- ' ' - . • ■ "N ' PAGE SEVEN CAPE MAY STAR AND WAVE SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 1915

The Exploits of Elaine f A Detective Novel and a Motion Picture ■ Drama By ARTHUR B. REEVE ! TbeWell-Known Novelist and the Creator of the "Craig Kennedy" Stories V. Presented in Collaboration With the Pat he Players and the Eclectic Film Company '■< CoTTiirt- MM. br ISC aa> Cc.-^ AH FuracnSuvu Be*— ' , ■nitnninnnrnnniiFf tt" "in—i ir ' 1 — rrjniiTi*mrnniiinrirr 'tit! — tBSsamuMtt3ssesssisttttia(sss&

synopsis. The Xew.TofV pfilire are rnyetiflej by a principal rlu- to the criminal Is i'.m wn.-r ■jj^tlw whirl' la s. nt^the vh tirna. -Hta:rs>-<I aiiruv:! th,- i»»I'-ry. What K.nn.-'lv a. - oompllsta-s la toM py kiN frirml Jum*-s.,n. a newap;i|a-r mnn Knrugcl ai tin determined effort who h K)nim- and '"'ale K en - NINTH EPISODE ' the death ray. Kennedy was reading* n scientific •rgatise one niorriitii;. while I «a; banging on the typewriter, when a knock at the laboratory door disturbed as. * By, some intuition Craig seemed to know who it was. He sprung to op-n | tho door, and there stood Elaine | Dodge and her lawyer. IVrrv Bennett, j Instantly Craig read from ' the I startled look on Elaine's face that ! something dreadful had hapiM-ned. ^TWhy — what's the matter?" he asked, solicitously. "A — another letter—from Hie Cutch- ! tag Hand!" she exclaimed breath- i leusly Craig took the letter and we both j read, with amazements' •rder «'•«:, ig K. :,l • dy t>> l.-.v. l! u:.l :y •rwtra n I"- I. Mri.-iri wtl! dr..p . his latMiralory • wry h..tir unt;' »... I. The note was signed b.. the now familiar sinister hand. and{hud added i to It a postscript which r<5d window- t ■ .ii i v , "What shall we do?" qu-ri-ij Hen ' aett. evidently very much alarmed 1 at the letter. "Do?" replied Kennedy.-' laughing ! 1 •ontcmptuously at the apparently, ftp " tUo threat. "Why. nothinfc. Just.: We got up" as usual the-next day. ! and quite early went over to tlie i»h<> : i ratory. Kennedy, as was his custom. I plunged, straightway into liis work and appeared absorbed by It, while I t "Tlu-re is something queer going t on. Walter." h? remarked. "This < thine registers some hind of wireless ; rays Infra-red. I think-something like ihose -that they say that Italiuu , scientist. Ullvl. claims he has discovered and called the 'Frays.'" , "How do you" know?" I asked, looking up from my work. "What's that i Instrument you "are using?" v r "A bolometer. Invented by the late Professor Uangley." he replied, his t attention riveted on it. 1 Some time previously Kennedy had i had installed on the window ledge one 1; of those mirrorlike arrangements, known as a "busybody." which p!,uw i those in a room what is going on in i the street i

As 1 moved over to look al .tiebolometer I happened to glare- :• o the "busybody" and s •• .• a > : d was rapidly colleeiing hi if..walk "Look. Craig!" I railed fiar'ti!y. He hurried ov.r'to lie- -uJ look, d We could both in the bus. led mirror a group of d passer- h; bending ovtj* a man tying prion iie cn the sidewalk. The exciti d crowd iift.-d him up and bore him away, a:- I I turned in surprise to Craig. He was looking at his It was now only a few inVmetits past ' nine o'clock! Some time later our door was excitedly fiunc open and Elaine 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 wosd. Then Kennedy began carefully examining the bolometer and sumo other recording instruments he had. while the rest of us watched, fasciSomehow that "busybody" seemed to attract me. 1 could not resist looking Into it from time to time as Kennedy worked. I was scarcely able to control my excitement^ lien again i saw the same scene enacted on tike sidewalk before the laboratory. Hurriedly I looked at my watch. It was -ten o'clock! "Craig!" I cried. "Another!" i Instantly he was at my side, gazing ; eagerly There was a second innocent pedestrian tying on the sidewalk while a crowd, almost panic-stricken, ga'.h- i ered about ini — *'It'«» no use." he' muttered, as we ] gathered about him. "We're beaten 1 cau't Stand this sort of thing, l.wll' : j leave tomorrow fo- South America. ' 1 thought Klaine Dodg. would faint j at the -hock of bis words coming so < soon after the terrible occurrence out- , < aide. She looked at him siwechless. t

