,illustration ,,the ,,craig ,,kennedy ,,series ,the ,war ,terror by ,arthur ,b4 ,reeve ,contents ,,introduction ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,war ,,terror ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,electro-,,magnetic ,,gun ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,murder ,,syndicate ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,air ,,pirate ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,ultra-,,violet ,,ray ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,triple ,,mirror ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,wireless ,,wiretappers ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,houseboat ,,mystery ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,radio ,,detective ,,chapter ,x4 ,,the ,,curio ,,shop ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,the 8,,pillar ,,of ,,death0 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,arrow ,,poison ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,radium ,,robber ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,spinthariscope ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,the ,,asphyxiating ,,safe ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,dead ,,line ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,paste ,,replica ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,burglar',s ,,microphone ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,the ,,germ ,,letter ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,the ,,artificial ,,kidney ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,the ,,poison ,,bracelet ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,the ,,devil ,,worshipers ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,,the ,,psychic ,,curse ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,,the ,,serpent',s ,,tooth ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,,the 8,,happy ,,dust0 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,,the ,,binet ,,test ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,,the ,,lie ,,detector ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,,the ,,family ,,skeleton ,,chapter ,,xxix4 ,,the ,,lead ,,poisoner ,,chapter ,,xxx4 ,,the ,,electrolytic ,,murder ,,chapter ,,xxxi4 ,,the ,,eugenic ,,bride ,,chapter ,,xxxii4 ,,the ,,germ ,,plasm ,,chapter ,,xxxiii4 ,,the ,,sex ,,control ,,chapter ,,xxxiv4 ,,the ,,billionaire ,,baby ,,chapter ,,xxxv4 ,,the ,,psychanalysis ,,chapter ,,xxxvi4 ,,the ,,ends ,,of ,,justice ,,introduction ,as ,i look back now on the sensational events of the past months since the great ,european ,war began1 it seems to me as if there had never been a period in ,craig ,kennedy's life more replete with thrilling adventures than this4 ,in fact1 scarcely had one mysterious event been straightened out from the tangled skein1 when another1 even more baffling1 crowded on its very heels4 ,as was to have been expected with us in ,america1 not all of these remarkable experiences grew either directly or indirectly out of the war1 but there were several that did1 and they proved to be only the beginning of a succession of events which kept me busy chronicling for the ,star the exploits of my capable and versatile friend4 ,altogether1 this period of the war was1 ,i am sure1 quite the most exciting of the many series of episodes through which ,craig has been called upon to go4 ,yet he seemed to meet each situation as it arose with a fresh mind1 which was amazing even to me who have known him so long and so intimately4 ,as was naturally to be supposed1 also1 at such a time1 it was not long before ,craig found himself entangled in the marvelous spy system of the warring ,european nations4 ,these systems revealed their devious and dark ways1 ramifying as they did tentacle-like even across the ocean in their efforts to gain their ends in neutral ,america4 ,not only so1 but1 as ,i shall some day endeavor to show later1 when the ban of silence imposed by neutrality is raised after the war1 many of the horrors of the war were brought home intimately to us4 ,i have1 after mature consideration1 decided that even at present nothing but good can come from the publication at least of some part of the strange series of adventures through which ,kennedy and ,i have just gone1 especially those which might1 if we had not succeeded1 have caused most important changes in current history4 ,as for the other adventures1 no question can be raised about the propriety of their publication4 ,at any rate1 it came about that early in ,august1 when the war cloud was just beginning to loom blackest1 ,kennedy was unexpectedly called into one of the strangest1 most dangerous situations in which his peculiar and perilous profession had ever involved him4 ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,war ,,terror 8,i must see ,professor ,kennedy--where is he8--,i must see him1 for ,god's sake60 ,i was almost carried off my feet by the inrush of a wild-eyed girl1 seemingly half crazed with excitement1 as she cried out ,craig's name4 ,startled by my own involuntary exclamation of surprise which followed the vision that shot past me as ,i opened our door in response to a sudden1 sharp series of pushes at the buzzer1 ,kennedy bounded swiftly toward me1 and the girl almost flung herself upon him4 8,why1 ,miss--er--,miss--my dear young lady--what's the matter80 he stammered1 catching her by the arm gently4 ,as ,kennedy forced our strange visitor into a chair1 ,i observed that she was all a-tremble4 ,her teeth fairly chattered4 ,alternately her nervous1 peaceless hands clutched at an imaginary something in the air1 as if for support1 then1 finding none1 she would let her wrists fall supine1 while she gazed about with quivering lips and wild1 restless eyes4 ,plainly1 there was something she feared4 ,she was almost over the verge of hysteria4 ,she was a striking girl1 of medium height and slender form1 but it was her face that fascinated me1 with its delicately molded features1 intense unfathomable eyes of dark brown1 and lips that showed her idealistic1 high-strung temperament4 8,please10 he soothed1 8get yourself together1 please--try6 ,what is the matter80 ,she looked about1 as if she feared that the very walls had eyes and ears4 ,yet there seemed to be something bursting from her lips that she could not restrain4 8,my life10 she cried wildly1 8my life is at stake4 ,oh--help me1 help me6 ,unless ,i commit a murder to-night1 ,i shall be killed myself60 ,the words sounded so doubly strange from a girl of her evident refinement that ,i watched her narrowly1 not sure yet but that we had a plain case of insanity to deal with4 8,a murder80 repeated ,kennedy incredulously4 8,you commit a murder80 ,her eyes rested on him1 as if fascinated1 but she did not flinch as she replied desperately1 8,yes--,baron ,kreiger--you know1 the ,german diplomat and financier1 who is in ,america raising money and arousing sympathy with his country40 8,baron ,kreiger60 exclaimed ,kennedy in surprise1 looking at her more keenly4 ,we had not met the ,baron1 but we had heard much about him1 young1 handsome1 of an old family1 trusted already in spite of his youth by many of the more advanced of old world financial and political leaders1 one who had made a most favorable impression on democratic ,america at a time when such impressions were valuable4 ,glancing from one of us to the other1 she seemed suddenly1 with a great effort1 to recollect herself1 for she reached into her chatelaine and pulled out a card from a case4 ,it read simply1 8,miss ,paula ,lowe40 8,yes10 she replied1 more calmly now to ,kennedy's repetition of the ,baron's name1 8you see1 ,i belong to a secret group40 ,she appeared to hesitate1 then suddenly added1 8,i am an anarchist40 ,she watched the effect of her confession and1 finding the look on ,kennedy's face encouraging rather than shocked1 went on breathlessly3 8,we are fighting war with war--this iron-bound organization of men and women4 ,we have pledged ourselves to exterminate all kings1 emperors and rulers1 ministers of war1 generals--but first of all the financiers who lend money that makes war possible40 ,she paused1 her eyes gleaming momentarily with something like the militant enthusiasm that must have enlisted her in the paradoxical war against war4 8,we are at least going to make another war impossible60 she exclaimed1 for the moment evidently forgetting herself4 8,and your plan80 prompted ,kennedy1 in the most matter-of-fact manner1 as though he were discussing an ordinary campaign for social betterment4 8,how were you to--reach the ,baron80 8,we had a drawing10 she answered with amazing calmness1 as if the mere telling relieved her pent-up feelings4 8,another woman and ,i were chosen4 ,we knew the ,baron's weakness for a pretty face4 ,we planned to become acquainted with him--lure him on40 ,her voice trailed off1 as if1 the first burst of confidence over1 she felt something that would lock her secret tighter in her breast4 ,a moment later she resumed1 now talking rapidly1 disconnectedly1 giving ,kennedy no chance to interrupt or guide the conversation4 8,you don't know1 ,professor ,kennedy10 she began again1 8but there are similar groups to ours in ,european countries and the plan is to strike terror and consternation everywhere in the world at once4 ,why1 at our headquarters there have been drawn up plans and agreements with other groups and there are set down the time1 place1 and manner of all the--the removals40 ,momentarily she seemed to be carried away by something like the fanaticism of the fervor which had at first captured her1 even still held her as she recited her incredible story4 8,oh1 can't you understand80 she went on1 as if to justify herself4 8,the increase in armies1 the frightful implements of slaughter1 the total failure of the peace propaganda--they have all defied civilization6 8,and then1 too1 the old1 red-blooded emotions of battle have all been eliminated by the mechanical conditions of modern warfare in which men and women are just so many units1 automata4 ,don't you see8 ,to fight war with its own weapons--that has become the only last resort40 ,her eager1 flushed face betrayed the enthusiasm which had once carried her into the 8,group10 as she called it4 ,i wondered what had brought her now to us4 8,we are no longer making war against man10 she cried4 8,we are making war against picric acid and electric wires60 ,i confess that ,i could not help thinking that there was no doubt that to a certain type of mind the reasoning might appeal most strongly4 8,and you would do it in war time1 too80 asked ,kennedy quickly4 ,she was ready with an answer4 8,king ,george of ,greece was killed at the head of his troops4 ,remember ,nazim ,pasha1 too4 ,such people are easily reached in time of peace and in time of war1 also1 by sympathizers on their own side4 ,that's it1 you see--we have followers of all nationalities40 ,she stopped1 her burst of enthusiasm spent4 ,a moment later she leaned forward1 her clean-cut profile showing her more earnest than before4 8,but1 oh1 ,professor ,kennedy10 she added1 8it is working itself out to be more terrible than war itself60 8,have any of the plans been carried out yet80 asked ,craig1 ,i thought a little superciliously1 for there had certainly been no such wholesale assassination yet as she had hinted at4 ,she seemed to catch her breath4 8,yes10 she murmured1 then checked herself as if in fear of saying too much4 8,that is1 ,i--,i think so40 ,i wondered if she were concealing something1 perhaps had already had a hand in some such enterprise and it had frightened her4 ,kennedy leaned forward1 observing the girl's discomfiture4 8,miss ,lowe10 he said1 catching her eye and holding it almost hypnotically1 8why have you come to see me80 ,the question1 pointblank1 seemed to startle her4 ,evidently she had thought to tell only as little as necessary1 and in her own way4 ,she gave a little nervous laugh1 as if to pass it off4 ,but ,kennedy's eyes conquered4 8,oh1 can't you understand yet80 she exclaimed1 rising passionately and throwing out her arms in appeal4 8,i was carried away with my hatred of war4 ,i hate it yet4 ,but now--the sudden realization of what this compact all means has--well1 caused something in me to--to snap4 ,i don't care what oath ,i have taken4 ,oh1 ,professor ,kennedy1 you--you must save him60 ,i looked up at her quickly4 ,what did she mean8 ,at first she had come to be saved herself4 8,you must save him60 she implored4 ,our door buzzer sounded4 ,she gazed about with a hunted look1 as if she felt that some one had even now pursued her and found out4 8,what shall ,i do80 she whispered4 8,where shall ,i go80 8,quick--in here4 ,no one will know10 urged ,kennedy1 opening the door to his room4 ,he paused for an instant1 hurriedly4 8,tell me--have you and this other woman met the ,baron yet8 ,how far has it gone80 ,the look she gave him was peculiar4 ,i could not fathom what was going on in her mind4 ,but there was no hesitation about her answer4 8,yes10 she replied1 8,i--we have met him4 ,he is to come back to ,new ,york from ,washington to-day--this afternoon--to arrange a private loan of five million dollars with some bankers secretly4 ,we were to see him to-night--a quiet dinner1 after an automobile ride up the ,hudson--0 8,both of you80 interrupted ,craig4 8,yes--that--that other woman and myself10 she repeated1 with a peculiar catch in her voice4 8,to-night was the time fixed in the drawing for the--0 ,the word stuck in her throat4 ,kennedy understood4 8,yes1 yes10 he encouraged1 8but who is the other woman80 ,before she could reply1 the buzzer had sounded again and she had retreated from the door4 ,quickly ,kennedy closed it and opened the outside door4 ,it was our old friend ,burke of the ,secret ,service4 ,without a word of greeting1 a hasty glance seemed to assure him that ,kennedy and ,i were alone4 ,he closed the door himself1 and1 instead of sitting down1 came close to ,craig4 8,kennedy10 he blurted out in a tone of suppressed excitement1 8can ,i trust you to keep a big secret80 ,craig looked at him reproachfully1 but said nothing4 8,i beg your pardon--a thousand times10 hastened ,burke4 8,i was so excited1 ,i wasn't thinking--0 8,once is enough1 ,burke10 laughed ,kennedy1 his good nature restored at ,burke's crestfallen appearance4 8,well1 you see10 went on the ,secret ,service man1 8this thing is so very important that--well1 ,i forgot40 ,he sat down and hitched his chair close to us1 as he went on in a lowered1 almost awestruck tone4 8,kennedy10 he whispered1 8,i'm on the trail1 ,i think1 of something growing out of these terrible conditions in ,europe that will tax the best in the ,secret ,service4 ,think of it1 man4 ,there's an organization1 right here in this city1 a sort of assassin's club1 as it were1 aimed at all the powerful men the world over4 ,why1 the most refined and intellectual reformers have joined with the most red-handed anarchists and--0 8,sh6 not so loud10 cautioned ,craig4 8,i think ,i have one of them in the next room4 ,have they done anything yet to the ,baron80 ,it was ,burke's turn now to look from one to the other of us in unfeigned surprise that we should already know something of his secret4 8,the ,baron80 he repeated1 lowering his voice4 8,what ,baron80 ,it was evident that ,burke knew nothing1 at least of this new plot which ,miss ,lowe had indicated4 ,kennedy beckoned him over to the window furthest from the door to his own room4 8,what have you discovered80 he asked1 forestalling ,burke in the questioning4 8,what has happened80 8,you haven't heard1 then80 replied ,burke4 ,kennedy nodded negatively4 8,fortescue1 the ,american inventor of fortescite1 the new explosive1 died very strangely this morning40 8,yes10 encouraged ,kennedy1 as ,burke came to a full stop to observe the effect of the information4 8,most incomprehensible1 too10 he pursued4 8,no cause1 apparently4 ,but it might have been overlooked1 perhaps1 except for one thing4 ,it wasn't known generally1 but ,fortescue had just perfected a successful electro-magnetic gun--powderless1 smokeless1 flashless1 noiseless and of tremendous power4 ,to-morrow he was to have signed the contract to sell it to ,england4 ,this morning he is found dead and the final plans of the gun are gone60 ,kennedy and ,burke were standing mutely looking at each other4 8,who is in the next room80 whispered ,burke hoarsely1 recollecting ,kennedy's caution of silence4 ,kennedy did not reply immediately4 ,he was evidently much excited by ,burke's news of the wonderful electro-magnetic gun4 8,burke10 he exclaimed suddenly1 8let's join forces4 ,i think we are both on the trail of a world-wide conspiracy--a sort of murder syndicate to wipe out war60 ,burke's only reply was a low whistle that involuntarily escaped him as he reached over and grasped ,craig's hand1 which to him represented the sealing of the compact4 ,as for me1 ,i could not restrain a mental shudder at the power that their first murder had evidently placed in the hands of the anarchists1 if they indeed had the electro-magnetic gun which inventors had been seeking for generations4 ,what might they not do with it--perhaps even use it themselves and turn the latest invention against society itself6 ,hastily ,craig gave a whispered account of our strange visit from ,miss ,lowe1 while ,burke listened1 open-mouthed4 ,he had scarcely finished when he reached for the telephone and asked for long distance4 8,is this the ,german embassy in ,washington80 asked ,craig a few moments later when he got his number4 8,this is ,craig ,kennedy1 in ,new ,york4 ,the ,united ,states ,secret ,service will vouch for me--mention to them ,mr4 ,burke of their ,new ,york office who is here with me now4 ,i understand that ,baron ,kreiger is leaving for ,new ,york to meet some bankers this afternoon4 ,he must not do so4 ,he is in the gravest danger if he--,what8 ,he left last night at midnight and is already here80 ,kennedy turned to us blankly4 ,the door to his room opened suddenly4 ,there stood ,miss ,lowe1 gazing wild-eyed at us4 ,evidently her supernervous condition had heightened the keenness of her senses4 ,she had heard what we were saying4 ,i tried to read her face4 ,it was not fear that ,i saw there4 ,it was rage2 it was jealousy4 8,the traitress--it is ,marie60 she shrieked4 ,for a moment1 obtusely1 ,i did not understand4 8,she has made a secret appointment with him10 she cried4 ,at last ,i saw the truth4 ,paula ,lowe had fallen in love with the man she had sworn to kill6 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,electro-,,magnetic ,,gun 8,what shall we do80 demanded ,burke1 instantly taking in the dangerous situation that the ,baron's sudden change of plans had opened up4 8,call ,o',connor10 ,i suggested1 thinking of the police bureau of missing persons1 and reaching for the telephone4 8,no1 no60 almost shouted ,craig1 seizing my arm4 8,the police will inevitably spoil it all4 ,no1 we must play a lone hand in this if we are to work it out4 ,how was ,fortescue discovered1 ,burke80 8,sitting in a chair in his laboratory4 ,he must have been there all night4 ,there wasn't a mark on him1 not a sign of violence1 yet his face was terribly drawn as though he were gasping for breath or his heart had suddenly failed him4 ,so far1 ,i believe1 the coroner has no clue and isn't advertising the case40 8,take me there1 then10 decided ,craig quickly4 8,walter1 ,i must trust ,miss ,lowe to you on the journey4 ,we must all go4 ,that must be our starting point1 if we are to run this thing down40 ,i caught his significant look to me and interpreted it to mean that he wanted me to watch ,miss ,lowe especially4 ,i gathered that taking her was in the nature of a third degree and as a result he expected to derive some information from her4 ,her face was pale and drawn as we four piled into a taxicab for a quick run downtown to the laboratory of ,fortescue from which ,burke had come directly to us with his story4 8,what do you know of these anarchists80 asked ,kennedy of ,burke as we sped along4 8,why do you suspect them80 ,it was evident that he was discussing the case so that ,paula could overhear1 for a purpose4 8,why1 we received a tip from abroad--,i won't say where10 replied ,burke guardedly1 taking his cue4 8,they call themselves the #8,group1' ,i believe1 which is a common enough term among anarchists4 ,it seems they are composed of terrorists of all nations40 8,the leader80 inquired ,kennedy1 leading him on4 8,there is one1 ,i believe1 a little florid1 stout ,german4 ,i think he is a paranoiac who believes there has fallen on himself a divine mission to end all warfare4 ,quite likely he is one of those who have fled to ,america to avoid military service4 ,perhaps1 why certainly1 you must know him--,annenberg1 an instructor in economics now at the ,university80 ,craig nodded and raised his eyebrows in mild surprise4 ,we had indeed heard of ,annenberg and some of his radical theories which had sometimes quite alarmed the conservative faculty4 ,i felt that this was getting pretty close home to us now4 8,how about ,mrs4 ,annenberg80 ,craig asked1 recalling the clever young wife of the middle-aged professor4 ,at the mere mention of the name1 ,i felt a sort of start in ,miss ,lowe1 who was seated next to me in the taxicab4 ,she had quickly recovered herself1 but not before ,i saw that ,kennedy's plan of breaking down the last barrier of her reserve was working4 8,she is one of them1 too10 ,burke nodded4 8,i have had my men out shadowing them and their friends4 ,they tell me that the ,annenbergs hold salons--,i suppose you would call them that--attended by numbers of men and women of high social and intellectual position who dabble in radicalism and all sorts of things40 8,who are the other leaders80 asked ,craig4 8,have you any idea80 8,some idea10 returned ,burke4 8,there seems to be a ,frenchman1 a tall1 wiry man of forty-five or fifty with a black mustache which once had a military twist4 ,there are a couple of ,englishmen4 ,then there are five or six ,americans who seem to be active4 ,one1 ,i believe1 is a young woman40 ,kennedy checked him with a covert glance1 but did not betray by a movement of a muscle to ,miss ,lowe that either ,burke or himself suspected her of being the young woman in question4 8,there are three ,russians10 continued ,burke1 8all of whom have escaped from ,siberia4 ,then there is at least one ,austrian1 a ,spaniard from the ,ferrer school1 and ,tomasso and ,enrico1 two ,italians1 rather heavily built1 swarthy1 bearded4 ,they look the part4 ,of course there are others4 ,but these in the main1 ,i think1 compose what might be called #8the inner circle' of the #8,group4'0 ,it was indeed an alarming1 terrifying revelation1 as we began to realize that ,miss ,lowe had undoubtedly been telling the truth4 ,not alone was there this ,american group1 evidently1 but all over ,europe the lines of the conspiracy had apparently spread4 ,it was not a casual gathering of ordinary malcontents4 ,it went deeper than that4 ,it included many who in their disgust at war secretly were not unwilling to wink at violence to end the curse4 ,i could not but reflect on the dangerous ground on which most of them were treading1 shaking the basis of all civilization in order to cut out one modern excrescence4 ,the big fact to us1 just at present1 was that this group had made ,america its headquarters1 that plans had been studiously matured and even reduced to writing1 if ,paula were to be believed4 ,everything had been carefully staged for a great simultaneous blow or series of blows that would rouse the whole world4 ,as ,i watched ,i could not escape observing that ,miss ,lowe followed ,burke furtively now1 as though he had some uncanny power4 ,fortescue's laboratory was in an old building on a side street several blocks from the main thoroughfares of ,manhattan4 ,he had evidently chosen it1 partly because of its very inaccessibility in order to secure the quiet necessary for his work4 8,if he had any visitors last night10 commented ,kennedy when our cab at last pulled up before the place1 8they might have come and gone unnoticed40 ,we entered4 ,nothing had been disturbed in the laboratory by the coroner and ,kennedy was able to gain a complete idea of the case rapidly1 almost as well as if we had been called in immediately4 ,fortescue's body1 it seemed1 had been discovered sprawled out in a big armchair1 as ,burke had said1 by one of his assistants only a few hours before when he had come to the laboratory in the morning to open it4 ,evidently he had been there undisturbed all night1 keeping a gruesome vigil over his looted treasure house4 ,as we gleaned the meager facts1 it became more evident that whoever had perpetrated the crime must have had the diabolical cunning to do it in some ordinary way that aroused no suspicion on the part of the victim1 for there was no sign of any violence anywhere4 ,as we entered the laboratory1 ,i noted an involuntary shudder on the part of ,paula ,lowe1 but1 as far as ,i knew1 it was no more than might have been felt by anyone under the circumstances4 ,fortescue's body had been removed from the chair in which it had been found and lay on a couch at the other end of the room1 covered merely by a sheet4 ,otherwise1 everything1 even the armchair1 was undisturbed4 ,kennedy pulled back a corner of the sheet1 disclosing the face1 contorted and of a peculiar1 purplish hue from the congested blood vessels4 ,he bent over and ,i did so1 too4 ,there was an unmistakable odor of tobacco on him4 ,a moment ,kennedy studied the face before us1 then slowly replaced the sheet4 ,miss ,lowe had paused just inside the door and seemed resolutely bound not to look at anything4 ,kennedy meanwhile had begun a most minute search of the table and floor of the laboratory near the spot where the armchair had been sitting4 ,in my effort to glean what ,i could from her actions and expressions ,i did not notice that ,craig had dropped to his knees and was peering into the shadow under the laboratory table4 ,when at last he rose and straightened himself up1 however1 ,i saw that he was holding in the palm of his hand a half-smoked1 gold-tipped cigarette1 which had evidently fallen on the floor beneath the table where it had burned itself out1 leaving a blackened mark on the wood4 ,an instant afterward he picked out from the pile of articles found in ,fortescue's pockets and lying on another table a silver cigarette case4 ,he snapped it open4 ,fortescue's cigarettes1 of which there were perhaps a half dozen in the case1 were cork-tipped4 ,some one had evidently visited the inventor the night before1 had apparently offered him a cigarette1 for there were any number of the cork-tipped stubs lying about4 ,who was it8 ,i caught ,paula looking with fascinated gaze at the gold-tipped stub1 as ,kennedy carefully folded it up in a piece of paper and deposited it in his pocket4 ,did she know something about the case1 ,i wondered8 ,without a word1 ,kennedy seemed to take in the scant furniture of the laboratory at a glance and a quick step or two brought him before a steel filing cabinet4 ,one drawer1 which had not been closed as tightly as the rest1 projected a bit4 ,on its face was a little typewritten card bearing the inscription3 8,e-,m ,,gun40 ,he pulled the drawer open and glanced over the data in it4 8,just what is an electro-magnetic gun80 ,i asked1 interpreting the initials on the drawer4 8,well10 he explained as he turned over the notes and sketches1 8the primary principle involved in the construction of such a gun consists in impelling the projectile by the magnetic action of a solenoid1 the sectional coils or helices of which are supplied with current through devices actuated by the projectile itself4 ,in other words1 the sections of helices of the solenoid produce an accelerated motion of the projectile by acting successively on it1 after a principle involved in the construction of electro-magnetic rock drills and dispatch tubes4 8,all projectiles used in this gun of ,fortescue's evidently must have magnetic properties and projectiles of iron or containing large portions of iron are necessary4 ,you see1 many coils are wound around the barrel of the gun4 ,as the projectile starts it does so under the attraction of those coils ahead which the current makes temporary magnets4 ,it automatically cuts off the current from those coils that it passes1 allowing those further on only to attract it1 and preventing those behind from pulling it back40 ,he paused to study the scraps of plans4 8,fortescue had evidently also worked out a way of changing the poles of the coils as the projectile passed1 causing them then to repel the projectile1 which must have added to its velocity4 ,he seems to have overcome the practical difficulty that in order to obtain service velocities with service projectiles an enormous number of windings and a tremendously long barrel are necessary as well as an abnormally heavy current beyond the safe carrying capacity of the solenoid which would raise the temperature to a point that would destroy the coils40 ,he continued turning over the prints and notes in the drawer4 ,when he finished1 he looked up at us with an expression that indicated that he had merely satisfied himself of something he had already suspected4 8,you were right1 ,burke10 he said4 8,the final plans are gone40 ,burke1 who1 in the meantime1 had been telephoning about the city in a vain effort to locate ,baron ,kreiger1 both at such banking offices in ,wall ,street as he might be likely to visit and at some of the hotels most frequented by foreigners1 merely nodded4 ,he was evidently at a loss completely how to proceed4 ,in fact1 there seemed to be innumerable problems--to warn ,baron ,kreiger1 to get the list of the assassinations1 to guard ,miss ,lowe against falling into the hands of her anarchist friends again1 to find the murderer of ,fortescue1 to prevent the use of the electro-magnetic gun1 and1 if possible1 to seize the anarchists before they had a chance to carry further their plans4 8,there is nothing more that we can do here10 remarked ,craig briskly1 betraying no sign of hesitation4 8,i think the best thing we can do is to go to my own laboratory4 ,there at least there is something ,i must investigate sooner or later40 ,no one offering either a suggestion or an objection1 we four again entered our cab4 ,it was quite noticeable now that the visit had shaken ,paula ,lowe1 but ,kennedy still studiously refrained from questioning her1 trusting that what she had seen and heard1 especially ,burke's report as to ,baron ,kreiger1 would have its effect4 ,like everyone visiting ,craig's laboratory for the first time1 ,miss ,lowe seemed to feel the spell of the innumerable strange and uncanny instruments which he had gathered about him in his scientific warfare against crime4 ,i could see that she was becoming more and more nervous1 perhaps fearing even that in some incomprehensible way he might read her own thoughts4 ,yet one thing ,i did not detect4 ,she showed no disposition to turn back on the course on which she had entered by coming to us in the first place4 ,kennedy was quickly and deftly testing the stub of the little thin1 gold-tipped cigarette4 8,excessive smoking10 he remarked casually1 8causes neuroses of the heart and tobacco has a specific affinity for the coronary arteries as well as a tremendous effect on the vagus nerve4 ,but ,i don't think this was any ordinary smoke40 ,he had finished his tests and a quiet smile of satisfaction flitted momentarily over his face4 ,we had been watching him anxiously1 wondering what he had found4 ,as he looked up he remarked to us1 with his eyes fixed on ,miss ,lowe1 8,that was a ladies' cigarette4 ,did you notice the size8 ,there has been a woman in this case--presumably40 ,the girl1 suddenly transformed by the rapid-fire succession of discoveries1 stood before us like a specter4 8,the #8,group1' as anarchists call it10 pursued ,craig1 8is the loosest sort of organization conceivable1 ,i believe1 with no set membership1 no officers1 no laws--just a place of meeting with no fixity1 where the comrades get together4 ,could you get us into the inner circle1 ,miss ,lowe80 ,her only answer was a little suppressed scream4 ,kennedy had asked the question merely for its effect1 for it was only too evident that there was no time1 even if she could have managed it1 for us to play the 8stool pigeon40 ,kennedy1 who had been clearing up the materials he had used in the analysis of the cigarette1 wheeled about suddenly4 8,where is the headquarters of the inner circle80 he shot out4 ,miss ,lowe hesitated4 ,that had evidently been one of the things she had determined not to divulge4 8,tell me10 insisted ,kennedy4 8,you must60 ,if it had been ,burke's bulldozing she would never have yielded4 ,but as she looked into ,kennedy's eyes she read there that he had long since fathomed the secret of her wildly beating heart1 that if she would accomplish the purpose of saving the ,baron she must stop at nothing4 8,at--,maplehurst10 she answered in a low tone1 dropping her eyes from his penetrating gaze1 8,professor ,annenberg's home--out on ,long ,island40 8,we must act swiftly if we are to succeed10 considered ,kennedy1 his tone betraying rather sympathy with than triumph over the wretched girl who had at last cast everything in the balance to outweigh the terrible situation into which she had been drawn4 8,to send ,miss ,lowe for that fatal list of assassinations is to send her either back into the power of this murderous group and let them know that she has told us1 or perhaps to involve her again in the completion of their plans40 ,she sank back into a chair in complete nervous and physical collapse1 covering her face with her hands at the realization that in her new-found passion to save the ,baron she had bared her sensitive soul for the dissection of three men whom she had never seen before4 8,we must have that list10 pursued ,kennedy decisively4 8,we must visit ,annenberg's headquarters40 8,and ,i80 she asked1 trembling now with genuine fear at the thought that he might ask her to accompany us as he had on our visit to ,fortescue's laboratory that morning4 8,miss ,lowe10 said ,kennedy1 bending over her1 8you have gone too far now ever to turn back4 ,you are not equal to the trip4 ,would you like to remain here8 ,no one will suspect4 ,here at least you will be safe until we return40 ,her answer was a mute expression of thanks and confidence4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,murder ,,syndicate ,quickly now ,craig completed his arrangements for the visit to the headquarters of the real anarchist leader4 ,burke telephoned for a high-powered car1 while ,miss ,lowe told frankly of the habits of ,annenberg and the chances of finding his place unguarded1 which were good in the daytime4 ,kennedy's only equipment for the excursion consisted in a small package which he took from a cabinet at the end of the room1 and1 with a parting reassurance to ,paula ,lowe1 we were soon speeding over the bridge to the borough across the river4 ,we realized that it might prove a desperate undertaking1 but the crisis was such that it called for any risk4 ,our quest took us to a rather dilapidated old house on the outskirts of the little ,long ,island town4 ,the house stood alone1 not far from the tracks of a trolley that ran at infrequent intervals4 ,even a hasty reconnoitering showed that to stop our motor at even a reasonable distance from it was in itself to arouse suspicion4 ,although the house seemed deserted1 ,craig took no chances1 but directed the car to turn at the next crossroad and then run back along a road back of and parallel to that on which ,annenberg's was situated4 ,it was perhaps a quarter of a mile away1 across an open field1 that we stopped and ran the car up along the side of the road in some bushes4 ,annenberg's was plainly visible and it was not at all likely that anyone there would suspect trouble from that quarter4 ,a hasty conference with ,burke followed1 in which ,kennedy unwrapped his small package1 leaving part of its contents with him1 and adding careful instructions4 ,then ,kennedy and ,i retraced our steps down the road1 across by the crossroad1 and at last back to the mysterious house4 ,to all appearance there had been no need of such excessive caution4 ,not a sound or motion greeted us as we entered the gate and made our way around to the rear of the house4 ,the very isolation of the house was now our protection1 for we had no inquisitive neighbors to watch us for the instant when ,kennedy1 with the dexterity of a yeggman1 inserted his knife between the sashes of the kitchen window and turned the catch which admitted us4 ,we made our way on cautious tiptoe through a dining room to a living room1 and1 finding nothing1 proceeded upstairs4 ,there was not a soul1 apparently1 in the house1 nor in fact anything to indicate that it was different from most small suburban homes1 until at last we mounted to the attic4 ,it was finished off in one large room across the back of the house and two in front4 ,as we opened the door to the larger room1 we could only gaze about in surprise4 ,this was the rendezvous1 the arsenal1 literary1 explosive and toxicological of the 8,group40 ,ranged on a table were all the materials for bomb-making1 while in a cabinet ,i fancied there were poisons enough to decimate a city4 ,on the walls were pictures1 mostly newspaper prints1 of the assassins of ,mc,kinley1 of ,king ,humbert1 of the ,king of ,greece1 of ,king ,carlos and others1 interspersed with portraits of anarchist and anti-militarist leaders of all lands4 ,kennedy sniffed4 ,over all ,i1 too1 could catch the faint odor of stale tobacco4 ,no time was to be lost1 however1 and while ,craig set to work rapidly going through the contents of a desk in the corner1 ,i glanced over the contents of a drawer of a heavy mission table4 8,here's some of ,annenberg's literature10 ,i remarked1 coming across a small pile of manuscript1 entitled 8,the ,human ,slaughter ,house40 8,read it10 panted ,kennedy1 seeing that ,i had about completed my part of the job4 8,it may give a clue40 ,hastily ,i scanned the mad1 frantic indictment of war1 while ,craig continued in his search3 8,i see wild beasts all around me1 distorted unnaturally1 in a life and death struggle1 with bloodshot eyes1 with foaming1 gnashing mouths4 ,they attack and kill one another and try to mangle each other4 ,i leap to my feet4 ,i race out into the night and tread on quaking flesh1 step on hard heads1 and stumble over weapons and helmets4 ,something is clutching at my feet like hands1 so that ,i race away like a hunted deer with the hounds at his heels--and ever over more bodies--breathless''' out of one field into another4 ,horror is crooning over my head4 ,horror is crooning beneath my feet4 ,and nothing but dying1 mangled flesh6 8,of a sudden ,i see nothing but blood before me4 ,the heavens have opened and the red blood pours in through the windows4 ,blood wells up on an altar4 ,the walls run blood from the ceiling to the floor and''' a giant of blood stands before me4 ,his beard and his hair drip blood4 ,he seats himself on the altar and laughs from thick lips4 ,the black executioner raises his sword and whirls it above my head4 ,another moment and my head will roll down on the floor4 ,another moment and the red jet will spurt from my neck4 8,murderers6 ,murderers6 ,none other than murderers60 ,i paused in the reading4 8,there's nothing here10 ,i remarked1 glancing over the curious document for a clue1 but finding none4 8,well10 remarked ,craig contemplatively1 8one can at least easily understand how sensitive and imaginative people who have fallen under the influence of one who writes in that way can feel justified in killing those responsible for bringing such horrors on the human race4 ,hello--what's this80 ,he had discovered a false back of one of the drawers in the desk and had jimmied it open4 ,on the top of innumerable papers lay a large linen envelope4 ,on its face it bore in typewriting1 just like the card on the drawer at ,fortescue's1 8,e-,m ,,gun40 8,it is the original envelope that contained the final plans of the electro-magnetic gun10 he explained1 opening it4 ,the envelope was empty4 ,we looked at each other a moment in silence4 ,what had been done with the plans8 ,suddenly a bell rang1 startling me beyond measure4 ,it was1 however1 only the telephone1 of which an extension reached up into the attic-arsenal4 ,some one1 who did not know that we were there1 was evidently calling up4 ,kennedy quickly unhooked the receiver with a hasty motion to me to be silent4 8,hello10 ,i heard him answer4 8,yes1 this is it40 ,he had disguised his voice4 ,i waited anxiously and watched his face to gather what response he received4 8,the deuce60 he exclaimed1 with his hand over the transmitter so that his voice would not be heard at the other end of the line4 8,what's the matter80 ,i asked eagerly4 8,it was ,mrs4 ,annenberg--,i am sure4 ,but she was too keen for me4 ,she caught on4 ,there must be some password or form of expression that they use1 which we don't know1 for she hung up the receiver almost as soon as she heard me40 ,kennedy waited a minute or so4 ,then he whistled into the transmitter4 ,it was done apparently to see whether there was anyone listening4 ,but there was no answer4 8,operator1 operator60 he called insistently1 moving the hook up and down4 8,yes1 operator4 ,can you tell me what number that was which just called80 ,he waited impatiently4 8,bleecker--#gl#hj10 he repeated after the girl4 8,thank you4 ,information1 please40 ,again we waited1 as ,craig tried to trace the call up4 8,what is the street address of ,bleecker1 #gahj80 he asked4 8,five hundred and one ,east ,fifth--a tenement4 ,thank you40 8,a tenement80 ,i repeated blankly4 8,yes10 he cried1 now for the first time excited4 8,don't you begin to see the scheme8 ,i'll wager that ,baron ,kreiger has been lured to ,new ,york to purchase the electro-magnetic gun which they have stolen from ,fortescue and the ,british4 ,that is the bait that is held out to him by the woman4 ,call up ,miss ,lowe at the laboratory and see if she knows the place40 ,i gave central the number1 while he fell to at the little secret drawer of the desk again4 ,the grinding of the wheels of a passing trolley interfered somewhat with giving the number and ,i had to wait a moment4 8,ah--,walter--here's the list60 almost shouted ,kennedy1 as he broke open a black-japanned dispatch box in the desk4 ,i bent over it1 as far as the slack of the telephone wire of the receiver at my ear would permit4 ,annenberg had worked with amazing care and neatness on the list1 even going so far as to draw at the top1 in black1 a death's head4 ,the rest of it was elaborately prepared in flaming red ink4 ,craig gasped to observe the list of world-famous men marked for destruction in ,london1 ,paris1 ,berlin1 ,rome1 ,vienna1 ,st4 ,petersburg1 and even in ,new ,york and ,washington4 8,what is the date set80 ,i asked1 still with my ear glued to the receiver4 8,to-night and to-morrow10 he replied1 stuffing the fateful sheet into his pocket4 ,rummaging about in the drawer of the table1 ,i had come to a package of gold-tipped cigarettes which had interested me and ,i had left them out4 ,kennedy was now looking at them curiously4 8,what is to be the method1 do you suppose80 ,i asked4 8,by a poison that is among the most powerful1 approaching even cyanogen10 he replied confidently1 tapping the cigarettes4 8,do you smell the odor in this room8 ,what is it like80 8,stale tobacco10 ,i replied4 8,exactly--nicotine4 ,two or three drops on the mouth-end of a cigar or cigarette4 ,the intended victim thinks it is only natural4 ,but it is the purest form of the deadly alkaloid--fatal in a few minutes1 too40 ,he examined the thin little cigarettes more carefully4 8,nicotine10 he went on1 8was about the first alkaloid that was recovered from the body by chemical analysis in a homicide case4 ,that is the penetrating1 persistent odor you smelled at ,fortescue's and also here4 ,it's a very good poison--if you are not particular about being discovered4 ,a pound of ordinary smoking tobacco contains from a half to an ounce of it4 ,it is almost entirely consumed by combustion2 otherwise a pipeful would be fatal4 ,of course they may have thought that investigators would believe that their victims were inveterate smokers4 ,but even the worst tobacco fiend wouldn't show traces of the weed to such an extent40 ,miss ,lowe answered at last and ,kennedy took the telephone4 8,what is at five hundred and one ,east ,fifth80 he asked4 8,a headquarters of the ,group in the city10 she answered4 8,why80 8,well1 ,i believe that the plans of that gun are there and that the ,baron--0 8,you damned spies60 came a voice from behind us4 ,kennedy dropped the receiver1 turning quickly1 his automatic gleaming in his hand4 ,there was just a glimpse of a man with glittering bright blue eyes that had an almost fiendish1 baleful glare4 ,an instant later the door which had so unexpectedly opened banged shut1 we heard a key turn in the lock--and the man dropped to the floor before even ,kennedy's automatic could test its ability to penetrate wood on a chance at hitting something the other side of it4 ,we were prisoners6 ,my mind worked automatically4 ,at this very moment1 perhaps1 ,baron ,kreiger might be negotiating for the electro-magnetic gun4 ,we had found out where he was1 in all probability1 but we were powerless to help him4 ,i thought of ,miss ,lowe1 and picked up the receiver which ,kennedy had dropped4 ,she did not answer4 ,the wire had been cut4 ,we were isolated6 ,kennedy had jumped to the window4 ,i followed to restrain him1 fearing that he had some mad scheme for climbing out4 ,instead1 quickly he placed a peculiar arrangement1 from the little package he had brought1 holding it to his eye as if sighting it1 his right hand grasping a handle as one holds a stereoscope4 ,a moment later1 as ,i examined it more closely1 ,i saw that instead of looking at anything he had before him