
met her inquiry, which I could not
myself blame her for making.
“] beg your pardon, Miss Dodge,”
he said, “but a matter has just come
up which necessitated merely a cur-
sory examination of some purely for-
mal letters which might have an im-
portant bearing on the discovery of
the Clutching Hand. Your aunt had
no idea where you were, nor when you
might return, and the absolute neces-
sity for haste in such an important
matter is my only excuse for examin-
obtaining your permission.”
She said nothing. At another time
such an explanation would have been
instantly accepted. Now, however, it
was different. :
Kennedy read the look on her face
and an instant later turned to Aunt
Josephine and myself.
“I would very much appreciate a
chance to say a few words to Miss
“I have
time. If you would be so kind as to
utes—"
He did not finish the sentence.
Aunt Josephine had already begun to
withdraw and I followed.
For a moment or two Craig and
Elaine looked at each other, neither
saying a word, each wondering just
what was in the other’s mind.
Craig cleared his throat, the obvious
manner of covering up his emotion.
“Elaine,” he said at length, dropping
the recent return to “Miss Dodge,” for
the moment, “Elaine, is there any
truth in this morning’s newspaper re-
port of—of you?”
She had dropped her eyes. But he
persisted, taking a newspaper clipping
from his pocket and handing it to her.
Her hand trembled as she glanced
over the item:
SOCIETY NOTES.
Dame Rumor is connecting the
name of Miss Elaine Dodge, the
heiress, with that of Perry Ben-
nett, the famous young lawyer.
The announcement of an engage-
ment between them at any time
would not surprise.
Elaine read no farther. She handed
back the clipping to Kennedy. As her
eyes met his she noticed his expres-
suppressing a momentary nasno or an-
leave us in the library—for a few min- | ¢
ger that had reddened his face, and
controlled himself as if by a super-
human effort.
“] believe you really love that man
Kennedy,” he exclaimed in a tone that
was almost a hiss. “But I tell you,
Elaine, he is all bluff. Why, he has
been after that Clutching Hand now
for three months—and what has he
accomplished? Nothing!”
He paused. Through Elaine’s mind
there flashed the contrast with Ken-
nedy’s even temper and deferential
manner.
Bennett, by another effort, seemed |
to grip his temper again. - He paced !
! up and down the room. Then he
changed the subject abruptly, and the |
conversa'ion was resumed with some !
constraint.
While Elaipe and Bennett were talk- |
ing Kennedy and I had entered the of- |
fice. !
Craig stopped the boy who was |
about to announce us and asked for
Bennett's secretary instead, much to
my astonishment. )
The boy merely indicated the door
of one of the other private offices, and
we entered.
We found the secretary hard at
work at the typewriter, copying a
legal document. Without a word Ken-
nedy at once locked the door.
The secretary rose in surprise, but
Craig paid no attention to him. In-
stead he calmly walked over to the
machine and began to examine it.
“Might I ask”—began the secretary.
“You keep quiet,” ordered Kennedy,
with a nod to me to watch the fellow.
Kennedy !s About to Shoot When He Discovers That It Is Jameson and
Not the Clutching Hand Who Lies There Before Him.
Dodge alone,” he intimated.
had no such opportunity for some
“You are under arrest—and the less
you say the better for you.”
1 shall never forget the look that
Housed, ¢ le secretary’s face. Was it
the surprise of an innocent man?
Taking the man’s place at the ma-
chine Kennedy removed the legal pa-
per that was in it and put in a new
sheet. Thén he tapped out, as we
watched:: er
2E AT. HEADQUARTERS AT 12. DE-
STROY. THIS IMMEDIATELY.
TINCTURE OF IODINE
THREE PARTS OF—
This is his contention — whereas
TRUTH is the only goal and MATTER
's nonexistent— .
TYTTTTITTITTIT ITT EITTTITTT LY
“Look, Walter,” he exclaimed as he
drew out the paper from the machine.
1 bent over, and together we com-
pared the T's with those in the Clutch-
ing Hand letter, the. paper from the
bomb and the letter which Craig had
taken from Elaine's desk.
As Craig pointed out the resem-
blances with a pencil my amaze
ment gradually changed into
comprehension and comprehension
into conviction. The meaning of it all
began to dawn on me. °
The writing was identical.
were no differences!