It happened tbar Kennedy naa some artificial flowers ipn a stand, which he 1 had been using Jong before in the st^idy of svntnbtic coloring materials I Before Elaine \ could recover her r tongue he seized them and stuck them « into a tall beaker, like a vase. Then \ he deliberately walked to the window j and placed the beaker on the ledge in a most prominent position. Klaine and Bennett, to say nothing ' of myself, gazed at him. awe-struck, i "Is— ia there no other way but to surrender?" she asked. Kennedy mournfully shook bis "I'm afraid not." be an'swered slow,Iv. There's no telling how" far a fellow who hatf this marvelous power might go. I think I'd better leave, to save you." He may not content himself with lnpocent outsiders always." j Nothing flTat any of us could say. not even the pleadings of Elaine her self, could- move him. The thought that at eleven o'clock a third innocent passer-by might lie stricken on the street seemed to move him powerfully Klaine. choking back her emotion and | finding it impossible to go on. "So am !. Elaine." he sQiswered. tensely. "But - perhaps w hen this j trouble blows over"— He paused, unable. to go on. turned and shook his head. Then with a j fqreed ga.vety he bade Elaine and

I'errv Bennett adieu, saying "that per j haps a trip might do him good j They had scarcely ge-.e out. aad j Kennedy closed the door 'carefully, when he turned and went directly to the Instrument which I had seen him observing so Interestedly. Plainly 1 could see that iLwas reg- - He walked fairly close -to tlftvwin I don' this time, keeping well out of tlie I direct line of it. however. ;uid there st« i «1 raring out into the street. j "We are being w niched." .lie said ; slowly, turning and looking"!!? me !ixj edly. "but I don't dare Investigate lest i it, cost the li.ys of more unfortunates." | thought. Then lie pulled out a' suit i Although w«- hart not dared to Ini vestigatc. we knew that from a build- ' llig aejross the street emissaries of j tin- Clutching Hand were watching 1 The fact was. as we /ound 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 th- suburbs, there were at that moment tvvo"crooks. ,One of them was the famous, or rather Infamous. Professor Let'roix. The oilier was the young secretary of the Clutching Hand. This was the new headquarters of guarded. ' excited by the effect that had been produced by his infrared rays. "There is the -sign -the vase'of flowers. We get hint this time'" Instriitn-nt l.csid-- him. Apparently

Craig about l|-s~ su.V. P-pion to ' i'° «•*'»' I"'" ' >V sol •mn pro-'••-.Iii • ! 11. Nun J admit defeat . alt. r .such a briifinnt succession of cases as had been his, until we met this master criminal. He was unshakable, however., and the next mottling -we elosed the laboratory and loaded our baggage into a taxicali Neither of us said much, hut I saw a quick look of appreciation on. Craig's face as we pulled up at the wharf and saw- that Elaine's ear was already there. He seemed deeply moved thai Klaine should come at such an early hour to have a last word. Our ear stooped, and Kennedy moved over toward her car. directing two lairters. whom 1 noticed that ; he chose with care, to wait at one side. One of them was an Irishman , with a slight limp: the other a wiry ; Frenchman with a pointed heard. I In spite of her pleadings, however. Kennedy held to bis purpose, and as i we, shook hands for the last time I thought that Elaine would almost ; break down. | We finally toce ourselves away, i followed by the- porters carrying as i , much as they. could. 1 . 'Bon voyage!" tailed Elaine, brave- i t ly keeping back a choke in her voice, j t Near the gangplank, in the cond, I i t j noticed a couple cf sinister fares j c watching the ship's officers and the i'i | passengers going a beard. Kennedy's j quick eye spotted them. too. but he 1 1 did not show in any way that he no-' c ticed anything as, followed by our two