a small parabolic mirror turned away from him4 ,his finger pressed alternately on a button on the handle and ,i could see that there flashed in the little mirror a minute incandescent lamp which seemed to have a special filament arrangement4 ,the glaring sun was streaming in at the window and ,i wondered what could possibly be accomplished by the little light in competition with the sun itself4 8,signaling by electric light in the daytime may sound to you ridiculous10 explained ,craig1 still industriously flashing the light1 8but this arrangement with ,professor ,donath's signal mirror makes it possible1 all right4 8,i hadn't expected this1 but ,i thought ,i might want to communicate with ,burke quickly4 ,you see1 ,i sight the lamp and then press the button which causes the light in the mirror to flash4 ,it seems a paradox that a light like this can be seen from a distance of even five miles and yet be invisible to one for whom it was not intended1 but it is so4 ,i use the ordinary ,morse code--two seconds for a dot1 six for a dash with a four-second interval40 8,what message did you send80 ,i asked4 8,i told him that ,baron ,kreiger was at five hundred and one ,east ,fifth1 probably2 to get the secret service office in ,new ,york by wire and have them raid the place1 then to come and rescue us4 ,that was ,annenberg4 ,he must have come up by that trolley we heard passing just before40 ,the minutes seemed ages as we waited for ,burke to start the machinery of the raid and then come for us4 8,no--you can't have a cigarette--and if ,i had a pair of bracelets with me1 ,i'd search you myself10 we heard a welcome voice growl outside the door a few minutes later4 8,look in that other pocket1 ,tom40 ,the lock grated back and there stood ,burke holding in a grip of steel the undersized ,annenberg1 while the chauffeur who had driven our car swung open the door4 8,i'd have been up sooner10 apologized ,burke1 giving the anarchist an extra twist just to let him know that he was at last in the hands of the law1 8only ,i figured that this fellow couldn't have got far away in this ,god-forsaken ,ducktown and ,i might as well pick him up while ,i had a chance4 ,that's a great little instrument of yours1 ,kennedy4 ,i got you1 fine40 ,annenberg1 seeing we were now four to one1 concluded that discretion was the better part of valor and ceased to struggle1 though now and then ,i could see he glanced at ,kennedy out of the corner of his eye4 ,to every question he maintained a stolid silence4 ,a few minutes later1 with the arch anarchist safely pinioned between us1 we were speeding back toward ,new ,york1 laying plans for ,burke to dispatch warnings abroad to those whose names appeared on the fatal list1 and at the same time to round up as many of the conspirators as possible in ,america4 ,as for ,kennedy1 his main interest now lay in ,baron ,kreiger and ,paula4 ,while she had been driven frantic by the outcome of the terrible pact into which she had been drawn1 some one1 undoubtedly1 had been trying to sell ,baron ,kreiger the gun that had been stolen from the ,american inventor4 ,once they had his money and he had received the plans of the gun1 a fatal cigarette would be smoked4 ,could we prevent it8 ,on we tore back to the city1 across the bridge and down through the canyons of ,east ,side streets4 ,at last we pulled up before the tenement at five hundred and one4 ,as we did so1 one of ,burke's men jumped out of the doorway4 8,are we in time80 shouted ,burke4 8,it's an awful mix-up10 returned the man4 8,i can't make anything out of it1 so ,i ordered 'em all held here till you came40 ,we pushed past without a word of criticism of his wonderful acumen4 ,on the top floor we came upon a young man1 bending over the form of a girl who had fainted4 ,on the floor of the middle of the room was a mass of charred papers which had evidently burned a hole in the carpet before they had been stamped out4 ,near by was an unlighted cigarette1 crushed flat on the floor4 8,how is she80 asked ,kennedy anxiously of the young man1 as he dropped down on the other side of the girl4 ,it was ,paula4 ,she had fainted1 but was just now coming out of the borderland of unconsciousness4 8,was ,i in time8 ,had he smoked it80 she moaned weakly1 as there swam before her eyes1 evidently1 a hazy vision of our faces4 ,kennedy turned to the young man4 8,baron ,kreiger1 ,i presume80 he inquired4 ,the young man nodded4 8,burke of the ,secret ,service10 introduced ,craig1 indicating our friend4 8,my name is ,kennedy4 ,tell what happened40 8,i had just concluded a transaction10 returned ,kreiger in good but carefully guarded ,english4 8,suddenly the door burst open4 ,she seized these papers and dashed a cigarette out of my hands4 ,the next instant she had touched a match to them and had fallen in a faint almost in the blaze4 ,strangest experience ,i ever had in my life4 ,then all these other fellows came bursting in--said they were ,secret ,service men1 too40 ,kennedy had no time to reply1 for a cry from ,annenberg directed our attention to the next room where on a couch lay a figure all huddled up4 ,as we looked we saw it was a woman1 her head sweating profusely1 and her hands cold and clammy4 ,there was a strange twitching of the muscles of the face1 the pupils of her eyes were widely dilated1 her pulse weak and irregular4 ,evidently her circulation had failed so that it responded only feebly to stimulants1 for her respiration was slow and labored1 with loud inspiratory gasps4 ,annenberg had burst with superhuman strength from ,burke's grasp and was kneeling by the side of his wife's deathbed4 8,it--was all ,paula's fault--0 gasped the woman4 8,i--knew ,i had better--carry it through--like the ,fortescue visit--alone40 ,i felt a sense of reassurance at the words4 ,at least my suspicions had been unfounded4 ,paula was innocent of the murder of ,fortescue4 8,severe1 acute nicotine poisoning10 remarked ,kennedy1 as he rejoined us a moment later4 8,there is nothing we can do--now40 ,paula moved at the words1 as though they had awakened a new energy in her4 ,with a supreme effort she raised herself4 8,then ,i--,i failed80 she cried1 catching sight of ,kennedy4 8,no1 ,miss ,lowe10 he answered gently4 8,you won4 ,the plans of the terrible gun are destroyed4 ,the ,baron is safe4 ,mrs4 ,annenberg has herself smoked one of the fatal cigarettes intended for him40 ,kreiger looked at us1 uncomprehending4 ,kennedy picked up the crushed1 unlighted cigarette and laid it in the palm of his hand beside another1 half smoked1 which he had found beside ,mrs4 ,annenberg4 8,they are deadly10 he said simply to ,kreiger4 8,a few drops of pure nicotine hidden by that pretty gilt tip would have accomplished all that the bitterest anarchist could desire40 ,all at once ,kreiger seemed to realize what he had escaped so narrowly4 ,he turned toward ,paula4 ,the revulsion of her feelings at seeing him safe was too much for her shattered nerves4 ,with a faint little cry1 she tottered4 ,before any of us could reach her1 he had caught her in his arms and imprinted a warm kiss on the insensible lips4 8,some water--quick60 he cried1 still holding her close4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,the ,,air ,,pirate ,rounding up the 8,group0 took several days1 and it proved to be a great story for the ,star4 ,i was pretty fagged when it was all over1 but there was a great deal of satisfaction in knowing that we had frustrated one of the most daring anarchist plots of recent years4 8,can you arrange to spend the week-end with me at ,stuyvesant ,verplanck's at ,bluffwood80 asked ,kennedy over the telephone1 the afternoon that ,i had completed my work on the newspaper of undoing what ,annenberg and the rest had attempted4 8,how long since society took you up80 ,i asked airily1 adding1 8,is it a large house party you are getting up80 8,you have heard of the so-called #8phantom bandit' of ,bluffwood1 haven't you80 he returned rather brusquely1 as though there was no time now for bantering4 ,i confess that in the excitement of the anarchists ,i had forgotten it1 but now ,i recalled that for several days ,i had been reading little paragraphs about robberies on the big estates on the ,long ,island shore of the ,sound4 ,one of the local correspondents had called the robber a 8phantom bandit10 but ,i had thought it nothing more than an attempt to make good copy out of a rather ordinary occurrence4 8,well10 he hurried on1 8that's the reason why ,i have been #8taken up by society1' as you so elegantly phrase it4 ,from the secret hiding-places of the boudoirs and safes of fashionable women at ,bluffwood1 thousands of dollars' worth of jewels and other trinkets have mysteriously vanished4 ,of course you'll come along4 ,why1 it will be just the story to tone up that alleged page of society news you hand out in the ,sunday ,star4 ,there--we're quits now4 ,seriously1 though1 ,walter1 it really seems to be a very baffling case1 or rather series of cases4 ,the whole colony out there is terrorized4 ,they don't know who the robber is1 or how he operates1 or who will be the next victim1 but his skill and success seem almost uncanny4 ,mr4 ,verplanck has put one of his cars at my disposal and ,i'm up here at the laboratory gathering some apparatus that may be useful4 ,i'll pick you up anywhere between this and the ,bridge--how about ,columbus ,circle in half an hour80 8,good10 ,i agreed1 deciding quickly from his tone and manner of assurance that it would be a case ,i could not afford to miss4 ,the ,stuyvesant ,verplancks1 ,i knew1 were among the leaders of the rather recherch society at ,bluffwood1 and the pace at which ,bluffwood moved and had its being was such as to guarantee a good story in one way or another4 8,why10 remarked ,kennedy1 as we sped out over the picturesque roads of the north shore of ,long ,island1 8this fellow1 or fellows1 seems to have taken the measure of all the wealthy members of the exclusive organizations out there--the ,westport ,yacht ,club1 the ,bluffwood ,country ,club1 the ,north ,shore ,hunt1 and all of them4 ,it's a positive scandal1 the ease with which he seems to come and go without detection1 striking now here1 now there1 often at places that it seems physically impossible to get at1 and yet always with the same diabolical skill and success4 ,one night he will take some baubles worth thousands1 the next pass them by for something apparently of no value at all1 a piece of bric--brac1 a bundle of letters1 anything40 8,seems purposeless1 insane1 doesn't it80 ,i put in4 8,not when he always takes something--often more valuable than money10 returned ,craig4 ,he leaned back in the car and surveyed the glimpses of bay and countryside as we were whisked by the breaks in the trees4 8,walter10 he remarked meditatively1 8have you ever considered the possibilities of blackmail if the right sort of evidence were obtained under this new #8white-slavery act'8 ,scandals that some of the fast set may be inclined to wink at1 that at worst used to end in ,reno1 become felonies with federal prison sentences looming up in the background4 ,think it over40 ,stuyvesant ,verplanck had telephoned rather hurriedly to ,craig earlier in the day1 retaining his services1 but telling only in the briefest way of the extent of the depredations1 and hinting that more than jewelry might be at stake4 ,it was a pleasant ride1 but we finished it in silence4 ,verplanck was1 as ,i recalled1 a large masterful man1 one of those who demanded and liked large things--such as the estate of several hundred acres which we at last entered4 ,it was on a neck of land with the restless waters of the ,sound on one side and the calmer waters of the bay on the other4 ,westport ,bay lay in a beautifully wooded1 hilly country1 and the house itself was on an elevation1 with a huge sweep of terraced lawn before it down to the water's edge4 ,all around1 for miles1 were other large estates1 a veritable colony of wealth4 ,as we pulled up under the broad stone porte-cochre1 ,verplanck1 who had been expecting us1 led the way into his library1 a great room1 literally crowded with curios and objects of art which he had collected on his travels4 ,it was a superb mental workshop1 overlooking the bay1 with a stretch of several miles of sheltered water4 8,you will recall10 began ,verplanck1 wasting no time over preliminaries1 but plunging directly into the subject1 8that the prominent robberies of late have been at seacoast resorts1 especially on the shores of ,long ,island ,sound1 within1 say1 a hundred miles of ,new ,york4 ,there has been a great deal of talk about dark and muffled automobiles that have conveyed mysterious parties swiftly and silently across country4 8,my theory10 he went on self-assertively1 8is that the attack has been made always along water routes4 ,under shadow of darkness1 it is easy to slip into one of the sheltered coves or miniature fiords with which the north coast of the ,island abounds1 land a cut-throat crew primed with exact information of the treasure on some of these estates4 ,once the booty is secured1 the criminal could put out again into the ,sound without leaving a clue40 ,he seemed to be considering his theory4 8,perhaps the robberies last summer at ,narragansett1 ,newport1 and a dozen other ,new ,england places were perpetrated by the same cracksman4 ,i believe10 he concluded1 lowering his voice1 8that there plies to-day on the wide waters of the ,sound a slim1 swift motor boat which wears the air of a pleasure craft1 yet is as black a pirate as ever flew the ,jolly ,roger4 ,she may at this moment be anchored off some exclusive yacht club1 flying the respectable burgee of the club--who knows80 ,he paused as if his deductions settled the case so far4 ,he would have resumed in the same vein1 if the door had not opened4 ,a lady in a cobwebby gown entered the room4 ,she was of middle age1 but had retained her youth with a skill that her sisters of less leisure always envy4 ,evidently she had not expected to find anyone1 yet nothing seemed to disconcert her4 8,mrs4 ,verplanck10 her husband introduced1 8,professor ,kennedy and his associate1 ,mr4 ,jameson--those detectives we have heard about4 ,we were discussing the robberies40 8,oh1 yes10 she said1 smiling1 8my husband has been thinking of forming himself into a vigilance committee4 ,the local authorities are all at sea40 ,i thought there was a trace of something veiled in the remark and fancied1 not only then but later1 that there was an air of constraint between the couple4 8,you have not been robbed yourself80 queried ,craig tentatively4 8,indeed we have10 exclaimed ,verplanck quickly4 8,the other night ,i was awakened by the noise of some one down here in this very library4 ,i fired a shot1 wild1 and shouted1 but before ,i could get down here the intruder had fled through a window1 and half rolling down the terraces4 ,mrs4 ,verplanck was awakened by the rumpus and both of us heard a peculiar whirring noise40 8,like an automobile muffled down10 she put in4 8,no10 he asserted vigorously1 8more like a powerful motor boat1 one with the exhaust under water40 8,well10 she shrugged1 8at any rate1 we saw no one40 8,did the intruder get anything80 8,that's the lucky part4 ,he had just opened this safe apparently and begun to ransack it4 ,this is my private safe4 ,mrs4 ,verplanck has another built into her own room upstairs where she keeps her jewels40 8,it is not a very modern safe1 is it80 ventured ,kennedy4 8,the fellow ripped off the outer casing with what they call a #8can-opener4'0 8,no4 ,i keep it against fire rather than burglars4 ,but he overlooked a box of valuable heirlooms1 some silver with the ,verplanck arms4 ,i think ,i must have scared him off just in time4 ,he seized a package in the safe1 but it was only some business correspondence4 ,i don't relish having lost it1 particularly4 ,it related to a gentlemen's agreement a number of us had in the recent cotton corner4 ,i suppose the ,government would like to have it4 ,but--here's the point4 ,if it is so easy to get in and get away1 no one in ,bluffwood is safe40 8,why1 he robbed the ,montgomery ,carter place the other night10 remarked ,mrs4 ,verplanck1 8and almost got a lot of old ,mrs4 ,carter's jewels as well as stuff belonging to her son1 ,montgomery1 ,junior4 ,that was the first robbery4 ,mr4 ,carter1 that is ,junior--,monty1 everyone calls him--and his chauffeur almost captured the fellow1 but he managed to escape in the woods40 8,in the woods80 repeated ,craig4 ,mrs4 ,verplanck nodded4 8,but they saved the loot he was about to take40 8,oh1 no one is safe any more10 reiterated ,verplanck4 8,carter seems to be the only one who has had a real chance at him1 and he was able to get away neatly40 8,but he's not the only one who got off without a loss10 she put in significantly4 8,the last visit--0 ,then she paused4 8,where was the last attempt80 asked ,kennedy4 8,at the house of ,mrs4 ,hollingsworth--around the point on this side of the bay4 ,you can't see it from here40 8,i'd like to go there10 remarked ,kennedy4 8,very well4 ,car or boat80 8,boat1 ,i think40 8,suppose we go in my little runabout1 the ,streamline ,,ii8 ,she's as fast as any ordinary automobile40 8,very good4 ,then we can get an idea of the harbor40 8,i'll telephone first that we are coming10 said ,verplanck4 8,i think ,i'll go1 too10 considered ,mrs4 ,verplanck1 ringing for a heavy wrap4 8,just as you please10 said ,verplanck4 ,the ,streamline was a three-stepped boat which4 ,verplanck had built for racing1 a beautiful craft1 managed much like a racing automobile4 ,as she started from the dock1 the purring drone of her eight cylinders sent her feathering over the waves like a skipping stone4 ,she sank back into the water1 her bow leaping upward1 a cloud of spray in her wake1 like a waterspout4 ,mrs4 ,hollingsworth was a wealthy divorce1 living rather quietly with her two children1 of whom the courts had awarded her the care4 ,she was a striking woman1 one of those for whom the new styles of dress seem especially to have been designed4 ,i gathered1 however1 that she was not on very good terms with the little ,westport clique in which the ,verplancks moved1 or at least not with ,mrs4 ,verplanck4 ,the two women seemed to regard each other rather coldly1 ,i thought1 although ,mr4 ,verplanck1 man-like1 seemed to scorn any distinctions and was more than cordial4 ,i wondered why ,mrs4 ,verplanck had come4 ,the ,hollingsworth house was a beautiful little place down the bay from the ,yacht ,club1 but not as far as ,verplanck's1 or the ,carter estate1 which was opposite4 8,yes10 replied ,mrs4 ,hollingsworth when the reason for our visit had been explained1 8the attempt was a failure4 ,i happened to be awake1 rather late1 or perhaps you would call it early4 ,i thought ,i heard a noise as if some one was trying to break into the drawing-room through the window4 ,i switched on all the lights4 ,i have them arranged so for just that purpose of scaring off intruders4 ,then1 as ,i looked out of my window on the second floor1 ,i fancied ,i could see a dark figure slink into the shadow of the shrubbery at the side of the house4 ,then there was a whirr4 ,it might have been an automobile1 although it sounded differently from that--more like a motor boat4 ,at any rate1 there was no trace of a car that we could discover in the morning4 ,the road had been oiled1 too1 and a car would have left marks4 ,and yet some one was here4 ,there were marks on the drawing-room window just where ,i heard the sounds40 ,who could it be8 ,i asked myself as we left4 ,i knew that the great army of chauffeurs was infested with thieves1 thugs and gunmen4 ,then1 too1 there were maids1 always useful as scouts for these corsairs who prey on the rich4 ,yet so adroitly had everything been done in these cases that not a clue seemed to have been left behind by which to trace the thief4 ,we returned to ,verplanck's in the ,streamline in record time1 dined1 and then found ,mc,neill1 a local detective1 waiting to add his quota of information4 ,mc,neill was of the square-toed1 double-chinned1 bull-necked variety1 just the man to take along if there was any fighting4 ,he had1 however1 very little to add to the solution of the mystery1 apparently believing in the chauffeur-and-maid theory4 ,it was too late to do anything more that night1 and we sat on the ,verplanck porch1 overlooking the beautiful harbor4 ,it was a black1 inky night1 with no moon1 one of those nights when the myriad lights on the boats were mere points in the darkness4 ,as we looked out over the water1 considering the case which as yet we had hardly started on1 ,kennedy seemed engrossed in the study in black4 8,i thought ,i saw a moving light for an instant across the bay1 above the boats1 and as though it were in the darkness of the hills on the other side4 ,is there a road over there1 above the ,carter house80 he asked suddenly4 8,there is a road part of the way on the crest of the hill10 replied ,mrs4 ,verplanck4 8,you can see a car on it1 now and then1 through the trees1 like a moving light40 8,over there1 ,i mean10 reiterated ,kennedy1 indicating the light as it flashed now faintly1 then disappeared1 to reappear further along1 like a gigantic firefly in the night4 8,n-no10 said ,verplanck4 8,i don't think the road runs down as far as that4 ,it is further up the bay40 8,what is it then80 asked ,kennedy1 half to himself4 8,it seems to be traveling rapidly4 ,now it must be about opposite the ,carter house4 ,there--it has gone40 ,we continued to watch for several minutes1 but it did not reappear4 ,could it have been a light on the mast of a boat moving rapidly up the bay and perhaps nearer to us than we suspected8 ,nothing further happened1 however1 and we retired early1 expecting to start with fresh minds on the case in the morning4 ,several watchmen whom ,verplanck employed both on the shore and along the driveways were left guarding every possible entrance to the estate4 ,yet the next morning as we met in the cheery east breakfast room1 ,verplanck's gardener came in1 hat in hand1 with much suppressed excitement4 ,in his hand he held an orange which he had found in the shrubbery underneath the windows of the house4 ,in it was stuck a long nail and to the nail was fastened a tag4 ,kennedy read it quickly4 8,if this had been a bomb1 you and your detectives would never have known what struck you4 8,,aquaero40 ,,chapter ,v ,,the ,,ultra-,,violet ,,ray 8,good ,gad1 man60 exclaimed ,verplanck1 who had read it over ,craig's shoulder4 8,what do you make of that80 ,kennedy merely shook his head4 ,mrs4 ,verplanck was the calmest of all4 8,the light10 ,i cried4 8,you remember the light8 ,could it have been a signal to some one on this side of the bay1 a signal light in the woods80 8,possibly10 commented ,kennedy absently1 adding1 8,robbery with this fellow seems to be an art as carefully strategized as a promoter's plan or a merchant's trade campaign4 ,i think ,i'll run over this morning and see if there is any trace of anything on the ,carter estate40 ,just then the telephone rang insistently4 ,it was ,mc,neill1 much excited1 though he had not heard of the orange incident4 ,verplanck answered the call4 8,have you heard the news80 asked ,mc,neill4 8,they report this morning that that fellow must have turned up last night at ,belle ,aire40 8,belle ,aire8 ,why1 man1 that's fifty miles away and on the other side of the island4 ,he was here last night10 and ,verplanck related briefly the find of the morning4 8,no boat could get around the island in that time and as for a car--those roads are almost impossible at night40 8,can't help it10 returned ,mc,neill doggedly4 8,the ,halstead estate out at ,belle ,aire was robbed last night4 ,it's spooky all right40 8,tell ,mc,neill ,i want to see him--will meet him in the village directly10 cut in ,craig before ,verplanck had finished4 ,we bolted a hasty breakfast and in one of ,verplanck's cars hurried to meet ,mc,neill4 8,what do you intend doing80 he asked helplessly1 as ,kennedy finished his recital of the queer doings of the night before4 8,i'm going out now to look around the ,carter place4 ,can you come along80 8,surely10 agreed ,mc,neill1 climbing into the car4 8,you know him80 8,no40 8,then ,i'll introduce you4 ,queer chap1 ,carter4 ,he's a lawyer1 although ,i don't think he has much practice1 except managing his mother's estate40 ,mc,neill settled back in the luxurious car with an exclamation of satisfaction4 8,what do you think of ,verplanck80 he asked4 8,he seems to me to be a very public-spirited man10 answered ,kennedy discreetly4 ,that1 however1 was not what ,mc,neill meant and he ignored it4 ,and so for the next ten minutes we were entertained with a little retail scandal of ,westport and ,bluffwood1 including a tale that seemed to have gained currency that ,verplanck and ,mrs4 ,hollingsworth were too friendly to please ,mrs4 ,verplanck4 ,i set the whole thing down to the hostility and jealousy of the towns people who misinterpret everything possible in the smart set1 although ,i could not help recalling how quickly she had spoken when we had visited the ,hollingsworth house in the ,streamline the day before4 ,montgomery ,carter happened to be at home and1 at least openly1 interposed no objection to our going about the grounds4 8,you see10 explained ,kennedy1 watching the effect of his words as if to note whether ,carter himself had noticed anything unusual the night before1 8we saw a light moving over here last night4 ,to tell the truth1 ,i half expected you would have a story to add to ours1 of a second visit40 ,carter smiled4 8,no objection at all4 ,i'm simply nonplussed at the nerve of this fellow1 coming back again4 ,i guess you've heard what a narrow squeak he had with me4 ,you're welcome to go anywhere1 just so long as you don't disturb my study down there in the boathouse4 ,i use that because it overlooks the bay--just the place to study over knotty legal problems40 ,back of1 or in front of the ,carter house1 according as you fancied it faced the bay or not1 was the boathouse1 built by ,carter's father1 who had been a great yachtsman in his day and commodore of the club4 ,his son had not gone in much for water sports and had converted the corner underneath a sort of observation tower into a sort of country law office4 8,there has always seemed to me to be something strange about that boathouse since the old man died10 remarked ,mc,neill in a half whisper as we left ,carter4 8,he always keeps it locked and never lets anyone go in there1 although they say he has it fitted beautifully with hundreds of volumes of law books1 too40 ,kennedy had been climbing the hill back of the house and now paused to look about4 ,below was the ,carter garage4 8,by the way10 exclaimed ,mc,neill1 as if he had at last hit on a great discovery1 8,carter has a new chauffeur1 a fellow named ,wickham4 ,i just saw him driving down to the village4 ,he's a chap that it might pay us to watch--a newcomer1 smart as a steel trap1 they say1 but not much of a talker40 8,suppose you take that job--watch him10 encouraged ,kennedy4 8,we can't know too much about strangers here1 ,mc,neill40 8,that's right10 agreed the detective4 8,i'll follow him back to the village and get a line on him40 8,don't be easily discouraged10 added ,kennedy1 as ,mc,neill started down the hill to the garage4 8,if he is a fox he'll try to throw you off the trail4 ,hang on40 8,what was that for80 ,i asked as the detective disappeared4 8,did you want to get rid of him80 8,partly10 replied ,craig1 descending slowly1 after a long survey of the surrounding country4 ,we had reached the garage1 deserted now except for our own car4 8,i'd like to investigate that tower10 remarked ,kennedy with a keen look at me1 8if it could be done without seeming to violate ,mr4 ,carter's hospitality40 8,well10 ,i observed1 my eye catching a ladder beside the garage1 8there's a ladder4 ,we can do no more than try40 ,he walked over to the automobile1 took a little package out1 slipped it into his pocket1 and a few minutes later we had set the ladder up against the side of the boathouse farthest away from the house4 ,it was the work of only a moment for ,kennedy to scale it and prowl across the roof to the tower1 while ,i stood guard at the foot4 8,no one has been up there recently10 he panted breathlessly as he rejoined me4 8,there isn't a sign40 ,we took the ladder quietly back to the garage1 then ,kennedy led the way down the shore to a sort of little summerhouse cut off from the boathouse and garage by the trees1 though over the top of a hedge one could still see the boathouse tower4 ,we sat down1 and ,craig filled his lungs with the good salt air1 sweeping his eye about the blue and green panorama as though this were a holiday and not a mystery case4 8,walter10 he said at length1 8,i wish you'd take the car and go around to ,verplanck's4 ,i don't think you can see the tower through the trees1 but ,i should like to be sure40 ,i found that it could not be seen1 though ,i tried all over the place and got myself disliked by the gardener and suspected by a watchman with a dog4 ,it could not have been from the tower of the boathouse that we had seen the light1 and ,i hurried back to ,craig to tell him so4 ,but when ,i returned1 ,i found that he was impatiently pacing the little rustic summerhouse1 no longer interested in what he had sent me to find out4 8,what has happened80 ,i asked eagerly4 8,just come out here and ,i'll show you something10 he replied1 leaving the summerhouse and approaching the boathouse from the other side of the hedge1 on the beach1 so that the house itself cut us off from observation from ,carter's4 8,i fixed a lens on the top of that tower when ,i was up there10 he explained1 pointing up at it4 8,it must be about fifty feet high4 ,from there1 you see1 it throws a reflection down to this mirror4 ,i did it because through a skylight in the tower ,i could read whatever was written by anyone sitting at ,carter's desk in the corner under it40 8,read80 ,i repeated1 mystified4 8,yes1 by invisible light10 he continued4 8,this invisible light business1 you know1 is pretty well understood by this time4 ,i was only repeating what was suggested once by ,professor ,wood of ,johns ,hopkins4 ,practically all sources of light1 you understand1 give out more or less ultraviolet light1 which plays no part in vision whatever4 ,the human eye is sensitive to but few of the light rays that reach it1 and if our eyes were constituted just the least bit differently we should have an entirely different set of images4 8,but by the use of various devices we can1 as it were1 translate these ultraviolet rays into terms of what the human eye can see4 ,in order to do it1 all the visible light rays which show us the thing as we see it--the tree green1 the sky blue--must be cut off4 ,so in taking an ultraviolet photograph a screen must be used which will be opaque to these visible rays and yet will let the ultraviolet rays through to form the image4 ,that gave ,professor ,wood a lot of trouble4 ,glass won't do1 for glass cuts off the ultraviolet rays entirely4 ,quartz is a very good medium1 but it does not cut off all the visible light4 ,in fact there is only one thing that will do the work1 and that is metallic silver40 ,i could not fathom what he was driving at1 but the fascination of ,kennedy himself was quite sufficient4 8,silver10 he went on1 8is all right if the objects can be illuminated by an electric spark or some other source rich in the rays4 ,but it isn't entirely satisfactory when sunlight is concerned1 for various reasons that ,i need not bore you with4 ,professor ,wood has worked out a process of depositing nickel on glass4 ,that's it up there10 he concluded1 wheeling a lower reflector about until it caught the image of the afternoon sun thrown from the lens on the top of the tower4 8,you see10 he resumed1 8that upper lens is concave so that it enlarges tremendously4 ,i can do some wonderful tricks with that40 ,i had been lighting a cigarette and held a box of safety wind matches in my hand4 8,give me that matchbox10 he asked4 ,he placed it at the foot of the tower4 ,then he went off1 ,i should say1 without exaggeration1 a hundred feet4 ,the lettering on the matchbox could be seen in the silvered mirror1 enlarged to such a point that the letters were plainly visible6 8,think of the possibilities in that10 he added excitedly4 8,i saw them at once4 ,you can read what some one is writing at a desk a hundred1 perhaps two hundred feet away40 8,yes10 ,i cried1 more interested in the practical aspects of it than in the mechanics and optics4 8,what have you found80 8,some one came into the boathouse while you were away10 he said4 8,he had a note4 ,it read1 #8,those new detectives are watching everything4 ,we must have the evidence4 ,you must get those letters to-night1 without fail4'0 8,letters--evidence10 ,i repeated4 8,who wrote it8 ,who received it80 8,i couldn't see over the hedge who had entered the boathouse1 and by the time ,i got around here he was gone40 8,was it ,wickham--or intended for ,wickham80 ,i asked4 ,kennedy shrugged his shoulders4 8,we'll gain nothing by staying here10 he said4 8,there is just one possibility in the case1 and ,i can guard against that only by returning to ,verplanck's and getting some of that stuff ,i brought up here with me4 ,let us go40 ,late in the afternoon though it was1 after our return1 ,kennedy insisted on hurrying from ,verplanck's to the ,yacht ,club up the bay4 ,it was a large building1 extending out into the water on made land1 from which ran a long1 substantial dock4 ,he had stopped long enough only to ask ,verplanck to lend him the services of his best mechanician1 a ,frenchman named ,armand4 ,on the end of the yacht club dock ,kennedy and ,armand set up a large affair which looked like a mortar4 ,i watched curiously1 dividing my attention between them and the splendid view of the harbor which the end of the dock commanded on all sides4 8,what is this80 ,i asked finally4 8,fireworks80 8,a rocket mortar of light weight10 explained ,kennedy1 then dropped into ,french as he explained to ,armand the manipulation of the thing4 ,there was a searchlight near by on the dock4 8,you can use that80 queried ,kennedy4 8,oh1 yes4 ,mr4 ,verplanck1 he is vice-commodore of the club4 ,oh1 yes1 ,i can use that4 ,why1 ,monsieur80 ,kennedy had uncovered a round brass case4 ,it did not seem to amount to much1 as compared to some of the complicated apparatus he had used4 ,in it was a four-sided prism of glass--,i should have said1 cut off the corner of a huge glass cube4 ,he handed it to us4 8,look in it10 he said4 ,it certainly was about the most curious piece of crystal gazing ,i had ever done4 ,turn the thing any way ,i pleased and ,i could see my face in it1 just as in an ordinary mirror4 8,what do you call it80 ,armand asked1 much interested4 8,a triple mirror10 replied ,kennedy1 and again1 half in ,english and half in ,french1 neither of which ,i could follow1 he explained the use of the mirror to the mechanician4 ,we were returning up the dock1 leaving ,armand with instructions to be at the club at dusk1 when we met ,mc,neill1 tired and disgusted4 8,what luck80 asked ,kennedy4 8,nothing10 he returned4 8,i had a #8short' shadow and a #8long' shadow at ,wickham's heels all day4 ,you know what ,i mean4 ,instead of one man1 two--the second sleuthing in the other's tracks4 ,if he escaped ,number ,one1 ,number ,two would take it up1 and ,i was ready to move up into ,number ,two's place4 ,they kept him in sight about all the time4 ,not a fact4 ,but then1 of course1 we don't know what he was doing before we took up tailing him4 ,say10 he added1 8,i have just got word from an agency with which ,i correspond in ,new ,york that it is reported that a yeggman named #8,australia ,mac1' a very daring and clever chap1 has been attempting to dispose of some of the goods which we know have been stolen through one of the worst #8fences' in ,new ,york40 8,is that all80 asked ,craig1 with the mention of ,australia ,mac showing the first real interest yet in anything that ,mc,neill had done since we met him the night before4 8,all so far4 ,i wired for more details immediately40 8,do you know anything about this ,australia ,mac80 8,not much4 ,no one does4 ,he's a new man1 it seems1 to the police here40 8,be here at eight o'clock1 ,mc,neill10 said ,craig1 as we left the club for ,verplanck's4 8,if you can find out more about this yeggman1 so much the better40 8,have you made any progress80 asked ,verplanck as we entered the estate a few minutes later4 8,yes10 returned ,craig1 telling only enough to whet his interest4 8,there's a clue1 as ,i half expected1 from ,new ,york1 too4 ,but we are so far away that we'll have to stick to my original plan4 ,you can trust ,armand80 8,absolutely40 8,then we shall transfer our activity to the ,yacht ,club to-night10 was all that ,kennedy vouchsafed4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,the ,,triple ,,mirror ,it was the regular ,saturday night dance at the club1 a brilliant spectacle1 faces that radiated pleasure1 gowns that for startling combinations of color would have shamed a ,futurist1 music that set the feet tapping irresistibly--a scene which ,i shall pass over because it really has no part in the story4 ,the fascination of the ballroom was utterly lost on ,craig4 8,think of all the houses only half guarded about here to-night10 he mused1 as we joined ,armand and ,mc,neill on the end of the dock4 ,i could not help noting that that was the only idea which the gay1 variegated1 sparkling tango throng conveyed to him4 ,in front of the club was strung out a long line of cars1 and at the dock several speed boats of national and international reputation1 among them the famous ,streamline ,,ii1 at our instant beck and call4 ,in it ,craig had already placed some rather bulky pieces of apparatus1 as well as a brass case containing a second triple mirror like that which he had left with ,armand4 ,with ,mc,neill1 ,i walked back along the pier1 leaving ,kennedy with ,armand1 until we came to the wide porch1 where we joined the wallflowers and the rocking-chair fleet4 ,mrs4 ,verplanck1 ,i observed1 was a beautiful dancer4 ,i picked her out in the throng immediately1 dancing with ,carter4 ,mc,neill tugged at my sleeve4 ,without a word ,i saw what he meant me to see4 ,verplanck and ,mrs4 ,hollingsworth were dancing together4 ,just then1 across the porch ,i caught sight of ,kennedy at one of the wide windows4 ,he was trying to attract ,verplanck's attention1 and as he did so ,i worked my way through the throng of chatting couples leaving the floor until ,i reached him4 ,verplanck1 oblivious1 finished the dance2 then1 seeming to recollect that he had something to attend to1 caught sight of us1 and ran off during the intermission from the gay crowd to which he resigned ,mrs4 ,hollingsworth4 8,what is it80 he asked4 8,there's that light down the bay10 whispered ,kennedy4 ,instantly ,verplanck forgot about the dance4 8,where80 he asked4 8,in the same place40 ,i had not noticed1 but ,mrs4 ,verplanck1 woman-like1 had been able to watch several things at once4 ,she had seen us and had joined us4 8,would you like to run down there in the ,streamline80 he asked4 8,it will only take a few minutes40 8,very much40 8,what is it--that light again80 she asked1 as she joined us in walking down the dock4 8,yes10 answered her husband1 pausing to look for a moment at the stuff ,kennedy had left with ,armand4 ,mrs4 ,verplanck leaned over the ,streamline1 turned as she saw me1 and said3 8,i wish ,i could go with you4 ,but evening dress is not the thing for a shivery night in a speed boat4 ,i think ,i know as much about it as ,mr4 ,verplanck4 ,are you going to leave ,armand80 8,yes10 replied ,kennedy1 taking his place beside ,verplanck1 who was seated at the steering wheel4 8,walter and ,mc,neill1 if you two will sit back there1 we're ready4 ,all right40 ,armand had cast us off and ,mrs4 ,verplanck waved from the end of the float as the ,streamline quickly shot out into the night1 a buzzing1 throbbing shape of mahogany and brass1 with her exhausts sticking out like funnels and booming like a pipe organ4 ,it took her only seconds to eat into the miles4 8,a little more to port10 said ,kennedy1 as ,verplanck swung her around4 ,just then the steady droning of the engine seemed a bit less rhythmical4 ,verplanck throttled her down1 but it had no effect4 ,he shut her off4 ,something was wrong4 ,as he crawled out into the space forward of us where the engine was1 it seemed as if the ,streamline had broken down suddenly and completely4 ,here we were floundering around in the middle of the bay4 8,chuck-chuck-chuck10 came in quick staccato out of the night4 ,it was ,montgomery ,carter1 alone1 on his way across the bay from the club1 in his own boat4 8,hello--,carter10 called ,verplanck4 8,hello1 ,verplanck4 ,what's the matter80 8,don't know4 ,engine trouble of some kind4 ,can you give us a line80 8,i've got to go down to the house10 he said1 ranging up near us4 8,then ,i can take you back4 ,perhaps ,i'd better get you out of the way of any other boats first4 ,you don't mind going over and then back80 ,verplanck looked at ,craig4 8,on the contrary10 muttered ,craig1 as he made fast the welcome line4 ,the ,carter dock was some three miles from the club on the other side of the bay4 ,as we came up to it1 ,carter shut off his engine1 bent over it a moment1 made fast1 and left us with a hurried1 8,wait here40 ,suddenly1 overhead1 we heard a peculiar whirring noise that seemed to vibrate through the air4 ,something huge1 black1 monster-like1 slid down a board runway into the water1 traveled a few feet1 in white suds and spray1 rose in the darkness--and was gone6 ,as the thing disappeared1 ,i thought ,i could hear a mocking laugh flung back at us4 8,what is it80 ,i asked1 straining my eyes at what had seemed for an instant like a great flying fish with finny tail and huge fins at the sides and above4 8#8,aquaero1'0 quoted ,kennedy quickly4 8,don't you understand--a hydroaeroplane--a flying boat4 ,there are hundreds of privately owned flying boats now wherever there is navigable water4 ,that was the secret of ,carter's boathouse1 of the light we saw in the air40 8,but this ,aquaero--who is he80 persisted ,mc,neill4 8,carter--,wickham--,australia ,mac80 ,we looked at each other blankly4 ,no one said a word4 ,we were captured1 just as effectively as if we were ironed in a dungeon4 ,there were the black water1 the distant lights1 which at any other time ,i should have said would have been beautiful4 ,kennedy had sprung into ,carter's boat4 8,the deuce10 he exclaimed4 8,he's put her out of business40 ,verplanck1 chagrined1 had been going over his own engine feverishly4 8,do you see that80 he asked suddenly1 holding up in the light of a lantern a little nut which he had picked out of the complicated machinery4 8,it never belonged to this engine4 ,some one placed it there1 knowing it would work its way into a vital part with the vibration40 ,who was the person1 the only one who could have done it8 ,the answer was on my lips1 but ,i repressed it4 ,mrs4 ,verplanck herself had been bending over the engine when last ,i saw her4 ,all at once it flashed over me that she knew more about the phantom bandit than she had admitted4 ,yet what possible object could she have had in putting the ,streamline out of commission8 ,my mind was working rapidly1 piecing together the fragmentary facts4 ,the remark of ,kennedy1 long before1 instantly assumed new significance4 ,what were the possibilities of blackmail in the right sort of evidence8 ,the yeggman had been after what was more valuable than jewels--letters6 ,whose8 ,suddenly ,i saw the situation4 ,carter had not been robbed at all4 ,he was in league with the robber4 ,that much was a blind to divert suspicion4 ,he was a lawyer--some one's lawyer4 ,i recalled the message about letters and evidence1 and as ,i did so there came to mind a picture of ,carter and the woman he had been dancing with4 ,in return for his inside information about the jewels of the wealthy homes of ,bluffwood1 the yeggman was to get something of interest and importance to his client4 ,the situation called for instant action4 ,yet what could we do1 marooned on the other side of the bay8 ,from the ,club dock a long finger of light swept out into the night1 plainly enough near the dock1 but diffused and disclosing nothing in the distance4 ,armand had trained it down the bay in the direction we had taken1 but by the time the beam reached us it was so weak that it was lost4 ,craig had leaped up on the ,carter dock and was capping and uncapping with the brass cover the package which contained the triple mirror4 ,still in the distance ,i could see the wide path of light1 aimed toward us1 but of no avail4 8,what are you doing80 ,i asked4 8,using the triple mirror to signal to ,armand4 ,it is something better than wireless4 ,wireless requires heavy and complicated apparatus4 ,this is portable1 heatless1 almost weightless1 a source of light depending for its power on another source of light at a great distance40 ,i wondered how ,armand could ever detect its feeble ray4 8,even in the case of a rolling ship10 ,kennedy continued1 alternately covering and uncovering the mirror1 8the beam of light which this mirror reflects always goes back1 unerring1 to its source4 ,it would do so from an aeroplane1 so high in the air that it could not be located4 ,the returning beam is invisible to anyone not immediately in the path of the ray1 and the ray always goes to the observer4 ,it is simply a matter of pure mathematics practically applied4 ,the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection4 ,there is not a variation of a foot in two miles40 8,what message are you sending him80 asked ,verplanck4 8,to tell ,mrs4 ,hollingsworth to hurry home immediately10 ,kennedy replied1 still flashing the letters according to his code4 8,mrs4 ,hollingsworth80 repeated ,verplanck1 looking up4 8,yes4 ,this hydroaeroplane yeggman is after something besides jewels to-night4 ,were those