While we were locked in the secre-
tary’s office Bennett and Elaine were
There
sion of deep concern, and hesitated
with the reply she had evidently been
just about to make.
Still, as she lowered her head, it
seemed to give silent confirmation to
the truth of the newspaper report.
Kennedy said nothing, but his eyes
continued to study her face.
He suppressed his feelings with a
great effort then, without a word,
bowed and left the room.
“Walter,” he exclaimed as he re-
joined us in the drawing room, where
I was chatting with Aunt Josephine,
“we must be off again. The trail fol
lows still farther.”
An hour or so later, Elaine, whose
mind was now in a whirl from what
had happened, decided to make a call
on her lawyer and the confidant of her
father, Perry Bennett.
As Elaine entered his private office,
Bennett rose to greet her effusively
and they exchanged a few words.
“] mustn’t forget to thank you for
those lovely roses you sent me,” she
exclaimed at length. “They were
beautiful, and I appreciated them ever
so much.”
A moment later Bennett led the
conversation around until he found an
opportunity to make a tactful allusion
to the report of their engagement in
the morning papers.
He had leaned over, and now at-
tempted to take her hand. She with-
drew it, however. There was some-
thing about his touch which, try as
she might, she could not like. Was it
mere prejudice or was it her keen
woman's intuition?
Bennett looked at
her a m¢
dazed to speak.
i
continuing their chat on various social
topics. Suddenly, however, with a
glance at the clock, Bennett told Elaine
| that he had an important letter to dic-
tate and that it must go off at once.
She said that she would excuse him
a few minutes, and he pressed a but-
ton to call his secretary.
Of course, the secretary did not ap-
pear. Bennett left his office, with
some annoyance, and went into the ad-
joining room, the door to which Ken-
nedy had not locked.
He hesitated a moment, then opened
the door quietly. To his astonishment
he saw Kennedy, the secreta and
myself apparently making a close ex-
amination of the typewriter.
Gliding, rather than walking back
into his own office, he closed the door
and locked it. Almost instantly fear
and fury at the presence of his hated
rival, Kennedy, turned Bennett, as it
were, from the Jekyll of a polished
lawyer and lover of Elaine into an in-
sanely jealous and revengeful Mr.
Hyde. The strain was more than his
warped mind could bear.
With a look of intense horror and
loathing Elaine watched him slowly
change from the composed, calm, in-
tellectual Bennett she knew and re-
spected into a repulsive, mad figure of
a man.
His stature even seemed to be al-
tered. He seemed to shrivel up and
become deformed. His face was terribly
distorted.
And his long, sinewy hand slowly
twisted and bent until he became the
personal embodiment of the Clutching
a
} Craig, the secretary and myself made
| ner, slamming the door behind him. It
' and mask which he invariably wore
As KEiamne, transhxea with terror,
watched Bennett's astounding meta-
morphosis, he ran to the door leading
to the outer office and hastily locked
that also.
Then, with his eyes gleaming with
rage and his hands working in murder-
ous frenzy, he crouched nearer and
nearer, toward Elaine.
She shrank back, screaming again
and again in terror.
He was the Clutching Hand.
In spite of closed doors we could
now plainly hear Elaine’s shrieks.
a rush for the door to Bennett's pri-
vate office. Finding it locked, we be-
gan to batter it.
+ By this tfme, however, Bennett had
hurled himself upon Elaine and was
slowly choking her.
Kennedy found that it was impos-
sible to batter down the door in time
by any ordinary means. Quickly he
seized the typewriter and hurled it
through the panels. Then he thrust
his hand through the opening and
turned the catch.
As we flung ourselves into the room
Bennett rushed into a closetin a cor-
was composed of sheet iron, and effec-
tually prevented anyone from break-
ing through. Kennedy and I tried vain-
ly, however, to pry it open.
While we were thus endeavoring to
force an entrance Bennett, in a sort
of closet, had put on the coat, hat
in the character of the Clutching
Hand. Then he cautiously opened a
secret door in the back of the closet
and slowly made an exit. :
Meanwhile the secretary had been
doing his best to revive Elaine, who
was on the floor, hysterical and half
unconscious from the terrible shock
she had experienced.