I porters, we quickly climbed the gang- l | plank. .; "In there.'" pointed- Kennedy, quick- j £ 1>* to the porters, indicating our state- : J room, which was an outer ro6m. ' J "Come. Walter." \ j ' followed him in with a heavy i heart. j Outside could be seen the two sinjj ister faces in the crowd watching in- " J tently. with eyes fixed on the stateJ room. Finally one of the crooks* 5 boarded the ship hastily, while the ? other watched the two porters come !• out of the stateroom and pause at the i window, speaking back into the room I as though answering commafids. Then the porters quickly ran along B the deck and down the plank to get e the rest of the luggage. B They took a small, but very' heavy . boxftnd. lugging and tugging, hastened r toward the boat with It. Hut they , were too late. The gangplank was be j ing hauled in. { They shouted, but the ship's officers ' waved them back. The porters argued. But it was no g use. .All they could do was to carry the box back to the Dodge car. , Miss Dodge was just getting in as j "What shall we do with this and the other stuff?" asked the Irish por* She looted at the rest of the tagged r luggage and the box which was , marked : Scientific Instruments Valuable Handle With Care! "Here — pile them in there." she said, indicating tiYt^taxicab. . "I'll take care of them." M'-anw hile 'one of our sinister-faced i friends had just hud time to regain I the shore after foijowing us aboard I ship ami strolling past the window I of our stateroom. He paused long i enough to observe one of the. occupants studying a map. while the' other 1 was opening a bag. "They're cone'" he said to the other \

|f as he rejoined him on the dock, gtvf his thumb :il the ship. » . "Yes." ad-Jed the other crook, "and lost most of their baggage, too." Ij Slowly the proceeded through 1 the streets up tsoui-the river front. # followed by the taxicab. until at last the I loilro rttansion was reached. ,, "Mir*-. Mar->." -he .cried petu1 «- r. king up K-imedy 's piciur. ^ "Wil v.- s!'.,!l I P- them put these stfid in a ri h lr-sh h-oe' ^ v i-h a lo'-k ,::t Jefi.jnps. "to hi- delivered in pri- . Ela itlA glanced •:.< hint surprised. Then she nodded to Jennings, who disappeared. As h« {.'id so. Hi-.- IrrsV man limped to the door and drew toe Then he came back clos r t.» El in-r ' A moment she looked a' It tit. not quite knowing from his strange ac- . Jiors. whether to cv.!l for help or not. At a motion from Kennedy, as he i pulled off -his wig.. I pulidd off tlie ... little .false -beard. i Elaine looked at us. transformed, i slartli d. " j r "VV1'— v s''e stammered. "Oh— j Kennedy said nothing. He was i | tfiorouchly enjoying her fnce. | plained, laughing merrily. "1 admit that I didn't, until that last minute ( in the stateroom oa the boat when i didn't come back to wave a last , j rood-bv. But a!l the care that Craig | took in selecting the porters was the .- ; result of work he did yesterday, and j j the insistence with which he chose j I our traveling clothes had a deep-laid j i I purpose. | j | "The change was made quickly in : t the stateroom. Kennedy's man tlirew j the coat and hat he wore, while a

i Craig donned the rough clothes of ! the porter and added a limp and a ! w ig- 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 Ken-j nedy. "You must smuggle us out of ' the house some way." 1 Kennedy lost no time in confinn- „ *ig the suspicions of his bolometer as to the cause of the death of the. in- ! nocent victims of the machinations of i the Clutching Hand. -Both of them, he had learned, had been removed to a nearby undertak- | ing shop, awaiting the verdict of tho i coroner. We sought out the shop ! and prevailed on the undertaker to ^ let us see the bodies. As Kennedy pulled down the shroud j from the faee 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, disclosed a similar marj/ , "What Is it?" I"3skcd, awe-struck. "Why." he said. "I've heard of a certain Viennese, one LeCroix. I believe, w ho has discovered, or perfected, an ; infra-red ray instrument which shoots its power a great distance with extreme accuracy and leaves a mark like these." > We thanked the undertaker for his courtesy "and w ent out. Meanwhile Elaine had called up Perry Bennett { "Mr. Bennett." she exi-laiiued over . the wire. "Just guess whcKcalled on "Who?" he answered: "I give It up." "Mr. Kennedy and Mr Jameson." t "Is that so?" h<^ returned. "Isn't i that fine? I didn't think he was Site j to run awqy like that. How did happen?" , Elaine quickly told the story as I had told her. ] Had she known it. how ever. Bennett's ] valet. Thonias. was at that very mo- ,

"Eon Voyage." Cried Elaine. Bravely Keeping Back a Choke in Her Voice.