letters that were stolen from you the only ones you had in the safe80 ,verplanck looked up quickly4 8,yes1 yes4 ,of course40 8,you had none from a woman--0 8,no10 he almost shouted4 ,of a sudden it seemed to dawn on him what ,kennedy was driving at--the robbery of his own house with no loss except of a packet of letters on business1 followed by the attempt on ,mrs4 ,hollingsworth4 8,do you think ,i'd keep dynamite1 even in the safe80 ,to hide his confusion he had turned and was bending again over the engine4 8,how is it80 asked ,kennedy1 his signaling over4 8,able to run on four cylinders and one propeller10 replied ,verplanck4 8,then let's try her4 ,watch the engine4 ,i'll take the wheel40 ,limping along1 the engine skipping and missing1 the once peerless ,streamline started back across the bay4 ,instead of heading toward the club1 ,kennedy pointed her bow somewhere between that and ,verplanck's4 8,i wish ,armand would get busy10 he remarked1 after glancing now and then in the direction of the club4 8,what can be the matter80 8,what do you mean80 ,i asked4 ,there came the boom as if of a gun far away in the direction in which he was looking1 then another4 8,oh1 there it is4 ,good fellow4 ,i suppose he had to deliver my message to ,mrs4 ,hollingsworth himself first40 ,from every quarter showed huge balls of fire1 rising from the sea1 as it were1 with a brilliantly luminous flame4 8,what is it80 ,i asked1 somewhat startled4 8,a ,german invention for use at night against torpedo and aeroplane attacks4 ,from that mortar ,armand has shot half a dozen bombs of phosphide of calcium which are hurled far into the darkness4 ,they are so constructed that they float after a short plunge and are ignited on contact by the action of the salt water itself40 ,it was a beautiful pyrotechnic display1 lighting up the shore and hills of the bay as if by an unearthly flare4 8,there's that thing now60 exclaimed ,kennedy4 ,in the glow we could see a peculiar1 birdlike figure flying through the air over toward the ,hollingsworth house4 ,it was the hydroaeroplane4 ,out from the little stretch of lawn under the accentuated shadow of the trees1 she streaked into the air1 swaying from side to side as the pilot operated the stabilizers on the ends of the planes to counteract the puffs of wind off the land4 ,how could she ever be stopped8 ,the ,streamline1 halting and limping1 though she was1 had almost crossed the bay before the light bombs had been fired by ,armand4 ,every moment brought the flying boat nearer4 ,she swerved4 ,evidently the pilot had seen us at last and realized who we were4 ,i was so engrossed watching the thing that ,i had not noticed that ,kennedy had given the wheel to ,verplanck and was standing in the bow1 endeavoring to sight what looked like a huge gun4 ,in rapid succession half a dozen shots rang out4 ,i fancied ,i could almost hear the ripping and tearing of the tough rubber-coated silken wings of the hydroaeroplane as the wind widened the perforation the gun had made4 ,she had not been flying high1 but now she swooped down almost like a gull1 seeking to rest on the water4 ,we were headed toward her now1 and as the flying boat sank ,i saw one of the passengers rise in his seat1 swing his arm1 and far out something splashed in the bay4 ,on the water1 with wings helpless1 the flying boat was no match for the ,streamline now4 ,she struck at an acute angle1 rebounded in the air for a moment1 and with a hiss skittered along over the waves1 planing with the help of her exhaust under the step of the boat4 ,there she was1 a hull1 narrow1 scow-bowed1 like a hydroplane1 with a long pointed stern and a cockpit for two men1 near the bow4 ,there were two wide1 winglike planes1 on a light latticework of wood covered with silk1 trussed and wired like a kite frame1 the upper plane about five feet above the lower1 which was level with the boat deck4 ,we could see the eight-cylindered engine which drove a two-bladed wooden propeller1 and over the stern were the air rudder and the horizontal planes4 ,there she was1 the hobbled steed now of the phantom bandit who had accomplished the seemingly impossible4 ,in spite of everything1 however1 the flying boat reached the shore a trifle ahead of us4 ,as she did so both figures in her jumped1 and one disappeared quickly up the bank1 leaving the other alone4 8,verplanck1 ,mc,neill--get him10 cried ,kennedy1 as our own boat grated on the beach4 8,come1 ,walter1 we'll take the other one40 ,the man had seen that there was no safety in flight4 ,down the shore he stood1 without a hat1 his hair blown pompadour by the wind4 ,as we approached ,carter turned superciliously1 unbuttoning his bulky khaki life preserver jacket4 8,well80 he asked coolly4 ,not for a moment did ,kennedy allow the assumed coolness to take him back1 knowing that ,carter's delay did not cover the retreat of the other man4 8,so10 ,craig exclaimed1 8you are the--the air pirate80 ,carter disdained to reply4 8,it was you who suggested the millionaire households1 full of jewels1 silver and gold1 only half guarded2 you1 who knew the habits of the people2 you1 who traded that information in return for another piece of thievery by your partner1 ,australia ,mac--,wickham he called himself here in ,bluffwood4 ,it was you---0 ,a car drove up hastily1 and ,i noted that we were still on the ,hollingsworth estate4 ,mrs4 ,hollingsworth had seen us and had driven over toward us4 8,montgomery60 she cried1 startled4 8,yes10 said ,kennedy quickly1 8air pirate and lawyer for ,mrs4 ,verplanck in the suit which she contemplated bringing--0 ,mrs4 ,hollingsworth grew pale under the ghastly1 flickering light from the bay4 8,oh60 she cried1 realizing at what ,kennedy hinted1 8the letters60 8,at the bottom of the harbor1 now10 said ,kennedy4 8,mr4 ,verplanck tells me he has destroyed his4 ,the past is blotted out as far as that is concerned4 ,the future is--for you three to determine4 ,for the present ,i've caught a yeggman and a blackmailer40 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,wireless ,,wiretappers ,kennedy did not wait at ,bluffwood longer than was necessary4 ,it was easy enough now to silence ,montgomery ,carter1 and the reconciliation of the ,verplancks was assured4 ,in the ,star ,i made the case appear at the time to involve merely the capture of ,australia ,mac4 ,when ,i dropped into the office the next day as usual1 ,i found that ,i had another assignment that would take me out on ,long ,island4 ,the story looked promising and ,i was rather pleased to get it4 8,bound for ,seaville1 ,i'll wager10 sounded a familiar voice in my ear1 as ,i hurried up to the train entrance at the ,long ,island corner of the ,pennsylvania ,station4 ,i turned quickly1 to find ,kennedy just behind me1 breathless and perspiring4 8,er--yes10 ,i stammered in surprise at seeing him so unexpectedly1 8but where did you come from8 ,how did you know80 8,let me introduce ,mr4 ,jack ,waldon10 he went on1 as we edged our way toward the gate1 8the brother of ,mrs4 ,tracy ,edwards1 who disappeared so strangely from the houseboat ,lucie last night at ,seaville4 ,that is the case you're going to write up1 isn't it80 ,it was then for the first time that ,i noticed the excited young man beside ,kennedy was really his companion4 ,i shook hands with ,waldon1 who gave me a grip that was both a greeting and an added impulse in our general direction through the wicket4 8,might have known the ,star would assign you to this ,edwards case10 panted ,kennedy1 mopping his forehead1 for the heat in the terminal was oppressive and the crowd1 though not large1 was closely packed4 8,mr4 ,jameson is my right-hand man10 he explained to ,waldon1 taking us each by the arm and urging us forward4 8,waldon was afraid we might miss the train or ,i should have tried to get you1 ,walter1 at the office40 ,it was all done so suddenly that they quite took away what remaining breath ,i had1 as we settled ourselves to swelter in the smoker instead of in the concourse4 ,i did not even protest at the matter-of-fact assurance with which ,craig assumed that his deduction as to my destination was correct4 ,waldon1 a handsome young fellow in a flannel suit and yachting cap somewhat the worse for his evidently perturbed state of mind1 seemed to eye me for the moment doubtfully1 in spite of ,kennedy's cordial greeting4 8,i've had all the first editions of the evening papers10 ,i hinted as we sped through the tunnel1 8but the stories seemed to be quite the same--pretty meager in details40 8,yes10 returned ,waldon with a glance at ,kennedy1 8,i tried to keep as much out of the papers as ,i could just now for ,lucie's sake40 8,you needn't fear ,jameson10 remarked ,kennedy4 ,he fumbled in his pocket1 then paused a moment and shot a glance of inquiry at ,waldon1 who nodded a mute acquiescence to him4 8,there seem to have been a number of very peculiar disappearances lately10 resumed ,kennedy1 8but this case of ,mrs4 ,edwards is by far the most extraordinary4 ,of course the ,star hasn't had that--yet10 he concluded1 handing me a sheet of notepaper4 8,mr4 ,waldon didn't give it out1 hoping to avoid scandal40 ,i took the paper and read eagerly1 in a woman's hand3 8,,my ,,dear ,,miss ,,fox3 ,i have been down here at ,seaville on our houseboat1 the ,lucie1 for several days for a purpose which now is accomplished4 8,already ,i had my suspicions of you1 from a source which ,i need not name4 ,therefore1 when the ,kronprinz got into wireless communication with the station at ,seaville ,i determined through our own wireless on the ,lucie to overhear whether there would be any exchange of messages between my husband and yourself4 8,i was able to overhear the whole thing and ,i want you to know that your secret is no longer a secret from me1 and that ,i have already told ,mr4 ,edwards that ,i know it4 ,you ruin his life by your intimacy which you seem to want to keep up1 although you know you have no right to do it1 but you shall not ruin mine4 8,i am thoroughly disillusioned now4 ,i have not decided on what steps to take1 but--0 ,only a casual glance was necessary to show me that the writing seemed to grow more and more weak as it progressed1 and the note stopped abruptly1 as if the writer had been suddenly interrupted or some new idea had occurred to her4 ,hastily ,i tried to figure it out4 ,lucie ,waldon1 as everybody knew1 was a famous beauty1 a marvel of charm and daintiness1 slender1 with big1 soulful1 wistful eyes4 ,her marriage to ,tracy ,edwards1 the wealthy plunger and stockbroker1 had been a great social event the year before1 and it was reputed at the time that ,edwards had showered her with jewels and dresses to the wonder and talk even of society4 ,as for ,valerie ,fox1 ,i knew she had won quick recognition and even fame as a dancer in ,new ,york during the previous winter1 and ,i recalled reading three or four days before that she had just returned on the ,kronprinz from a trip abroad4 8,i don't suppose you have had time to see ,miss ,fox10 ,i remarked4 8,where is she80 8,at ,beach ,park now1 ,i think10 replied ,waldon1 8a resort a few miles nearer the city on the south shore1 where there is a large colony of actors40 ,i handed back the letter to ,kennedy4 8,what do you make of it80 he asked1 as he folded it up and put it back into his pocket4 8,i hardly know what to say10 ,i replied4 8,of course there have been rumors1 ,i believe1 that all was not exactly like a honeymoon still with the ,tracy ,edwardses40 8,yes10 returned ,waldon slowly1 8,i know myself that there has been some trouble1 but nothing definite until ,i found this letter last night in my sister's room4 ,she never said anything about it either to mother or myself4 ,they haven't been much together during the summer1 and last night when she disappeared ,tracy was in the city4 ,but ,i hadn't thought much about it before1 for1 of course1 you know he has large financial interests that make him keep in pretty close touch with ,new ,york and this summer hasn't been a particularly good one on the stock exchange40 8,and10 ,i put in1 8a plunger doesn't always make the best of husbands4 ,perhaps there is temperament to be reckoned with here40 8,there seem to be a good many things to be reckoned with10 ,craig considered4 8,for example1 here's a houseboat1 the ,lucie1 a palatial affair1 cruising about aimlessly1 with a beautiful woman on it4 ,she gives a little party1 in the absence of her husband1 to her brother1 his fiance and her mother1 who visit her from his yacht1 the ,nautilus4 ,they break up1 those living on the ,lucie going to their rooms and the rest back to the yacht1 which is anchored out further in the deeper water of the bay4 8,some time in the middle of the night her maid1 ,juanita1 finds that she is not in her room4 ,her brother is summoned back from his yacht and finds that she has left this pathetic1 unfinished letter4 ,but otherwise there is no trace of her4 ,her husband is notified and hurries out there1 but he can find no clue4 ,meanwhile1 ,mr4 ,waldon1 in despair1 hurries down to the city to engage me quietly40 8,you remember ,i told you10 suggested ,waldon1 8that my sister hadn't been feeling well for several days4 ,in fact it seemed that the sea air wasn't doing her much good1 and some one last night suggested that she try the mountains40 8,had there been anything that would foreshadow the--er--disappearance80 asked ,kennedy4 8,only as ,i say1 that for two or three days she seemed to be listless1 to be sinking by slow and easy stages into a sort of vacant1 moody state of ill health40 8,she had a doctor1 ,i suppose80 ,i asked4 8,yes1 ,dr4 ,jermyn1 ,tracy's own personal physician came down from the city several days ago40 8,what did he say80 8,he simply said that it was congestion of the lungs4 ,as far as he could see there was no apparent cause for it4 ,i don't think he was very enthusiastic about the mountain air idea4 ,the fact is he was like a good many doctors under the circumstances1 noncommittal--wanted her under observation1 and all that sort of thing40 8,what's your opinion80 ,i pressed ,craig4 8,do you think she has run away80 8,naturally1 ,i'd rather not attempt to say yet10 ,craig replied cautiously4 8,but there are several possibilities4 ,yes1 she might have left the houseboat in some other boat1 of course4 ,then there is the possibility of accident4 ,it was a hot night4 ,she might have been leaning from the window and have lost her balance4 ,i have even thought of drugs1 that she might have taken something in her despondency and have fallen overboard while under the influence of it4 ,then1 of course1 there are the two deductions that everyone has made already--either suicide or murder40 ,waldon had evidently been turning something over in his mind4 8,there was a wireless outfit aboard the houseboat10 he ventured at length4 8,what of that80 ,i asked1 wondering why he was changing the subject so abruptly4 8,why1 only this10 he replied4 8,i have been reading about wireless a good deal lately1 and if the theories of some scientists are correct1 the wireless age is not without its dangers as well as its wonders4 ,i recall reading not long ago of a ,german professor who says there is no essential difference between wireless waves and the ,x-rays1 and we know the terrible physical effects of ,x-rays4 ,i believe he estimated that only one three hundred millionth part of the electrical energy generated by sending a message from one station to another near by is actually used up in transmitting the message4 ,the rest is dispersed in the atmosphere4 ,there must be a good deal of such stray electrical energy about ,seaville4 ,isn't it possible that it might hit some one somewhere who was susceptible80 ,kennedy said nothing4 ,waldon's was at least a novel idea1 whether it was plausible or not4 ,the only way to test it out1 as far as ,i could determine1 was to see whether it fitted with the facts after a careful investigation of the case itself4 ,it was still early in the day and the trains were not as crowded as they would be later4 ,consequently our journey was comfortable enough and we found ourselves at last at the little vine-covered station at ,seaville4 ,one could almost feel that the gay summer colony was in a state of subdued excitement4 ,as we left the quaint station and walked down the main street to the town wharf where we expected some one would be waiting for us1 it seemed as if the mysterious disappearance of the beautiful ,mrs4 ,edwards had put a damper on the life of the place4 ,in the hotels there were knots of people evidently discussing the affair1 for as we passed we could tell by their faces that they recognized us4 ,one or two bowed and would have joined us1 if ,waldon had given any encouragement4 ,but he did not stop1 and we kept on down the street quickly4 ,i myself began to feel the spell of mystery about the case as ,i had not felt it among the distractions of the city4 ,perhaps ,i imagined it1 but there even seemed to be something strange about the houseboat which we could descry at anchor far down the bay as we approached the wharf4 ,we were met1 as ,waldon had arranged1 by a high-powered runabout1 the tender to his own yacht1 a slim little craft of mahogany and brass1 driven like an automobile1 and capable of perhaps twenty-five or thirty miles an hour4 ,we jumped in and were soon skimming over the waters of the bay like a skipping stone4 ,it was evident that ,waldon was much relieved at having been able to bring assistance1 in which he had as much confidence as he reposed in ,kennedy4 ,at any rate it was something to be nearing the scene of action again4 ,the ,lucie was perhaps seventy feet long and a most attractive craft1 with a hull yachty in appearance and of a type which could safely make long runs along the coast1 a stanch1 seaworthy boat1 of course without the speed of the regularly designed yacht1 but more than making up in comfort for those on board what was lost in that way4 ,waldon pointed out with obvious pride his own trim yacht swinging gracefully at anchor a half mile or so away4 ,as we approached the houseboat ,i looked her over carefully4 ,one of the first things ,i noticed was that there rose from the roof the primitive inverted ,v arial of a wireless telegraph4 ,i thought immediately of the unfinished letter and its contents1 and shaded my eyes as ,i took a good look at the powerful transatlantic station on the spit of sand perhaps three or four miles distant1 with its tall steel masts of the latest inverted ,l type and the cluster of little houses below1 in which the operators and the plant were4 ,waldon noticed what ,i was looking at1 and remarked1 8,it's a wonderful station--and well worth a visit1 if you have the time--one of the most powerful on the coast1 ,i understand40 8,how did the ,lucie come to be equipped with wireless80 asked ,craig quickly4 8,it's a little unusual for a private boat40 8,mr4 ,edwards had it done when she was built10 explained ,waldon4 8,his idea was to use it to keep in touch with the stock market on trips40 8,and it has proved effective80 asked ,craig4 8,oh1 yes--that is1 it was all right last winter when he went on a short cruise down in ,florida4 ,this summer he hasn't been on the boat long enough to use it much40 8,who operates it80 8,he used to hire a licensed operator1 although ,i believe the engineer1 ,pedersen1 understands the thing pretty well and could use it if necessary40 8,do you think it was ,pedersen who used it for ,mrs4 ,edwards80 asked ,kennedy4 8,i really don't know10 confessed ,waldon4 8,pedersen denies absolutely that he has touched the thing for weeks4 ,i want you to quiz him4 ,i wasn't able to get him to admit a thing40 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,the ,,houseboat ,,mystery ,we had by this time swung around to the side of the houseboat4 ,i realized as we mounted the ladder that the marine gasoline engine had materially changed the old-time houseboat from a mere scow or barge with a low flat house on it1 moored in a bay or river1 and only with difficulty and expense towed from one place to another4 ,now the houseboat was really a fair-sized yacht4 ,the ,lucie was built high in order to give plenty of accommodation for the living quarters4 ,the staterooms1 dining rooms and saloon were really rooms1 with seven or eight feet of head room1 and furnished just as one would find in a tasteful and expensive house4 ,down in the hull1 of course1 was the gasoline motor which drove the propeller1 so that when the owner wanted a change of scene all that was necessary was to get up anchor1 start the motor and navigate the yacht-houseboat to some other harbor4 ,edwards himself met us on the deck4 ,he was a tall man1 with a red face1 a man of action1 of outdoor life1 apparently a hard worker and a hard player4 ,it was quite evident that he had been waiting for the return of ,waldon anxiously4 8,you find us considerably upset1 ,professor ,kennedy10 he greeted ,craig1 as his brother-in-law introduced us4 ,edwards turned and led the way toward the saloon4 ,as he entered and bade us be seated in the costly cushioned wicker chairs ,i noticed how sumptuously it was furnished1 and particularly its mechanical piano1 its phonograph and the splendid hardwood floor which seemed to invite one to dance in the cool breeze that floated across from one set of open windows to the other4 ,and yet in spite of everything1 there was that indefinable air of something lacking1 as in a house from which the woman is gone4 8,you were not here last night1 ,i understand10 remarked ,kennedy1 taking in the room at a glance4 8,unfortunately1 no10 replied ,edwards1 8,business has kept me with my nose pretty close to the grindstone this summer4 ,waldon called me up in the middle of the night1 however1 and ,i started down in my car1 which enabled me to get here before the first train4 ,i haven't been able to do a thing since ,i got here except just wait--wait--wait4 ,i confess that ,i don't know what else to do4 ,waldon seemed to think we ought to have some one down here--and ,i guess he was right4 ,anyhow1 ,i'm glad to see you40 ,i watched ,edwards keenly4 ,for the first time ,i realized that ,i had neglected to ask ,waldon whether he had seen the unfinished letter4 ,the question was unnecessary4 ,it was evident that he had not4 8,let me see1 ,waldon1 if ,i've got this thing straight10 ,edwards went on1 pacing restlessly up and down the saloon4 8,correct me if ,i haven't4 ,last night1 as ,i understand it1 there was a sort of little family party here1 you and ,miss ,verrall and your mother from the ,nautilus1 and ,mrs4 ,edwards and ,dr4 ,jermyn40 8,yes10 replied ,waldon with1 ,i thought1 a touch of defiance at the words 8family party40 ,he paused as if he would have added that the ,nautilus would have been more congenial1 anyhow1 then added1 8,we danced a little bit1 all except ,lucie4 ,she said she wasn't feeling any too well40 ,edwards had paused by the door4 8,if you'll excuse me a minute10 he said1 8,i'll call ,jermyn and ,mrs4 ,edwards' maid1 ,juanita4 ,you ought to go over the whole thing immediately1 ,professor ,kennedy40 8,why didn't you say anything about the letter to him80 asked ,kennedy under his breath4 8,what was the use80 returned ,waldon4 8,i didn't know how he'd take it4 ,besides1 ,i wanted your advice on the whole thing4 ,do you want to show it to him80 8,perhaps it's just as well10 ruminated ,kennedy4 8,it may be possible to clear the thing up without involving anybody's name4 ,at any rate1 some one is coming down the passage this way40 ,edwards entered with ,dr4 ,jermyn1 a clean-shaven man1 youthful in appearance1 yet approaching middle age4 ,i had heard of him before4 ,he had studied several years abroad and had gained considerable reputation since his return to ,america4 ,dr4 ,jermyn shook hands with us cordially enough1 made some passing comment on the tragedy1 and stood evidently waiting for us to disclose our hands4 8,you have been ,mrs4 ,edwards' physician for some time1 ,i believe80 queried ,kennedy1 fencing for an opening4 8,only since her marriage10 replied the doctor briefly4 8,she hadn't been feeling well for several days1 had she80 ventured ,kennedy again4 8,no10 replied ,dr4 ,jermyn quickly4 8,i doubt whether ,i can add much to what you already know4 ,i suppose ,mr4 ,waldon has told you about her illness4 ,the fact is1 ,i suppose her maid ,juanita will be able to tell you really more than ,i can40 ,i could not help feeling that ,dr4 ,jermyn showed a great deal of reluctance in talking4 8,you have been with her several days1 though1 haven't you80 8,four days1 ,i think4 ,she was complaining of feeling nervous and telegraphed me to come down here4 ,i came prepared to stay over night1 but ,mr4 ,edwards happened to run down that day1 too1 and he asked me if ,i wouldn't remain longer4 ,my practice in the summer is such that ,i can easily leave it with my assistant in the city1 so ,i agreed4 ,really1 that is about all ,i can say4 ,i don't know yet what was the matter with ,mrs4 ,edwards1 aside from the nervousness which seemed to be of some time standing40 ,he stood facing us1 thoughtfully stroking his chin1 as a very pretty and petite maid nervously entered and stood facing us in the doorway4 8,come in1 ,juanita10 encouraged ,edwards4 8,i want you to tell these gentlemen just what you told me about discovering that ,madame had gone--and anything else that you may recall now40 8,it was ,juanita who discovered that ,madame was gone1 you know10 put in ,waldon4 8,how did you discover it80 prompted ,craig4 8,it was very hot10 replied the maid1 8and often on hot nights ,i would come in and fan ,madame since she was so wakeful4 ,last night ,i went to the door and knocked4 ,there was no reply4 ,i called to her1 #8,madame1 madame4' ,still there was no answer4 ,the worst ,i supposed was that she had fainted4 ,i continued to call40 8,the door was locked80 inquired ,kennedy4 8,yes1 sir4 ,my call aroused the others on the boat4 ,dr4 ,jermyn came and he broke open the door with his shoulder4 ,but the room was empty4 ,madame was gone40 8,how about the windows80 asked ,kennedy4 8,open4 ,they were always open these nights4 ,sometimes ,madame would sit by the window when there was not much breeze40 8,i should like to see the room10 remarked ,craig1 with an inquiring glance at ,edwards4 8,certainly10 he answered1 leading the way down a corridor4 ,mrs4 ,edwards' room was on the starboard side1 with wide windows instead of portholes4 ,it was furnished magnificently and there was little about it that suggested the nautical1 except the view from the window4 8,the bed had not been slept in10 ,edwards remarked as we looked about curiously4 ,kennedy walked over quickly to the wide series of windows before which was a leather-cushioned window seat almost level with the window1 several feet above the level of the water4 ,it was by this window1 evidently1 that ,juanita meant that ,mrs4 ,edwards often sat4 ,it was a delightful position1 but ,i could readily see that it would be comparatively easy for anyone accidentally or purposely to fall4 8,i think myself10 ,waldon remarked to ,kennedy1 8that it must have been from the open window that she made her way to the outside4 ,it seems that all agree that the door was locked1 while the window was wide open40 8,there had been no sound--no cry to alarm you80 shot out ,kennedy suddenly to ,juanita4 8,no1 sir1 nothing4 ,i could not sleep myself1 and ,i thought of ,madame40 8,you heard nothing80 he asked of ,dr4 ,jermyn4 8,nothing until ,i heard the maid call10 he replied briefly4 ,mentally ,i ran over again ,kennedy's first list of possibilities--taken off by another boat1 accident1 drugs1 suicide1 murder4 ,was there1 ,i asked myself1 sufficient reason for suicide8 ,the letter seemed to me to show too proud a spirit for that4 ,in fact the last sentence seemed to show that she was contemplating the surest method of revenge1 rather than surrender4 ,as for accident1 why should a person fall overboard from a large houseboat into a perfectly calm harbor8 ,then1 too1 there had been no outcry4 ,somehow1 ,i could not seem to fit any of the theories in with the facts4 ,evidently it was like many another case1 one in which we1 as yet1 had insufficient data for a conclusion4 ,suddenly ,i recalled the theory that ,waldon himself had advanced regarding the wireless1 either from the boat itself or from the wireless station4 ,for the moment1 at least1 it seemed plausible that she might have been seated at the window1 that she might have been affected by escaped wireless1 or by electrolysis4 ,i knew that some physicians had described a disease which they attributed to wireless1 a sort of anemia with a marked diminution in the number of red corpuscles in the blood1 due partly to the over etherization of the air by reason of the alternating currents used to generate the waves4 8,i should like now to inspect the little wireless plant you have here on the ,lucie10 remarked ,kennedy4 8,i noticed the mast as we were approaching a few minutes ago40 ,i had turned at the sound of his voice in time to catch ,edwards and ,dr4 ,jermyn eyeing each other furtively4 ,did they know about the letter1 after all1 ,i wondered8 ,was each in doubt about just how much the other knew8 ,there was no time to pursue these speculations4 8,certainly10 agreed ,mr4 ,edwards promptly1 leading the way4 ,kennedy seemed keenly interested in inspecting the little wireless plant1 which was of a curious type and not exactly like any that ,i had seen before4 8,wireless apparatus10 he remarked1 as he looked it over1 8is divided into three parts1 the source of power whether battery or dynamo1 the making and sending of wireless waves1 including the key1 spark1 condenser and tuning coil1 and the receiving apparatus1 head telephones1 antennae1 ground and detector40 ,pedersen1 the engineer1 came in while we were looking the plant over1 but seemed uncommunicative to all ,kennedy's efforts to engage him in conversation4 8,i see10 remarked ,kennedy1 8that it is a very compact system with facilities for a quick change from one wave length to another40 8,yes10 grunted ,pedersen1 as averse to talking1 evidently1 as others on the ,lucie4 8,spark gap1 quenched type10 ,i heard ,kennedy mutter almost to himself1 with a view to showing ,pedersen that he knew something about it4 8,break system relay--operator can overhear any interference while transmitting--transformation by a single throw of a six-point switch which tunes the oscillating and open circuits to resonance4 ,very clever--very efficient4 ,by the way1 ,pedersen1 are you the only person aboard who can operate this80 8,how should ,i know80 he answered almost surlily4 8,you ought to know1 if anybody10 answered ,kennedy unruffled4 8,i know that it has been operated within the past few days40 ,pedersen shrugged his shoulders4 8,you might ask the others aboard10 was all he said4 8,mr4 ,edwards pays me to operate it only for himself1 when he has no other operator40 ,kennedy did not pursue the subject1 evidently from fear of saying too much just at present4 8,i wonder if there is anyone else who could have operated it10 said ,waldon1 as we mounted again to the deck4 8,i don't know10 replied ,kennedy1 pausing on the way up4 8,you haven't a wireless on the ,nautilus1 have you80 ,waldon shook his head4 8,never had any particular use for it myself10 he answered4 8,you say that ,miss ,verrall and her mother have gone back to the city80 pursued ,kennedy1 taking care that as before the others were out of earshot4 8,yes40 8,i'd like to stay with you tonight1 then10 decided ,kennedy4 8,might we go over with you now8 ,there doesn't seem to be anything more ,i can do here1 unless we get some news about ,mrs4 ,edwards40 ,waldon seemed only too glad to agree1 and no one on the ,lucie insisted on our staying4 ,we arrived at the ,nautilus a few minutes later1 and while we were lunching ,kennedy dispatched the tender to the ,marconi station with a note4 ,it was early in the afternoon when the tender returned with several packages and coils of wire4 ,kennedy immediately set to work on the ,nautilus stretching out some of the wire4 8,what is it you are planning80 asked ,waldon1 to whom every action of ,kennedy seemed to be a mystery of the highest interest4 8,improvising my own wireless10 he replied1 not averse to talking to the young man to whom he seemed to have taken a fancy4 8,for short distances1 you know1 it isn't necessary to construct an arial pole or even to use outside wires to receive messages4 ,all that is needed is to use just a few wires stretched inside a room4 ,the rest is just the apparatus40 ,i was quite as much interested as ,waldon4 8,in wireless10 he went on1 8the signals are not sent in one direction1 but in all1 so that a person within range of the ethereal disturbance can get them if only he has the necessary receiving apparatus4 ,this apparatus need not be so elaborate and expensive as used to be thought needful if a sensitive detector is employed1 and ,i have sent over to the station for a new piece of apparatus which ,i knew they had in almost any ,marconi station4 ,why1 ,i've got wireless signals using only twelve feet of number eighteen copper wire stretched across a room and grounded with a water pipe4 ,you might even use a wire mattress on an iron bedstead40 8,can't they find out by--er1 interference80 ,i asked1 repeating the term ,i had so often heard4 ,kennedy laughed4 8,no1 not for radio apparatus which merely receives radiograms and is not equipped for sending4 ,i am setting up only one side of a wireless outfit here4 ,all ,i want to do is to hear what is being said4 ,i don't care about saying anything40 ,he unwrapped another package which had been loaned to him by the radio station and we watched him curiously as he tested it and set it up4 ,some parts of it ,i recognized such as the very sensitive microphone1 and another part ,i could have sworn was a phonograph cylinder1 though ,craig was so busy testing his apparatus that now we could not ask questions4 ,it was late in the afternoon when he finished1 and we had just time to run up to the dock at ,seaville and stop off at the ,lucie to see if anything had happened in the intervening hours before dinner4 ,there was nothing1 except that ,i found time to file a message to the ,star and meet several fellow newspaper men who had been sent down by other papers on the chance of picking up a good story4 ,we had the ,nautilus to ourselves1 and as she was a very comfortable little craft1 we really had a very congenial time1 a plunge over her side1 a good dinner1 and then a long talk out on deck under the stars1 in which we went over every phase of the case4 ,as we discussed it1 ,waldon followed keenly1 and it was quite evident from his remarks that he had come to the conclusion that ,dr4 ,jermyn at least knew more than he had told about the case4 ,still1 the day wore away with no solution yet of the mystery4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,the ,,radio ,,detective ,it was early the following morning when a launch drew up beside the ,nautilus4 ,in it were ,edwards and ,dr4 ,jermyn1 wildly excited4 8,what's the matter80 called out ,waldon4 8,they--they have found the body10 ,edwards blurted out4 ,waldon paled and clutched the rail4 ,he had thought the world of his sister1 and not until the last moment had he given up hope that perhaps she might be found to have disappeared in some other way than had become increasingly evident4 8,where80 cried ,kennedy4 8,who80 8,over on ,ten ,mile ,beach10 answered ,edwards4 8,some fishermen who had been out on a cruise and hadn't heard the story4 ,they took the body to town1 and there it was recognized4 ,they sent word out to us immediately40 ,waldon had already spun the engine of his tender1 which was about the fastest thing afloat about ,seaville1 had taken ,edwards over1 and we were off in a cloud of spray1 the nose of the boat many inches above the surface of the water4 ,in the little undertaking establishment at ,seaville lay the body of the beautiful young matron about whom so much anxiety had been felt4 ,i could not help thinking what an end was this for the incomparable beauty4 ,at the very height of her brief career the poor little woman's life had been suddenly snuffed out4 ,but by what8 ,the body had been found1 but the mystery had been far from solved4 ,as ,kennedy bent over the body1 ,i heard him murmur to himself1 8,she had everything--everything except happiness40 8,was it drowning that caused her death80 asked ,kennedy of the local doctor1 who also happened to be coroner and had already arrived on the scene4 ,the doctor shook his head4 8,i don't know10 he said doubtfully4 8,there was congestion of the lungs--but ,i--,i can't say but what she might have been dead before she fell or was thrown into the water40 ,dr4 ,jermyn stood on one side1 now and then putting in a word1 but for the most part silent unless spoken to4 ,kennedy1 however1 was making a most minute examination4 ,as he turned the beautiful head1 almost reverently1 he saw something that evidently attracted his attention4 ,i was standing next to him and1 between us1 ,i think we cut off the view of the others4 ,there on the back of the neck1 carefully1 had been smeared something transparent1 almost skin-like1 which had easily escaped the attention of the rest4 ,kennedy tried to pick it off1 but only succeeded in pulling off a very minute piece to which the flesh seemed to adhere4 8,that's queer10 he whispered to me4 8,water1 naturally1 has no effect on it1 else it would have been washed off long before4 ,walter10 he added1 8just slip across the street quietly to the drug store and get me a piece of gauze soaked with acetone40 ,as quickly and unostentatiously as ,i could ,i did so and handed him the wet cloth1 contriving at the same time to add ,waldon to our barrier1 for ,i could see that ,kennedy was anxious to be observed as little as possible4 8,what is it80 ,i whispered1 as he rubbed the transparent skin-like stuff off1 and dropped the gauze into his pocket4 8,a sort of skin varnish10 he remarked under his breath1 8waterproof and so adhesive that it resists pulling off even with a knife without taking the cuticle with it40 ,beneath1 as the skin varnish slowly dissolved under his gentle rubbing1 he had disclosed several very small reddish spots1 like little cuts that had been made by means of a very sharp instrument4 ,as he did so1 he gave them a hasty glance1 turned the now stony beautiful head straight again1 stood up1 and resumed his talk with the coroner1 who was evidently getting more and more bewildered by the case4 ,edwards1 who had completed the arrangements with the undertaker for the care of the body as soon as the coroner released it1 seemed completely unnerved4 8,jermyn10 he said to the doctor1 as he turned away and hid his eyes1 8,i can't stand this4 ,the undertaker wants some stuff from the--er--boat10 his voice broke over the name which had been hers4 8,will you get it for me8 ,i'm going up to a hotel here1 and ,i'll wait for you there4 ,but ,i can't go out to the boat--yet40 8,i think ,mr4 ,waldon will be glad to take you out in his tender10 suggested ,kennedy4 8,besides1 ,i feel that ,i'd like a little fresh air as a bracer1 too1 after such a shock40 8,what were those little cuts80 ,i asked as ,waldon and ,dr4 ,jermyn preceded us through the crowd outside to the pier4 8,some one10 he answered in a low tone1 8has severed the pneumogastric nerves40 8,the pneumogastric nerves80 ,i repeated4 8,yes1 the vagus or wandering nerve1 the so-called tenth cranial nerve4 ,unlike the other cranial nerves1 which are concerned with the special senses or distributed to the skin and muscles of the head and neck1 the vagus1 as its name implies1 strays downward into the chest and abdomen supplying branches to the throat1 lungs1 heart and stomach and forms an important connecting link between the brain and the sympathetic nervous system40 ,we had reached the pier1 and a nod from ,kennedy discouraged further conversation on the subject4 ,a few minutes later we had reached the ,lucie and gone up over her side4 ,kennedy waited until ,jermyn had disappeared into the room of ,mrs4 ,edwards to get what the undertaker had desired4 ,a moment and he had passed quietly into ,dr4 ,jermyn's own room1 followed by me4 ,several quick glances about told him what not to waste time over1 and at last his eye fell on a little portable case of medicines and surgical instruments4 ,he opened it quickly and took out a bottle of golden yellow liquid4 ,kennedy smelled it1 then quickly painted some on the back of his hand4 ,it dried quickly1 like an artificial skin4 ,he had found a bottle of skin varnish in ,dr4 ,jermyn's own medicine chest6 ,we hurried back to the deck1 and a few minutes later the doctor appeared with a large package4 8,did you ever hear of coating the skin by a substance which is impervious to water1 smooth and elastic80 asked ,kennedy quietly as ,waldon's tender sped along back to ,seaville4 8,why--er1 yes10 he said frankly1 raising his eyes and looking at ,craig in surprise4 8,there have been a dozen or more such substances4 ,the best is one which ,i use1 made of pyroxylin1 the soluble cotton of commerce1 dissolved in amyl acetate and acetone with some other substances that make it perfectly sterile4 ,why do you ask80 8,because some one has used a little bit of it to cover a few slight cuts on the back of the neck of ,mrs4 ,edwards40 8,indeed80 he said simply1 in a tone of mild surprise4 8,yes10 pursued ,kennedy4 8,they seem to me to be subcutaneous incisions of the neck with a very fine scalpel dividing the two great pneumogastric nerves4 ,of course you know what that would mean--the victim would pass away naturally by slow and easy stages in three or four days1 and all that would appear might be congestion of the lungs4 ,they are delicate little punctures and elusive nerves to locate1 but after all it might be done as painlessly1 as simply and as safely as a barber might remove some dead hairs4 ,a country coroner might easily pass over such evidence at an autopsy--especially if it was concealed by skin varnish40 ,i was surprised at the frankness with which ,kennedy spoke1 but absolutely amazed at the coolness of ,jermyn4 ,at first he said absolutely nothing4 ,he seemed to be as set in his reticence as he had been when we first met4 ,i watched him narrowly4 ,waldon1 who was driving the boat1 had not heard what was said1 but ,i had1 and ,i could not conceive how anyone could take it so calmly4 ,finally ,jermyn turned to ,kennedy and looked him squarely in the eye4 8,kennedy10 he said slowly1 8this is extraordinary--most extraordinary10 then1 pausing1 added1 8if true40 8,there can be no doubt of the truth10 replied ,kennedy1 eyeing ,dr4 ,jermyn just as squarely4 8,what do you propose to do about it80 asked the doctor4 8,investigate10 replied ,kennedy simply4 8,while ,waldon takes these things up to the undertaker's1 we may as well wait here in the boat4 ,i want him to stop on the way back for ,mr4 ,edwards4 ,then we shall go out to the ,lucie4 ,he must go1 whether he likes it or not40 ,it was indeed a most peculiar situation as ,kennedy and ,i sat in the tender with ,dr4 ,jermyn waiting for ,waldon to return with ,edwards4 ,not a word was spoken4 ,the tenseness of the situation was not relieved by the return of ,waldon with ,edwards4 ,waldon seemed to realize without knowing just what it was1 that something was about to happen4 ,he drove his boat back to the ,lucie again in record time4 ,this was ,kennedy's turn to be reticent4 ,whatever it was he was revolving in his mind1 he answered in scarcely more than monosyllables whatever questions were put to him4 8,you are not coming aboard80 inquired ,edwards in surprise as he and ,jermyn mounted the steps of the houseboat ladder1 and ,kennedy remained seated in the tender4 8,not yet10 replied ,craig coolly4 8,but ,i thought you had something to show me4 ,waldon told me you had40 8,i think ,i shall have in a short time10 returned ,kennedy4 8,we shall be back immediately4 ,i'm just going to ask ,waldon to run over to the ,nautilus for a few minutes4 ,we'll tow back your launch1 too1 in case you need it40 ,waldon had cast off obediently4 8,there's one thing sure10 ,i remarked4 8,jermyn can't get away from the ,lucie until we return--unless he swims40 ,kennedy did not seem to pay much attention to the remark1 for his only reply was3 8,i'm taking a chance by this maneuvering1 but ,i think it will work out that ,i am correct4 ,by the way1 ,waldon1 you needn't put on so much speed4 ,i'm in no great hurry to get back4 ,half an hour will be time enough40 8,jermyn8 ,what did you mean by ,jermyn80 asked ,waldon1 as we climbed to the deck of the ,nautilus4 ,he had evidently learned1 as ,i had1 that it was little use to try to quiz ,kennedy until he was ready to be questioned and had decided to try it on me4 ,i had nothing to conceal and ,i told him quite fully all that ,i knew4 ,actually1 ,i believe if ,jermyn had been there1 it would have taken both ,kennedy and myself to prevent violence4 ,as it was ,i had a veritable madman to deal with while ,kennedy gathered up leisurely the wireless outfit he had installed on the deck of ,waldon's yacht4 ,it was only by telling him that ,i would certainly demand that ,kennedy leave him behind if he did not control his feelings that ,i could calm him before ,craig had finished his work on the yacht4 ,waldon relieved himself by driving the tender back at top speed to the ,lucie1 and now it seemed that ,kennedy had no objection to traveling as fast as the many-cylindered engine was capable of going4 ,as we entered the saloon of the houseboat1 ,i kept close watch over ,waldon4 ,kennedy began by slipping a record on the phonograph in the corner of the saloon1 then facing us and addressing ,edwards particularly4 8,you may be interested to know1 ,mr4 ,edwards10 he said1 8that your wireless outfit here has been put to a use for which you never intended it40 ,no one said anything1 but ,i am sure that some one in the room then for the first time began to suspect what was coming4 8,as you know1 by the