Intent on discovering Bennett's
whereabouts, Kennedy and I examined
the wall of the office, thinking there
might be some button or secret spring
which would open the closet door.
While we were doing so the door
of a large safe in the secretary’s of-
fice gradually opened, and the Clutch-
ing Hand emerged from it, stepping
carefully toward’ the door leading to
the outer office, intent on escaping in
that direction.
At that moment I caught sight of
him, and, leaping into the secretary’s
office, I drew my revolver and ordered
him to throw un his hands. He obeyed.
Holding up both hands, he slowly
drew near the door to his private of-
fice.
Suddenly he dropped one hand and
pressed a hidden spring in the wall,
Instantly a heavy iron door shot out
and closed over the wooden door. En-
trance to the private office was abso-
lutely cut off.
With an angry snarl the Clutching
' Hand leaped at me.
As he did so I fired twice.
‘He staggered back.
The shots were heard by Kennedy
and Elaine as well as the secretary,
and at the same instant they discov- !
ered the iron door which barred the
entrance to the secretary’s office.
Rushing into the outer office they
found the clerks exedtedly attempting
to. open the door of the secretary’s
office, which was locked. Kennedy
drew a revolver and shot through the
lock, bursting open the door.
They rushed into the room.
Clutching Hand was apparently seat:
ed in a chair at a desk, his face bur
fed in his arms, while I was appar
ently disappearing. throu the door.
Kennedy and the cl pounced
upon the figure in the chair-and tore
off his mark. To their astonishment
they diseovered-it was myself! ;
My shots had missed, and Clutching
Hand had leaped on me with mad:
dened fury.
Dressed in my coat and hat, which
he had deftly removed after Overpow:
ering me, Clutching Hand had by this
time climbed through the window of
the outer office and was making his
way down the fire escape to the street.
He reached the foot of the iron steps,
leaped off and ran quickly away.
Shouting a few directions to the sec
retary, the clerks and Elaine, Kennedy
climbed through the window and dart
ed down the fire escape in swift pur
suit.
The Clutching Hand, however, man
aged to elude capture again.
While these exciting events were
occurring in Bennett's office some
' queer doings were in progress in the
heart of Chinatown.
Deep underground, in one of the
catacombs known only to the inner:
most members of the Chinese secret
societies, was Tong Wah, popularly
known as “the hider,” engaged in
some mysterious work.
Before him were eight odd-shaped
Chinese vials, and from these he was
carefully measuring certain propor
tions, as if concocting some powerful
potion.
He stepped back and looked around
saispiciously as he suddenly heard
footsteps above. The next moment
Long Sin, who had entered through a
trap door, climbed down a long lad-
der and walked into the room.
Approaching Tong Wah, he asked.
«When will the death drink be
« ready?”
«Jt is now prepared,” was the re-
ply.
A few minutes later the Clutching
Hand drove up to Long Sin’s house in
the taxicab and, after paying the
chauffeur, went to the door and
knocked sharply.
In response to his knocking, Long
Sin appeared on tine threshold and mo-
tioned to Bennett to come in, evident-
ly astonished to see him.
As he entered, Bennett made a se-
cret sign and said: “I am the Clutch-
ing Hand. Kennedy is close on my
trail, and I have come to be hidden.”
fesr the Chinaman intimated that he
had no piace in which Bennett could
be concealed with any degree of safety.
For a moment Bennett glared sav-
agely at Long Sin.
“] possess hidden plunder worth
seven million dollars,” he pleaded
quickly, “and if by your aid I can make
a getaway, a seventh is yours.”
The Chinaman’s cupidity was clear-
ly excited by Bennett’s offer, while the
bare mention of the amount at stake
was sufficient to overcome all his
scruples.
After exchanging a few words he
finally agreed to aid the Clutching
Hand. Opening a trap door in the
floor of the room in which they were
standing, he led Bennett down a step-
ladder into the subterranean chamber
in which Tong Wah had so recently
been preparing his mysterious potion.
As Bennett sank into a chair and
passed his hands over his brow in
utter weariness, Long Sin poured into
a cup some of the liquor of death
which Tong Wah had mixed. He hand-
ed it to Bennett, who drank it eagerly.