f tcns^Jv interested. ' Thomas entered the room. "If anyone rails me." oBd-n-d H.-n-i nett. "take the message, ptirtieuiarly . if it is from Miss Dodge." ' "Yes, s r." nodded tlie valet with a ! It was not long afterward that a knock sounded at the door of tint new i I.eCroix and the secretary were tin-re. Th- vcr.-.rv* op. ", .! the door. I ' Baek— cried the cooks. i~ "Ye* they' didn't go Changed clothes v.lth the portefF. 1 Just heard Miss Dotigp lolling Mr. Bennett." . Clutohitig Hand eyed him keenly, then vented to burst irto an tincov. at the valet .-•-.d^Mte others." Then, with the see-. ::,rv and of the fronf 'that by . hit h lie had aeiit the va'ef. » Craig matie arr.iii:-eni'-nt* • ,r a" raid 1 the laliora'ory -.- r- he hml s.- n't he 1 cp'ora glass relUtctton. Then, as secretly as w- had «-<-i.e. ' into the iahoratory. stealth '-. I mkuig ' nnd down the street, \\ •■ entered"* carefully locked again No Winner had we ilisatip'-orutl than t otic of the Clutching Hand s spies, j who had been watching In hind a bar- | re! of rubbish, gave the signal of tlie , f hand dou^ the street to a confeder- i j ate. and. going to the door, entered by j . Ineans of a skeleton key. j We. entered our laboratory which i Kennedy had closed the day before. J With shades drawn it now looked doj serted enough. Kennedy went over ' to a cabinet, and from it took out a notebook and K

a small box. Opening the notebook on the laboratory table, he rapidly turned | j Jhe: pages. "Here. Walter." he remarked. "This will answer yqpr question about the i . mysterious deadly ray." J I moved over to the table, eager to 1 ; satisfy my curiosity and read the ' notes which he, indicated with His ' finger. infra-red ray notes. Tlie put,- Infra-red "ray wliu ii lias I** -, , developed by IieCroix from the experi- : inents of the Indian scientist. IT' I, causes, when conix-ntrated by an apparatus per- , feeted by LeCroix.^ an Instantaneous com- , particularly deadly In its effort on tin It .-an be diverted, it Is said, however, by a shield composed of plaltiium baVkert by asbestos. s Next Kennedy o|>ened 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 deadly rays. He had not finished even that, when a peculiar noise in the laboratory itself disturbed him. and he hastily ; thrust the asbestos-platinum shield into his tiocket "Though we had not realized it. our 1 return had been anticipated. Suddenly from a closet projected a i magazine gun. and before w-e could i move Clutching Hand himself slowlyappeared behind us. We started to our feet', but in an 1 instant foufid ourselves sprawling on the floor. In the cabinet, beneath the labora- 1 table, another crook had been hidden, and he tackled us with all 1 tho skill of an old football player. 1 ' against whom we had no defense. 1 Four of them were upon us in- j stantiy. At the same time Thomas, the faith- 1 valet of Bennett, had been dis- 1 Patched by the Clutching Hand to ' eornmariit^er his master's loadster in 1 | his absence, qtul. carrying out the in- '

stFuctioiis. he had driven up before 1 when she was going out for a walk ' Thomas jumped out of the car and ' touched his hat deferentially. ■f "a message from Mr. Bennett. . ' ma'am.!! he explained. "Mr Kennedy ( and Mr. Bennett have sent me to ask , . yon to come over to the laboratory." Unsuspectingly. Ktaine stepped into t ; the car and. throve off. Instead, however, of turning and | pulling up on the laboratory side of c ' the street. Thomas stopped oppanile - 1 it. lie got our and Elaine, thinking j that perhaps it was to save linje . t that lie had not turned the iff r around, a followed. The door was opened quickly by a ,, lookout of the Clutching Hand .and the j valet asked if Craig and Elaine's law- ,. i ver were in. Of course, the lookout ( replied that they were, and before a Elaine knew it she was jostled into j r the dark hallway. . • j And as the door slati'inu-d sh-- caught s sight of the fearsome Clutching Hand n •j hiniself. She drew- back, but was too fright- s criminal beckoned to her to follow ' him and look down through a -small p -tra|idoor. <j Unable now to resist, she did so. ; a There she saw us. To that extent : o the valet had told thenruth. Keu i nedv was standing ill deep thought. ! lu deep |