use of an arial pole1 messages may be easily received from any number of stations10 continued ,craig4 8,laws1 rules and regulations may be adopted to shut out interlopers and plug busybody ears1 but the greater part of whatever is transmitted by the ,hertzian waves can be snatched down by other wireless apparatus4 8,down below1 in that little room of yours10 went on ,craig1 8might sit an operator with his ear-phone clamped to his head1 drinking in the news conveyed surely and swiftly to him through the wireless signals--plucking from the sky secrets of finance and10 he added1 leaning forward1 8love40 ,in his usual dramatic manner ,kennedy had swung his little audience completely with him4 8,in other words10 he resumed1 8it might be used for eavesdropping by a wireless wiretapper4 ,now10 he concluded1 8,i thought that if there was any radio detective work being done1 ,i might as well do some1 too40 ,he toyed for a moment with the phonograph record4 8,i have used10 he explained1 8,marconi's radiotelephone1 because in connection with his receivers ,marconi uses phonographic recorders and on them has captured wireless telegraph signals over hundreds of miles4 8,he has found that it is possible to receive wireless signals1 although ordinary records are not loud enough1 by using a small microphone on the repeating diaphragm and connected with a loud-speaking telephone4 ,the chief difficulty was to get a microphone that would carry a sufficient current without burning up4 ,there were other difficulties1 but they have been surmounted and now wireless telegraph messages may be automatically recorded and made audible40 ,kennedy started the phonograph1 running it along1 stopping it1 taking up the record at a new point4 8,listen10 he exclaimed at length1 8there's something interesting1 the ,,wxy call--,seaville station--from some one on the ,lucie only a few minutes ago1 sending a message to be relayed by ,seaville to the station at ,beach ,park4 ,it seems impossible1 but buzzing and ticking forth is this message from some one off this very houseboat4 ,it reads3 8,miss ,valerie ,fox1 ,beach ,park4 ,i am suspected of the murder of ,mrs4 ,edwards4 ,i appeal to you to help me4 ,you must allow me to tell the truth about the messages ,i intercepted for ,mrs4 ,edwards which passed between yourself on the ocean and ,mr4 ,edwards in ,new ,york via ,seaville4 ,you rejected me and would not let me save you4 ,now you must save me40 ,kennedy paused1 then added1 8,the message is signed by ,dr4 ,jermyn60 ,at once ,i saw it all4 ,jermyn had been the unsuccessful suitor for ,miss ,fox's affections4 ,but before ,i could piece out the rest of the tragic story1 ,kennedy had started the phonograph record at an earlier point which he had skipped for the present4 8,here's another record--a brief one--also to ,valerie ,fox from the houseboat3 #8,refuse all interviews4 ,deny everything4 ,will see you as soon as present excitement dies down4'0 ,before ,kennedy could finish1 ,waldon had leaped forward1 unable longer to control his feelings4 ,if ,kennedy had not seized his arm1 ,i verily believe he would have cast ,dr4 ,jermyn into the bay into which his sister had fallen two nights before in her terribly weakened condition4 8,waldon10 cried ,kennedy1 8for ,god's sake1 man--wait6 ,don't you understand8 ,the second message is signed ,tracy ,edwards40 ,it came as quite as much a shock of surprise to me as to ,waldon4 8,don't you understand80 he repeated4 8,your sister first learned from ,dr4 ,jermyn what was going on4 ,she moved the ,lucie down here near ,seaville in order to be near the wireless station when the ship bearing her rival1 ,valerie ,fox1 got in touch with land4 ,with the help of ,dr4 ,jermyn she intercepted the wireless messages from the ,kronprinz to the shore--between her husband and ,valerie ,fox40 ,kennedy was hurrying on now to his irresistible conclusion4 8,she found that he was infatuated with the famous stage beauty1 that he was planning to marry another1 her rival4 ,she accused him of it1 threatened to defeat his plans4 ,he knew she knew his unfaithfulness4 ,instead of being your sister's murderer1 ,dr4 ,jermyn was helping her get the evidence that would save both her and perhaps win ,miss ,fox back to himself40 ,kennedy had turned sharply on ,edwards4 8,but10 he added1 with a glance that crushed any lingering hope that the truth had been concealed1 8the same night that ,dr4 ,jermyn arrived here1 you visited your wife4 ,as she slept you severed the nerves that meant life or death to her4 ,then you covered the cuts with the preparation which you knew ,dr4 ,jermyn used4 ,you asked him to stay1 while you went away1 thinking that when death came you would have a perfect alibi--perhaps a scapegoat4 ,edwards1 the radio detective convicts you60 ,,chapter ,x ,,the ,,curio ,,shop ,edwards crumpled up as ,kennedy and ,i faced him4 ,there was no escape4 ,in fact our greatest difficulty was to protect him from ,waldon4 ,kennedy's work in the case was over when we had got ,edwards ashore and in the hands of the authorities4 ,but mine had just begun and it was late when ,i got my story on the wire for the ,star4 ,i felt pretty tired and determined to make up for it by sleeping the next day4 ,it was no use1 however4 8,why1 what's the matter1 ,mrs4 ,northrop80 ,i heard ,kennedy ask as he opened our door the next morning1 just as ,i had finished dressing4 ,he had admitted a young woman1 who greeted us with nervous1 wide-staring eyes4 8,it's--it's about ,archer10 she cried1 sinking into the nearest chair and staring from one to the other of us4 ,she was the wife of ,professor ,archer ,northrop1 director of the archeological department at the university4 ,both ,craig and ,i had known her ever since her marriage to ,northrop1 for she was one of the most attractive ladies in the younger set of the faculty1 to which ,craig naturally belonged4 ,archer had been of the class below us in the university4 ,we had hazed him1 and out of the mild hazing there had1 strangely enough1 grown a strong friendship4 ,i recollected quickly that ,northrop1 according to last reports1 had been down in the south of ,mexico on an archeological expedition4 ,but before ,i could frame1 even in my mind1 the natural question in a form that would not alarm his wife further1 ,kennedy had it on his lips4 8,no bad news from ,mitla1 ,i hope80 he asked gently1 recalling one of the main working stations chosen by the expedition and the reported unsettled condition of the country about it4 ,she looked up quickly4 8,didn't you know--he--came back from ,vera ,cruz yesterday80 she asked slowly1 then added1 speaking in a broken tone1 8and--he seems--suddenly--to have disappeared4 ,oh1 such a terrible night of worry6 ,no word--and ,i called up the museum1 but ,doctor ,bernardo1 the curator1 had gone1 and no one answered4 ,and this morning--,i couldn't stand it any longer--so ,i came to you40 8,you have no idea1 ,i suppose1 of anything that was weighing on his mind80 suggested ,kennedy4 8,no10 she answered promptly4 ,in default of any further information1 ,kennedy did not pursue this line of questioning4 ,i could not determine from his face or manner whether he thought the matter might involve another than ,mrs4 ,northrop1 or1 perhaps1 something connected with the unsettled condition of the country from which her husband had just arrived4 8,have you any of the letters that ,archer wrote home80 asked ,craig1 at length4 8,yes10 she replied eagerly1 taking a little packet from her handbag4 8,i thought you might ask that4 ,i brought them40 8,you are an ideal client10 commented ,craig encouragingly1 taking the letters4 8,now1 ,mrs4 ,northrop1 be brave4 ,trust me to run this thing down1 and if you hear anything let me know immediately40 ,she left us a moment later1 visibly relieved4 ,scarcely had she gone when ,craig1 stuffing the letters into his pocket unread1 seized his hat1 and a moment later was striding along toward the museum with his habitual rapid1 abstracted step which told me that he sensed a mystery4 ,in the museum we met ,doctor ,bernardo1 a man slightly older than ,northrop1 with whom he had been very intimate4 ,he had just arrived and was already deeply immersed in the study of some new and beautiful colored plates from the ,national ,museum of ,mexico ,city4 8,do you remember seeing ,northrop here yesterday afternoon80 greeted ,craig1 without explaining what had happened4 8,yes10 he answered promptly4 8,i was here with him until very late4 ,at least1 he was in his own room1 working hard1 when ,i left40 8,did you see him go80 8,why--er--no10 replied ,bernardo1 as if that were a new idea4 8,i left him here--at least1 ,i didn't see him go out40 ,kennedy tried the door of ,northrop's room1 which was at the far end1 in a corner1 and communicated with the hall only through the main floor of the museum4 ,it was locked4 ,a pass-key from the janitor quickly opened it4 ,such a sight as greeted us1 ,i shall never forget4 ,there1 in his big desk-chair1 sat ,northrop1 absolutely rigid1 the most horribly contorted look on his features that ,i have ever seen--half of pain1 half of fear1 as if of something nameless4 ,kennedy bent over4 ,his hands were cold4 ,northrop had been dead at least twelve hours1 perhaps longer4 ,all night the deserted museum had guarded its terrible secret4 ,as ,craig peered into his face1 he saw1 in the fleshy part of the neck1 just below the left ear1 a round red mark1 with just a drop or two of now black coagulated blood in the center4 ,all around we could see a vast amount of miscellaneous stuff1 partly unpacked1 partly just opened1 and waiting to be taken out of the wrappings by the now motionless hands4 8,i suppose you are more or less familiar with what ,northrop brought back80 asked ,kennedy of ,bernardo1 running his eye over the material in the room4 8,yes1 reasonably10 answered ,bernardo4 8,before the cases arrived from the wharf1 he told me in detail what he had managed to bring up with him40 8,i wish1 then1 that you would look it over and see if there is anything missing10 requested ,craig1 already himself busy in going over the room for other evidence4 ,doctor ,bernardo hastily began taking a mental inventory of the stuff4 ,while they worked1 ,i tried vainly to frame some theory which would explain the startling facts we had so suddenly discovered4 ,mitla1 ,i knew1 was south of the city of ,oaxaca1 and there1 in its ruined palaces1 was the crowning achievement of the old ,zapotec kings4 ,no ruins in ,america were more elaborately ornamented or richer in lore for the archeologist4 ,northrop had brought up porphyry blocks with quaint grecques and much hieroglyphic painting4 ,already unpacked were half a dozen copper axes1 some of the first of that particular style that had ever been brought to the ,united ,states4 ,besides the sculptured stones and the mosaics were jugs1 cups1 vases1 little gods1 sacrificial stones--enough1 almost1 to equip a new alcove in the museum4 ,before ,northrop was an idol1 a hideous thing on which frogs and snakes squatted and coiled4 ,it was a fitting piece to accompany the gruesome occupant of the little room in his long1 last vigil4 ,in fact1 it almost sent a shudder over me1 and if ,i had been inclined to the superstitious1 ,i should certainly have concluded that this was retribution for having disturbed the lares and penates of a dead race4 ,doctor ,bernardo was going over the material a second time4 ,by the look on his face1 even ,i could guess that something was missing4 8,what is it80 asked ,craig1 following the curator closely4 8,why10 he answered slowly1 8there was an inscription--we were looking at it earlier in the day--on a small block of porphyry4 ,i don't see it40 ,he paused and went back to his search before we could ask him further what he thought the inscription was about4 ,i thought nothing myself at the time of his reticence1 for ,kennedy had gone over to a window back of ,northrop and to the left4 ,it was fully twenty feet from the downward slope of the campus there1 and1 as he craned his neck out1 he noted that the copper leader of the rain pipe ran past it a few feet away4 ,i1 too1 looked out4 ,a thick group of trees hid the window from the avenue beyond the campus wall1 and below us1 at a corner of the building1 was a clump of rhododendrons4 ,as ,craig bent over the sill1 he whipped out a pocket lens4 ,a moment later he silently handed the glass to me4 ,as nearly as ,i could make out1 there were five marks on the dust of the sill4 8,finger-prints60 ,i exclaimed4 8,some one has been clinging to the edge of the ledge40 8,in that case10 ,craig observed quietly1 8there would have been only four prints40 ,i looked again1 puzzled4 ,the prints were flat and well separated4 8,no10 he added1 8not finger-prints--toe-prints40 8,toe-prints80 ,i echoed4 ,before he could reply1 ,craig had dashed out of the room1 around1 and under the window4 ,there1 he was carefully going over the soft earth around the bushes below4 8,what are you looking for80 ,i asked1 joining him4 8,some one--perhaps two--has been here10 he remarked1 almost under his breath4 8,one1 at least1 has removed his shoes4 ,see those shoe-prints up to this point8 ,the print of a boot-heel in soft earth shows the position and contour of every nail head4 ,bertillon has made a collection of such nails1 certain types1 sizes1 and shapes used in certain boots1 showing often what country the shoes came from4 ,even the number and pattern are significant4 ,some factories use a fixed number of nails and arrange them in a particular manner4 ,i have made my own collection of such prints in this country4 ,these were ,american shoes4 ,perhaps the clue will not lead us anywhere1 though1 for ,i doubt whether it was an ,american foot40 ,kennedy continued to study the marks4 8,he removed his shoes--either to help in climbing or to prevent noise--ah--here's the foot6 ,strange--see how small it is--and broad1 how prehensile the toes--almost like fingers4 ,surely that foot could never have been encased in ,american shoes all its life4 ,i shall make plaster casts of these1 to preserve later40 ,he was still scouting about on hands and knees in the dampness of the rhododendrons4 ,suddenly he reached his long arm in among the shrubs and picked up a little reed stick4 ,on the end of it was a small cylinder of buff brown4 ,he looked at it curiously1 dug his nail into the soft mass1 then rubbed his nail over the tip of his tongue gingerly4 ,with a wry face1 as if the taste were extremely acrid1 he moistened his handkerchief and wiped off his tongue vigorously4 8,even that minute particle that was on my nail makes my tongue tingle and feel numb10 he remarked1 still rubbing4 8,let us go back again4 ,i want to see ,bernardo40 8,had he any visitors during the day80 queried ,kennedy1 as he reentered the ghastly little room1 while the curator stood outside1 completely unnerved by the tragedy which had been so close to him without his apparently knowing it4 ,kennedy was squeezing out from the little wound on ,northrop's neck a few drops of liquid on a sterilized piece of glass4 8,no2 no one10 ,bernardo answered1 after a moment4 8,did you see anyone in the museum who looked suspicious80 asked ,kennedy1 watching ,bernardo's face keenly4 8,no10 he hesitated4 8,there were several people wandering about among the exhibits1 of course4 ,one1 ,i recall1 late in the afternoon1 was a little dark-skinned woman1 rather good-looking40 8,a ,mexican80 8,yes1 ,i should say so4 ,not of ,spanish descent1 though4 ,she was rather of the ,indian type4 ,she seemed to be much interested in the various exhibits1 asked me several questions1 very intelligently1 too4 ,really1 ,i thought she was trying to--er--flirt with me40 ,he shot a glance at ,craig1 half of confession1 half of embarrassment4 8,and--oh1 yes--there was another--a man1 a little man1 as ,i recall1 with shaggy hair4 ,he looked like a ,russian to me4 ,i remember1 because he came to the door1 peered around hastily1 and went away4 ,i thought he might have got into the wrong part of the building and went to direct him right--but before ,i could get out into the hall1 he was gone4 ,i remember1 too1 that1 as ,i turned1 the woman had followed me and soon was asking other questions--which1 ,i will admit--,i was glad to answer40 8,was ,northrop in his room while these people were here80 8,yes2 he had locked the door so that none of the students or visitors could disturb him40 8,evidently the woman was diverting your attention while the man entered ,northrop's room by the window10 ruminated ,craig1 as we stood for a moment in the outside doorway4 ,he had already telephoned to our old friend ,doctor ,leslie1 the coroner1 to take charge of the case1 and now was ready to leave4 ,the news had spread1 and the janitor of the building was waiting to lock the campus door to keep back the crowd of students and others4 ,our next duty was the painful one of breaking the news to ,mrs4 ,northrop4 ,i shall pass it over4 ,perhaps no one could have done it more gently than ,kennedy4 ,she did not cry4 ,she was simply dazed4 ,fortunately her mother was with her1 had been1 in fact1 ever since ,northrop had gone on the expedition4 8,why should anyone want to steal tablets of old ,mixtec inscriptions80 ,i asked thoughtfully1 as we walked sadly over the campus in the direction of the chemistry building4 8,have they a sufficient value1 even on appreciative ,fifth ,avenue1 to warrant murder80 8,well10 he remarked1 8it does seem incomprehensible4 ,yet people do just such things4 ,the psychologists tell us that there is a veritable mania for possessing such curios4 ,however1 it is possible that there may be some deeper significance in this case10 he added1 his face puckered in thought4 ,who was the mysterious ,mexican woman1 who the shaggy ,russian8 ,i asked myself4 ,clearly1 at least1 if she existed at all1 she was one of the millions not of ,spanish but of ,indian descent in the country south of us4 ,as ,i reasoned it out1 it seemed to me as if she must have been an accomplice4 ,she could not have got into ,northrop's room either before or after ,doctor ,bernardo left4 ,then1 too1 the toe-and shoe-prints were not hers4 ,but1 ,i figured1 she certainly had a part in the plot4 ,while ,i was engaged in the vain effort to unravel the tragic affair by pure reason1 ,kennedy was at work with practical science4 ,he began by examining the little dark cylinder on the end of the reed4 ,on a piece of the stuff1 broken off1 he poured a dark liquid from a brown-glass bottle4 ,then he placed it under a microscope4 8,microscopically10 he said slowly1 8it consists almost wholly of minute1 clear granules which give a blue reaction with iodine4 ,they are starch4 ,mixed with them are some larger starch granules1 a few plant cells1 fibrous matter1 and other foreign particles4 ,and then1 there is the substance that gives that acrid1 numbing taste40 ,he appeared to be vacantly studying the floor4 8,what do you think it is80 ,i asked1 unable to restrain myself4 8,aconite10 he answered slowly1 8of which the active principle is the deadly poisonous alkaloid1 aconitin40 ,he walked over and pulled down a well-thumbed standard work on toxicology1 turned the pages1 then began to read aloud3 ,pure aconitin is probably the most actively poisonous substance with which we are acquainted and1 if administered hypodermically1 the alkaloid is even more powerfully poisonous than when taken by the mouth4 ,as in the case of most of the poisonous alkaloids1 aconitin does not produce any decidedly characteristic post-mortem appearances4 ,there is no way to distinguish it from other alkaloids1 in fact1 no reliable chemical test4 ,the physiological effects before death are all that can be relied on4 ,owing to its exceeding toxic nature1 the smallness of the dose required to produce death1 and the lack of tests for recognition1 aconitin possesses rather more interest in legal medicine than most other poisons4 ,it is one of the few substances which1 in the present state of toxicology1 might be criminally administered and leave no positive evidence of the crime4 ,if a small but fatal dose of the poison were to be given1 especially if it were administered hypodermically1 the chances of its detection in the body after death would be practically none4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,the 8,,pillar ,,of ,,death0 ,i was looking at him fixedly as the diabolical nature of what must have happened sank into my mind4 ,here was a poison that defied detection4 ,i could see by the look on ,craig's face that that problem1 alone1 was enough to absorb his attention4 ,he seemed fully to realize that we had to deal with a criminal so clever that he might never be brought to justice4 ,an idea flashed over me4 8,how about the letters80 ,i suggested4 8,good1 ,walter60 he exclaimed4 ,he untied the package which ,mrs4 ,northrop had given him and glanced quickly over one after another of the letters4 8,ah60 he exclaimed1 fairly devouring one dated at ,mitla4 8,listen--it tells about ,northrop's work and goes on3 8#8,i have been much interested in a cavern1 or subterraneo1 here1 in the shape of a cross1 each arm of which extends for some twelve feet underground4 ,in the center it is guarded by a block of stone popularly called 8the ,pillar of ,death40 ,there is a superstition that whoever embraces it will die before the sun goes down4 8#8,from the subterraneo is said to lead a long1 underground passage across the court to another subterranean chamber which is full of ,mixtec treasure4 ,treasure hunters have dug all around it1 and it is said that two old ,indians1 only1 know of the immense amount of buried gold and silver1 but that they will not reveal it4'0 ,i started up4 ,here was the missing link which ,i had been waiting for4 8,there1 at least1 is the motive10 ,i blurted out4 8,that is why ,bernardo was so reticent4 ,northrop1 in his innocence of heart1 had showed him that inscription40 ,kennedy said nothing as he finally tied up the little packet of letters and locked it in his safe4 ,he was not given to hasty generalizations2 neither was he one who clung doggedly to a preconceived theory4 ,it was still early in the afternoon4 ,craig and ,i decided to drop into the museum again in order to see ,doctor ,bernardo4 ,he was not there and we sat down to wait4 ,just then the letter box in the door clicked4 ,it was the postman on his rounds4 ,kennedy walked over and picked up the letter4 ,the postmark bore the words1 8,mexico ,city10 and a date somewhat later than that on which ,northrop had left ,vera ,cruz4 ,in the lower corner1 underscored1 were the words1 8,personal--,urgent40 8,i'd like to know what is in that10 remarked ,craig1 turning it over and over4 ,he appeared to be considering something1 for he rose suddenly and shoved the letter into his pocket4 ,i followed1 and a few moments later1 across the campus in his laboratory1 he was working quickly over an ,x-ray apparatus4 ,he had placed the letter in it4 8,these are what are known as #8low' tubes10 he explained4 8,they give out #8soft rays4'0 ,he continued to work for a few moments1 then handed me the letter4 8,now1 ,walter10 he said1 8if you will just hurry back to the museum and replace that letter1 ,i think ,i will have something that will astonish you--though whether it will have any bearing on the case1 remains to be seen40 8,what is it80 ,i asked1 a few minutes later1 when ,i had rejoined him1 after returning the letter4 ,he was poring intently over what looked like a negative4 8,the possibility of reading the contents of documents inclosed in a sealed envelope10 he replied1 still studying the shadowgraph closely1 8has already been established by the well-known ,english scientist1 ,doctor ,hall ,edwards4 ,he has been experimenting with the method of using ,x-rays recently discovered by a ,german scientist1 by which radiographs of very thin substances1 such as a sheet of paper1 a leaf1 an insect's body1 may be obtained4 ,these thin substances through which the rays used formerly to pass without leaving an impression1 can now be radiographed40 ,i looked carefully as he traced out something on the negative4 ,on it was easily possible1 following his guidance1 to read the words inscribed on the sheet of paper inside4 ,so admirably defined were all the details that even the gum on the envelope and the edges of the sheet of paper inside the envelope could be distinguished4 8,any letter written with ink having a mineral basis can be radiographed10 added ,craig4 8,even when the sheet is folded in the usual way1 it is possible by taking a radiograph stereoscopically1 to distinguish the writing1 every detail standing out in relief4 ,besides1 it can be greatly magnified1 which aids in deciphering it if it is indistinct or jumbled up4 ,some of it looks like mirror writing4 ,ah10 he added1 8here's something interesting60 ,together we managed to trace out the contents of several paragraphs1 of which the significant parts were as follows3 ,i am expecting that my friend ,seora ,herreria will be in ,new ,york by the time you receive this1 and should she call on you1 ,i know you will accord her every courtesy4 ,she has been in ,mexico ,city for a few days1 having just returned from ,mitla1 where she met ,professor ,northrop4 ,it is rumored that ,professor ,northrop has succeeded in smuggling out of the country a very important stone bearing an inscription which1 ,i understand1 is of more than ordinary interest4 ,i do not know anything definite about it1 as ,seora ,herreria is very reticent on the matter1 but depend on you to find out if possible and let me know of it4 ,according to the rumors and the statements of the seora1 it seems that ,northrop has taken an unfair advantage of the situation down in ,oaxaca1 and ,i suppose she and others who know about the inscription feel that it is really the possession of the government4 ,you will find that the seora is an accomplished antiquarian and scholar4 ,like many others down here just now1 she has a high regard for the ,japanese4 ,as you know1 there exists a natural sympathy between some ,mexicans and ,japanese1 owing to what is believed to be a common origin of the two races4 ,in spite of the assertions of many to the contrary1 there is little doubt left in the minds of students that the ,indian races which have peopled ,mexico were of ,mongolian stock4 ,many words in some dialects are easily understood by ,chinese immigrants4 ,a secretary of the ,japanese legation here was able recently to decipher old ,mixtec inscriptions found in the ruins of ,mitla4 ,seora ,herreria has been much interested in establishing the relationship and1 ,i understand1 is acquainted with a ,japanese curio dealer in ,new ,york who recently visited ,mexico for the same purpose4 ,i believe that she wishes to collaborate with him on a monograph on the subject1 which is expected to have a powerful effect on the public opinion both here and at ,tokyo4 ,in regard to the inscription which ,northrop has taken with him1 ,i rely on you to keep me informed4 ,there seems to be a great deal of mystery connected with it1 and ,i am simply hazarding a guess as to its nature4 ,if it should prove to be something which might interest either the ,japanese or ourselves1 you can see how important it may be1 especially in view of the forthcoming mission of ,general ,francisco to ,tokyo4 ,very sincerely yours1 ,,dr4 ,,emilio ,,sanchez1 ,director4 8,bernardo is a ,mexican10 ,i exclaimed1 as ,kennedy finished reading1 8and there can be no doubt that the woman he mentioned was this ,seora ,herreria40 ,kennedy said nothing1 but seemed to be weighing the various paragraphs in the letter4 8,still10 ,i observed1 8so far1 the only one against whom we have any direct suspicion in the case is the shaggy ,russian1 whoever he is40 8,a man whom ,bernardo says looked like a ,russian10 corrected ,craig4 ,he was pacing the laboratory restlessly4 8,this is becoming quite an international affair10 he remarked finally1 pausing before me1 his hat on4 8,would you like to relax your mind by a little excursion among the curio shops of the city8 ,i know something about ,japanese curios--more1 perhaps1 than ,i do of ,mexican4 ,it may amuse us1 even if it doesn't help in solving the mystery4 ,meanwhile1 ,i shall make arrangements for shadowing ,bernardo4 ,i want to know just how he acts after he reads that letter40 ,he paused long enough to telephone his instructions to an uptown detective agency which could be depended on for such mere routine work1 then joined me with the significant remark3 8,blood is thicker than water1 anyhow1 ,walter4 ,still1 even if the ,mexicans are influenced by sentiment1 ,i hardly think that would account for the interest of our friends from across the water in the matter40 ,i do not know how many of the large and small curio shops of the city we visited that afternoon4 ,at another time1 ,i should have enjoyed the visits immensely1 for anyone seeking articles of beauty will find the antique shops of ,fifth and ,fourth ,avenues and the side streets well worth visiting4 ,we came1 at length1 to one1 a small1 quaint1 dusty rookery1 down in a basement1 entered almost directly from the street4 ,it bore over the door a little gilt sign which read simply1 8,sato's40 ,as we entered1 ,i could not help being impressed by the wealth of articles in beautiful cloisonne enamel1 in mother-of-pearl1 lacquer1 and champleve4 ,there were beautiful little koros1 or incense burners1 vases1 and teapots4 ,there were enamels incrusted1 translucent1 and painted1 works of the famous ,namikawa1 of ,kyoto1 and ,namikawa1 of ,tokyo4 ,satsuma vases1 splendid and rare examples of the potter's art1 crowded gorgeously embroidered screens depicting all sorts of brilliant scenes1 among others the sacred ,fujiyama rising in the stately distance4 ,sato himself greeted us with a ready smile and bow4 8,i am just looking for a few things to add to my den10 explained ,kennedy1 adding1 8nothing in particular1 but merely whatever happens to strike my fancy40 8,surely1 then1 you have come to the right shop10 greeted ,sato4 8,if there is anything that interests you1 ,i shall be glad to show it40 8,thank you10 replied ,craig4 8,don't let me trouble you with your other customers4 ,i will call on you if ,i see anything40 ,for several minutes1 ,craig and ,i busied ourselves looking about1 and we did not have to feign interest1 either4 8,often things are not as represented10 he whispered to me1 after a while1 8but a connoiseur can tell spurious goods4 ,these are the real thing1 mostly40 8,not one in fifty can tell the difference10 put in the voice of ,sato1 at his elbow4 8,well1 you see ,i happen to know10 ,craig replied1 not the least disconcerted4 8,you can't always be too sure40 ,a laugh and a shrug was ,sato's answer4 8,it's well all are not so keen10 he said1 with a frank acknowledgment that he was not above sharp practices4 ,i glanced now and then at the expressionless face of the curio dealer4 ,was it merely the natural blankness of his countenance that impressed me1 or was there1 in fact1 something deep and dark hidden in it1 something of 8,east is ,east and ,west is ,west0 which ,i did not and could not understand8 ,craig was admiring the bronzes4 ,he had paused before one1 a square metal fire-screen of odd design1 with the title on a card1 8,japan ,gazing at the ,world40 ,it represented ,japan as an eagle1 with beak and talons of burnished gold1 resting on a rocky island about which great waves dashed4 ,the bird had an air of dignity and conscious pride in its strength1 as it looked out at the world1 a globe revolving in space4 8,do you suppose there is anything significant in that80 ,i asked1 pointing to the continent of ,north ,america1 also in gold and prominently in view4 8,ah1 honorable sir10 answered ,sato1 before ,kennedy could reply1 8the artist intended by that to indicate ,japan's friendliness for ,america and ,america's greatness40 ,he was inscrutable4 ,it seemed as if he were watching our every move1 and yet it was done with a polite cordiality that could not give offense4 ,behind some bronzes of the ,japanese ,hercules destroying the demons and other mythical heroes was a large alcove1 or tokonoma1 decorated with peacock1 stork1 and crane panels4 ,carvings and lacquer added to the beauty of it4 ,a miniature chrysanthemum garden heightened the illusion4 ,carved hinoki wood framed the panels1 and the roof was supported by columns in the old ,japanese style1 the whole being a compromise between the very simple and quiet and the polychromatic4 ,the dark woods1 the lanterns1 the floor tiles of dark red1 and the cushions of rich gold and yellow were most alluring4 ,it had the genuine fascination of the ,orient4 8,will the gentlemen drink a little sake80 ,sato asked politely4 ,craig thanked him and said that we would4 8,otaka60 ,sato called4 ,a peculiar1 almost white-skinned attendant answered1 and a moment later produced four cups and poured out the rice brandy1 taking his own quietly1 apart from us4 ,i watched him drink1 curiously4 ,he took the cup2 then1 with a long piece of carved wood1 he dipped into the sake1 shaking a few drops on the floor to the four quarters4 ,finally1 with a deft sweep1 he lifted his heavy mustache with the piece of wood and drank off the draft almost without taking breath4 ,he was a peculiar man of middle height1 with a shock of dark1 tough1 woolly hair1 well formed and not bad-looking1 with a robust general physique1 as if his ancestors had been meat eaters4 ,his forehead was narrow and sloped backward2 the cheekbones were prominent2 nose hooked1 broad and wide1 with strong nostrils2 mouth large1 with thick lips1 and not very prominent chin4 ,his eyes were perhaps the most noticeable feature4 ,they were dark gray1 almost like those of a ,european4 ,as ,otaka withdrew with the empty cups1 we rose to continue our inspection of the wonders of the shop4 ,there were ivories of all descriptions4 ,here was a two-handled sword1 with a very large ivory handle1 a weirdly carved scabbard1 and wonderful steel blade4 ,by the expression of ,craig's face1 ,sato knew that he had made a sale4 ,craig had been rummaging among some warlike instruments which ,sato1 with the instincts of a true salesman1 was now displaying1 and had picked up a bow4 ,it was short1 very strong1 and made of pine wood4 ,he held it horizontally and twanged the string4 ,i looked up in time to catch a pleased expression on the face of ,otaka4 8,most people would have held it the other way10 commented ,sato4 ,craig said nothing1 but was examining an arrow1 almost twenty inches long and thick1 made of cane1 with a point of metal very sharp but badly fastened4 ,he fingered the deep blood groove in the scooplike head of the arrow and looked at it carefully4 8,i'll take that10 he said1 8only ,i wish it were one with the regular reddish-brown lump in it40 8,oh1 but1 honorable sir10 apologized ,sato1 8the ,japanese law prohibits that1 now4 ,there are few of those1 and they are very valuable40 8,i suppose so10 agreed ,craig4 8,this will do1 though4 ,you have a wonderful shop here1 ,sato4 ,some time1 when ,i feel richer1 ,i mean to come in again4 ,no1 thank you1 you need not send them2 ,i'll carry them40 ,we bowed ourselves out1 promising to come again when ,sato received a new consignment from the ,orient which he was expecting4 8,that other ,jap is a peculiar fellow10 ,i observed1 as we walked along uptown again4 8,he isn't a ,jap10 remarked ,craig4 8,he is an ,ainu1 one of the aborigines who have been driven northward into the island of ,yezo40 8,an ,ainu80 ,i repeated4 8,yes4 ,generally thought1 now1 to be a white race and nearer of kin to ,europeans than ,asiatics4 ,the ,japanese have pushed them northward and are now trying to civilize them4 ,they are a dirty1 hairy race1 but when they are brought under civilizing influences they adapt themselves to their environment and make very good servants4 ,still1 they are on about the lowest scale of humanity40 8,i thought ,otaka was very mild10 ,i commented4 8,they are a most inoffensive and peaceable people usually10 he answered1 8good-natured and amenable to authority4 ,but they become dangerous when driven to despair by cruel treatment4 ,the ,japanese government is very considerate of them--but not all ,japanese are40 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,the ,,arrow ,,poison ,far into the night ,craig was engaged in some very delicate and minute microscopic work in the laboratory4 ,we were about to leave when there was a gentle tap on the door4 ,kennedy opened it and admitted a young man1 the operative of the detective agency who had been shadowing ,bernardo4 ,his report was very brief1 but1 to me at least1 significant4 ,bernardo1 on his return to the museum1 had evidently read the letter1 which had agitated him very much1 for a few moments later he hurriedly left and went downtown to the ,prince ,henry ,hotel4 ,the operative had casually edged up to the desk and overheard whom he asked for4 ,it was ,seora ,herreria4 ,once again1 later in the evening1 he had asked for her1 but she was still out4 ,it was quite early the next morning1 when ,kennedy had resumed his careful microscopic work1 that the telephone bell rang1 and he answered it mechanically4 ,but a moment later a look of intense surprise crossed his face4 8,it was from ,doctor ,leslie10 he announced1 hanging up the receiver quickly4 8,he has a most peculiar case which he wants me to see--a woman40 ,kennedy called a cab1 and1 at a furious pace1 we dashed across the city and down to the ,metropolitan ,hospital1 where ,doctor ,leslie was waiting4 ,he met us eagerly and conducted us to a little room where1 lying motionless on a bed1 was a woman4 ,she was a striking-looking woman1 dark of hair and skin1 and in life she must have been sensuously attractive4 ,but now her face was drawn and contorted--with the same ghastly look that had been on the face of ,northrop4 8,she died in a cab10 explained ,doctor ,leslie1 8before they could get her to the hospital4 ,at first they suspected the cab driver4 ,but he seems to have proved his innocence4 ,he picked her up last night on ,fifth ,avenue1 reeling--thought she was intoxicated4 ,and1 in fact1 he seems to have been right4 ,our tests have shown a great deal of alcohol present1 but nothing like enough to have had such a serious effect40 8,she told nothing of herself80 asked ,kennedy4 8,no2 she was pretty far gone when the cabby answered her signal4 ,all he could get out of her was a word that sounded like #8,curio-curio4' ,he says she seemed to complain of something about her mouth and head4 ,her face was drawn and shrunken2 her hands were cold and clammy1 and then convulsions came on4 ,he called an ambulance1 but she was past saving when it arrived4 ,the numbness seemed to have extended over all her body2 swallowing was impossible2 there was entire loss of her voice as well as sight1 and death took place by syncope40 8,have you any clue to the cause of her death80 asked ,craig4 8,well1 it might have been some trouble with her heart1 ,i suppose10 remarked ,doctor ,leslie tentatively4 8,oh1 she looks strong that way4 ,no1 hardly anything organic40 8,well1 then ,i thought she looked like a ,mexican10 went on ,doctor ,leslie4 8,it might be some new tropical disease4 ,i confess ,i don't know4 ,the fact is10 he added1 lowering his voice1 8,i had my own theory about it until a few moments ago4 ,that was why ,i called you40 8,what do you mean80 asked ,craig1 evidently bent on testing his own theory by the other's ignorance4 ,doctor ,leslie made no answer immediately1 but raised the sheet which covered her body and disclosed1 in the fleshy part of the upper arm1 a curious little red swollen mark with a couple of drops of darkened blood4 8,i thought at first10 he added1 8that we had at last a genuine #8poisoned needle' case4 ,you see1 that looked like it4 ,but ,i have made all the tests for curare and strychnin without results40 ,at the mere suggestion1 a procession of hypodermic-needle and white-slavery stories flashed before me4 8,but10 objected ,kennedy1 8clearly this was not a case of kidnaping4 ,it is a case of murder4 ,have you tested for the ordinary poisons80 ,doctor ,leslie shook his head4 8,there was no poison10 he said1 8absolutely none that any of our tests could discover40 ,kennedy bent over and squeezed out a few drops of liquid from the wound on a microscope slide1 and covered them4 8,you have not identified her yet10 he added1 looking up4 8,i think you will find1 ,leslie1 that there is a ,seora ,herreria registered at the ,prince ,henry who is missing1 and that this woman will agree with the description of her4 ,anyhow1 ,i wish you would look it up and let me know40 ,half an hour later1 ,kennedy was preparing to continue his studies with the microscope when ,doctor ,bernardo entered4 ,he seemed most solicitous to know what progress was being made on the case1 and1 although ,kennedy did not tell much1 still he did not discourage conversation on the subject4 ,when we came in the night before1 ,craig had unwrapped and tossed down the ,japanese sword and the ,ainu bow and arrow on a table1 and it was not long before they attracted ,bernardo's attention4 8,i see you are a collector yourself10 he ventured1 picking them up4 8,yes10 answered ,craig1 offhand2 8,i picked them up yesterday at ,sato's4 ,you know the place80 8,oh1 yes1 ,i know ,sato10 answered the curator1 seemingly without the slightest hesitation4 8,he has been in ,mexico--is quite a student40 8,and the other man1 ,otaka80 8,other man--,otaka8 ,you mean his wife80 ,i saw ,kennedy check a motion of surprise and came to the rescue with the natural question3 8,his wife--with a beard and mustache80 ,it was ,bernardo's turn to be surprised4 ,he looked at me a moment1 then saw that ,i meant it1 and suddenly his face lighted up4 8,oh10 he exclaimed1 8that must have been on account of the immigration laws or something of the sort4 ,otaka is his wife4 ,the ,ainus are much sought after by the ,japanese as wives4 ,the women1 you know1 have a custom of tattooing mustaches on themselves4 ,it is hideous1 but they think it is beautiful40 8,i know10 ,i pursued1 watching ,kennedy's interest in our conversation1 8but this was not tattooed40 8,well1 then1 it must have been false10 insisted ,bernardo4 ,the curator chatted a few moments1 during which ,i expected ,kennedy to lead the conversation around to ,seora ,herreria4 ,but he did not1 evidently fearing to show his hand4 8,what did you make of it80 ,i asked1 when he had gone4 8,is he trying to hide something80 8,i think he has simplified the case10 remarked ,craig1 leaning back1 his hands behind his head1 gazing up at the ceiling4 8,hello1 here's ,leslie6 ,what did you find1 ,doctor80 ,the coroner had entered with a look of awe on his face1 as if ,kennedy had directed him by some sort of necromancy4 8,it was ,seora ,herreria60 he exclaimed4 8,she has been missing from the hotel ever since late yesterday afternoon4 ,what do you think of it80 8,i think10 replied ,kennedy1 speaking slowly and deliberately1 8that it is very much like the ,northrop case4 ,you haven't taken that up yet80 8,only superficially4 ,what do you make of it80 asked the coroner4 8,i had an idea that it might be aconitin poisoning10 he said4 ,leslie glanced at him keenly for a moment4 8,then you'll never prove anything in the laboratory10 he said4 8,there are more ways of catching a criminal1 ,leslie10 put in ,craig1 8than are set down in the medico-legal text-books4 ,i shall depend on you and ,jameson to gather together a rather cosmopolitan crowd here to-night40 ,he said it with a quiet confidence which ,i could not gainsay1 although ,i did not understand4 ,however1 mostly with the official aid of ,doctor ,leslie1 ,i followed out his instructions1 and it was indeed a strange party that assembled that night4 ,there were ,doctor ,bernardo2 ,sato1 the curio dealer2 ,otaka1 the ,ainu1 and ourselves4 ,mrs4 ,northrop1 of course1 could not come4 8,mexico10 began ,craig1 after he had said a few words explaining why he had brought us together1 8is full of historical treasure4 ,to all intents and purposes1 the government says1 #8,come and dig4' ,but when there are finds1 then the government swoops down on them for its own national museum4 ,the finder scarcely gets a chance to export them4 ,however1 now seemed to be the time to ,professor ,northrop to smuggle his finds out of the country4 8,but evidently it could not be done without exciting all kinds of rumors and suspicions4 ,stories seem to have spread far and fast about what he had discovered4 ,he realized the unsettled condition of the country--perhaps wanted to confirm his reading of a certain inscription by consultation with one scholar whom he thought he could trust4 ,at any rate1 he came home40 ,kennedy paused1 making use of the silence for emphasis4 8,you have all read of the wealth that ,cortez found in ,mexico4 ,where are the gold and silver of the conquistadores8 ,gone to the melting pot1 centuries ago4 ,but is there none left8 ,the ,indians believe so4 ,there are persons who would stop at nothing--even at murder of ,american professors1 murder of their own comrades1 to get at the secret40 ,he laid his hand almost lovingly on his powerful little microscope as he resumed on another line of evidence4 8,and while we are on the subject of murders1 two very similar deaths have occurred10 he went on4 8,it is of no use to try to gloss them over4 ,frankly1 ,i suspected that they might have been caused by aconite poisoning4 ,but1 in the case of such poisoning1 not only is the lethal dose very small but our chemical methods of detection are nil4 ,the dose of the active principle1 aconitin nitrate1 is about one six-hundredth of a grain4 ,there are no color tests1 no reactions1 as in the case of the other organic poisons40 ,i wondered what he was driving at4 ,was there1 indeed1 no test8 ,had the murderer used the safest of poisons--one that left no clue8 ,i looked covertly at ,sato's face4 ,it was impassive4 ,doctor ,bernardo was visibly uneasy as ,kennedy proceeded4 ,cool enough up to the time