“How do you propose to help me to
escape?” asked Bennett huskily.
Without a word Long Sin went to
the wall, and, grasping one of the
stones, pressed it back, opening a
large receptacle, in which there were
two glass coffins apparently contain-
ing two dead Chinamen. Pulling out
the coffins, he pushed them before
Bennett, who rose to his feet and
gazed upon them with wonder.
Long Sin broke the silence: “These
men,” he said, “are not dead; but they
have been in this condition for many
months. It is what is called in your
language suspended animation.”
“Ig that what you intend to do with
me?” asked Bennett, shrinking back in
terror. '
The Chinaman nodded in affirmation
as he pushed back the coffins.
Overcome by the horror of the idea
Bennett, with a groan, sank back into
the chair, shaking his head as if to in-
dicate that the plan was far too ter-
rible to carry out.
With a sinister smile and a shrug of
his shoulders Long Sin pointed to the
cup from which Bennett had drank.
“But, dear master,” he remarked
suavely, “you have already drank a
full dose of the potion which causes
insensibility, and it is overcoming you.
Even now,” he added, “you are too
weak to rise.”
With a malicious chuckle Long Sin
moved closer to his victim and spoke
again.
“Divulge where your seven million
jollars are hidden,” he suggested
craftily, “and I will give you an anti-
dote.”
By this time Bennett, who was be-
coming more rigid each moment, was
inable to speak.
Slowly, and after a desperate strug-
gle, he managed to raise one hand
and pointed to his breast pocket.
The Chinaman instantly thrust in his
hand and drew out a map.
For some moments Long Sin exam-
| ined the map intently, and, with a grin
. of satisfaction, he placed it in his own
! pocket.
Then he mixed what he de-
clared was a sure antidote, and, pour-
ing some of the liquor into a cup, he
held it to Bennett’s lips.
As Bennett opened his mouth to
drink it, Long Sin with a laugh slowly
pulled the cup away and poured its
contents on the floor.
By this time I was slowly recovering
my senses in the secretary’s office,
where Bennett had left me in the dis-
guise of the Clutching Hand. Elaine,
the secretary and the clerks were
gathered around me, doing all they
could to revive me. ’
Meanwhile Kennedy had enlisted
the ald of two detectives and was
scouring the city for a trace of Ben-
nett or the taxicab in which he had
fled.
Somehow, Kennedy suspected, in-
stinctively, that Long Sin might give
a clue to Bennett’s whereabouts, and
a few moments later we were all on
our way in a car to Long Sin’s house.
Though we did not know it, Long
Sin, at the moment when Kennedy
knocked at his door, was feeling in his
inside pocket to see that the map he
had taken from Bennett was perfectly
safe. Finding that he had it, he smiled
with his peculiar oriental guile. Then
he opened the door and stcod for a
moment, silent.
“Where 1s Bennett?” demanded Ken-
nedy.
Long Sin eyed us all, then, with a
placid smile, said, “Follow me. I will
show you.”
There was Bennett, seated rigidly in
the chair beside the table, from which
the vials and cups, about which we
knew nothing, had been removed.
“How did it happen?’ asked Ken-
nedy.
“He came here,” replied Long Sin,
with a wave of his hand, “and before I
could stop him he did away with him-
self.”
“Well, we've got him,” mused Ken-
nedy, shaking his head sadly, adding
after a pause] “but he is dead.”
Elaine, who had followed us down,
covered her eyes with her hands and
was sobbing convulsively. I thought
she would faint, but Kennedy led her
gently away into an upper room.
As he placed her in an easy chair,
he bent over her, soothingly.
“Did you—did you—really—Ilove
him?” he asked in a low tone.
Still shuddering, and with an eager
look at Kennedy, Elame shook her
beautiful head.
Then, slowly rising to her feet, she
looked at Craig appealingly.
“Forgive me,” murmured Elaine,
holding out her hand. Then she added
in a voice tense with emotion, “Thank
you for saving me.”
Kennedy took her hand. For a mo-
ment he held {t. Then he drew her to-
In a tone which betrayed alarm and
A mn me tr Se ————SE
ward him, unresisting.
THE END.
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