strrnt v. as diverted, the Clutching lianu at.d his followers had hustled its over to the new hangout from tlie laboratory Titer- :h-y>ad nn-t more i-ruoks and had ihi tst us into this vile As li»- said it m other trapdoor near rotu-iaitied it. the rays that had af feet-d the bolometer Just then a spot of light showed mont Boor until it fell on my shoe Instantly the leather charred, even he Kenn-dy and I leaped to our f-i : and di.-vv hack. The beam follow. ii us. We ruented further. Still it fol-, lowed, in- xorably. CliiHlitui'. i lurid, was now holding r -iir 'In door where she euulil while In- 'l.T'i-s. J t'roix and the rest to v\i. rk tin- iiifrn-iu d ray apjiaratus through the trap. . endeavoring to Jieep the red ray from ' touching us. the crooks s- emed. in no . the torture, as does a cat with a * I -Please— oh. please— stop!" begged ! Clutching Hand only laughed with | * ' fiendish delight and urged his men on. : ( The thing was getting closer and Suddenly wo heard a strange voice *' ring out above us. "Policel" "Where?" growled the Clutching ® Hand in fury.

' "Outside — a raid!" Run! He's told I them!" ) Already we could bear the ham- ' mere and axes of the police whom > Kennedy had called upon before, aa I they battered at this outside door. ' " At that uoor a moment before tho ■ ' lookout suddenly had giveD a startled I stare and a suppressed cry. Glancing down the street be had seen a police patrol in which were a score or more of the strong-arm squad. They had ' jumped out. some carrying sledgehammers, pthers axes. Almost before he could cry out and : ! retreat to give a warning they had reached tile door and the first re- . sounding blows lu.d been struck. 1 The lookout quickly had fled and drawn the bolts of a strong inner door, and the police began battering that impediment. Instantly Clutching Haud turned to EeCroix' at the F-ray machine. "Fi,nish them!" lie shothed. We were now backed up against a small eil -in the wall of the cellar, fc was bareiy large enough to hold us, but by crowding we were able to keep out of the reach of the ray. The ray shst past the ell and struck the wall a couple of inches from us. 1 looked. The u-menl began to crumble under the intense heat. Meanwhile the police were having great difficulty with tljg steel boltstudded door. Still it jpre Tii-ldlng a bit. "Hurry!" shouted Clutching Hand to l.oCroix Kennedy had voluntarily placed himself in front of me in the ell. Carefully, to avoid the 'ray. he took the asbestosplatinum shield from his pocket anil slid it forward as best he could over, the wail to the s|«t where the rajj It reflected the rav. I But so powerful was it that even that part of the ray which was deflected could be seen to strike the ceiling' In the corner, which was of wood. Instantly. before Kennedy could even move the shield, the wood burst into Above us now smolTe was pouriuiS' the room where the deflectrd ray struck the Poor and flames broke out. "CqpTlht nd liim!" ground out Clutching Hand, as they, saw it Th- other -rooks hacked away and - stood hesitating, not knowing quite The police had bv this time finished in the door and had rustled Into the outer pasSagr. While the flames leaped up. the crooks -closed the 'last door into the "Run!" shouted ClutehtpA Hand, as - yiev opened a sei-ret gate, disclosing spiral flight of iron steps. .' ■ A moment later all had disappeared e*C''Pt Clutching Hand himself. The lard door would hold only a few seconds. but Clutching Hand was watting take advantage of even that With last frantic effort' he sought to dii rect the terrible ray at us. Elaine, acted instantly ■ With all ber strength she rushed forward, overturning tho 0 Clutching Hand uttered a growl and slowly raised his gun. taking aim with the butt for a well-directed blow at Just then the door yielded and a policeman stuck his bend and shoul through. His revolver rang out and Clutching Hand's automatic flew out of his grasp, giving him just

She Locked at Him Speechless.

slain the s.-er-i- dr»r in the faces' uf the squad as they rwunl in and tie*, other crooks, were now pass- * ir.g through a' bricked passage. Tli'■re lq:d got so far beyond control by this time fhat it drove the |u>liu<- back ! re in th< ir* i .Torts to open Hie secret d.!Or. Thus the Clutching Hand ha/i r.iqde pood i-is escape through the passage which led nqt, as v.e later dii * : ovv*tj d. to th" railroad tracks along * thrv-rlver. "Down there — Mr. Kennedy — and' Janicsoa." cri.-d Elaine, -pointing at the trap which was, hidden In the strife. Tiie fire had pained terrific headway, but the police seized a ladder ' and stuck it down into the basement. | Choking and sputtering, haif suffocated. we staggered up. "Are you hurt?" asked Elaine, anxtalcing Craig'- arm. "Not a bit — thanks to you!" he replied. forgetting all In meeting the questioning of her wonderful eyes. (TO BE CONTINUED.)