of the mention of the treasure1 ,i fancied1 now1 that he was growing more and more nervous4 ,craig laid down on the table the reed stick with the little darkened cylinder on the end4 8,that10 he said1 8is a little article which ,i picked up beneath ,northrop's window yesterday4 ,it is a piece of anno-noki1 or bushi40 ,i fancied ,i saw just a glint of satisfaction in ,otaka's eyes4 8,like many barbarians10 continued ,craig1 8the ,ainus from time immemorial have prepared virulent poisons with which they charged their weapons of the chase and warfare4 ,the formulas for the preparations1 as in the case of other arrow poisons of other tribes1 are known only to certain members1 and the secret is passed down from generation to generation as an heirloom1 as it were4 ,but in this case it is no longer a secret4 ,it has now been proved that the active principle of this poison is aconite40 8,if that is the case10 broke in ,doctor ,leslie1 8it is hopeless to connect anyone directly in that way with these murders4 ,there is no test for aconitin40 ,i thought ,sato's face was more composed and impassive than ever4 ,doctor ,bernardo1 however1 was plainly excited4 8,what--no test--none80 asked ,kennedy1 leaning forward eagerly4 ,then1 as if he could restrain the answer to his own question no longer1 he shot out3 8,how about the new starch test just discovered by ,professor ,reichert1 of the ,university of ,pennsylvania8 ,doubtless you never dreamed that starch may be a means of detecting the nature of a poison in obscure cases in criminology1 especially in cases where the quantity of poison necessary to cause death is so minute that no trace of it can be found in the blood4 8,the starch method is a new and extremely inviting subject to me4 ,the peculiarities of the starch of any plant are quite as distinctive of the plant as are those of the hemoglobin crystals in the blood of an animal4 ,i have analyzed the evidence of my microscope in this case thoroughly4 ,when the arrow poison is introduced subcutaneously--say1 by a person shooting a poisoned dart1 which he afterward removes in order to destroy the evidence--the lethal constituents are rapidly absorbed4 8,but the starch remains in the wound4 ,it can be recovered and studied microscopically and can be definitely recognized4 ,doctor ,reichert has published a study of twelve hundred such starches from all sorts of plants4 ,in this case1 it not only proves to be aconitin but the starch granules themselves can be recognized4 ,they came from this piece of arrow poison40 ,every eye was fixed on him now4 8,besides10 he rapped out1 8in the soft soil beneath the window of ,professor ,northrop's room1 ,i found footprints4 ,i have only to compare the impressions ,i took there and those of the people in this room1 to prove that1 while the real murderer stood guard below the window1 he sent some one more nimble up the rain pipe to shoot the poisoned dart at ,professor ,northrop1 and1 later1 to let down a rope by which he1 the instigator1 could gain the room1 remove the dart1 and obtain the key to the treasure he sought40 ,kennedy was looking straight at ,professor ,bernardo4 8,a friend of mine in ,mexico has written me about an inscription10 he burst out4 8,i received the letter only to-day4 ,as nearly as ,i can gather1 there was an impression that some of ,northrop's stuff would be valuable in proving the alleged kinship between ,mexico and ,japan1 perhaps to arouse hatred of the ,united ,states40 8,yes--that is all very well10 insisted ,kennedy4 8,but how about the treasure80 8,treasure80 repeated ,bernardo1 looking from one of us to another4 8,yes10 pursued ,craig relentlessly1 8the treasure4 ,you are an expert in reading the hieroglyphics4 ,by your own statement1 you and ,northrop had been going over the stuff he had sent up4 ,you know it40 ,bernardo gave a quick glance from ,kennedy to me4 ,evidently he saw that the secret was out4 8,yes10 he said huskily1 in a low tone1 8,northrop and ,i were to follow the directions after we had plotted them out and were to share it together on the next expedition1 which ,i could direct as a ,mexican without so much suspicion4 ,i should still have shared it with his widow if this unfortunate affair had not exposed the secret40 ,bernardo had risen earnestly4 8,kennedy10 he cried1 8before ,god1 if you will get back that stone and keep the secret from going further than this room1 ,i will prove what ,i have said by dividing the ,mixtec treasure with ,mrs4 ,northrop and making her one of the richest widows in the country60 8,that is what ,i wanted to be sure of10 nodded ,craig4 8,bernardo1 ,seora ,herreria1 of whom your friend wrote to you from ,mexico1 has been murdered in the same way that ,professor ,northrop was4 ,otaka was sent by her husband to murder ,northrop1 in order that they might obtain the so-called #8,pillar of ,death' and the key to the treasure4 ,then1 when the seora was no doubt under the influence of sake in the pretty little ,oriental bower at the curio shop1 a quick jab1 and ,otaka had removed one who shared the secret with them40 ,he had turned and faced the pair4 8,sato10 he added1 8you played on the patriotism of the seora until you wormed from her the treasure secret4 ,evidently rumors of it had spread from ,mexican ,indians to ,japanese visitors4 ,and then1 ,otaka1 all jealousy over one whom she1 no doubt1 justly considered a rival1 completed your work by sending her forth to die1 unknown1 on the street4 ,walter1 ring up ,first ,deputy ,o',connor4 ,the stone is hidden somewhere in the curio shop4 ,we can find it without ,sato's help4 ,the quicker such a criminal is lodged safely in jail1 the better for humanity40 ,sato was on his feet1 advancing cautiously toward ,craig4 ,i knew the dangers1 now1 of anno-noki1 as well as the wonders of jujutsu1 and1 with a leap1 ,i bounded past ,bernardo and between ,sato and ,kennedy4 ,how it happened1 ,i don't know1 but1 an instant later1 ,i was sprawling4 ,before ,i could recover myself1 before even ,craig had a chance to pull the hair-trigger of his automatic1 ,sato had seized the ,ainu arrow poison from the table1 had bitten the little cylinder in half1 and had crammed the other half into the mouth of ,otaka4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,the ,,radium ,,robber ,kennedy simply reached for the telephone and called an ambulance4 ,but it was purely perfunctory4 ,dr4 ,leslie himself was the only official who could handle ,sato's case now4 ,we had planned a little vacation for ourselves1 but the planning came to naught4 ,the next night we spent on a sleeper4 ,that in itself is work to me4 ,it all came about through a hurried message from ,murray ,denison1 president of the ,federal ,radium ,corporation4 ,nothing would do but that he should take both ,kennedy and myself with him post-haste to ,pittsburgh at the first news of what had immediately been called 8the great radium robbery40 ,of course the newspapers were full of it4 ,the very novelty of an ultra-modern cracksman going off with something worth upward of a couple of hundred thousand dollars--and all contained in a few platinum tubes which could be tucked away in a vest pocket--had something about it powerfully appealing to the imagination4 8,most ingenious1 but1 you see1 the trouble with that safe is that it was built to keep radium in--not cracksmen out10 remarked ,kennedy1 when ,denison had rushed us from the train to take a look at the little safe in the works of the ,corporation4 8,breaking into such a safe as this10 added ,kennedy1 after a cursory examination1 8is simple enough1 after all40 ,it was1 however1 a remarkably ingenious contrivance1 about three feet in height and of a weight of perhaps a ton and a half1 and all to house something weighing only a few grains4 8,but10 ,denison hastened to explain1 8we had to protect the radium not only against burglars1 but1 so to speak1 against itself4 ,radium emanations pass through steel and experiments have shown that the best metal to contain them is lead4 ,so1 the difficulty was solved by making a steel outer case enclosing an inside leaden shell three inches thick40 ,kennedy had been toying thoughtfully with the door4 8,then the door1 too1 had to be contrived so as to prevent any escape of the emanations through joints4 ,it is lathe turned and circular1 a #8dead fit4' ,by means of a special contrivance any slight looseness caused by wear and tear of closing can be adjusted4 ,and another feature4 ,that is the appliance for preventing the loss of emanation when the door is opened4 ,two valves have been inserted into the door and before it is opened tubes with mercury are passed through which collect and store the emanation40 8,all very nice for the radium10 remarked ,craig cheerfully4 8,but the fellow had only to use an electric drill and the gram or more of radium was his40 8,i know that--now10 ruefully persisted ,denison4 8,but the safe was designed for us specially4 ,the fellow got into it and got away1 as far as ,i can see1 without leaving a clue40 8,except one1 of course10 interrupted ,kennedy quickly4 ,denison looked at him a moment keenly1 then nodded and said1 8,yes--you are right4 ,you mean one which he must bear on himself80 8,exactly4 ,you can't carry a gram or more of radium bromide long with impunity4 ,the man to look for is one who in a few days will have somewhere on his body a radium burn which will take months to heal4 ,the very thing he stole is a veritable ,frankenstein's monster bent on the destruction of the thief himself60 ,kennedy had meanwhile picked up one of the ,corporation's circulars lying on a desk4 ,he ran his eye down the list of names4 8,so1 ,hartley ,haughton1 the broker1 is one of your stockholders10 mused ,kennedy4 8,not only one but the one10 replied ,denison with obvious pride4 ,haughton was a young man who had come recently into his fortune1 and1 while no one believed it to be large1 he had cut quite a figure in ,wall ,street4 8,you know1 ,i suppose10 added ,denison1 8that he is engaged to ,felicie ,woods1 the daughter of ,mrs4 ,courtney ,woods80 ,kennedy did not1 but said nothing4 8,a most delightful little girl10 continued ,denison thoughtfully4 8,i have known ,mrs4 ,woods for some time4 ,she wanted to invest1 but ,i told her frankly that this is1 after all1 a speculation4 ,we may not be able to swing so big a proposition1 but1 if not1 no one can say we have taken a dollar of money from widows and orphans40 8,i should like to see the works10 nodded ,kennedy approvingly4 8,by all means40 ,the plant was a row of long low buildings of brick on the outskirts of the city1 once devoted to the making of vanadium steel4 ,the ore1 as ,denison explained1 was brought to ,pittsburgh because he had found here already a factory which could readily be turned into a plant for the extraction of radium4 ,huge baths and vats and crucibles for the various acids and alkalis and other processes used in treating the ore stood at various points4 8,this must be like extracting gold from sea water10 remarked ,kennedy jocosely1 impressed by the size of the plant as compared to the product4 8,except that after we get through we have something infinitely more precious than gold10 replied ,denison1 8something which warrants the trouble and outlay4 ,yes1 the fact is that the percentage of radium in all such ores is even less than of gold in sea water40 8,everything seems to be most carefully guarded10 remarked ,kennedy as we concluded our tour of the well-appointed works4 ,he had gone over everything in silence1 and now at last we had returned to the safe4 8,yes10 he repeated slowly1 as if confirming his original impression1 8such an amount of radium as was stolen wouldn't occasion immediate discomfort to the thief1 ,i suppose1 but later no infernal machine could be more dangerous to him40 ,i pictured to myself the series of fearful works of mischief and terror that might follow1 a curse on the thief worse than that of the weirdest curses of the ,orient1 the danger to the innocent1 and the fact that in the hands of a criminal it was an instrument for committing crimes that might defy detection4 8,there is nothing more to do here now10 he concluded4 8,i can see nothing for the present except to go back to ,new ,york4 ,the telltale burn may not be the only clue1 but if the thief is going to profit by his spoils we shall hear about it best in ,new ,york or by cable from ,london1 ,paris1 or some other ,european city40 ,our hurried departure from ,new ,york had not given us a chance to visit the offices of the ,radium ,corporation for the distribution of the salts themselves4 ,they were in a little old office building on ,william ,street1 near the drug district and yet scarcely a moment's walk from the financial district4 8,our head bookkeeper1 ,miss ,wallace1 is ill10 remarked ,denison when we arrived at the office1 8but if there is anything ,i can do to help you1 ,i shall be glad to do it4 ,we depend on ,miss ,wallace a great deal4 ,haughton says she is the brains of the office40 ,kennedy looked about the well-appointed suite curiously4 8,is this another of those radium safes80 he asked1 approaching one similar in appearance to that which had been broken open already4 8,yes1 only a little larger40 8,how much is in it80 8,most of our supply4 ,i should say about two and a half grams4 ,miss ,wallace has the record40 8,it is of the same construction1 ,i presume10 pursued ,kennedy4 8,i wonder whether the lead lining fits closely to the steel80 8,i think not10 considered ,denison4 8,as ,i remember there was a sort of insulating air cushion or something of the sort40 ,denison was quite eager to show us about4 ,in fact ever since he had hustled us out to view the scene of the robbery1 his high nervous tension had given us scarcely a moment's rest4 ,for hours he had talked radium1 until ,i felt that he1 like his metal1 must have an inexhaustible emanation of words4 ,he was one of those nervous1 active little men1 a born salesman1 whether of ribbons or radium4 8,we have just gone into furnishing radium water10 he went on1 bustling about and patting a little glass tank4 ,i looked closely and could see that the water glowed in the dark with a peculiar phosphorescence4 8,the apparatus for the treatment10 he continued1 8consists of two glass and porcelain receptacles4 ,inside the larger receptacle is placed the smaller1 which contains a tiny quantity of radium4 ,into the larger receptacle is poured about a gallon of filtered water4 ,the emanation from that little speck of radium is powerful enough to penetrate its porcelain holder and charge the water with its curative properties4 ,from a tap at the bottom of the tank the patient draws the number of glasses of water a day prescribed4 ,for such purposes the emanation within a day or two of being collected is as good as radium itself4 ,why1 this water is five thousand times as radioactive as the most radioactive natural spring water40 8,you must have control of a comparatively large amount of the metal10 suggested ,kennedy4 8,we are1 ,i believe1 the largest holders of radium in the world10 he answered4 8,i have estimated that all told there are not much more than ten grams1 of which ,madame ,curie has perhaps three1 while ,sir ,ernest ,cassel of ,london is the holder of perhaps as much4 ,we have nearly four grams1 leaving about six or seven for the rest of the world40 ,kennedy nodded and continued to look about4 8,the ,radium ,corporation10 went on ,denison1 8has several large deposits of radioactive ore in ,utah in what is known as the ,poor ,little ,rich ,valley1 a valley so named because from being about the barrenest and most unproductive mineral or agricultural hole in the hills1 the sudden discovery of the radioactive deposits has made it almost priceless40 ,he had entered a private office and was looking over some mail that had been left on his desk during his absence4 8,look at this10 he called1 picking up a clipping from a newspaper which had been laid there for his attention4 8,you see1 we have them aroused40 ,we read the clipping together hastily3 ,,plan ,,to ,,corner ,,world',s ,,radium ,,london4--,plans are being matured to form a large corporation for the monopoly of the existing and future supply of radium throughout the world4 ,the company is to be called ,universal ,radium1 ,limited1 and the capital of ten million dollars will be offered for public subscription at par simultaneously in ,london1 ,paris and ,new ,york4 ,the company's business will be to acquire mines and deposits of radioactive substances as well as the control of patents and processes connected with the production of radium4 ,the outspoken purpose of the new company is to obtain a world-wide monopoly and maintain the price4 8,ah--a competitor10 commented ,kennedy1 handing back the clipping4 8,yes4 ,you know radium salts used always to come from ,europe4 ,now we are getting ready to do some exporting ourselves4 ,say10 he added excitedly1 8there's an idea1 possibly1 in that40 8,how80 queried ,craig4 8,why1 since we should be the principal competitors to the foreign mines1 couldn't this robbery have been due to the machinations of these schemers8 ,to my mind1 the ,united ,states1 because of its supply of radium-bearing ores1 will have to be reckoned with first in cornering the market4 ,this is the point1 ,kennedy4 ,would those people who seem to be trying to extend their new company all over the world stop at anything in order to cripple us at the start80 ,how much longer ,denison would have rattled on in his effort to explain the robbery1 ,i do not know4 ,the telephone rang and a reporter from the ,record1 who had just read my own story in the ,star1 asked for an interview4 ,i knew that it would be only a question of minutes now before the other men were wearing a path out on the stairs1 and we managed to get away before the onrush began4 8,walter10 said ,kennedy1 as soon as we had reached the street4 8,i want to get in touch with ,halsey ,haughton4 ,how can it be done80 ,i could think of nothing better at that moment than to inquire at the ,star's ,wall ,street office1 which happened to be around the corner4 ,i knew the men down there intimately1 and a few minutes later we were whisked up in the elevator to the office4 ,they were as glad to see me as ,i was to see them1 for the story of the robbery had interested the financial district perhaps more than any other4 8,where can ,i find ,halsey ,haughton at this hour80 ,i asked4 8,say10 exclaimed one of the men1 8what's the matter8 ,there have been all kinds of rumors in the ,street about him to-day4 ,did you know he was ill80 8,no10 ,i answered4 8,where is he80 8,out at the home of his fiancee1 who is the daughter of ,mrs4 ,courtney ,woods1 at ,glenclair40 8,what's the matter80 ,i persisted4 8,that's just it4 ,no one seems to know4 ,they say--well--they say he has a cancer40 ,halsey ,haughton suffering from cancer8 ,it was such an uncommon thing to hear of a young man that ,i looked up quickly in surprise4 ,then all at once it flashed over me that ,denison and ,kennedy had discussed the matter of burns from the stolen radium4 ,might not this be1 instead of cancer1 a radium burn8 ,kennedy1 who had been standing a little apart from me while ,i was talking with the boys1 signaled to me with a quick glance not to say too much1 and a few minutes later we were on the street again4 ,i knew without being told that he was bound by the next train to the pretty little ,new ,jersey suburb of ,glenclair4 ,it was late when we arrived1 yet ,kennedy had no hesitation in calling at the quaint home of ,mrs4 ,courtney ,woods on ,woodridge ,avenue4 ,mrs4 ,woods1 a well-set-up woman of middle age1 who had retained her youth and good looks in a remarkable manner1 met us in the foyer4 ,briefly1 ,kennedy explained that we had just come in from ,pittsburgh with ,mr4 ,denison and that it was very important that we should see ,haughton at once4 ,we had hardly told her the object of our visit when a young woman of perhaps twenty-two or three1 a very pretty girl1 with all the good looks of her mother and a freshness which only youth can possess1 tiptoed quietly downstairs4 ,her face told plainly that she was deeply worried over the illness of her fiance4 8,who is it1 mother80 she whispered from the turn in the stairs4 8,some gentlemen from the company8 ,hartley's door was open when the bell rang1 and he thought he heard something said about the ,pittsburgh affair40 ,though she had whispered1 it had not been for the purpose of concealing anything from us1 but rather that the keen ears of her patient might not catch the words4 ,she cast an inquiring glance at us4 8,yes10 responded ,kennedy in answer to her look1 modulating his tone4 8,we have just left ,mr4 ,denison at the office4 ,might we see ,mr4 ,haughton for a moment8 ,i am sure that nothing we can say or do will be as bad for him as our going away1 now that he knows that we are here40 ,the two women appeared to consult for a moment4 8,felicie10 called a rather nervous voice from the second floor1 8is it some one from the company80 8,just a moment1 ,hartley10 she answered1 then1 lower to her mother1 added1 8,i don't think it can do any harm1 do you1 mother80 8,you remember the doctor's orders1 my dear40 ,again the voice called her4 8,hang the doctor's orders10 the girl exclaimed1 with an air of almost masculinity4 8,it can't be half so bad as to have him worry4 ,will you promise not to stay long8 ,we expect ,dr4 ,bryant in a few moments1 anyway40 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,the ,,spinthariscope ,we followed her upstairs and into ,haughton's room1 where he was lying in bed1 propped up by pillows4 ,haughton certainly was ill4 ,there was no mistake about that4 ,he was a tall1 gaunt man with an air about him that showed that he found illness very irksome4 ,around his neck was a bandage1 and some adhesive tape at the back showed that a plaster of some sort had been placed there4 ,as we entered his eyes traveled restlessly from the face of the girl to our own in an inquiring manner4 ,he stretched out a nervous hand to us1 while ,kennedy in a few short sentences explained how we had become associated with the case and what we had seen already4 8,and there is not a clue80 he repeated as ,craig finished4 8,nothing tangible yet10 reiterated ,kennedy4 8,i suppose you have heard of this rumor from ,london of a trust that is going into the radium field internationally80 8,yes10 he answered1 8that is the thing you read to me in the morning papers1 you remember1 ,felicie4 ,denison and ,i have heard such rumors before4 ,if it is a fight1 then we shall give them a fight4 ,they can't hold us up1 if ,denison is right in thinking that they are at the bottom of this--this robbery40 8,then you think he may be right80 shot out ,kennedy quickly4 ,haughton glanced nervously from ,kennedy to me4 8,really10 he answered1 8you see how impossible it is for me to have an opinion8 ,you and ,denison have been over the ground4 ,you know much more about it than ,i do4 ,i am afraid ,i shall have to defer to you40 ,again we heard the bell downstairs1 and a moment later a cheery voice1 as ,mrs4 ,woods met some one down in the foyer1 asked1 8,how is the patient to-night80 ,we could not catch the reply4 8,dr4 ,bryant1 my physician10 put in ,haughton4 8,don't go4 ,i will assume the responsibility for your being here4 ,hello1 ,doctor4 ,why1 ,i'm much the same to-night1 thank you4 ,at least no worse since ,i took your advice and went to bed40 ,dr4 ,bryant was a bluff1 hearty man1 with the personal magnetism which goes with the making of a successful physician4 ,he had mounted the stairs quietly but rapidly1 evidently prepared to see us4 8,would you mind waiting in this little dressing room80 asked the doctor1 motioning to another1 smaller room adjoining4 ,he had taken from his pocket a little instrument with a dial face like a watch1 which he attached to ,haughton's wrist4 8,a pocket instrument to measure blood pressure10 whispered ,craig1 as we entered the little room4 ,while the others were gathered about ,haughton1 we stood in the next room1 out of earshot4 ,kennedy had leaned his elbow on a chiffonier4 ,as he looked about the little room1 more from force of habit than because he thought he might discover anything1 ,kennedy's eye rested on a glass tray on the top in which lay some pins1 a collar button or two1 which ,haughton had apparently just taken off1 and several other little unimportant articles4 ,kennedy bent over to look at the glass tray more closely1 a puzzled look crossed his face1 and with a glance at the other room he gathered up the tray and its contents4 8,keep up a good courage10 said ,dr4 ,bryant4 8,you'll come out all right1 ,haughton40 ,then as he left the bedroom he added to us1 8,gentlemen1 ,i hope you will pardon me1 but if you could postpone the remainder of your visit until a later day1 ,i am sure you will find it more satisfactory40 ,there was an air of finality about the doctor1 though nothing unpleasant in it4 ,we followed him down the stairs1 and as we did so1 ,felicie1 who had been waiting in a reception room1 appeared before the portieres1 her earnest eyes fixed on his kindly face4 8,dr4 ,bryant10 she appealed1 8is he--is he1 really--so badly80 ,the ,doctor1 who had apparently known her all her life1 reached down and took one of her hands1 patting it with his own in a fatherly way4 8,don't worry1 little girl10 he encouraged4 8,we are going to come out all right--all right40 ,she turned from him to us and1 with a bright forced smile which showed the stuff she was made of1 bade us good night4 ,outside1 the ,doctor1 apparently regretting that he had virtually forced us out1 paused before his car4 8,are you going down toward the station8 ,yes8 ,i am going that far4 ,i should be glad to drive you there40 ,kennedy climbed into the front seat1 leaving me in the rear where the wind wafted me their brief conversation as we sped down ,woodbridge ,avenue4 8,what seems to be the trouble80 asked ,craig4 8,very high blood pressure1 for one thing10 replied the ,doctor frankly4 8,for which the latest thing is the radium water cure1 ,i suppose80 ventured ,kennedy4 8,well1 radioactive water is one cure for hardening of the arteries4 ,but ,i didn't say he had hardening of the arteries4 ,still1 he is taking the water1 with good results4 ,you are from the company80 ,kennedy nodded4 8,it was the radium water that first interested him in it4 ,why1 we found a pressure of #bcj pounds1 which is frightful1 and we have brought it down to #aej1 not far from normal40 8,still that could have nothing to do with the sore on his neck10 hazarded ,kennedy4 ,the ,doctor looked at him quickly1 then ahead at the path of light which his motor shed on the road4 ,he said nothing1 but ,i fancied that even he felt there was something strange in his silence over the new complication4 ,he did not give ,kennedy a chance to ask whether there were any other such sores4 8,at any rate10 he said1 as he throttled down his engine with a flourish before the pretty little ,glenclair station1 8that girl needn't worry40 ,there was evidently no use in trying to extract anything further from him4 ,he had said all that medical ethics or detective skill could get from him4 ,we thanked him and turned to the ticket window to see how long we should have to wait4 8,either that doctor doesn't know what he is talking about or he is concealing something10 remarked ,craig1 as we paced up and down the platform4 8,i am inclined to read the enigma in the latter way40 ,nothing more passed between us during the journey back1 and we hurried directly to the laboratory1 late as it was4 ,kennedy had evidently been revolving something over and over in his mind1 for the moment he had switched on the light1 he unlocked one of his air-and dust-proof cabinets and took from it an instrument which he placed on a table before him4 ,it was a peculiar-looking instrument1 like a round glass electric battery with a cylinder atop1 smaller and sticking up like a safety valve4 ,on that were an arm1 a dial1 and a lens fixed in such a way as to read the dial4 ,i could not see what else the rather complicated little apparatus consisted of1 but inside1 when ,kennedy brought near it the pole of a static electric machine two delicate thin leaves of gold seemed to fly wide apart when it was charged4 ,kennedy had brought the glass tray near the thing4 ,instantly the leaves collapsed and he made a reading through the lens4 8,what is it80 ,i asked4 8,a radioscope10 he replied1 still observing the scale4 8,really a very sensitive gold leaf electroscope1 devised by one of the students of ,madame ,curie4 ,this method of detection is far more sensitive even than the spectroscope40 8,what does it mean when the leaves collapse80 ,i asked4 8,radium has been near that tray10 he answered4 8,it is radioactive4 ,i suspected it first when ,i saw that violet color4 ,that is what radium does to that kind of glass4 ,you see1 if radium exists in a gram of inactive matter only to the extent of one in ten-thousand million parts its presence can be readily detected by this radioscope1 and everything that has been rendered radioactive is the same4 ,ordinarily the air between the gold leaves is insulating4 ,bringing something radioactive near them renders the air a good conductor and the leaves fall under the radiation40 8,wonderful60 ,i exclaimed1 marveling at the delicacy of it4 8,take radium water10 he went on1 8sufficiently impregnated with radium emanations to be luminous in the dark1 like that water of ,denison's4 ,it would do the same4 ,in fact all mineral waters and the so-called curarive muds like fango are slightly radioactive4 ,there seems to be a little radium everywhere on earth that experiments have been made1 even in the interiors of buildings4 ,it is ubiquitous4 ,we are surrounded and permeated by radiations--that soil out there on the campus1 the air of this room1 all4 ,but10 he added contemplatively1 8there is something different about that tray4 ,a lot of radium has been near that1 and recently40 8,how about that bandage about ,haughton's neck80 ,i asked suddenly4 8,do you think radium could have had anything to do with that80 8,well1 as to burns1 there is no particular immediate effect usually1 and sometimes even up to two weeks or more1 unless the exposure has been long and to a considerable quantity4 ,of course radium keeps itself three or four degrees warmer than other things about it constantly4 ,but that isn't what does the harm4 ,it is continually emitting little corpuscles1 which ,i'll explain some other time1 traveling all the way from twenty to one hundred and thirty thousand miles a second1 and these corpuscles blister and corrode the flesh like quick-moving missiles bombarding it4 ,the gravity of such lesions increases with the purity of the radium4 ,for instance ,i have known an exposure of half an hour to a comparatively small quantity through a tube1 a box and the clothes to produce a blister fifteen days later4 ,curie said he wouldn't trust himself in a room with a kilogram of it4 ,it would destroy his eyesight1 burn off his skin and kill him eventually4 ,why1 even after a slight exposure your clothes are radioactive--the electroscope will show that40 ,he was still fumbling with the glass plate and the various articles on it4 8,there's something very peculiar about all this10 he muttered1 almost to himself4 ,tired by the quick succession of events of the past two days1 ,i left ,kennedy still experimenting in his laboratory and retired1 still wondering when the real clue was to develop4 ,who could it have been who bore the tell-tale burn8 ,was the mark hidden by the bandage about ,haughton's neck the brand of the stolen tubes8 ,or were there other marks on his body which we could not see8 ,no answer came to me1 and ,i fell asleep and woke up without a radiation of light on the subject4 ,kennedy spent the greater part of the day still at work at his laboratory1 performing some very delicate experiments4 ,finding nothing to do there1 ,i went down to the ,star office and spent my time reading the reports that came in from the small army of reporters who had been assigned to run down clues in the case which was the sensation of the moment4 ,i have always felt my own lips sealed in such cases1 until the time came that the story was complete and ,kennedy released me from any further need of silence4 ,the weird and impossible stories which came in not only to the ,star but to the other papers surely did make passable copy in this instance1 but with my knowledge of the case ,i could see that not one of them brought us a step nearer the truth4 ,one thing which uniformly puzzled the newspapers was the illness of ,haughton and his enforced idleness at a time which was of so much importance to the company which he had promoted and indeed very largely financed4 ,then1 of course1 there was the romantic side of his engagement to ,felicie ,woods4 ,just what connection ,felicie ,woods had with the radium robbery if any1 ,i was myself unable quite to fathom4 ,still1 that made no difference to the papers4 ,she was pretty and therefore they published her picture1 three columns deep1 with ,haughton and ,denison1 who were intimately concerned with the real loss in little ovals perhaps an inch across and two inches in the opposite dimension4 ,the late afternoon news editions had gone to press1 and ,i had given up in despair1 determined to go up to the laboratory and sit around idly watching ,kennedy with his mystifying experiments1 in preference to waiting for him to summon me4 ,i had scarcely arrived and settled myself to an impatient watch1 when an automobile drove up furiously1 and ,denison himself1 very excited1 jumped out and dashed into the laboratory4 ,illustration ,denison himself1 very excited1 jumped out and dashed into the laboratory4 8,what's the matter80 asked ,kennedy1 looking up from a test tube which he had been examining1 with an air for all the world expressive of 8,why so hot1 little man80 8,i've had a threat10 ejaculated ,denison4 ,he laid on one of the laboratory tables a letter1 without heading and without signature1 written in a disguised hand1 with an evident attempt to simulate the cramped script of a foreign penmanship4 8,i know who did the ,pittsburgh job4 ,the same party is out to ruin ,federal ,radium4 ,remember ,pittsburgh and be prepared6 8,a ,,stockholder40 8,well80 demanded ,kennedy1 looking up4 8,that can have only one meaning10 asserted ,denison4 8,what is that80 inquired ,kennedy coolly1 as if to confirm his own interpretation4 8,why1 another robbery--here in ,new ,york1 of course40 8,but who would do it80 ,i asked4 8,who80 repeated ,denison4 8,some one representing that ,european combine1 of course4 ,that is only part of the ,trust method--ruin of competitors whom they cannot absorb40 8,then you have refused to go into the combine8 ,you know who is backing it80 8,no--no10 admitted ,denison reluctantly4 8,we have only signified our intent to go it alone1 as often as anyone either with or without authority has offered to buy us out4 ,no1 ,i do not even know who the people are4 ,they never act in the open4 ,the only hints ,i have ever received were through perfectly reputable brokers acting for others40 8,does ,haughton know of this note80 asked ,kennedy4 8,yes4 ,as soon as ,i received it1 ,i called him up40 8,what did he say80 8,he said to disregard it4 ,but--you know what condition he is in4 ,i don't know what to do1 whether to surround the office by a squad of detectives or remove the radium to a regular safety deposit vault1 even at the loss of the emanation4 ,haughton has left it to me40 ,suddenly the thought flashed across my mind that perhaps ,haughton could act in this uninterested fashion because he had no fear of ruin either way4 ,might he not be playing a game with the combination in which he had protected himself so that he would win1 no matter what happened8 8,what shall ,i do80 asked ,denison4 8,it is getting late40 8,neither10 decided ,kennedy4 ,denison shook his head4 8,no10 he said1 8,i shall have some one watch there1 anyhow40 ,,chapter ,,xv ,,the ,,asphyxiating ,,safe ,denison had scarcely gone to arrange for some one to watch the office that night1 when ,kennedy1 having gathered up his radioscope and packed into a parcel a few other things from various cabinets1 announced3 8,walter1 ,i must see that ,miss ,wallace1 right away4 ,denison has already given me her address4 ,call a cab while ,i finish clearing up here4 ,i don't like the looks of this thing1 even if ,haughton does neglect it40 ,we found ,miss ,wallace at a modest boarding-house in an old but still respectable part of the city4 ,she was a very pretty girl1 of the slender type1 rather a business woman than one given much to amusement4 ,she had been ill and was still ill4 ,that was evident from the solicitous way in which the motherly landlady scrutinized two strange callers4 ,kennedy presented a card from ,denison1 and she came down to the parlor to see us4 8,miss ,wallace10 began ,kennedy1 8,i know it is almost cruel to trouble you when you are not feeling like office work1 but since the robbery of the safe at ,pittsburgh1 there have been threats of a robbery of the ,new ,york office40 ,she started involuntarily1 and it was evident1 ,i thought1 that she was in a very high-strung state4 8,oh10 she cried1 8why1 the loss means ruin to ,mr4 ,denison60 ,there were genuine tears in her eyes as she said it4 8,i thought you would be willing to aid us10 pursued ,kennedy sympathetically4 8,now1 for one thing1 ,i want to be perfectly sure just how much radium the ,corporation owns1 or rather owned before the first robbery40 8,the books will show it10 she said simply4 8,they will80 commented ,kennedy4 8,then if you will explain to me briefly just the system you used in keeping account of it1 perhaps ,i need not trouble you any more40 8,i'll go down there with you10 she answered bravely4 8,i'm better to-day1 anyhow1 ,i think40 ,she had risen1 but it was evident that she was not as strong as she wanted us to think4 8,the least ,i can do is to make it as easy as possible by going in a car10 remarked ,kennedy1 following her into the hall where there was a telephone4 ,the hallway was perfectly dark1 yet as she preceded us ,i could see that the diamond pin which held her collar in the back sparkled as if a lighted candle had been brought near it4 ,i had noticed in the parlor that she wore a handsome tortoiseshell comb set with what ,i thought were other brilliants1 but when ,i looked ,i saw now that there was not the same sparkle to the comb which held her dark hair in a soft mass4 ,i noticed these little things at the time1 not because ,i thought they had any importance1 but merely by chance1 wondering at the sparkle of the one diamond which had caught my eye4 8,what do you make of her80 ,i asked as ,kennedy finished telephoning4 8,a very charming and capable girl10 he answered noncommittally4 8,did you notice how that diamond in her neck sparkled80 ,i asked quickly4 ,he nodded4 ,evidently it had attracted his attention1 too4 8,what makes it80 ,i pursued4 8,well1 you know radium rays will make a diamond fluoresce in the dark40 8,yes10 ,i objected1 8but how about those in the comb80 8,paste1 probably10 he answered tersely1 as we heard her foot on the landing4 8,the rays won't affect paste40 ,it was indeed a shame to take advantage of ,miss ,wallace's loyalty to ,denison1 but she was so game about it that ,i knew only the utmost necessity on ,kennedy's part would have prompted him to do it4 ,she had a key to the office so that it was not necessary to wait for ,denison1 if indeed we could have found him4 ,together she and ,kennedy went over the records4 ,it seemed that there were in the safe twenty-five platinum tubes of one hundred milligrams each1 and that there had been twelve of the same amount at ,pittsburgh4 ,little as it seemed in weight it represented a fabulous fortune4 8,you have not the combination80 inquired ,kennedy4 8,no4 ,only ,mr4 ,denison has that4 ,what are you going to do to protect the safe to-night80 she asked4 8,nothing especially10 evaded ,kennedy4 8,nothing80 she repeated in amazement4 8,i have another plan10 he said1 watching her intently4 8,miss ,wallace1 it was too much to ask you to come down here4 ,you are ill40 ,she was indeed quite pale1 as if the excitement had been an overexertion4 8,no1 indeed10 she persisted4 ,then1 feeling her own weakness1 she moved toward the door of ,denison's office where there was a leather couch4 8,let me rest here a moment4 ,i do feel queer4 ,i--0 ,she would have fallen if he had not sprung forward and caught her as she sank to the floor1 overcome by the exertion4 ,together we carried her in to the couch1 and as we did so the comb from her hair clattered to the floor4 ,craig threw open the window1 and bathed her face with water until there was a faint flutter of the eyelids4 8,walter10 he said1 as she began to revive1 8,i leave her to you4 ,keep her quiet for a few moments4 ,she has unintentionally given me just the opportunity ,i want40 ,while she was yet hovering between consciousness and unconsciousness on the couch1 he had unwrapped the package which he had brought with him4 ,for a moment he held the comb which she had dropped near the radioscope4 ,with a low exclamation of surprise he shoved it into his pocket4 ,then from the package he drew a heavy piece of apparatus which looked as if it might be the motor part of an electric fan1 only in place of the fan he fitted a long1 slim1 vicious-looking steel bit4 ,a flexible wire attached the thing to the electric light circuit and ,i knew that it was an electric drill4 ,with his coat off he tugged at the little radium safe until he had moved it out1 then dropped on his knees behind it and switched the current on in the electric drill4 ,it was a tedious process to drill through the steel of the outer casing of the safe and it was getting late4 ,i shut the door to the office so that ,miss ,wallace could not see4 ,at last by the cessation of the low hum of the boring1 ,i knew that he had struck the inner lead lining4 ,quietly ,i opened the door and stepped out4 ,he was injecting something from an hermetically sealed lead tube into the opening he had made and allowing it to run between the two linings of lead and steel4 ,then using the tube itself he sealed the opening he had made and dabbed a little black over it4 ,quickly he shoved the safe back1 then around it concealed several small coils with wires also concealed and leading out through a window to a court4 8,we'll catch the fellow this time10 he remarked as he worked4 8,if you ever have any idea1 ,walter1 of going into the burglary business1 it would be well to ascertain if the safes have any of these little selenium cells as suggested by my friend1 ,mr4 ,hammer1 the inventor4 ,for by them an alarm can be given miles away the moment an intruder's bull's-eye falls on a hidden cell sensitive to light40 ,while ,i was delegated to take ,miss ,wallace home1 ,kennedy made arrangements with a small shopkeeper on the ground floor of a building that backed up on the court for the use of his back room that night1 and had already set up a bell actuated by a system of relays which the weak current from the selenium cells could operate4 ,it was not until nearly midnight that he was ready to leave the laboratory again1 where he had been busily engaged in studying the tortoiseshell comb which ,miss ,wallace in her weakness had forgotten4 ,the little shopkeeper let us in sleepily and ,kennedy deposited a large round package on a chair in the back of the shop1 as well as a long piece of rubber tubing4 ,nothing had happened so far4 ,as we waited the shopkeeper1 now wide awake and not at all unconvinced that we were bent on some criminal operation1 hung around4 ,kennedy did not seem to care4 ,he drew from his pocket a little shiny brass instrument in a lead case1 which looked like an abbreviated microscope4 8,look through it10 he said1 handing it to me4 ,i looked and could see thousands of minute sparks4 8,what is it80 ,i asked4 8,a spinthariscope4 ,in that it is possible to watch the bombardment of the countless little corpuscles thrown off by radium1 as they strike on the zinc blende crystal which forms the base4 ,when radium was originally discovered1 the interest was merely in its curious properties1 its power to emit invisible rays which penetrated solid substances and rendered things fluorescent1 of expending energy without apparent loss4 8,then came the discovery10 he went on1 8of its curative powers4 ,but the first results were not convincing4 ,still1 now that we know the reasons why radium may be dangerous and how to protect ourselves against them we know we possess one of the most wonderful of curative agencies40 ,i was thinking rather of the dangers than of the beneficence of radium just now1 but ,kennedy continued4 8,it has cured many malignant growths that seemed hopeless1 brought back destroyed cells1 exercised good effects in diseases of the liver and intestines and even the baffling diseases of the arteries4 ,the reason why harm1 at first1 as well as good came1 is now understood4 ,radium emits1 as ,i told you before1 three kinds of rays1 the alpha1 beta1 and gamma rays1 each with different properties4 ,the emanation is another matter4 ,it does not concern us in this case1 as you will see40 ,fascinated as ,i was by the mystery of the case1 ,i began to see that he was gradually arriving at an explanation which had baffled everyone else4 8,now1 the alpha rays are the shortest10 he launched forth1 8in length let us say one inch4 ,they exert a very destructive effect on healthy tissue4 ,that is the cause of injury4 ,they are stopped by glass1 aluminum and other metals1 and are really particles charged with positive electricity4 ,the beta rays come next1 say1 about an inch and a half4 ,they stimulate cell growth4 ,therefore they are dangerous in cancer1 though good in other ways4 ,they can be stopped by lead1 and are really particles charged with negative electricity4 ,the gamma rays are the longest1 perhaps three inches long1 and it is these rays which effect cures1 for they check the abnormal and stimulate the normal cells4 ,they penetrate lead4 ,lead seems to filter them out from the other rays4 ,and at three inches the other rays don't reach1 anyhow4 ,the gamma rays are not charged with electricity at all1 apparently40 ,he had brought a little magnet near the spinthariscope4 ,i looked into it4 8,a magnet10 he explained1 8shows the difference between the alpha1 beta1 and gamma rays4 ,you see those weak and wobbly rays that seem to fall to one side8 ,those are the alpha rays4 ,they have a strong action1 though1 on tissues and cells4 ,those falling in the other direction are the beta rays4 ,the gamma rays seem to flow straight40 8,then it is the alpha rays with which we are concerned mostly now80 ,i queried1 looking up4 8,exactly4 ,that is why1 when radium is unprotected or insufficiently protected and comes too near1 it is destructive of healthy cells1 produces burns1 sores1 which are most difficult to heal4 ,it is with the explanation of such sores that we must deal40 ,it was growing late4 ,we had waited patiently now for some time4 ,kennedy had evidently reserved this explanation1 knowing we should have to wait4 ,still nothing happened4 ,added to the mystery of the violet-colored glass plate was now that of the luminescent diamond4 ,i was about to ask ,kennedy point-blank what he thought of them1 when suddenly the little bell before us began to buzz feebly under the influence of a current4 ,i gave a start4 ,the faithful little selenium cell burglar alarm had done the trick4 ,i knew that selenium was a good conductor of electricity in the light1 poor in the dark4 ,some one had1 therefore1 flashed a light on one of the cells in the ,corporation office4 ,it was the moment for which ,kennedy had prepared4 ,seizing the round package and the tubing1 he dashed out on the street and around the corner4 ,he tried the door opening into the ,radium ,corporation hallway4 ,it was closed1 but unlocked4 ,as it yielded and we stumbled in1 up the old worn wooden stairs of the building1 ,i knew that there must be some one there4 ,a terrific1 penetrating1 almost stunning odor seemed to permeate the air even in the hall4 ,kennedy paused at the door of the office1 tried it1 found it unlocked1 but did not open it4 8,that smell is ethyldichloracetate10 he explained4 8,that was what ,i injected into the air cushion of that safe between the two linings4 ,i suppose my man here used an electric drill4 ,he might have used thermit or an oxyacetylene blowpipe for all ,i would care4 ,these fumes would discourage a cracksman from #8soup' to nuts10 he laughed1 thoroughly pleased at the protection modern science had enabled him to devise4 ,as we stood an instant by the door1 ,i realized what had happened4 ,we had captured our man4 ,he was asphyxiated6 ,yet how were we to get to him8 ,would ,craig leave him in there1 perhaps to die8 ,to go in ourselves meant to share his fate1 whatever might be the effect of the drug4 ,kennedy had torn the wrapping off the package4 ,from it he drew a huge globe with bulging windows of glass in the front and several curious arrangements on it at other points4 ,to it he fitted the rubber tubing and a little pump4 ,then he placed the globe over his head1 like a diver's helmet1 and fastened some air-tight rubber arrangement about his neck and shoulders4 8,pump1 ,walter60 he shouted4 8,this is an oxygen helmet such as is used in entering mines filled with deadly gases40 ,without another word he was gone into the blackness of the noxious stifle which filled the ,radium ,corporation office since the cracksman had struck the unexpected pocket of rapidly evaporating stuff4 ,i pumped furiously4 ,inside ,i could hear him blundering around4 ,what was he doing8 ,he was coming back slowly4 ,was he1 too1 overcome8 ,as he emerged into the darkness of the hallway where ,i myself was almost sickened1 ,i saw that he was dragging with him a limp form4 ,a rush of outside air from the street door seemed to clear things a little4 ,kennedy tore off the oxygen helmet and dropped down on his knees beside the figure1 working its arms in the most approved manner of resuscitation4 8,i think we can do it without calling on the pulmotor10 he panted4 8,walter1 the fumes have cleared away enough now in the outside office4 ,open a window--and keep that street door open1 too40 ,i did so1 found the switch and turned on the lights4 ,it was ,denison himself6 ,for many minutes ,kennedy worked over him4 ,i bent down1 loosened his collar and shirt1 and looked eagerly at his chest for the tell-tale marks of the radium which ,i felt sure must be there4 ,there was not even a discoloration4 ,not a word was said1 as ,kennedy brought the stupefied little man around4 ,denison1 pale1 shaken1 was leaning back now in a big office chair1 gasping and holding his head4 ,kennedy1 before him1 reached down into his pocket and handed him the spinthariscope4 8,you see that80 he demanded4 ,denison looked through the eyepiece4 8,wh--where did you get so much of it80 he asked1 a queer look on his face4 8,i got that bit of radium from the base of the collar button of ,hartley ,haughton10 replied ,kennedy quietly1 8a collar button which some one intimate with him had substituted for his own1 bringing that deadly radium with only the minutest protection of a thin strip of metal close to the back of his neck1 near the spinal cord and the medulla oblongata which controls blood pressure4 ,that collar button was worse than the poisoned rings of the ,borgias4 ,and there is more radium in the pretty gift of a tortoiseshell comb with its paste diamonds which ,miss ,wallace wore in her hair4 ,only a fraction of an inch1 not enough to cut off the deadly alpha rays1 protected the wearers of those articles40 ,he paused a moment1 while surging through my mind came one after another the explanations of the hitherto inexplicable4 ,denison seemed almost to cringe in the chair1 weak already from the fumes4 8,besides10 went on ,kennedy remorselessly1 8when ,i went in there to drag you out1 ,i saw the safe open4 ,i looked4 ,there was nothing in those pretty platinum tubes1 as ,i suspected4 ,european trust--bah6 ,all the cheap devices of a faker with a confederate in ,london to send a cablegram--and another in ,new ,york to send a threatening letter40 ,kennedy extended an accusing forefinger at the man cowering before him4 8,this is nothing but a get-rich-quick scheme1 ,denison4 ,there never was a milligram of radium in the ,poor ,little ,rich ,valley1 not a milligram here in all the carefully kept reports of ,miss ,wallace--except what was bought outside by the ,corporation with the money it collected from its dupes4 ,haughton has been fleeced4 ,miss ,wallace1 blinded by her loyalty to you--you will always find such a faithful girl in such schemes as yours--has been fooled4 8,and how did you repay it8 ,what was cleverer1 you said to yourself1 than to seem to be robbed of what you never had1 to blame it on a bitter rival who never existed8 ,then to make assurance doubly sure1 you planned to disable1 perhaps get rid of the come-on whom you had trimmed1 and the faithful girl whose eyes you had blinded to your gigantic swindle4 8,denison10 concluded ,kennedy1 as the man drew back1 his very face convicting him1 8,denison1 you are the radium robber--robber in another sense60 ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,the ,,dead ,,line ,maiden ,lane1 no less than ,wall ,street1 was deeply interested in the radium case4 ,in fact1 it seemed that one case in this section of the city led to another4 ,naturally1 the ,star and the other papers made much of the capture of ,denison4 ,still1 ,i was not prepared for the host of ,maiden ,lane cases that followed4 ,many of them were essentially trivial4 ,but one proved to be of extreme importance4 8,professor ,kennedy1 ,i have just heard of your radium case1 and ,i--,i feel that ,i can--trust you40 ,there was a note of appeal in the hesitating voice of the tall1 heavily veiled woman whose card had been sent up to us with a nervous 8,urgent0 written across its face4 ,it was very early in the morning1 but our visitor was evidently completely unnerved by some news which she had just received and which had sent her posting to see ,craig4 ,kennedy met her gaze directly with a look that arrested her involuntary effort to avoid it again4 ,she must have read in his eyes more than in his words that she might trust him4 8,i--,i have a confession to make10 she faltered4 8,please sit down1 ,mrs4 ,moulton10 he said simply4 8,it is my business to receive confidences--and to keep them40 ,she sank into1 rather than sat down in1 the deep leather rocker beside his desk1 and now for the first time raised her veil4 ,antoinette ,moulton was indeed stunning1 an exquisite creature with a wonderful charm of slender youth1 brightness of eye and brunette radiance4 ,i knew that she had been on the musical comedy stage and had had a rapid rise to a star part before her marriage to ,lynn ,moulton1 the wealthy lawyer1 almost twice her age4 ,i knew also that she had given up the stage1 apparently without a regret4 ,yet there was something strange about the air of secrecy of her visit4 ,was there a hint in it of a disagreement between the ,moultons1 ,i wondered1 as ,i waited while ,kennedy reassured her4 ,her distress was so unconcealed that ,craig1 for the moment1 laid aside his ordinary inquisitorial manner4 8,tell me just as much or just as little as you choose1 ,mrs4 ,moulton10 he added tactfully4 8,i will do my best40 ,a look almost of gratitude crossed her face4 8,when we were married10 she began again1 8my husband gave me a beautiful diamond necklace4 ,oh1 it must have been worth a hundred thousand dollars easily4 ,it was splendid4 ,everyone has heard of it4 ,you know1 ,lynn--er--,mr4 ,moulton1 has always been an enthusiastic collector of jewels40 ,she paused again and ,kennedy nodded reassuringly4 ,i knew the thought in his mind4 ,moulton had collected one gem that was incomparable with all the hundred thousand dollar necklaces in existence4 8,several months ago40 she went on rapidly1 still avoiding his eyes and forcing the words from her reluctant lips1 8,i--oh1 ,i needed money--terribly40 ,she had risen and faced him1 pressing her daintily gloved hands together in a little tremble of emotion which was none the less genuine because she had studied the art of emotion4 8,i took the necklace to a jeweler1 ,herman ,schloss1 of ,maiden ,lane1 a man with whom my husband had often had dealings and whom ,i thought ,i could trust4 ,under a promise of secrecy he loaned me fifty thousand dollars on it and had an exact replica in paste made by one of his best workmen4 ,this morning1 just now1 ,mr4 ,schloss telephoned me that his safe had been robbed last night4 ,my necklace is gone60 ,she threw out her hands in a wildly appealing gesture4 8,and if ,lynn finds that the necklace in our wall safe is of paste--as he will find1 for he is an expert in diamonds--oh--what shall ,i do8 ,can't you--can't you find my necklace80 ,kennedy was following her now eagerly4 8,you were blackmailed out of the money80 he queried casually1 masking his question4 ,there was a sudden1 impulsive drooping of her mouth1 an evasion and keen wariness in her eyes4 8,i can't see that that has anything to do with the robbery10 she answered in a low voice4 8,i beg your pardon10 corrected ,kennedy quickly4 8,perhaps not4 ,i'm sorry4 ,force of habit1 ,i suppose4 ,you don't know anything more about the robbery80 8,n--no1 only that it seems impossible that it could have happened in a place that has the wonderful burglar alarm protection that ,mr4 ,schloss described to me40 8,you know him pretty well80 8,only through this transaction10 she replied hastily4 8,i wish to heaven ,i had never heard of him40 ,the telephone rang insistently4 8,mrs4 ,moulton10 said ,kennedy1 as he returned the receiver to the hook1 8it may interest you to know that the burglar alarm company has just called me up about the same case4 ,if ,i had need of an added incentive1 which ,i hope you will believe ,i have not1 that might furnish it4 ,i will do my best10 he repeated4 8,thank you--a thousand times10 she cried fervently1 and1 had ,i been ,craig1 ,i think ,i should have needed no more thanks than the look she gave him as he accompanied her to the door of our apartment4 ,it was still early and the eager crowds were pushing their way to business through the narrow network of downtown streets as ,kennedy and ,i entered a large office on lower ,broadway in the heart of the jewelry trade and financial district4 8,one of the most amazing robberies that has ever been attempted has been reported to us this morning10 announced ,james ,mc,lear1 manager of the ,hale ,electric ,protection1 adding with a look half of anxiety1 half of skepticism1 8that is1 if it is true40 ,mc,lear was a stocky man1 of powerful build and voice and a general appearance of having been once well connected with the city detective force before an attractive offer had taken him into this position of great responsibility4 8,herman ,schloss1 one of the best known of ,maiden ,lane jewelers10 he continued1 8has been robbed of goods worth two or three hundred thousand dollars--and in spite of every modern protection4 ,so that you will get it clearly1 let me show you what we do here40 ,he ushered us into a large room1 on the walls of which were hundreds of little indicators4 ,from the front they looked like rows of little square compartments1 tier on tier1 about the size of ordinary post office boxes4 ,closer examination showed that each was equipped with a delicate needle arranged to oscillate backward and forward upon the very minutest interference with the electric current4 ,under the boxes1 each of which bore a number1 was a series of drops and buzzers numbered to correspond with the boxes4 8,in nearly every office in ,maiden ,lane where gems and valuable jewelry are stored10 explained ,mc,lear1 8this electrical system of ours is installed4 ,when the safes are closed at night and the doors swung together1 a current of electricity is constantly shooting around the safes1 conducted by cleverly concealed wires4 ,these wires are picked up by a cable system which finds its way to this central office4 ,once here1 the wires are safeguarded in such manner that foreign currents from other wires or from lightning cannot disturb the system40 ,we looked with intense interest at this huge electrical pulse that felt every change over so vast and rich an area4 8,passing a big dividing board10 he went on1 8they are distributed and connected each in its place to the delicate tangent galvanometers and sensitive indicators you see in this room4 ,these instantly announce the most minute change in the working of the current1 and each office has a distinct separate metallic circuit4 ,why1 even a hole as small as a lead pencil in anything protected would sound the alarm here40 ,kennedy nodded appreciatively4 8,you see10 continued ,mc,lear1 glad to be able to talk to one who followed him so closely1 8it is another evidence of science finding for us greater security in the use of a tiny electric wire than in massive walls of steel and intricate lock devices4 ,but here is a case in which1 it seems1 every known protection has failed4 ,we can't afford to pass that by4 ,if we have fallen down we want to know how1 as well as to catch the burglar40 8,how are the signals given80 ,i asked4 8,well1 when the day's business is over1 for instance1 ,schloss would swing the heavy safe doors together and over them place the doors of a wooden cabinet4 ,that signals an alarm to us here4 ,we answer it and if the proper signal is returned1 all right4 ,after that no one can tamper with the safe later in the night without sounding an alarm that would bring a quick investigation40 8,but suppose that it became necessary to open the safe before the next morning4 ,might not some trusted employee return to the office1 open it1 give the proper signals and loot the safe80 8,no indeed10 he answered confidently4 8,the very moment anyone touches the cabinet1 the alarm is sounded4 ,even if the proper code signal is returned1 it is not sufficient4 ,a couple of our trusted men from the central office hustle around there anyhow and they don't leave until they are satisfied that everything is right4 ,we have the authorized signatures on hand of those who are supposed to open the safe and a duplicate of one of them must be given or there is an arrest40 ,mc,lear considered for a moment4 8,for instance1 ,schloss1 like all the rest1 was assigned a box in which was deposited a sealed envelope containing a key to the office and his own signature1 in this case1 since he alone knew the combination4 ,now1 when an alarm is sounded1 as it was last night1 and the key removed to gain entrance to the office1 a record is made and the key has to be sealed up again by ,schloss4 ,a report is also submitted showing when the signals are received and anything else that is worth recording4 ,last night our men found nothing wrong1 apparently4 ,but this morning we learn of the robbery40 8,the point is1 then10 ruminated ,kennedy1 8what happened in the interval between the ringing of the alarm and the arrival of the special officers8 ,i think ,i'll drop around and look ,schloss' place over10 he added quietly1 evidently eager to begin at the actual scene of the crime4 ,on the door of the office to which ,mc,lear took us was one of those small blue plates which chance visitors to ,maiden ,lane must have seen often4 ,to the initiated--be he crook or jeweler--this simple sign means that the merchant is a member of the ,jewelers' ,security ,alliance1 enough in itself1 it would seem1 to make the boldest burglar hesitate4 ,for it is the motto of this organization to 8get0 the thief at any cost and at any time4 ,still1 it had not deterred the burglar in this instance4 8,i know people are going to think it is a fake burglary10 exclaimed ,schloss1 a stout1 prosperous-looking gem broker1 as we introduced ourselves4 8,but over two hundred thousands dollars' worth of stones are gone10 he half groaned4 8,think of it1 man10 he added1 8one of the greatest robberies since the ,dead ,line was established4 ,and if they can get away with it1 why1 no one down here is protected any more4 ,half a billion dollars in jewels in ,maiden ,lane and ,john ,street are easy prey for the cracksmen60 ,staggering though the loss must have been to him1 he had apparently recovered from the first shock of the discovery and had begun the fight to get back what had been lost4 ,it was1 as ,mc,lear had intimated1 a most amazing burglary1 too4 ,the door of ,schloss' safe was open when ,kennedy and ,i arrived and found the excited jeweler nervously pacing the office4 ,surrounding the safe1 ,i noticed a wooden framework constructed in such a way as to be a part of the decorative scheme of the office4 ,schloss banged the heavy doors shut4 8,there1 that's just how it was--shut as tight as a drum4 ,there was absolutely no mark of anyone tampering with the combination lock4 ,and yet the safe was looted60 8,how did you discover it80 asked ,craig4 8,i presume you carry burglary insurance80 ,schloss looked up quickly4 8,that's what ,i expected as a first question4 ,no1 ,i carried very little insurance4 ,you see1 ,i thought the safe1 one of those new chrome steel affairs1 was about impregnable4 ,i never lost a moment's sleep over it2 didn't think it possible for anyone to get into it4 ,for1 as you see1 it is completely wired by the ,hale ,electric ,protection--that wooden framework about it4 ,no one could touch that when it was set without jangling a bell at the central office which would send men scurrying here to protect the place40 8,but they must have got past it10 suggested ,kennedy4 8,yes--they must have4 ,at least this morning ,i received the regular ,hale report4 ,it said that their wires registered last night as though some one was tampering with the safe4 ,but by the time they got around1 in less than five minutes1 there was no one here1 nothing seemed to be disturbed4 ,so they set it down to induction or electrolysis1 or something the matter with the wires4 ,i got the report the first thing when ,i arrived here with my assistant1 ,muller40 ,kennedy was on his knees1 going over the safe with a fine brush and some powder1 looking now and then through a small magnifying glass4 8,not a finger print10 he muttered4 8,the cracksman must have worn gloves4 ,but how did he get in8 ,there isn't a mark of #8soup' having been used to blow it up1 nor of a #8can-opener' to rip it open1 if that were possible1 nor of an electric or any other kind of drill40 8,i've read of those fellows who burn their way in10 said ,schloss4 8,but there is no hole10 objected ,kennedy1 8not a trace of the use of thermit to burn the way in or of the oxyacetylene blowpipe to cut a piece out4 ,most extraordinary10 he murmured4 8,you see10 shrugged ,schloss1 8everyone will say it must have been opened by one who knew the combination4 ,but ,i am the only one4 ,i have never written it down or told anyone1 not even ,muller4 ,you understand what ,i am up against80 8,there's the touch system10 ,i suggested4 8,you remember1 ,craig1 the old fellow who used to file his finger tips to the quick until they were so sensitive that he could actually feel when he had turned the combination to the right plunger8 ,might not that explain the lack of finger prints also80 ,i added eagerly4 8,nothing like that in this case1 ,walter10 objected ,craig positively4 8,this fellow wore gloves1 all right4 ,no1 this safe has been opened and looted by no ordinarily known method4 ,it's the most amazing case ,i ever saw in that respect--almost as if we had a cracksman in the fourth dimension to whom the inside of a closed cube is as accessible as is the inside of a plane square to us three dimensional creatures4 ,it is almost incomprehensible40 ,i fancied ,i saw ,schloss' face brighten as ,kennedy took this view4 ,so far1 evidently1 he had run across only skepticism4 8,the stones were unset80 resumed ,craig4 8,mostly4 ,not all40 8,you would recognize some of them if you saw them80 8,yes indeed4 ,some could be changed only by re-cutting4 ,even some of those that were set were of odd cut and size--some from a diamond necklace which belonged to a--0 ,there was something peculiar in both his tone and manner as he cut short the words4 8,to whom80 asked ,kennedy casually4 8,oh1 once to a well-known woman in society10 he said carefully4 8,it is mine1 though1 now--at least it was mine4 ,i should prefer to mention no names4 ,i will give a description of the stones40 8,mrs4 ,lynn ,moulton1 for instance80 suggested ,craig quietly4 ,schloss jumped almost as if a burglar alarm had sounded under his very ears4 8,how did you know8 ,yes--but it was a secret4 ,i made a large loan on it1 and the time has expired40 8,why did she need money so badly80 asked ,kennedy4 8,how should ,i know80 demanded ,schloss4 ,here was a deepening mystery1 not to be elucidated by continuing this line of inquiry with ,schloss1 it seemed4 ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,the ,,paste ,,replica ,carefully ,craig was going over the office4 ,outside of the safe1 there had apparently been nothing of value4 ,the rest of the office was not even wired1 and it seemed to have been ,schloss' idea that the few thousands of burglary insurance amply protected him against such loss4 ,as for the safe1 its own strength and the careful wiring might well have been considered quite sufficient under any hitherto to-be-foreseen circumstances4 ,a glass door1 around the bend of a partition1 opened from the hallway into the office and had apparently been designed with the object of making visible the safe so that anyone passing might see whether an intruder was tampering with it4 ,kennedy had examined the door1 perhaps in the expectation of finding finger prints there1 and was passing on to other things1 when a change in his position caused his eye to catch a large oval smudge on the glass1 which was visible when the light struck it at the right angle4 ,quickly he dusted it over with the powder1 and brought out the detail more clearly4 ,as ,i examined it1 while ,craig made preparations to cut out the glass to preserve it1 it seemed to contain a number of minute points and several more or less broken parallel lines4 ,the edges gradually trailed off into an indistinct faintness4 ,business1 naturally1 was at a standstill1 and as we were working near the door1 we could see that the news of ,schloss' strange robbery had leaked out and was spreading rapidly4 ,scores of acquaintances in the trade stopped at the door to inquire about the rumor4 ,to each1 it seemed that ,morris ,muller1 the working jeweler employed by ,schloss1 repeated the same story4 8,oh10 he said1 8it is a big loss--yes--but big as it is1 it will not break ,mr4 ,schloss4 ,and10 he would add with the tradesman's idea of humor1 8,i guess he has enough to play a game of poker--eh80 8,poker80 asked ,kennedy smiling4 8,is he much of a player80 8,yes4 ,nearly every night with his friends he plays40 ,kennedy made a mental note of it4 ,evidently ,schloss trusted ,muller implicitly4 ,he seemed like a partner1 rather than an employee1 even though he had not been entrusted with the secret combination4 ,outside1 we ran into city detective ,lieutenant ,winters1 the officer who was stationed at the ,maiden ,lane post1 guarding that famous section of the ,dead ,line established by the immortal ,byrnes at ,fulton ,street1 below which no crook was supposed to dare even to be seen4 ,winters had been detailed on the case4 8,you have seen the safe in there80 asked ,kennedy1 as he was leaving to carry on his investigation elsewhere4 ,winters seemed to be quite as skeptical as ,schloss had intimated the public would be4 8,yes10 he replied1 8there's been an epidemic of robbery with the dull times--people who want to collect their burglary insurance1 ,i guess40 8,but10 objected ,kennedy1 8,schloss carried so little40 8,well1 there was the ,hale ,protection4 ,how about that80 ,craig looked up quickly1 unruffled by the patronizing air of the professional toward the amateur detective4 8,what is your theory80 he asked4 8,do you think he robbed himself80 ,winters shrugged his shoulders4 8,i've been interested in ,schloss for some time10 he said enigmatically4 8,he has had some pretty swell customers4 ,i'll keep you wised up1 if anything happens10 he added in a burst of graciousness1 walking off4 ,on the way to the subway1 we paused again to see ,mc,lear4 8,well10 he asked1 8what do you think of it1 now80 8,all most extraordinary10 ruminated ,craig4 8,and the queerest feature of all is that the chief loss consists of a diamond necklace that belonged once to ,mrs4 ,antoinette ,moulton40 8,mrs4 ,lynn ,moulton80 repeated ,mc,lear4 8,the same10 assured ,kennedy4 ,mc,lear appeared somewhat puzzled4 8,her husband is one of our old subscribers10 he pursued4 8,he is a lawyer on ,wall ,street and quite a gem collector4 ,last night his safe was tampered with1 but this morning he reports no loss4 ,not half an hour ago he had us on the wire congratulating us on scaring off the burglars1 if there had been any40 8,what is your opinion10 ,i asked4 8,is there a gang operating80 8,my belief is10 he answered1 reminiscently of his days on the detective force1 8that none of the loot will be recovered until they start to #8fence' it4 ,that would be my lay--to look for the fence4 ,why1 think of all the big robberies that have been pulled off lately4 ,remember10 he went on1 8the spoils of a burglary consist generally of precious stones4 ,they are not currency4 ,they must be turned into currency--or what's the use of robbery8 8,but merely to offer them for sale at an ordinary jeweler's would be suspicious4 ,even pawnbrokers are on the watch4 ,you see what ,i am driving at8 ,i think there is a man or a group of men whose business it is to pay cash for stolen property and who have ways of returning gems into the regular trade channels4 ,in all these robberies we get a glimpse of as dark and mysterious a criminal as has ever been recorded4 ,he may be--anybody4 ,about his legitimacy1 ,i believe1 no question has ever been raised4 ,and1 ,i tell you1 his arrest is going to create a greater sensation than even the remarkable series of robberies that he has planned or made possible4 ,the question is1 to my mind1 who is this fence80 ,mc,lear's telephone rang and he handed the instrument to ,craig4 8,yes1 this is ,professor ,kennedy10 answered ,craig4 8,oh1 too bad you've had to try all over to get me4 ,i've been going from one place to another gathering clues and have made good progress1 considering ,i've hardly started4 ,why--what's the matter8 ,really80 ,an interval followed1 during which ,mc,lear left to answer a personal call on another wire4 ,as ,kennedy hung up the receiver1 his face wore a peculiar look4 8,it was ,mrs4 ,moulton10 he blurted out4 8,she thinks that her husband has found out that the necklace is paste40 8,how80 ,i asked4 8,the paste replica is gone from her wall safe in the ,deluxe40 ,i turned1 startled at the information4 ,even ,kennedy himself was perplexed at the sudden succession of events4 ,i had nothing to say4 ,evidently1 however1 his rule was when in doubt play a trump1 for1 twenty minutes later found us in the office of ,lynn ,moulton1 the famous corporation lawyer1 in ,wall ,street4 ,moulton was a handsome man of past fifty with a youthful face against his iron gray hair and mustache1 well dressed1 genial1 a man who seemed keenly in love with the good things of life4 8,it is rumored10 began ,kennedy1 8that an attempt was made on your safe here at the office last night40 8,yes10 he admitted1 taking off his glasses and polishing them carefully4 8,i suppose there is no need of concealment1 especially as ,i hear that a somewhat similar attempt was made on the safe of my friend ,herman ,schloss in ,maiden ,lane40 8,you lost nothing80 ,moulton put his glasses on and looked ,kennedy in the face frankly4 8,nothing1 fortunately10 he said1 then went on slowly4 8,you see1 in my later years1 ,i have been something of a collector of precious stones myself4 ,i don't wear them1 but ,i have always taken the keenest pleasure in owning them and when ,i was married it gave me a great deal more pleasure to have them set in rings1 pendants1 tiaras1 necklaces1 and other forms for my wife40 ,he had risen1 with the air of a busy man who had given the subject all the consideration he could afford and whose work proceeded almost by schedule4 8,this morning ,i found my safe tampered with1 but1 as ,i said1 fortunately something must have scared off the burglars40 ,he bowed us out politely4 ,what was the explanation1 ,i wondered4 ,it seemed1 on the face of things1 that ,antoinette ,moulton feared her husband4 ,did he know something else already1 and did she know he knew8 ,to all appearances he took it very calmly1 if he did know4 ,perhaps that was what she feared1 his very calmness4 8,i must see ,mrs4 ,moulton again10 remarked ,kennedy1 as we left4 ,the ,moultons lived1 we found1 in one of the largest suites of a new apartment hotel1 the ,deluxe1 and in spite of the fact that our arrival had been announced some minutes before we saw ,mrs4 ,moulton1 it was evident that she had been crying hysterically over the loss of the paste jewels and what it implied4 8,i missed it this morning1 after my return from seeing you10 she replied in answer to ,craig's inquiry1 then added1 wide-eyed with alarm1 8,what shall ,i do8 ,he must have opened the wall safe and found the replica4 ,i don't dare ask him point-blank40 8,are you sure he did it80 asked ,kennedy1 more1 ,i felt1 for its moral effect on her than through any doubt in his own mind4 8,not sure4 ,but then the wall safe shows no marks1 and the replica is gone40 8,might ,i see your jewel case80 he asked4 8,surely4 ,i'll get it4 ,the wall safe is in ,lynn's room4 ,i shall probably have to fuss a long time with the combination40 ,in fact she could not have been very familiar with it for it took several minutes before she returned4 ,meanwhile1 ,kennedy1 who had been drumming absently on the arms of his chair1 suddenly rose and walked quietly over to a scrap basket that stood beside an escritoire4 ,it had evidently just been emptied1 for the rooms must have been cleaned several hours before4 ,he bent down over it and picked up two scraps of paper adhering to the wicker work4 ,the rest had evidently been thrown away4 ,i bent over to read them4 ,one was3 --rest ,nettie-- --dying to see-- ,the other read3 --cherche to-d --love and ma --rman4 ,what did it mean8 ,hastily1 ,i could fill in 8,dearest ,nettie10 and 8,i am dying to see you40 ,kennedy added1 8,the ,recherche to-day10 that being the name of a new apartment uptown1 as well as 8love and many kisses40 ,but 8--rman0--what did that mean8 ,could it be ,herman--,herman ,schloss8 ,she was returning and we resumed our seats quickly4 ,kennedy took the jewel case from her and examined it carefully4 ,there was not a mark on it4 8,mrs4 ,moulton10 he said slowly1 rising and handing it back to her1 8have you told me all80 8,why--yes10 she answered4 ,kennedy shook his head gravely4 8,i'm afraid not4 ,you must tell me everything40 8,no--no10 she cried vehemently1 8there is nothing more40 ,we left and outside the ,deluxe he paused1 looked about1 caught sight of a taxicab and hailed it4 8,where80 asked the driver4 8,across the street10 he said1 8and wait4 ,put the window in back of you down so ,i can talk4 ,i'll tell you where to go presently4 ,now1 ,walter1 sit back as far as you can4 ,this may seem like an underhand thing to do1 but we've got to get what that woman won't tell us or give up the case40 ,perhaps half an hour we waited1 still puzzling over the scraps of paper4 ,suddenly ,i felt a nudge from ,kennedy4 ,antoinette ,moulton was standing in the doorway across the street4 ,evidently she preferred not to ride in her own car1 for a moment later she entered a taxicab4 8,follow that black cab10 said ,kennedy to our driver4 ,sure enough1 it stopped in front of the ,recherche ,apartments and ,mrs4 ,moulton stepped out and almost ran in4 ,we waited a moment1 then ,kennedy followed4 ,the elevator that had taken her up had just returned to the ground floor4 8,the same floor again10 remarked ,kennedy1 jauntily stepping in and nodding familiarly to the elevator boy4 ,then he paused suddenly1 looked at his watch1 fixed his gaze thoughtfully on me an instant1 and exclaimed4 8,by ,george--no4 ,i can't go up yet4 ,i clean forgot that engagement at the hotel4 ,one moment1 son4 ,let us out4 ,we'll be back again40 ,considerably mystified1 ,i followed him to the sidewalk4 8,you're entitled to an explanation10 he laughed catching my bewildered look as he opened the cab door4 8,i didn't want to go up now while she is there1 but ,i wanted to get on good terms with that boy4 ,we'll wait until she comes down1 then go up40 8,where80 ,i asked4 8,that's what ,i am going through all this elaborate preparation to find out4 ,i have no more idea than you have40 ,it could not have been more than twenty minutes later when ,mrs4 ,moulton emerged rather hurriedly1 and drove away4 ,while we had been waiting ,i had observed a man on the other side of the street who seemed unduly interested in the ,recherche1 too1 for he had walked up and down the block no less than six times4 ,kennedy saw him1 and as he made no effort to follow ,mrs4 ,moulton1 ,kennedy did not do so either4 ,in fact a little quick glance which she had given at our cab had raised a fear that she might have discovered that she was being followed4 ,kennedy and ,i paid off our cabman and sauntered into the ,recherche in the most debonair manner we could assume4 8,now1 son1 we'll go up10 he said to the boy who1 remembering us1 and now not at all clear in his mind that he might not have seen us before that1 whisked us to the tenth floor4 8,let me see10 said ,kennedy1 8it's number one hundred and--er----0 8,three10 prompted the boy4 ,he pressed the buzzer and a neatly dressed colored maid responded4 8,i had an appointment here with ,mrs4 ,moulton this morning10 remarked ,kennedy4 8,she has just gone10 replied the maid1 off her guard4 8,and was to meet ,mr4 ,schloss here in half an hour10 he added quickly4 ,it was the maid's turn to look surprised4 8,i didn't think he was to be here10 she said4 8,he's had some--0 8,trouble at the office10 supplied ,kennedy4 8,that's what it was about4 ,perhaps he hasn't been able to get away yet4 ,but ,i had the appointment4 ,ah1 ,i see a telephone in the hall4 ,may ,i80 ,he had stepped politely in1 and by dint of cleverly keeping his finger on the hook in the half light1 he carried on a one-sided conversation with himself long enough to get a good chance to look about4 ,there was an air of quiet and refinement about the apartment in the ,recherche4 ,it was darkened to give the little glowing electric bulbs in their silken shades a full chance to simulate right4 ,the deep velvety carpets were noiseless to the foot1 and the draperies1 the pictures1 the bronzes1 all bespoke taste4 ,but the chief objects of interest to ,craig were the little square green baize-covered tables on one of which lay neatly stacked a pile of gilt-edged cards and a mahogany box full of ivory chips of red1 white and blue4 ,it was none of the old-time gambling places1 like ,danfield's1 with its steel door which ,craig had once cut through with an oxyacetylene blowpipe in order to rescue a young spendthrift from himself4 ,kennedy seemed perfectly well satisfied merely with a cursory view of the place1 as he hung up the receiver and thanked the maid politely for allowing him to use it4 8,this is up-to-date gambling in cleaned-up ,new ,york10 he remarked as we waited for the elevator to return for us4 8,and the worst of it all is that it gets the women as well as the men4 ,once they are caught in the net1 they are the most powerful lure to men that the gamblers have yet devised40 ,we rode down in silence1 and as we went down the steps to the street1 ,i noticed the man whom we had seen watching the place1 lurking down at the lower corner4 ,kennedy quickened his pace and came up behind him4 8,why1 ,winters60 exclaimed ,craig4 8,you here80 8,i might say the same to you10 grinned the detective not displeased evidently that our trail had crossed his4 8,i suppose you are looking for ,schloss1 too4 ,he's up in the ,recherche a great deal1 playing poker4 ,i understand he owns an interest in the game up there40 ,kennedy nodded1 but said nothing4 8,i just saw one of the cappers for the place go out before you went in40 8,capper80 repeated ,kennedy surprised4 8,antoinette ,moulton a steerer for a gambling joint8 ,what can a rich society woman have to do with a place like that or a man like ,schloss80 ,winters smiled sardonically4 8,society ladies to-day often get into scrapes of which their husbands know nothing10 he remarked4 8,you didn't know before that ,antoinette ,moulton1 like many of her friends in the smart set1 was a gambler--and loser--did you80 ,craig shook his head4 ,he had more of human than scientific interest in a case of a woman of her caliber gone wrong4 8,but you must have read of the famous ,moulton diamonds80 8,yes10 said ,craig1 blankly1 as if it were all news to him4 8,schloss has them--or at least had them4 ,the jewels she wore at the opera this winter were paste1 ,i understand40 8,does ,moulton play80 he asked4 8,i think so--but not here1 naturally4 ,in a way1 ,i suppose1 it is his fault4 ,they all do it4 ,the example of one drives on another40 ,instantly there flashed over my mind a host of possibilities4 ,perhaps1 after all1 ,winters had been right4 ,schloss had taken this way to make sure of the jewels so that she could not redeem them4 ,suddenly another explanation crowded that out4 ,had ,mrs4 ,moulton robbed the safe herself1 or hired some one else to do it for her1 and had that person gone back on her8 ,then a horrid possibility occurred to me4 ,whatever ,antoinette ,moulton may have been and done1 some one must have her in his power4 ,what a situation for the woman6 ,my sympathy went out to her in her supreme struggle4 ,even if it had been a real robbery1 ,schloss might easily recover from it4 ,but for her every event spelled ruin and seemed only to be bringing that ruin closer4 ,we left ,winters1 still watching on the trail of ,schloss1 and went on uptown to the laboratory4 ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,the ,,burglar',s ,,microphone ,that night ,i was sitting1 brooding over the case1 while ,craig was studying a photograph which he made of the smudge on the glass door down at ,schloss'4 ,he paused in his scrutiny of the print to answer the telephone4 8,something has happened to ,schloss10 he exclaimed seizing his hat and coat4 8,winters has been watching him4 ,he didn't go to the ,recherche4 ,winters wants me to meet him at a place several blocks below it ,come on4 ,he wouldn't say over the wire what it was4 ,hurry40 ,we met ,winters in less than ten minutes at the address he had given1 a bachelor apartment in the neighborhood of the ,recherche4 8,schloss kept rooms here10 explained ,winters1 hurrying us quickly upstairs4 8,i wanted you to see before anyone else40 ,as we entered the large and luxuriously furnished living room of the jeweler's suite1 a gruesome sight greeted us4 ,there lay ,schloss on the floor1 face down1 in a horribly contorted position4 ,in one hand1 clenched under him partly1 the torn sleeve of a woman's dress was grasped convulsively4 ,the room bore unmistakable traces of a violent struggle1 but except for the hideous object on the floor was vacant4 ,kennedy bent down over him4 ,schloss was dead4 ,in a corner1 by the door1 stood a pile of grips1 stacked up1 packed1 and undisturbed4 ,winters who had been studying the room while we got our bearings picked up a queer-looking revolver from the floor4 ,as he held it up ,i could see that along the top of the barrel was a long cylinder with a ratchet or catch at the butt end4 ,he turned it over and over carefully4 8,by ,george10 he muttered1 8it has been fired off40 ,kennedy glanced more minutely at the body4 ,there was not a mark on it4 ,i stared about vacantly at the place where ,winters had picked the thing up4 8,look10 ,i cried1 my eye catching a little hole in the baseboard of the woodwork near it4 8,it must have fallen and exploded on the floor10 remarked ,kennedy4 8,let me see it1 ,winters40 ,craig held it at arm's length and pulled the catch4 ,instead of an explosion1 there came a cone of light from the top of the gun4 ,as ,kennedy moved it over the wall1 ,i saw in the center of the circle of light a dark spot4 8,a new invention10 ,craig explained4 8,all you need to do is to move it so that little dark spot falls directly on an object4 ,pull the trigger--the bullet strikes the dark spot4 ,even a nervous and unskilled marksman becomes a good shot in the dark4 ,he can even shoot from behind the protection of something--and hit accurately40 ,it was too much for me4 ,i could only stand and watch ,kennedy as he deftly bent over ,schloss again and placed a piece of chemically prepared paper flat on the forehead of the dead man4 ,when he withdrew it1 ,i could see that it bore marks of the lines on his head4 ,without a word1 ,kennedy drew from his pocket a print of the photograph of the smudge on ,schloss' door4 8,it is possible10 he said1 half to himself1 8to identify a person by means of the arrangement of the sweat glands or pores4 ,poroscopy1 ,dr4 ,edmond ,locard1 director of the ,police ,laboratory at ,lyons1 calls it4 ,the shape1 arrangement1 number per square centimeter1 all vary in different individuals4 ,besides1 here we have added the lines of the forehead40 ,he was studying the two impressions intensely4 ,when he looked up from his examination1 his face wore a peculiar expression4 8,this is not the head which was placed so close to the glass of the door of ,schloss' office1 peering through1 on the night of the robbery1 in order to see before picking the lock whether the office was empty and everything ready for the hasty attack on the safe40 8,that disposes of my theory that ,schloss robbed himself10 remarked ,winters reluctantly4 8,but the struggle here1 the sleeve of the dress1 the pistol--could he have been shot80 8,no1 ,i think not10 considered ,kennedy4 8,it looks to me more like a case of apoplexy40 8,what shall we do80 asked ,winters4 8,far from clearing anything up1 this complicates it40 8,where's ,muller80 asked ,kennedy4 8,does he know8 ,perhaps he can shed some light on it40 ,the clang of an ambulance bell outside told that the aid summoned by ,winters had arrived4 ,we left the body in charge of the surgeon and of a policeman who arrived about the same time1 and followed ,winters4 ,muller lived in a cheap boarding house in a shabbily respectable street downtown1 and without announcing ourselves we climbed the stairs to his room4 ,he looked up surprised but not disconcerted as we entered4 8,what's the matter80 he asked4 8,muller10 shot out ,winters1 8we have just found ,mr4 ,schloss dead60 8,d-dead60 he stammered4 ,the man seemed speechless with horror4 8,yes1 and with his grips packed as if to run away40 ,muller looked dazedly from one of us to the other1 but shut up like a clam4 8,i think you had better come along with us as a material witness10 burst out ,winters roughly4 ,kennedy said nothing1 leaving that sort of third degree work to the detective4 ,but he was not idle1 as ,winters tried to extract more than the monosyllables1 8,i don't know10 in answer to every inquiry of ,muller about his employer's life and business4 ,a low exclamation from ,craig attracted my attention from ,winters4 ,in a corner he had discovered a small box and had opened it4 ,inside was a dry battery and a most peculiar instrument1 something like a little flat telephone transmitter yet attached by wires to earpieces that fitted over the head after the manner of those of a wireless detector4 8,what's this80 asked ,kennedy1 dangling it before ,muller4 ,he looked at it phlegmatically4 8,a deaf instrument ,i have been working on10 replied the jeweler4 8,my hearing is getting poor40 ,kennedy looked hastily from the instrument to the man4 8,i think ,i'll take it along with us10 he said quietly4 ,winters1 true to his instincts1 had been searching ,muller in the meantime4 ,besides the various assortment that a man carries in his pockets usually1 including pens1 pencils1 notebooks1 a watch1 a handkerchief1 a bunch of keys1 one of which was large enough to open a castle1 there was a bunch of blank and unissued pawn-tickets bearing the name1 8,stein's ,one ,per ,cent4 a ,month ,loans10 and an address on the ,bowery4 ,was ,muller the 8fence0 we were seeking1 or only a tool for the 8fence0 higher up8 ,who was this ,stein8 ,what it all meant ,i could only guess4 ,it was a far cry from the wealth of ,diamond ,lane to a dingy ,bowery pawnshop1 even though pawnbroking at one per cent4 a month--and more1 on the side--pays4 ,i knew1 too1 that diamonds are hoarded on the ,east ,side as nowhere else in the world1 outside of ,india4 ,it was no uncommon thing1 ,i had heard1 for a pawnbroker whose shop seemed dirty and greasy to the casual visitor to have stored away in his vault gems running into the hundreds of thousands of dollars4 8,mrs4 ,moulton must know of this10 remarked ,kennedy4 8,winters1 you and ,jameson bring ,muller along4 ,i am going up to the ,deluxe40 ,i must say that ,i was surprised at finding ,mrs4 ,moulton there4 ,outside the suite ,winters and ,i waited with the unresisting ,muller1 while ,kennedy entered4 ,but through the door which he left ajar ,i could hear what passed4 8,mrs4 ,moulton10 he began1 8something terrible has happened--0 ,he broke off1 and ,i gathered that her pale face and agitated manner told him that she knew already4 8,where is ,mr4 ,moulton80 he went on1 changing his question4 8,mr4 ,moulton is at his office10 she answered tremulously4 8,he telephoned while ,i was out that he had to work to-night4 ,oh1 ,mr4 ,kennedy--he knows--he knows4 ,i know it4 ,he has avoided me ever since ,i missed the replica from-0 8,sh60 cautioned ,craig4 ,he had risen and gone to the door4 8,winters10 he whispered1 8,i want you to go down to ,lynn ,moulton's office4 ,meanwhile ,jameson can take care of ,muller4 ,i am going over to that place of ,stein's presently4 ,bring ,moulton up there4 ,you will wait here1 ,walter1 for the present10 he nodded4 ,he returned to the room where ,i could hear her crying softly4 8,now1 ,mrs4 ,moulton10 he said gently1 8,i'm afraid ,i must trouble you to go with me4 ,i am going over to a pawnbroker's on the ,bowery40 8,the ,bowery80 she repeated1 with a genuinely surprised shudder4 8,oh1 no1 ,mr4 ,kennedy4 ,don't ask me to go anywhere to-night4 ,i am--,i am in no condition to go anywhere--to do anything--,i--0 8,but you must10 said ,kennedy in a low voice4 8,i can't4 ,oh--have mercy on me4 ,i am terribly upset4 ,you--0 8,it is your duty to go1 ,mrs4 ,moulton10 he repeated4 8,i don't understand40 she murmured4 8,a pawnbroker's80 8,come10 urged ,kennedy1 not harshly but firmly1 then1 as she held back1 added1 playing a trump card1 8,we must work quickly4 ,in his hands we found the fragments of a torn dress4 ,when the police--0 ,she uttered a shriek4 ,a glance had told her1 if she had deceived herself before1 that ,kennedy knew her secret4 ,antoinette ,moulton was standing before him1 talking rapidly4 8,some one has told ,lynn4 ,i know it4 ,there is nothing now that ,i can conceal4 ,if you had come half an hour later you would not have found me4 ,he had written to ,mr4 ,schloss1 threatening him that if he did not leave the country he would shoot him at sight4 ,mr4 ,schloss showed me the letter4 8,it had come to this4 ,i must either elope with ,schloss1 or lose his aid4 ,the thought of either was unendurable4 ,i hated him--yet was dependent on him4 8,to-night ,i met him1 in his empty apartment1 alone4 ,i knew that he had what was left of his money with him1 that everything was packed up4 ,i went prepared4 ,i would not elope4 ,my plan was no less than to make him pay the balance on the necklace that he had lost--or to murder him4 8,i carried a new pistol in my muff1 one which ,lynn had just bought4 ,i don't know how ,i did it4 ,i was desperate4 8,he told me he loved me1 that ,lynn did not1 never had--that ,lynn had married me only to show off his wealth and diamonds1 to give him a social6 position--that ,i was merely a--a piece of property--a dummy4 8,he tried to kiss me4 ,it was revolting4 ,i struggled away from him4 8,and in the struggle1 the revolver fell from my muff and exploded on the floor4 8,at once he was aflame with suspicion4 8#8,so--it's murder you want6' he shouted4 #8,well1 murder it shall be6' 8,i saw death in his eye as he seized my arm4 ,i was defenseless now4 ,the old passion came over him4 ,before he killed--he--would have his way with me4 8,i screamed4 ,with a wild effort ,i twisted away from him4 8,he raised his hand to strike me1 ,i saw his eyes1 glassy4 ,then he sank back--fell to the floor--dead of apoplexy--dead of his furious emotions4 8,i fled4 8,and now you have found me40 ,she had turned1 hastily1 to leave the room4 ,kennedy blocked the door4 8,mrs4 ,moulton10 he said firmly1 8listen to me4 ,what was the first question you asked me8 #8,can ,i trust you8' ,and ,i told you you could4 ,this is no time for--for suicide40 ,he shot the word out bluntly4 8,all may not be lost4 ,i have sent for your husband4 ,muller is outside40 8,muller80 she cried4 8,he made the replica40 8,very well4 ,i am going to clear this thing up4 ,come4 ,you must40 ,it was all confused to me1 the dash in a car to the little pawnbroker's on the first floor of a five-story tenement1 the quick entry into the place by one of ,muller's keys4 ,over the safe in back was a framework like that which had covered ,schloss' safe4 ,kennedy tore it away1 regardless of the alarm which it must have sounded4 ,in a moment he was down before it on his knees4 8,this is how ,schloss' safe was opened so quickly10 he muttered1 working feverishly4 8,here is some of their own medicine40 ,he had placed the peculiar telephone-like transmitter close to the combination lock and was turning the combination rapidly4 ,suddenly he rose1 gave the bolts a twist1 and the ponderous doors swung open4 8,what is it80 ,i asked eagerly4 8,a burglar's microphone10 he answered1 hastily looking over the contents of the safe4 8,the microphone is now used by burglars for picking combination locks4 ,when you turn the lock1 a slight sound is made when the proper number comes opposite the working point4 ,it can be heard sometimes by a sensitive ear1 although it is imperceptible to most persons4 ,but by using a microphone it is an easy matter to hear the sounds which allow of opening the lock40 ,he had taken a yellow chamois bag out of the safe and opened it4 ,inside sparkled the famous ,moulton diamonds4 ,he held them up--in all their wicked brilliancy4 ,no one spoke4 ,then he took another yellow bag1 more dirty and worn than the first4 ,as he opened it1 ,mrs4 ,moulton could restrain herself no longer4 8,the replica60 she cried4 8,the replica60 ,without a word1 ,craig handed the real necklace to her4 ,then he slipped the paste jewels into the newer of the bags and restored both it and the empty one to their places1 banged shut the door of the safe1 and replaced the wooden screen4 8,quick60 he said to her1 8you have still a minute to get away4 ,hurry--anywhere--away--only away60 ,the look of gratitude that came over her face1 as she understood the full meaning of it was such as ,i had never seen before4 8,quick60 he repeated4 ,it was too late4 8,for ,god's sake1 ,kennedy10 shouted a voice at the street door1 8what are you doing here80 ,it was ,mc,lear himself4 ,he had come with the ,hale patrol1 on his mettle now to take care of the epidemic of robberies4 ,before ,craig could reply a cab drew up with a rush at the curb and two men1 half fighting1 half cursing1 catapulted themselves into the shop4 ,they were ,winters and ,moulton4 ,without a word1 taking advantage of the first shock of surprise1 ,kennedy had clapped a piece of chemical paper on the foreheads of ,mrs4 ,moulton1 then of ,moulton1 and on ,muller's4 ,oblivious to the rest of us1 he studied the impressions in the full light of the counter4 ,moulton was facing his wife with a scornful curl of the lip4 8,i've been told of the paste replica--and ,i wrote ,schloss that ,i'd shoot him down like the dog he is1 you--you traitress10 he hissed4 ,she drew herself up scornfully4 8,and ,i have been told why you married me--to show off your wicked jewels and help you in your--0 8,you lie60 he cried fiercely4 8,muller--some one--open this safe--whosever it is4 ,if what ,i have been told is true1 there is in it one new bag containing the necklace4 ,it was stolen from ,schloss to whom you sold my jewels4 ,the other old bag1 stolen from me1 contains the paste replica you had made to deceive me40 ,it was all so confused that ,i do not know how it happened4 ,i think it was ,muller who opened the safe4 8,there is the new yellow bag10 cried ,moulton1 8from ,schloss' own safe4 ,open it40 ,mc,lear had taken it4 ,he did so4 ,there sparkled not the real gems1 but the replica4 8,the devil60 ,moulton exclaimed1 breaking from ,winters and seizing the old bag4 ,he tore it open and--it was empty4 8,one moment10 interrupted ,kennedy1 looking up quietly from the counter4 8,seal that safe again1 ,mc,lear4 ,in it are the ,schloss jewels and the products of half a dozen other robberies which the dupe ,muller--or ,stein1 as you please--pulled off1 some as a blind to conceal the real criminal4 ,you may have shown him how to leave no finger prints1 but you yourself have left what is just as good--your own forehead print4 ,mc,lear--you were right4 ,there's your criminal--,lynn ,moulton1 professional fence1 the brains of the thing40 ,,chapter ,,xix ,,the ,,germ ,,letter ,lynn ,moulton made no fight and ,kennedy did not pursue the case1 for1 with the rescue of ,antoinette ,moulton1 his interest ceased4 ,blackmail takes various forms1 and the ,moulton affair was only one phase of it4 ,it was not long before we had to meet a much stranger attempt4 8,read the letter1 ,professor ,kennedy4 ,then ,i will tell you the sequel40 ,mrs4 ,hunter ,blake lay back in the cushions of her invalid chair in the sun parlor of the great ,blake mansion on ,riverside ,drive1 facing the ,hudson with its continuous reel of maritime life framed against the green-hilled background of the ,jersey shore4 ,her nurse1 ,miss ,dora ,sears1 gently smoothed out the pillows and adjusted them so that the invalid could more easily watch us4 ,mrs4 ,blake1 wealthy1 known as a philanthropist1 was not an old woman1 but had been for years a great sufferer from rheumatism4 ,i watched ,miss ,sears eagerly4 ,full-bosomed1 fine of face and figure1 she was something more than a nurse2 she was a companion4 ,she had bright1 sparkling black eyes and an expression about her well-cut mouth which made one want to laugh with her4 ,it seemed to say that the world was a huge joke and she invited you to enjoy the joke with her4 ,kennedy took the letter which ,miss ,sears proffered him1 and as he did so ,i could not help noticing her full1 plump forearm on which gleamed a handsome plain gold bracelet4 ,he spread the letter out on a dainty wicker table in such a way that we both could see it4 ,we had been summoned over the telephone to the ,blake mansion by ,reginald ,blake1 ,mrs4 ,blake's eldest son4 ,reginald had been very reticent over the reason1 but had seemed very anxious and insistent that ,kennedy should come immediately4 ,craig read quickly and ,i followed him1 fascinated by the letter from its very opening paragraph4 8,dear ,madam10 it began4 8,having received my diploma as doctor of medicine and bacteriology at ,heidelberg in #aiji1 ,i came to the ,united ,states to study a most serious disease which is prevalent in several of the western mountain states40 ,so far1 ,i reflected1 it looked like an ordinary appeal for aid4 ,the next words1 however1 were queer3 8,i have four hundred persons of wealth on my list4 ,your name was--0 ,kennedy turned the page4 ,on the next leaf of the letter sheet was pasted a strip of gelatine4 ,the first page had adhered slightly to the gelatine4 8,chosen by fate10 went on the sentence ominously4 8,by opening this letter10 ,i read1 8you have liberated millions of the virulent bacteria of this disease4 ,without a doubt you are infected by this time1 for no human body is impervious to them1 and up to the present only one in one hundred has fully recovered after going through all its stages40 ,i gasped4 ,the gelatine had evidently been arranged so that when the two sheets were pulled apart1 the germs would be thrown into the air about the person opening the letter4 ,it was a very ingenious device4 ,the letter continued1 8,i am happy to say1 however1 that ,i have a prophylactic which will destroy any number of these germs if used up to the ninth day4 ,it is necessary only that you should place five thousand dollars in an envelope and leave it for me to be called for at the desk of the ,prince ,henry ,hotel4 ,when the messenger delivers the money to me1 the prophylactic will be sent immediately4 8,first of all1 take a match and burn this letter to avoid spreading the disease4 ,then change your clothes and burn the old ones4 ,enclosed you will find in a germ-proof envelope an exact copy of this letter4 ,the room should then be thoroughly fumigated4 ,do not come into close contact with anyone near and dear to you until you have used the prophylactic4 ,tell no one4 ,in case you do1 the prophylactic will not be sent under any circumstances4 ,very truly yours1 ,,dr4 ,,hans ,,hopf40 8,blackmail60 exclaimed ,kennedy1 looking intently again at the gelatine on the second page1 as ,i involuntarily backed away and held my breath4 8,yes1 ,i know10 responded ,mrs4 ,blake anxiously1 8but is it true80 ,there could be no doubt from the tone of her voice that she more than half believed that it was true4 8,i cannot say--yet10 replied ,craig1 still cautiously scanning the apparently innocent piece of gelatine on the original letter which ,mrs4 ,blake had not destroyed4 8,i shall have to keep it and examine it40 ,on the gelatine ,i could see a dark mass which evidently was supposed to contain the germs4 8,i opened the letter here in this room10 she went on4 8,at first ,i thought nothing of it4 ,but this morning1 when ,buster1 my prize ,pekinese1 who had been with me1 sitting on my lap at the time1 and closer to the letter even than ,i was1 when ,buster was taken suddenly ill1 ,i--well1 ,i began to worry40 ,she finished with a little nervous laugh1 as people will to hide their real feelings4 8,i should like to see the dog10 remarked ,kennedy simply4 8,miss ,sears10 asked her mistress1 8will you get ,buster1 please80 ,the nurse left the room4 ,no longer was there the laughing look on her face4 ,this was serious business4 ,a few minutes later she reappeared1 carrying gingerly a small dog basket4 ,mrs4 ,blake lifted the lid4 ,inside was a beautiful little 8,peke10 and it was easy to see that ,buster was indeed ill4 8,who is your doctor80 asked ,craig1 considering4 8,dr4 ,rae ,wilson1 a very well-known woman physician40 ,kennedy nodded recognition of the name4 8,what does she say80 he asked1 observing the dog narrowly4 8,we haven't told anyone1 outside1 of it yet10 replied ,mrs4 ,blake4 8,in fact until ,buster fell sick1 ,i thought it was a hoax40 8,you haven't told anyone80 8,only ,reginald and my daughter ,betty4 ,betty is frantic--not with fear for herself1 but with fear for me4 ,no one can reassure her4 ,in fact it was as much for her sake as anyone's that ,i sent for you4 ,reginald has tried to trace the thing down himself1 but has not succeeded40 ,she paused4 ,the door opened and ,reginald ,blake entered4 ,he was a young fellow1 self confident and no doubt very efficient at the new dances1 though scarcely fitted to rub elbows with a cold world which1 outside of his own immediate circle1 knew not the name of ,blake4 ,he stood for a moment regarding us through the smoke of his cigarette4 8,tell me just what you have done10 asked ,kennedy of him as his mother introduced him1 although he had done the talking for her over the telephone4 8,done80 he drawled4 8,why1 as soon as mother told me of the letter1 ,i left an envelope up at the ,prince ,henry1 as it directed40 8,with the money80 put in ,craig quickly4 8,oh1 no--just as a decoy40 8,yes4 ,what happened80 8,well1 ,i waited around a long time4 ,it was far along in the day when a woman appeared at the desk4 ,i had instructed the clerk to be on the watch for anyone who asked for mail addressed to a ,dr4 ,hopf4 ,the clerk slammed the register4 ,that was the signal4 ,i moved up closer40 8,what did she look like80 asked ,kennedy keenly4 8,i couldn't see her face4 ,but she was beautifully dressed1 with a long light flowing linen duster1 a veil that hid her features and on her hands and arms a long pair of motoring doeskin gloves4 ,by ,george1 she was a winner--in general looks1 though4 ,well1 something about the clerk1 ,i suppose1 must have aroused her suspicions4 ,for1 a moment later1 she was gone in the crowd4 ,evidently she had thought of the danger and had picked out a time when the lobby would be full and everybody busy4 ,but she did not leave by the front entrance through which she entered4 ,i concluded that she must have left by one of the side street carriage doors40 8,and she got away80 8,yes4 ,i found that she asked one of the boys at the door to crank up a car standing at the curb4 ,she slid into the seat1 and was off in a minute40 ,kennedy said nothing4 ,but ,i knew that he was making a mighty effort to restrain comment on the bungling amateur detective work of the son of our client4 ,reginald saw the look on his face4 8,still10 he hastened1 8,i got the number of the car4 ,it was #bjjhei ,new ,york40 8,you have looked it up80 queried ,kennedy quickly4 8,i didn't need to do it4 ,a few minutes later ,dr4 ,rae ,wilson herself came out--storming like mad4 ,her car had been stolen at the very door of the hotel by this woman with the innocent aid of the hotel employees40 ,kennedy was evidently keenly interested4 ,the mention of the stolen car had apparently at once suggested an idea to him4 8,mrs4 ,blake10 he said1 as he rose to go1 8,i shall take this letter with me4 ,will you see that ,buster is sent up to my laboratory immediately80 ,she nodded4 ,it was evident that ,buster was a great pet with her and that it was with difficulty she kept from smoothing his silky coat4 8,you--you won't hurt ,buster80 she pleaded4 8,no4 ,trust me4 ,more than that1 if there is any possible way of untangling this mystery1 ,i shall do it40 ,mrs4 ,blake looked rather than spoke her thanks4 ,as we went downstairs1 accompanied by ,miss ,sears1 we could see in the music room a very interesting couple1 chatting earnestly over the piano4 ,betty ,blake1 a slip of a girl in her first season1 was dividing her attention between her visitor and the door by which we were passing4 ,she rose as she heard us1 leaving the young man standing alone at the piano4 ,he was of an age perhaps a year or two older than ,reginald ,blake4 ,it was evident that1 whatever ,miss ,betty might think1 he had eyes for no one else but the pretty debutante4 ,he even seemed to be regarding ,kennedy sullenly1 as if he were a possible rival4 8,you--you don't think it is serious80 whispered ,betty in an undertone1 scarcely waiting to be introduced4 ,she had evidently known of our visit1 but had been unable to get away to be present upstairs4 8,really1 ,miss ,blake10 reassured ,kennedy1 8,i can't say4 ,all ,i can do is to repeat what ,i have already said to your mother4 ,keep up a good heart and trust me to work it out40 8,thank you10 she murmured1 and then1 impulsively extending her small hand to ,craig1 she added1 8,mr4 ,kennedy1 if there is anything ,i can do to help you1 ,i beg that you will call on me40 8,i shall not forget10 he answered1 relinquishing the hand reluctantly4 ,then1 as she thanked him1 and turned again to her guest1 he added in a low tone to me1 8,a remarkable girl1 ,walter1 a girl that can be depended on40 ,we followed ,miss ,sears down the hall4 8,who was that young man in the music room80 asked ,kennedy1 when we were out of earshot4 8,duncan ,baldwin10 she answered4 8,a friend and bosom companion of ,reginald40 8,he seems to think more of ,betty than of her brother10 ,craig remarked dryly4 ,miss ,sears smiled4 8,sometimes1 we think they are secretly engaged10 she returned4 ,we had almost reached the door4 8,by the way10 she asked anxiously1 8do you think there are any precautions that ,i should take for ,mrs4 ,blake--and the rest80 8,hardly10 answered ,kennedy1 after a moment's consideration1 8as long as you have taken none in particular already4 ,still1 ,i suppose it will do no harm to be as antiseptic as possible40 8,i shall try10 she promised1 her face showing that she considered the affair now in a much more serious light than she had before our visit4 8,and keep me informed of anything that turns up10 added ,kennedy handing her a card with the telephone number of the laboratory4 ,as we left the ,blake mansion1 ,kennedy remarked1 8,we must trace that car somehow--at least we must get someone working on that40 ,half an hour later we were in a towering office building on ,liberty ,street1 the home of various kinds of insurance4 ,kennedy stopped before a door which bore the name1 8,douglas ,garwood3 ,insurance ,adjuster40 ,briefly1 ,craig told the story of the stolen car1 omitting the account of the dastardly method taken to blackmail ,mrs4 ,blake4 ,as he proceeded a light seemed to break on the face of ,garwood1 a heavyset man1 whose very gaze was inquisitorial4 8,yes1 the theft has been reported to us already by ,dr4 ,wilson herself10 he interrupted4 8,the car was insured in a company ,i represent40 8,i had hoped so10 remarked ,kennedy1 8,do you know the woman80 he added1 watching the insurance adjuster who had been listening intently as he told about the fair motor car thief4 8,know her80 repeated ,garwood emphatically4 8,why1 man1 we have been so close to that woman that ,i feel almost intimate with her4 ,the descriptions are those of a lady1 well-dressed1 and with a voice and manner that would carry her through any of the fashionable hotels1 perhaps into society itself40 8,one of a gang of blackmailers1 then10 ,i hazarded4 ,garwood shrugged his shoulders4 8,perhaps10 he acquiesced4 8,it is automobile thieving that interests me1 though4 ,why10 he went on1 rising excitedly1 8the gangs of these thieves are getting away with half a million dollars' worth of high-priced cars every year4 ,the police seem to be powerless to stop it4 ,we appeal to them1 but with no result4 ,so1 now we have taken things into our own hands40 8,what are you doing in this case80 asked ,kennedy4 8,what the insurance companies have to do to recover stolen automobiles10 ,garwood replied4 8,for1 with all deference to your friend1 ,deputy ,o',connor1 it is the insurance companies rather than the police who get stolen cars back40 ,he had pulled out a postal card from a pigeon hole in his desk1 selecting it from several apparently similar4 ,we read3 #bej4jj ,,reward ,we will pay #ajj4jj for car1 #aej4jj additional for information which will convict the thief4 ,when last seen1 driven by a woman1 name not known1 who is described as dark-haired1 well-dressed1 slight1 apparently thirty years old4 ,the car is a ,dixon1 #aiab1 seven-passenger1 touring1 ,no4 #aic1bbb1 license ,no4 #bjj1hei1 ,new ,york2 dark red body1 mohair top1 brass lamps1 has no wind shield2 rear axle brake band device has extra nut on turnbuckle not painted4 ,car last seen near ,prince ,henry ,hotel1 ,new ,york ,city1 ,friday1 the #ajth4 ,communicate by telegraph or telephone1 after notifying nearest police department1 with ,douglas ,garwood1 ,new ,york ,city4 8,the secret of it is10 explained ,garwood1 as we finished reading1 8that there are innumerable people who keep their eyes open and like to earn money easily4 ,thus we have several hundreds of amateur and enthusiastic detectives watching all over the city and country for any car that looks suspicious40 ,kennedy thanked him for his courtesy1 and we rose to go4 8,i shall be glad to keep you informed of anything that turns up10 he promised4 ,,chapter ,,xx ,,the ,,artificial ,,kidney ,in the laboratory1 ,kennedy quietly set to work4 ,he began by tearing from the germ letter the piece of gelatine and first examining it with a pocket lens4 ,then1 with a sterile platinum wire1 he picked out several minute sections of the black spot on the gelatine and placed them in agar1 blood serum1 and other media on which they would be likely to grow4 8,i shall have to wait until to-morrow to examine them properly10 he remarked4 8,there are colonies of something there1 all right1 but ,i must have them more fully developed40 ,a hurried telephone call late in the day from ,miss ,sears told us that ,mrs4 ,blake herself had begun to complain1 and that ,dr4 ,wilson had been summoned but had been unable to give an opinion on the nature of the malady4 ,kennedy quickly decided on making a visit to the doctor1 who lived not far downtown from the laboratory4 ,dr4 ,rae ,wilson proved to be a nervous little woman1 inclined1 ,i felt1 to be dictatorial4 ,i thought that secretly she felt a little piqued at our having been taken into the ,blakes' confidence before herself1 and ,kennedy made every effort to smooth that aspect over tactfully4 8,have you any idea what it can be80 he asked finally4 ,she shook her head noncommittally4 8,i have taken blood smears10 she answered1 8but so far haven't been able to discover anything4 ,i shall have to have her under observation for a day or two before ,i can answer that4 ,still1 as ,mrs4 ,blake is so ill1 ,i have ordered another trained nurse to relieve ,miss ,sears of the added work1 a very efficient nurse1 a ,miss ,rogers40 ,kennedy had risen to go4 8,you have had no word about your car80 he asked casually4 8,none yet4 ,i'm not worrying4 ,it was insured40 8,who is this arch criminal1 ,dr4 ,hopf80 ,i mused as we retraced our steps to the laboratory4 8,is ,mrs4 ,blake stricken now by the same trouble that seems to have affected ,buster80 8,only my examination will show10 he said4 8,i shall let nothing interfere with that now4 ,it must be the starting point for any work that ,i may do in the case40 ,we arrived at ,kennedy's workshop of scientific crime and he immediately plunged into work4 ,looking up he caught sight of me standing helplessly idle4 8,walter10 he remarked thoughtfully adjusting a microscope1 8suppose you run down and see ,garwood4 ,perhaps he has something to report4 ,and by the way1 while you are out1 make inquiries about the ,blakes1 young ,baldwin1 ,miss ,sears and this ,dr4 ,wilson4 ,i have heard of her before1 at least by name4 ,perhaps you may find something interesting40 ,glad to have a chance to seem to be doing something whether it amounted to anything or not1 ,i dropped in to see ,garwood4 ,so far he had nothing to report except the usual number of false alarms4 ,from his office ,i went up to the ,star where fortunately ,i found one of the reporters who wrote society notes4 ,the ,blakes1 ,i found1 as we already knew1 to be well known and moving in the highest social circles4 ,as far as known they had no particular enemies1 other than those common to all people of great wealth4 ,dr4 ,wilson had a large practice1 built up in recent years1 and was one of the best known society physicians for women4 ,miss ,sears was unknown1 as far as ,i could determine4 ,as for ,duncan ,baldwin1 ,i found that he had become acquainted with ,reginald ,blake in college1 that he came of no particular family and seemed to have no great means1 although he was very popular in the best circles4 ,in fact he had had1 thanks to his friend1 a rather meteoric rise in society1 though it was reported that he was somewhat involved in debt as a result4 ,i returned to the laboratory to find that ,craig had taken out of a cabinet a peculiar looking arrangement4 ,it consisted of thirty-two tubes1 each about sixteen inches long1 with ,s-turns1 like a minute radiator4 ,it was altogether not over a cubic foot in size1 and enclosed in a glass cylinder4 ,there were in it1 perhaps1 fifty feet of tubes1 a perfectly-closed tubular system which ,i noticed ,kennedy was keeping absolutely sterile in a germicidal solution of some kind4 ,inside the tubes and surrounding them was a saline solution which was kept at a uniform temperature by a special heating apparatus4 ,kennedy had placed the apparatus on the laboratory table and then gently took the little dog from his basket and laid him beside it4 ,a few minutes later the poor little suffering ,buster was mercifully under the influence of an anesthetic4 ,quickly ,craig worked4 ,first he attached the end of one of the tubes by means of a little cannula to the carotid artery of the dog4 ,then the other was attached to the jugular vein4 ,as he released the clamp which held the artery1 the little dog's feverishly beating heart spurted the arterial blood from the carotid into the tubes holding the normal salt solution and that pressure1 in turn1 pumped the salt solution which filled the tubes into the jugular vein1 thus replacing the arterial blood that had poured into the tubes from the other end and maintaining the normal hydrostatic conditions in the body circulation4 ,the dog was being kept alive1 although perhaps a third of his blood was out of his body4 8,you see10 he said at length1 after we had watched the process a few minutes1 8what ,i have here is in reality an artificial kidney4 ,it is a system that has been devised by several doctors at ,johns ,hopkins4 8,if there is any toxin in the blood of this dog1 the kidneys are naturally endeavoring to eliminate it4 ,perhaps it is being eliminated too slowly4 ,in that case this arrangement which ,i have here will aid them4 ,we call it vividiffusion and it depends for its action on the physical principle of osmosis1 the passage of substances of a certain kind through a porous membrane1 such as these tubes of celloidin4 8,thus any substance1 any poison that is dialyzable is diffused into the surrounding salt solution and the blood is passed back into the body1 with no air in it1 no infection1 and without alteration4 ,clotting is prevented by the injection of a harmless substance derived from leeches1 known as hirudin4 ,i prevent the loss of anything in the blood which ,i want retained by placing in the salt solution around the tubes an amount of that substance equal to that held in solution by the blood4 ,of course that does not apply to the colloidal substances in the blood which would not pass by osmosis under any circumstances4 ,but by such adjustments ,i can remove and study any desired substance in the blood1 provided it is capable of diffusion4 ,in fact this little apparatus has been found in practice to compare favorably with the kidneys themselves in removing even a lethal dose of poison40 ,i watched in amazement4 ,he was actually cleaning the blood of the dog and putting it back again1 purified1 into the little body4 ,far from being cruel1 as perhaps it might seem1 it was in reality probably the only method by which the animal could be saved1 and at the same time it was giving us a clue as to some elusive1 subtle substance used in the case4 8,indeed10 ,kennedy went on reflectively1 8this process can be kept up for several hours without injury to the dog1 though ,i do not think that will be necessary to relieve the unwonted strain that has been put upon his natural organs4 ,finally1 at the close of the operation1 serious loss of blood is overcome by driving back the greater part of it into his body1 closing up the artery and vein1 and taking good care of the animal so that he will make a quick recovery40 ,for a long time ,i watched the fascinating process of seeing the life blood coursing through the porous tubes in the salt solution1 while ,kennedy gave his undivided attention to the success of the delicate experiment4 ,it was late when ,i left him1 still at work over ,buster1 and went up to our apartment to turn in1 convinced that nothing more would happen that night4 ,the next morning1 with characteristic energy1 ,craig was at work early1 examining the cultures he had made from the black spots on the gelatine4 ,by the look of perplexity on his face1 ,i knew that he had discovered something that instead of clearing the mystery up1 further deepened it4 8,what do you find80 ,i asked anxiously4 8,walter10 he exclaimed1 laying aside the last of the slides which he had been staining and looking at intently through the microscope1 8that stuff on the gelatine is entirely harmless4 ,there was nothing in it except common mold40 ,for the moment ,i did not comprehend4 8,mold80 ,i repeated4 8,yes10 he replied1 8just common1 ordinary mold such as grows on the top of a jar of fruit or preserves when it is exposed to the air40 ,i stifled an exclamation of incredulity4 ,it seemed impossible that the deadly germ note should be harmless1 in view of the events that had followed its receipt4 ,just then the laboratory door was flung open and ,reginald ,blake1 pale and excited1 entered4 ,he had every mark of having been up all night4 8,what's the matter80 asked ,craig4 8,it's about my mother10 he blurted out4 8,she seems to be getting worse all the time4 ,miss ,sears is alarmed1 and ,betty is almost ill herself with worry4 ,dr4 ,wilson doesn't seem to know what it is that affects her1 and neither does the new nurse4 ,can't you do something80 ,there was a tone of appeal in his voice that was not like the self-sufficient ,reginald of the day before4 8,does there seem to be any immediate danger80 asked ,kennedy4 8,perhaps not--,i can't say10 he urged4 8,but she is gradually getting worse instead of better40 ,kennedy thought a moment4 8,has anything else happened80 he asked slowly4 8,n-no4 ,that's enough1 isn't it80 8,indeed it is10 replied ,craig1 trying to be reassuring4 ,then1 recollecting ,betty1 he added1 8,reginald1 go back and tell your sister for me that she must positively make the greatest effort of her life to control herself4 ,tell her that her mother needs her--needs her well and brave4 ,i shall be up at the house immediately4 ,do the best you can4 ,i depend on you40 ,kennedy's words seemed to have a bracing effect on ,reginald and a few moments later he left1 much calmer4 8,i hope ,i have given him something to do which will keep him from mussing things up again10 remarked ,kennedy1 mindful of ,reginald's former excursion into detective work4 ,meanwhile ,craig plunged furiously into his study of the substances he had isolated from the saline solution in which he had 8washed0 the blood of the little ,pekinese4 8,there's no use doing anything in the dark10 he explained4 8,until we know what it is we are fighting we can't very well fight40 ,for the moment ,i was overwhelmed by the impending tragedy that seemed to be hanging over ,mrs4 ,blake4 ,the more ,i thought of it1 the more inexplicable became the discovery of the mold4 8,that is all very well about the mold on the gelatine strip in the letter10 ,i insisted at length4 8,but1 ,craig1 there must be something wrong somewhere4 ,mere molds could not have made ,buster so ill1 and now the infection1 or whatever it is1 has spread to ,mrs4 ,blake herself4 ,what have you found out by studying ,buster80 ,he looked up from his close scrutiny of the material in one of the test tubes which contained something he had recovered from the saline solution of the diffusion apparatus4 ,i could read on his face that whatever it was1 it was serious4 8,what is it80 ,i repeated almost breathlessly4 8,i suppose ,i might coin a word to describe it10 he answered slowly1 measuring his phrases4 8,perhaps it might be called hyper-amino-acidemia40 ,i puckered my eyes at the mouth-filling term ,kennedy smiled4 8,it would mean10 he explained1 8a great quantity of the amino-acids1 non-coagulable1 nitrogenous compounds in the blood4 ,you know the indols1 the phenols1 and the amins are produced both by putrefactive bacteria and by the process of metabolism1 the burning up of the tissues in the process of utilizing the energy that means life4 ,but under normal circumstances1 the amins are not present in the blood in any such quantities as ,i have discovered by this new method of diffusion40 ,he paused a moment1 as if in deference to my inability to follow him on such an abstruse topic1 then resumed1 8,as far as ,i am able to determine1 this poison or toxin is an amin similar to that secreted by certain cephalopods found in the neighborhood of ,naples4 ,it is an aromatic amin4 ,smell it40 ,i bent over and inhaled the peculiar odor4 8,those creatures10 he continued1 8catch their prey by this highly active poison secreted by the so-called salivary glands4 ,even a little bit will kill a crab easily40 ,i was following him now with intense interest1 thinking of the astuteness of a mind capable of thinking of such a poison4 8,indeed1 it is surprising10 he resumed thoughtfully1 8how many an innocent substance can be changed by bacteria into a virulent poison4 ,in fact our poisons and our drugs are in many instances the close relations of harmless compounds that represent the intermediate steps in the daily process of metabolism40 8,then10 ,i put in1 8the toxin was produced by germs1 after all80 8,i did not say that10 he corrected4 8,it might have been4 ,but ,i find no germs in the blood of ,buster4 ,nor did ,dr4 ,wilson find any in the blood smears which she took from ,mrs4 ,blake40 ,he seemed to have thrown the whole thing back again into the limbo of the unexplainable1 and ,i felt nonplussed4 8,the writer of that letter10 he went on1 waving the piece of sterile platinum wire with which he had been transferring drops of liquid in his search for germs1 8was a much more skillful bacteriologist than ,i thought1 evidently4 ,no1 the trouble does not seem to be from germs breathed in1 or from germs at all--it is from some kind of germ-free toxin that has been injected or otherwise introduced40 ,vaguely now ,i began to appreciate the terrible significance of what he had discovered4 8,but the letter80 ,i persisted mechanically4 8,the writer of that was quite as shrewd a psychologist as bacteriologist10 pursued ,craig impressively4 8,he calculated the moral effect of the letter1 then of ,buster's illness1 and finally of reaching ,mrs4 ,blake herself40 8,you think ,dr4 ,rae ,wilson knows nothing of it yet80 ,i queried4 ,kennedy appeared to consider his answer carefully4 ,then he said slowly3 8,almost any doctor with a microscope and the faintest trace of a scientific education could recognize disease germs either naturally or feloniously implanted4 ,but when it comes to the detection of concentrated1 filtered1 germ-free toxins1 almost any scientist might be baffled4 ,walter10 he concluded1 8this is not mere blackmail1 although perhaps the visit of that woman to the ,prince ,henry--a desperate thing in itself1 although she did get away by her quick thinking--perhaps that shows that these people are ready to stop at nothing4 ,no1 it goes deeper than blackmail40 ,i stood aghast at the discovery of this new method of scientific murder4 ,the astute criminal1 whoever he might be1 had planned to leave not even the slender clue that might be afforded by disease germs4 ,he was operating1 not with disease itself1 but with something showing the ultimate effects1 perhaps1 of disease with none of the preliminary symptoms1 baffling even to the best of physicians4 ,i scarcely knew what to say4 ,before ,i realized it1 however1 ,craig was at last ready for the promised visit to ,mrs4 ,blake4 ,we went together1 carrying ,buster1 in his basket1 not recovered1 to be sure1 but a very different little animal from the dying creature that had been sent to us at the laboratory4 ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,the ,,poison ,,bracelet ,we reached the ,blake mansion and were promptly admitted4 ,miss ,betty1 bearing up bravely under ,reginald's reassurances1 greeted us before we were fairly inside the door1 though she and her brother were not able to conceal the fact that their mother was no better4 ,miss ,sears was out1 for an airing1 and the new nurse1 ,miss ,rogers1 was in charge of the patient4 8,how do you feel1 this morning80 inquired ,kennedy as we entered the sun-parlor1 where ,mrs4 ,blake had first received us4 ,a single glance was enough to satisfy me of the seriousness of her condition4 ,she seemed to be in almost a stupor from which she roused herself only with difficulty4 ,it was as if some overpowering toxin were gradually undermining her already weakened constitution4 ,she nodded recognition1 but nothing further4 ,kennedy had set the dog basket down near her wheel-chair and she caught sight of it4 8,buster80 she murmured1 raising her eyes4 8,is--he--all right80 ,for answer1 ,craig simply raised the lid of the basket4 ,buster already seemed to have recognized the voice of his mistress1 and1 with an almost human instinct1 to realize that though he himself was still weak and ill1 she needed encouragement4 ,as ,mrs4 ,blake stretched out her slender hand1 drawn with pain1 to his silky head1 he gave a little yelp of delight and his little red tongue eagerly caressed her hand4 ,it was as though the two understood each other4 ,although ,mrs4 ,blake1 as yet1 had no more idea what had happened to her pet1 she seemed to feel by some subtle means of thought transference that the intelligent little animal was conveying to her a message of hope4 ,the caress1 the sharp1 joyous yelp1 and the happy wagging of the bushy tail seemed to brighten her up1 at least for the moment1 almost as if she had received a new impetus4 8,buster60 she exclaimed1 overjoyed to get her pet back again in so much improved condition4 8,i wouldn't exert myself too much1 ,mrs4 ,blake10 cautioned ,kennedy4 8,were--were there any germs in the letter80 she asked1 as ,reginald and ,betty stood on the other side of the chair1 much encouraged1 apparently1 at this show of throwing off the lethargy that had seized her4 8,yes1 but about as harmless as those would be on a piece of cheese10 ,kennedy hastened4 8,but ,i--,i feel so weak1 so played out--and my head--0 ,her voice trailed off1 a too evident reminder that her improvement had been only momentary and prompted by the excitement of our arrival4 ,betty bent down solicitously and made her more comfortable as only one woman can make another4 ,kennedy1 meanwhile1 had been talking to ,miss ,rogers1 and ,i could see that he was secretly taking her measure4 8,has ,dr4 ,wilson been here this morning80 ,i heard him ask4 8,not yet10 she replied4 8,but we expect her soon40 8,professor ,kennedy80 announced a servant4 8,yes80 answered ,craig4 8,there is someone on the telephone who wants to speak to you4 ,he said he had called the laboratory first and that they told him to call you here40 ,kennedy hurried after the servant1 while ,betty and ,reginald joined me1 waiting1 for we seemed to feel that something was about to happen4 8,one of the unofficial detectives has unearthed a clue10 he whispered to me a few moments later when he returned4 8,it was ,garwood40 ,then to the others he added1 8,a car1 repainted1 and with the number changed1 but otherwise answering the description of ,dr4 ,wilson's has been traced to the ,west ,side4 ,it is somewhere in the neighborhood of a saloon and garage where drivers of taxicabs hang out4 ,reginald1 ,i wish you would come along with us40 ,to ,betty's unspoken question ,craig hastened to add1 8,i don't think there is any immediate danger4 ,if there is any change--let me know4 ,i shall call up soon4 ,and meanwhile10 he lowered his voice to impress the instruction on her1 8don't leave your mother for a moment--not for a moment10 he emphasized4 ,reginald was ready and together we three set off to meet ,garwood at a subway station near the point where the car had been reported4 ,we had scarcely closed the front door1 when we ran into ,duncan ,baldwin1 coming down the street1 evidently bent on inquiring how ,mrs4 ,blake and ,betty were4 8,much better10 reassured ,kennedy4 8,come on1 ,baldwin4 ,we can't have too many on whom we can rely on an expedition like this40 8,like what80 he asked1 evidently not comprehending4 8,there's a clue1 they think1 to that car of ,dr4 ,wilson's10 hastily explained ,reginald1 linking his arm into that of his friend and falling in behind us1 as ,craig hurried ahead4 ,it did not take long to reach the subway1 and as we waited for the train1 ,craig remarked3 8,this is a pretty good example of how the automobile is becoming one of the most dangerous of criminal weapons4 ,all one has to do nowadays1 apparently1 after committing a crime1 is to jump into a waiting car and breeze away1 safe40 ,we met ,garwood and under his guidance picked our way westward from the better known streets in the heart of the city1 to a section that was anything but prepossessing4 ,the place which ,garwood sought was a typical ,raines ,law hotel on a corner1 with a saloon on the first floor1 and apparently the requisite number of rooms above to give it a legal license4 ,we had separated a little so that we would not attract undue attention4 ,kennedy and ,i entered the swinging doors boldly1 while the others continued across to the other corner to wait with ,garwood and take in the situation4 ,it was a strange expedition and ,reginald was fidgeting while ,duncan seemed nervous4 ,among the group of chauffeurs lounging at the bar and in the back room anyone who had ever had any dealings with the gangs of ,new ,york might have recognized the faces of men whose pictures were in the rogues' gallery and who were members of those various aristocratic organizations of the underworld4 ,kennedy glanced about at the motley crowd4 8,this is a place where you need only to be introduced properly10 he whispered to me1 8to have any kind of crime committed for you40 ,as we stood there1 observing1 without appearing to do so1 through an open window on the side street ,i could tell from the sounds that there was a garage in the rear of the hotel4 ,we were startled to hear a sudden uproar from the street4 ,garwood1 impatient at our delay1 had walked down past the garage to reconnoiter4 ,a car was being backed out hurriedly1 and as it turned and swung around the corner1 his trained eye had recognized it4 ,instantly he had reasoned that it was an attempt to make a getaway1 and had raised an alarm4 ,those nearest the door piled out1 keen for any excitement4 ,we1 too1 dashed out on the street4 ,there we saw passing an automobile1 swaying and lurching at the terrific speed with which its driver1 urged it up the avenue4 ,as he flashed by he looked like an ,italian to me1 perhaps a gunman4 ,garwood had impressed a passing trolley car into service and was pursuing the automobile in it1 as it swayed on its tracks as crazily as the motor did on the roadway1 running with all the power the motorman could apply4 ,a mounted policeman galloped past us1 blazing away at the tires4 ,the avenue was stirred1 as seldom even in its strenuous life1 with reports of shots1 honking of horns1 the clang of trolley bells and the shouts of men4 ,the pursuers were losing when there came a rattle and roar from the rear wheels which told that the tires were punctured and the heavy car was riding on its rims4 ,a huge brewery wagon crossing a side street paused to see the fun1 effectually blocking the road4 ,the car jolted to a stop4 ,the chauffeur leaped out and a moment later dived down into a cellar4 ,in that congested district1 pursuit was useless4 8,only an accomplice10 commented ,kennedy4 8,perhaps we can get him some other way if we can catch the man--or woman--higher up40 ,down the street now we could see ,garwood surrounded by a curious crowd but in possession of the car4 ,i looked about for ,duncan and ,reginald4 ,they had apparently been swallowed up in the crowds of idlers which seemed to be pouring out of nowhere1 collecting to gape at the excitement1 after the manner of a ,new ,york crowd4 ,as ,i ran my eye over them1 ,i caught sight of ,reginald near the corner where we had left him in an incipient fight with someone who had a fancied grievance4 ,a moment later we had rescued him4 8,where's ,duncan80 he panted4 8,did anything happen to him8 ,garwood told us to stay here--but we got separated40 ,policemen had appeared on the heels of the crowd and now1 except for a knot following ,garwood1 things seemed to be calming down4 ,the excitement over1 and the people thinning out1 ,kennedy still could not find any trace of ,duncan4 ,finally he glanced in again through the swinging doors4 ,there was ,duncan1 evidently quite upset by what had occurred1 fortifying himself at the bar4 ,suddenly from above came a heavy thud1 as if someone had fallen on the floor above us1 followed by a suppressed shuffling of feet and a cry of help4 ,kennedy sprang toward a side door which led out into the hall to the hotel room above4 ,it was locked4 ,before any of the others he ran out on the street and into the hall that way1 taking the stairs two at a time1 past a little cubby-hole of an 8office0 and down the upper hall to a door from which came the cry4 ,it was a peculiar room into which we burst1 half bedroom1 half workshop1 or rather laboratory1 for on a deal table by a window stood a rack of test-tubes1 several beakers1 and other paraphernalia4 ,a chambermaid was shrieking over a woman who was lying lethargic on the floor4 ,i looked more closely4 ,it was ,dora ,sears4 ,for the moment ,i could not imagine what had happened4 ,had the events of the past few days worked on her mind and driven her into temporary insanity8 ,or had the blackmailing gang of automobile thieves1 failing in extorting money by their original plan1 seized her8 ,kennedy bent over and tried to lift her up4 ,as he did so1 the gold bracelet1 unclasped1 clattered to the floor4 ,he picked it up and for a moment looked at it4 ,it was hollow1 but in that part of it where it unclasped could be seen a minute hypodermic needle and traces of a liquid4 8,a poison bracelet10 he muttered to himself1 8one in which enough of a virulent poison could be hidden so that in an emergency death could cheat the law40 8,but this ,dr4 ,hopf10 exclaimed ,reginald1 who stood behind us looking from the insensible girl to the bracelet and slowly comprehending what it all meant1 8she alone knows where and who he is60 ,we looked at ,kennedy4 ,what was to be done8 ,was the criminal higher up to escape because one of his tools had been cornered and had taken the easiest way to get out8 ,kennedy had taken down the receiver of the wall telephone in the room4 ,a moment later he was calling insistently for his laboratory4 ,one of the students in another part of the building answered4 ,quickly he described the apparatus for vividiffusion and how to handle it without rupturing any of the delicate tubes4 8,the large one10 he ordered1 8with one hundred and ninety-two tubes4 ,and hurry40 ,before the student appeared1 came an ambulance which some one in the excitement had summoned4 ,kennedy quickly commandeered both the young doctor and what surgical material he had with him4 ,briefly he explained what he proposed to do and before the student arrived with the apparatus1 they had placed the nurse in such a position that they were ready for the operation4 ,the next room which was unoccupied had been thrown open to us and there ,i waited with ,reginald and ,duncan1 endeavoring to explain to them the mysteries of the new process of washing the blood4 ,the minutes lengthened into hours1 as the blood of the poisoned girl coursed through its artificial channel1 literally being washed of the toxin from the poisoned bracelet4 ,would it succeed8 ,it had saved the life of ,buster4 ,but would it bring back the unfortunate before us1 long enough even for her to yield her secret and enable us to catch the real criminal4 ,what if she died8 ,as ,kennedy worked1 the young men with me became more and more fascinated1 watching him4 ,the vividiffusion apparatus was now in full operation4 ,in the intervals when he left the apparatus in charge of the young ambulance surgeon ,kennedy was looking over the room4 ,in a trunk which was open he found several bundles of papers4 ,as he ran his eye over them quickly1 he selected some and stuffed them into his pocket1 then went back to watch the working of the apparatus4 ,reginald1 who had been growing more and more nervous1 at last asked if he might call up ,betty to find out how his mother was4 ,he came back from the telephone1 his face wrinkled4 8,poor mother10 he remarked anxiously1 8do you think she will pull through1 ,professor8 ,betty says that ,dr4 ,wilson has given her no idea yet about the nature of the trouble40 ,kennedy thought a moment4 8,of course10 he said1 8your mother has had no such relative amount of the poison as ,buster has had4 ,i think that undoubtedly she will recover by purely natural means4 ,i hope so4 ,but if not1 here is the apparatus10 and he patted the vividiffusion tubes in their glass case1 8that will save her1 too40 ,as well as ,i could ,i explained to ,reginald the nature of the toxin that ,kennedy had discovered4 ,duncan listened1 putting in a question now and then4 ,but it was evident that his thoughts were on something else1 and now and then ,reginald1 breaking into his old humor1 rallied him about thinking of ,betty4 ,a low exclamation from both ,kennedy and the surgeon attracted us4 ,dora ,sears had moved4 ,the operation of the apparatus was stopped1 the artery and vein had been joined up1 and she was slowly coming out from under the effects of the anesthetic4 ,as we gathered about her1 at a little distance1 we heard her cry in her delirium1 8,i--,i would have--done--anything--for him40 ,we strained our ears4 ,was she talking of the blackmailer1 ,dr4 ,hopf8 8,who80 asked ,craig1 bending over close to her ear4 8,i--,i would--have done anything10 she repeated as if someone had contradicted her4 ,she went on1 dreamily1 ramblingly1 8,he--is--is--my brother4 ,i--0 ,she stopped through weakness4 8,where is ,dr4 ,hopf80 asked ,kennedy1 trying to recall her fleeting attention4 8,dr4 ,hopf8 ,dr4 ,hopf80 she repeated1 then smiling to herself as people will when they are leaving the borderline of anesthesia1 she repeated the name1 8,hopf80 8,yes10 persisted ,kennedy4 8,there is no ,dr4 ,hopf10 she added4 8,tell me--did--did they--0 8,no ,dr4 ,hopf80 ,kennedy insisted4 ,she had lapsed again into half insensibility4 ,he rose and faced us1 speaking rapidly4 8,new ,york seems to have a mysterious and uncanny attraction for odds and ends of humanity1 among them the great army of adventuresses4 ,in fact there often seems to be something decidedly adventurous about the nursing profession4 ,this is a girl of unusual education in medicine4 ,evidently she has traveled--her letters show it4 ,many of them show that she has been in ,italy4 ,perhaps it was there that she heard of the drug that has been used in this case4 ,it was she who injected the germ-free toxin1 first into the dog1 then into ,mrs4 ,blake1 she who wrote the blackmail letter which was to have explained the death40 ,he paused4 ,evidently she had heard dimly1 was straining every effort to hear4 ,in her effort she caught sight of our faces4 ,suddenly1 as if she had seen an apparition1 she raised herself with almost superhuman strength4 8,duncan60 she cried4 8,duncan6 ,why--didn't you--get away--while there was time--after you warned me80 ,kennedy had wheeled about and was facing us4 ,he was holding in his hand some of the letters he had taken from the trunk4 ,among others was a folded piece of parchment that looked like a diploma4 ,he unfolded it and we bent over to read4 ,it was a diploma from the ,central ,western ,college of ,nursing4 ,as ,i read the name written in1 it was with a shock4 ,it was not ,dora ,sears1 but ,dora ,baldwin4 8,a very clever plot10 he ground out1 taking a step nearer us4 8,with the aid of your sister and a disreputable gang of chauffeurs you planned to hasten the death of ,mrs4 ,blake1 to hasten the inheritance of the ,blake fortune by your future wife4 ,i think your creditors will have less chance of collecting now than ever1 ,duncan ,baldwin40 ,,chapter ,,xxii ,,the ,,devil ,,worshipers ,tragic though the end of the young nurse1 ,dora ,baldwin1 had been1 the scheme of her brother1 in which she had become fatally involved1 was by no means as diabolical as that in the case that confronted us a short time after that4 ,i recall this case particularly not only because it was so weird but also because of the unique manner in which it began4 8,i am damned--,professor ,kennedy--damned60 ,the words rang out as the cry of a lost soul4 ,a terrible look of inexpressible anguish and fear was written on the face of ,craig's visitor1 as she uttered them and sank back1 trembling1 in the easy chair1 mentally and physically convulsed4 ,as nearly as ,i had been able to follow1 ,mrs4 ,veda ,blair's story had dealt mostly with a ,professor and ,madame ,rapport and something she called the 8,red ,lodge0 of the 8,temple of the ,occult40 ,she was not exactly a young woman1 although she was a very attractive one4 ,she was of an age that is1 perhaps1 even more interesting than youth4 ,veda ,blair1 ,i knew1 had been1 before her recent marriage to ,seward ,blair1 a ,treacy1 of an old1 though somewhat unfortunate1 family4 ,both the ,blairs and the ,treacys had been intimate and old ,seward ,blair1 when he died about a year before1 had left his fortune to his son on the condition that he marry ,veda ,treacy4 8,sometimes10 faltered ,mrs4 ,blair1 8it is as though ,i had two souls4 ,one of them is dispossessed of its body and the use of its organs and is frantic at the sight of the other that has crept in40 ,she ended her rambling story1 sobbing the terrible words1 8,oh--,i have committed the unpardonable sin--,i am anathema--,i am damned--damned60 ,she said nothing of what terrible thing she had done and ,kennedy1 for the present1 did not try to lead the conversation4 ,but of all the stories that ,i have heard poured forth in the confessional of the detective's office1 hers1 ,i think1 was the wildest4 ,was she insane8 ,at least ,i felt that she was sincere4 ,still1 ,i wondered what sort of hallucination ,craig had to deal with1 as ,veda ,blair repeated the incoherent tale of her spiritual vagaries4 ,almost1 ,i had begun to fancy that this was a case for a doctor1 not for a detective1 when suddenly she asked a most peculiar question4 8,can people affect you for good or evil1 merely by thinking about you80 she queried4 ,then a shudder passed over her4 8,they may be thinking about me now60 she murmured in terror4 ,her fear was so real and her physical distress so evident that ,kennedy1 who had been listening silently for the most part1 rose and hastened to reassure her4 8,not unless you make your own fears affect yourself and so play into their hands10 he said earnestly4 ,veda looked at him a moment1 then shook her head mournfully4 8,i have seen ,dr4 ,vaughn10 she said slowly4 ,dr4 ,gilbert ,vaughn1 ,i recollected1 was a well-known alienist in the city4 8,he tried to tell me the same thing10 she resumed doubtfully4 8,but--oh--,i know what ,i know6 ,i have felt the death thought--and he knows it60 8,what do you mean80 inquired ,kennedy1 leaning forward keenly4 8,the death thought10 she repeated1 8a malicious psychic attack4 ,some one is driving me to death by it4 ,i thought ,i could fight it off4 ,i went away to escape it4 ,now ,i have come back--and ,i have not escaped4 ,there is always that disturbing influence--always--directed against me4 ,i know it will--kill me60 ,i listened1 startled4 ,the death thought6 ,what did it mean8 ,what terrible power was it8 ,was it hypnotism8 ,what was this fearsome1 cruel belief1 this modern witchcraft that could unnerve a rich and educated woman8 ,surely1 after all1 ,i felt that this was not a case for a doctor alone2 it called for a detective4 8,you see10 she went on1 heroically trying to control herself1 8,i have always been interested in the mysterious1 the strange1 the occult4 ,in fact my father and my husband's father met through their common interest4 ,so1 you see1 ,i come naturally by it4 8,not long ago ,i heard of ,professor and ,madame ,rapport and their new ,temple of the ,occult4 ,i went to it1 and later ,seward became interested1 too4 ,we have been taken into a sort of inner circle10 she continued fearfully1 as though there were some evil power in the very words themselves1 8the ,red ,lodge40 8,you have told ,dr4 ,vaughn80 shot out ,kennedy suddenly1 his eyes fixed on her face to see what it would betray4 ,veda leaned forward1 as if to tell a secret1 then whispered in a low voice1 8,he knows4 ,like us--he--he is a--,devil ,worshiper60 8,what80 exclaimed ,kennedy in wide-eyed astonishment4 8,a ,devil ,worshiper10 she repeated4 8,you haven't heard of the ,red ,lodge80 ,kennedy nodded negatively4 8,could you get us--initiated80 he hazarded4 8,p--perhaps10 she hesitated1 in a half-frightened tone4 8,i--,i'll try to get you in to-night40 ,she had risen1 half dazed1 as if her own temerity overwhelmed her4 8,you--poor girl10 blurted out ,kennedy1 his sympathies getting the upper hand for the moment as he took the hand she extended mutely4 8,trust me4 ,i will do all in my power1 all in the power of modern science to help you fight off this--influence40 ,there must have been something magnetic1 hypnotic in his eye4 8,i will stop here for you10 she murmured1 as she almost fled from the room4 ,personally1 ,i cannot say that ,i liked the idea of spying4 ,it is not usually clean and wholesome4 ,but ,i realized that occasionally it was necessary4 8,we are in for it now10 remarked ,kennedy half humorously1 half seriously1 8to see the ,devil in the twentieth century40 8,and ,i10 ,i added1 8,i am1 ,i suppose1 to be the reporter to ,satan40 ,we said nothing more about it1 but ,i thought much about it1 and the more ,i thought1 the more incomprehensible the thing seemed4 ,i had heard of ,devil ,worship1 but had always associated it with far-off ,indian and other heathen lands--in fact never among ,caucasians in modern times1 except possibly in ,paris4 ,was there such a cult here in my own city8 ,i felt skeptical4 ,that night1 however1 promptly at the appointed time1 a cab called for us1 and in it was ,veda ,blair1 nervous but determined4 8,seward has gone ahead10 she explained4 8,i told him that a friend had introduced you1 that you had studied the occult abroad4 ,i trust you to carry it out40 ,kennedy reassured her4 ,the curtains were drawn and we could see nothing outside1 though we must have been driven several miles1 far out into the suburbs4 ,at last the cab stopped4 ,as we left it we could see nothing of the building1 for the cab had entered a closed courtyard4 8,who enters the ,red ,lodge80 challenged a sepulchral voice at the porte-cochre4 8,give the password60 8,the ,serpent's ,tooth10 ,veda answered4 8,who are these80 asked the voice4 8,neophytes10 she replied1 and a whispered parley followed4 8,then enter60 announced the voice at length4 ,it was a large room into which we were first ushered1 to be inducted into the rites of ,satan4 ,there seemed to be both men and women1 perhaps half a dozen votaries4 ,seward ,blair was already present4 ,as ,i met him1 ,i did not like the look in his eye2 it was too stary4 ,dr4 ,vaughn was there1 too1 talking in a low tone to ,madame ,rapport4 ,he shot a quick look at us4 ,his were not eyes but gimlets that tried to bore into your very soul4 ,chatting with ,seward ,blair was a ,mrs4 ,langhorne1 a very beautiful woman4 ,to-night she seemed to be unnaturally excited4 ,all seemed to be on most intimate terms1 and1 as we waited a few minutes1 ,i could not help recalling a sentence from ,huysmans3 8,the worship of the ,devil is no more insane than the worship of ,god4 ,the worshipers of ,satan are mystics--mystics of an unclean sort1 it is true1 but mystics none the less40 ,i did not agree with it1 and did not repeat it1 of course1 but a moment later ,i overheard ,dr4 ,vaughn saying to ,kennedy3 8,hoffman brought the ,devil into modern life4 ,poe forgoes the aid of demons and works patiently and precisely by the scientific method4 ,but the result is the same40 8,yes10 agreed ,kennedy for the sake of appearances1 8in a sense1 ,i suppose1 we are all devil worshipers in modern society--always have been4 ,it is fear that rules and we fear the bad--not the good40 ,as we waited1 ,i felt1 more and more1 the sense of the mysterious1 the secret1 the unknown which have always exercised a powerful attraction on the human mind4 ,even the aeroplane and the submarine1 the ,x-ray and wireless have not banished the occult4 ,in it1 ,i felt1 there was fascination for the frivolous and deep appeal to the intellectual and spiritual4 ,the ,temple of the ,occult had evidently been designed to appeal to both types4 ,i wondered how1 like ,lucifer1 it had fallen4 ,the prime requisite1 ,i could guess already1 however1 was--money4 ,was it in its worship of the root of all evil that it had fallen8 ,we passed soon into another room1 hung entirely in red1 with weird1 cabalistic signs all about1 on the walls4 ,it was uncanny1 creepy4 ,a huge reproduction in plaster of one of the most sardonic of ,notre ,dame's gargoyles seemed to preside over everything--a terrible figure in such an atmosphere4 ,as we entered1 we were struck by the blinding glare of the light1 in contrast with the darkened room in which we had passed our brief novitiate1 if it might be called such4 ,suddenly the lights were extinguished4 ,the great gargoyle shone with an infernal light of its own6 8,phosphorescent paint10 whispered ,kennedy to me4 ,still1 it did not detract from the weird effect to know what caused it4 ,there was a startling noise in the general hush4 8,sata60 cried one of the devotees4 ,a door opened and there appeared the veritable priest of the ,devil--pale of face1 nose sharp1 mouth bitter1 eyes glassy4 8,that is ,rapport10 ,vaughn whispered to me4 ,the worshipers crowded forward4 ,without a word1 he raised his long1 lean forefinger and began to single them out impressively4 ,as he did so1 each spoke1 as if imploring aid4 ,he came to ,mrs4 ,langhorne4 8,i have tried the charm10 she cried earnestly1 8and the one whom ,i love still hates me1 while the one ,i hate loves me60 8,concentrate60 replied the priest1 8concentrate6 ,think always #8,i love him4 ,he must love me4 ,i want him to love me4 ,i love him4 ,he must love me4' ,over and over again you must think it4 ,then the other side1 #8,i hate him4 ,he must leave me4 ,i want him to leave me4 ,i hate him--hate him4'0 ,around the circle he went4 ,at last his lean finger was outstretched at ,veda4 ,it seemed as if some imp of the perverse were compelling her unwilling tongue to unlock its secrets4 8,sometimes10 she cried in a low1 tremulous voice1 8something seems to seize me1 as if by the hand and urge me onward4 ,i cannot flee from it40 8,defend yourself60 answered the priest subtly4 8,when you know that some one is trying to kill you mentally1 defend yourself6 ,work against it by every means in your power4 ,discourage6 ,intimidate6 ,destroy60 ,i marveled at these cryptic utterances4 ,they shadowed a modern ,black ,art1 of which ,i had had no conception--a recrudescence in other language of the age-old dualism of good and evil4 ,it was a sort of mental malpractice4 8,over and over again10 he went on speaking to her1 8the same thought is to be repeated against an enemy4 #8,you know you are going to die6 ,you know you are going to die6' ,do it an hour1 two hours1 at a time4 ,others can help you1 all thinking in unison the same thought40 ,what was this1 ,i asked myself breathlessly--a new transcendental toxicology8 ,slowly1 a strange mephitic vapor seemed to exhale into the room--or was it my heightened imagination8 ,,chapter ,,xxiii ,,the ,,psychic ,,curse ,there came a sudden noise--nameless--striking terror1 low1 rattling4 ,i stood rooted to the spot4 ,what was it that held me8 ,was it an atavistic joy in the horrible or was it merely a blasphemous curiosity8 ,i scarcely dared to look4 ,at last ,i raised my eyes4 ,there was a live snake1 upraised1 his fangs striking out viciously--a rattler6 ,i would have drawn back and fled1 but ,craig caught my arm4 8,caged10 he whispered monosyllabically4 ,i shuddered4 ,this1 at least1 was no drawing-room diablerie4 8,it is ,ophis10 intoned ,rapport1 8the ,serpent--the one active form in ,nature that cannot be ungraceful60 ,the appearance of the basilisk seemed to heighten the tension4 ,at last it broke loose and then followed the most terrible blasphemies4 ,the disciples1 now all frenzied1 surrounded closer the priest1 the gargoyle and the serpent4 ,they worshiped with howls and obscenities4 ,mad laughter mingled with pale fear and wild scorn in turns were written on the hectic faces about me4 ,they had risen--it became a dance1 a reel4 ,the votaries seemed to spin about on their axes1 as it were1 uttering a low1 moaning chant as they whirled4 ,it was a mania1 the spirit of demonism4 ,something unseen seemed to urge them on4 ,disgusted and stifled at the surcharged atmosphere1 ,i would have tried to leave1 but ,i seemed frozen to the spot4 ,i could think of nothing except ,poe's ,masque of the ,red ,death4 ,above all the rest whirled ,seward ,blair himself4 ,the laugh of the fiend1 for the moment1 was in his mouth4 ,an instant he stood--the oracle of the ,demon--devil-possessed4 ,around whirled the frantic devotees1 howling4 ,shrilly he cried1 8,the ,devil is in me60 ,forward staggered the devil dancer--tall1 haggard1 with deep sunken eyes and matted hair1 face now smeared with dirt and blood-red with the reflection of the strange1 unearthly phosphorescence4 ,he reeled slowly through the crowd1 crooning a quatrain1 in a low1 monotonous voice1 his eyelids drooping and his head forward on his breast3 ,if the ,red ,slayer think he slays1 ,or the slain think he is slain1 ,they know not well the subtle ways ,i keep and pass and turn again6 ,entranced the whirling crowd paused and watched4 ,one of their number had received the 8power40 ,he was swaying slowly to and fro4 8,look60 whispered ,kennedy4 ,his fingers twitched1 his head wagged uncannily4 ,perspiration seemed to ooze from every pore4 ,his breast heaved4 ,he gave a sudden yell--ear-piercing4 ,then followed a screech of hellish laughter4 ,the dance had ended1 the dancers spellbound at the sight4 ,he was whirling slowly1 eyes protruding now1 mouth foaming1 chest rising and falling like a bellows1 muscles quivering4 ,cries1 vows1 imprecations1 prayers1 all blended in an infernal hubbub4 ,with a burst of ghastly1 guttural laughter1 he shrieked1 8,i am the ,devil60 ,his arms waved--cutting1 sawing1 hacking the air4 ,the votaries1 trembling1 scarcely moved1 breathed1 as he danced4 ,suddenly he gave a great leap into the air--then fell1 motionless4 ,they crowded around him4 ,the fiendish look was gone--the demoniac laughter stilled4 ,it was over4 ,the tension of the orgy had been too much for us4 ,we parted1 with scarcely a word1 and yet ,i could feel that among the rest there was a sort of unholy companionship4 ,silently1 ,kennedy and ,i drove away in the darkened cab1 this time with ,seward and ,veda ,blair and ,mrs4 ,langhorne4 ,for several minutes not a word was said4 ,i was1 however1 much occupied in watching the two women4 ,it was not because of anything they said or did4 ,that was not necessary4 ,but ,i felt that there was a feud1 something that set them against each other4 8,how would ,rapport use the death thought1 ,i wonder80 asked ,craig speculatively1 breaking the silence4 ,blair answered quickly4 8,suppose some one tried to break away1 to renounce the ,lodge1 expose its secrets4 ,they would treat him so as to make him harmless--perhaps insane1 confused1 afraid to talk1 paralyzed1 or even to commit suicide or be killed in an accident4 ,they would put the death thought on him60 ,even in the prosaic jolting of the cab1 away from the terrible mysteries of the ,red ,lodge1 one could feel the spell4 ,the cab stopped4 ,seward was on his feet in a moment and handing ,mrs4 ,langhorne out at her home4 ,for a moment they paused on the steps for an exchange of words4 ,in that moment ,i caught flitting over the face of ,veda a look of hatred1 more intense1 more real1 more awful than any that had been induced under the mysteries of the rites at the ,lodge4 ,it was gone in an instant1 and as ,seward rejoined us ,i felt that1 with ,mrs4 ,langhorne gone1 there was less restraint4 ,i wondered whether it was she who had inspired the fear in ,veda4 ,although it was more comfortable1 the rest of our journey was made in silence and the ,blairs dropped us at our apartment with many expressions of cordiality as we left them to proceed to their own4 8,of one thing ,i'm sure10 ,i remarked1 entering the room where only a few short hours before ,mrs4 ,blair had related her strange tale4 8,whatever the cause of it1 the devil dancers don't sham40 ,kennedy did not reply4 ,he was apparently wrapped up in the consideration of the remarkable events of the evening4 ,as for myself1 it was a state of affairs which1 the day before1 ,i should have pronounced utterly beyond the wildest bounds of the imagination of the most colorful writer4 ,yet here it was2 ,i had seen it4 ,i glanced up to find ,kennedy standing by the light examining something he had apparently picked up at the ,red ,lodge4 ,i bent over to look at it1 too4 ,it was a little glass tube4 8,an ampoule1 ,i believe the technical name of such a container is10 he remarked1 holding it closer to the light4 ,in it were the remains of a dried yellow substance1 broken up minutely1 resembling crystals4 8,who dropped it80 ,i asked4 8,vaughn1 ,i think10 he replied4 8,at least1 ,i saw him near ,blair1 stooping over him1 at the end1 and ,i imagine this is what ,i saw gleaming for an instant in the light40 ,kennedy said nothing more1 and for my part ,i was thoroughly at sea and could make nothing out of it all4 8,what object can such a man as ,dr4 ,vaughn possibly have in frequenting such a place80 ,i asked at length1 adding1 8,and there's that ,mrs4 ,langhorne--she was interesting1 too40 ,kennedy made no direct reply4 8,i shall have them shadowed to-morrow10 he said briefly1 8while ,i am at work in the laboratory over this ampoule40 ,as usual1 also1 ,craig had begun on his scientific studies long before ,i was able to shake myself loose from the nightmares that haunted me after our weird experience of the evening4 ,he had already given the order to an agency for the shadowing1 and his next move was to start me out1 also1 looking into the history of those concerned in the case4 ,as far as ,i was able to determine1 ,dr4 ,vaughn had an excellent reputation1 and ,i could find no reason whatever for his connection with anything of the nature of the ,red ,lodge4 ,the ,rapports seemed to be nearly unknown in ,new ,york1 although it was reported that they had come from ,paris lately4 ,mrs4 ,langhorne was a divorce from one of the western states1 but little was known about her1 except that she always seemed to be well supplied with money4 ,it seemed to be well known in the circle in which ,seward ,blair moved that he was friendly with her1 and ,i had about reached the conclusion that she was unscrupulously making use of his friendship1 perhaps was not above such a thing as blackmail4 ,thus the day passed1 and we heard no word from ,veda ,blair1 although that was explained by the shadows1 whose trails crossed in a most unexpected manner4 ,their reports showed that there was a meeting at the ,red ,lodge during the late afternoon1 at which all had been present except ,dr4 ,vaughn4 ,we learned also from them the exact location of the ,lodge1 in an old house just across the line in ,westchester4 ,it was evidently a long and troublesome analysis that ,craig was engaged in at the laboratory1 for it was some hours after dinner that night when he came into the apartment1 and even then he said nothing1 but buried himself in some of the technical works with which his library was stocked4 ,he said little1 but ,i gathered that he was in great doubt about something1 perhaps1 as much as anything1 about how to proceed with so peculiar a case4 ,it was growing late1 and ,kennedy was still steeped in his books1 when the door of the apartment1 which we happened to have left unlocked1 was suddenly thrown open and ,seward ,blair burst in on us1 wildly excited4 8,veda is gone60 he cried1 before either of us could ask him what was the matter4 8,gone80 repeated ,kennedy4 8,how--where80 8,i don't know10 ,blair blurted out breathlessly4 8,we had been out together this afternoon1 and ,i returned with her4 ,then ,i went out to the club after dinner for a while1 and when ,i got back ,i missed her--not quarter of an hour ago4 ,i burst into her room--and there ,i found this note4 ,read it4 ,i don't know what to do4 ,no one seems to know what has become of her4 ,i've called up all over and then thought perhaps you might help me1 might know some friend of hers that ,i don't know1 with whom she might have gone out40 ,blair was plainly eager for us to help him4 ,kennedy took the paper from him4 ,on it1 in a trembling hand1 were scrawled some words1 evidently addressed to ,blair himself3 8,you would forgive me and pity me if you knew what ,i have been through4 8,when ,i refused to yield my will to the will of the ,lodge ,i suppose ,i aroused the enmity of the ,lodge4 8,to-night as ,i lay in bed1 alone1 ,i felt that my hour had come1 that mental forces that were almost irresistible were being directed against me4 8,i realized that ,i must fight not only for my sanity but for my life4 8,for hours ,i have fought that fight4 8,but during those hours1 some one1 ,i won't say who1 seemed to have developed such psychic faculties of penetration that they were able to make their bodies pass through the walls of my room4 8,at last ,i am conquered4 ,i pray that you--0 ,the writing broke off abruptly1 as if she had left it in wild flight4 8,what does that mean80 asked ,kennedy1 8the #8will of the ,lodge'80 ,blair looked at us keenly4 ,i fancied that there was even something accusatory in the look4 8,perhaps it was some mental reservation on her part10 he suggested4 8,you do not know yourself of any reason why she should fear anything1 do you80 he asked pointedly4 ,kennedy did not betray even by the motion of an eyelash that we knew more than we should ostensibly4 ,there was a tap at the door4 ,i sprang to open it1 thinking perhaps1 after all1 it was ,veda herself4 ,instead1 a man1 a stranger1 stood there4 8,is this ,professor ,kennedy80 he asked1 touching his hat4 ,craig nodded4 8,i am from the psychopathic ward of the ,city ,hospital--an orderly1 sir10 the man introduced4 8,yes10 encouraged ,craig1 8what can ,i do for you80 8,a ,mrs4 ,blair has just been brought in1 sir1 and we can't find her husband4 ,she's calling for you now40 ,kennedy stared from the orderly to ,seward ,blair1 startled1 speechless4 8,what has happened80 asked ,blair anxiously4 8,i am ,mr4 ,blair40 ,the orderly shook his head4 ,he had delivered his message4 ,that was all he knew4 8,what do you suppose it is80 ,i asked1 as we sped across town in a taxicab4 8,is it the curse that she dreaded80 ,kennedy said nothing and ,blair appeared to hear nothing4 ,his face was drawn in tense lines4 ,the psychopathic ward is at once one of the most interesting and one of the most depressing departments of a large city hospital1 harboring1 as it does1 all from the more or less harmless insane to violent alcoholics and wrecked drug fiends4 ,mrs4 ,blair1 we learned1 had been found hatless1 without money1 dazed1 having fallen1 after an apparently aimless wandering in the streets4 ,for the moment she lay exhausted on the white bed of the ward1 eyes glazed1 pupils contracted1 pulse now quick1 now almost evanescent1 face drawn1 breathing difficult1 moaning now and then in physical and mental agony4 ,until she spoke it was impossible to tell what had happened1 but the ambulance surgeon had found a little red mark on her white forearm and had pointed it out1 evidently with the idea that she was suffering from a drug4 ,at the mere sight of the mark1 ,blair stared as though hypnotized4 ,leaning over to ,kennedy1 so that the others could not hear1 he whispered1 8,it is the mark of the serpent60 ,our arrival had been announced to the hospital physician1 who entered and stood for a moment looking at the patient4 8,i think it is a drug--a poison10 he said meditatively4 8,you haven't found out yet what it is1 then80 asked ,craig4 ,the physician shook his head doubtfully4 8,whatever it is10 he said slowly1 8it is closely allied to the cyanide groups in its rapacious activity4 ,i haven't the slightest idea of its true nature1 but it seems to have a powerful affinity for important nerve centers of respiration and muscular coordination1 as well as for disorganizing the blood4 ,i should say that it produces death by respiratory paralysis and convulsions4 ,to my mind it is an exact1 though perhaps less active1 counterpart of hydrocyanic acid40 ,kennedy had been listening intently at the start1 but before the physician had finished he had bent over and made a ligature quickly with his handkerchief4 ,then he dispatched a messenger with a note4 ,next he cut about the minute wound on her arm until the blood flowed1 cupping it to increase the flow4 ,now and then he had them administer a little stimulant4 ,he had worked rapidly1 while ,blair watched him with a sort of fascination4 8,get ,dr4 ,vaughn10 ordered ,craig1 as soon as he had a breathing spell after his quick work1 adding1 8and ,professor and ,madame ,rapport4 ,walter1 attend to that1 will you8 ,i think you will find an officer outside4 ,you'll have to compel them to come1 if they won't come otherwise10 he added1 giving the address of the ,lodge1 as we had found it4 ,blair shot a quick look at him1 as though ,craig in his knowledge were uncanny4 ,apparently1 the address had been a secret which he thought we did not know4 ,i managed to find an officer and dispatch him for the ,rapports4 ,a hospital orderly1 ,i thought1 would serve to get ,dr4 ,vaughn4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,,the ,,serpent',s ,,tooth ,i had scarcely returned to the ward when1 suddenly1 an unnatural strength seemed to be infused into ,veda4 ,she had risen in bed4 8,it shall not catch me60 she cried in a new paroxysm of nameless terror4 8,no--no--it is pursuing me4 ,i am never out of its grasp4 ,i have been thought six feet underground--,i know it4 ,there it is again--still driving me--still driving me6 8,will it never stop8 ,will no one stop it8 ,save me6 ,it--is the death thought60 ,she had risen convulsively and had drawn back in abject1 cowering terror4 ,what was it she saw8 ,evidently it was very real and very awful4 ,it pursued her relentlessly4 ,as she lay there1 rolling her eyes about1 she caught sight of us and recognized us for the first time1 although she had been calling for us4 8,they had the thought on you1 too1 ,professor ,kennedy10 she almost screamed4 8,hour after hour1 ,rapport and the rest repeated over and over again1 #8,why does not some one kill him8 ,why does he not die8' ,they knew you--even when ,i brought you to the ,red ,lodge4 ,they thought you were a spy40 ,i turned to ,kennedy4 ,he had advanced and was leaning over to catch every word4 ,blair was standing behind me and she had not seen her husband yet4 ,a quick glance showed me that he was trembling from head to foot like a leaf1 as though he1 too1 were pursued by the nameless terror4 8,what did they do80 ,kennedy asked in a low tone4 ,fearfully1 gripping the bars of the iron bed1 as though they were some tangible support for her mind1 she answered3 8,they would get together4 #8,now1 all of you1' they said1 #8unite yourselves in thought against our enemy1 against ,kennedy1 that he must leave off persecuting us4 ,he is ripe for destruction6'0 ,kennedy glanced sidewise at me1 with a significant look4 8,god grant10 she implored1 8that none haunt me for what ,i have done in my ignorance60 ,just then the door opened and my messenger entered1 accompanied by ,dr4 ,vaughn4 ,i had turned to catch the expression on ,blair's face just in time4 ,it was a look of abject appeal4 ,before ,dr4 ,vaughn could ask a question1 or fairly take in the situation1 ,kennedy had faced him4 8,what was the purpose of all that elaborate mummery out at the ,red ,lodge80 asked ,kennedy pointblank4 ,i think ,i looked at ,craig in no less amazement than ,vaughn4 ,in spite of the dramatic scenes through which we had passed1 the spell of the occult had not fallen on him for an instant4 8,mummery80 repeated ,dr4 ,vaughn1 bending his penetrating eyes on ,kennedy1 as if he would force him to betray himself first4 8,yes10 reiterated ,craig4 8,you know as well as ,i do that it has been said that it is a well-established fact that the world wants to be deceived and is willing to pay for the privilege40 ,dr4 ,vaughn still gazed from one to the other of us defiantly4 8,you know what ,i mean10 persisted ,kennedy1 8the mumbo-jumbo--just as the ,haitian obi man sticks pins in a doll or melts a wax figure of his enemy4 ,that is supposed to be an outward sign4 ,but back of this terrible power that people believe moves in darkness and mystery is something tangible--something real40 ,dr4 ,vaughn looked up sharply at him1 ,i think mistaking ,kennedy's meaning4 ,if he did1 all doubt that ,kennedy attributed anything to the supernatural was removed as he went on3 8,at first ,i had no explanation of the curious events ,i have just witnessed1 and the more ,i thought about them1 the more obscure did they seem4 8,i have tried to reason the thing out10 he continued thoughtfully4 8,did auto-suggestion1 self-hypnotism explain what ,i have seen8 ,has ,veda ,blair been driven almost to death by her own fears only80 ,no one interrupted and he answered his own question4 8,somehow the idea that it was purely fear that had driven her on did not satisfy me4 ,as ,i said1 ,i wanted something more tangible4 ,i could not help thinking that it was not merely subjective4 ,there was something objective1 some force at work1 something more than psychic in the result achieved by this criminal mental marauder1 whoever it is40 ,i was following ,kennedy's reasoning now closely4 ,as he proceeded1 the point that he was making seemed more clear to me4 ,persons of a certain type of mind could be really mentally unbalanced by such methods which we had heard outlined1 where the mere fact of another trying to exert power over them became known to them4 ,they would1 as a matter of fact1 unbalance themselves1 thinking about and fighting off imaginary terrors4 ,such people1 ,i could readily see1 might be quickly controlled1 and in the wake of such control would follow stifled love1 wrecked homes1 ruined fortunes1 suicide and even death4 ,dr4 ,vaughn leaned forward critically4 8,what did you conclude1 then1 was the explanation of what you saw last night80 he asked sharply4 ,kennedy met his question squarely1 without flinching4 8,it looks to me10 he replied quietly1 8like a sort of hystero-epilepsy4 ,it is well known1 ,i believe1 to demonologists--those who have studied this sort of thing4 ,they have recognized the contortions1 the screams1 the wild1 blasphemous talk1 the cataleptic rigidity4 ,they are epileptiform40 ,vaughn said nothing1 but continued to weigh ,kennedy as if in a balance4 ,i1 who knew him1 knew that it would take a greater than ,vaughn to find him wanting1 once ,kennedy chose to speak4 ,as for ,vaughn1 was he trying to hide behind some technicality in medical ethics8 8,dr4 ,vaughn10 continued ,craig1 as if goading him to the point of breaking down his calm silence1 8you are specialist enough to know these things as well1 better than ,i do4 ,you must know that epilepsy is one of the most peculiar diseases4 8,the victim may be in good physical condition1 apparently4 ,in fact1 some hardly know that they have it4 ,but it is something more than merely the fits4 ,always there is something wrong mentally4 ,it is not the motor disturbance so much as the disturbance of consciousness40 ,kennedy was talking slowly1 deliberately1 so that none could drop a link in the reasoning4 8,perhaps one in ten epileptics has insane periods1 more or less10 he went on1 8and there is no more dangerous form of insanity4 ,self-consciousness is lost1 and in this state of automatism the worst of crimes have been committed without the subsequent knowledge of the patient4 ,in that state they are no more responsible than are the actors in one's dreams40 ,the hospital physician entered1 accompanied by ,craig's messenger1 breathless4 ,craig almost seized the package from his hands and broke the seal4 8,ah--this is what ,i wanted10 he exclaimed1 with an air of relief1 forgetting for the time the exposition of the case that he was engaged in4 8,here ,i have some anti-crotalus venine1 of ,drs4 ,flexner and ,noguchi4 ,fortunately1 in the city it is within easy reach40 ,quickly1 with the aid of the physician he injected it into ,veda's arm4 8,of all substances in nature10 he remarked1 still at work over the unfortunate woman1 8none is so little known as the venom of serpents40 ,it was a startling idea which the sentence had raised in my mind4 ,all at once ,i recalled the first remark of ,seward ,blair1 in which he had repeated the password that had admitted us into the ,red ,lodge--8the ,serpent's ,tooth40 ,could it have been that she had really been bitten at some of the orgies by the serpent which they worshiped hideously hissing in its cage8 ,i was sure that1 at least until they were compelled1 none would say anything about it4 ,was that the interpretation of the almost hypnotized look on ,blair's face8 8,we know next to nothing of the composition of the protein bodies in the venoms which have such terrific1 quick physiological effects10 ,kennedy was saying4 8,they have been studied1 it is true1 but we cannot really say that they are understood--or even that there are any adequate tests by which they can be recognized4 ,the fact is1 that snake venoms are about the safest of poisons for the criminal40 ,kennedy had scarcely propounded this startling idea when a car was heard outside4 ,the ,rapports had arrived1 with the officer ,i had sent after them1 protesting and threatening4 ,they quieted down a bit as they entered1 and after a quick glance around saw who was present4 ,professor ,rapport gave one glance at the victim lying exhausted on the bed1 then drew back1 melodramatically1 and cried1 8,the ,serpent--the mark of the serpent60 ,for a moment ,kennedy gazed full in the eyes of them all4 8,was it a snake bite80 he asked slowly1 then1 turning to ,mrs4 ,blair1 after a quick glance1 he went on rapidly1 8,the first thing to ascertain is whether the mark consists of two isolated punctures1 from the poison-conducting teeth or fangs of the snake1 which are constructed like a hypodermic needle40 ,the hospital physician had bent over her at the words1 and before ,kennedy could go on interrupted3 8,this was not a snake bite2 it was more likely from an all-glass hypodermic syringe with a platinum-iridium needle40 ,professor ,rapport1 priest of the ,devil1 advanced a step menacingly toward ,kennedy4 8,remember10 he said in a low1 angry tone1 8remember--you are pledged to keep the secrets of the ,red ,lodge60 ,craig brushed aside the sophistry with a sentence4 8,i do not recognize any secrets that ,i have to keep about the meeting this afternoon to which you summoned the ,blairs and ,mrs4 ,langhorne1 according to reports from the shadows ,i had placed on ,mrs4 ,langhorne and ,dr4 ,vaughn40 ,if there is such a thing as the evil eye1 ,rapport's must have been a pair of them1 as he realized that ,kennedy had resorted to the simple devices of shadowing the devotees4 ,a cry1 almost a shriek1 startled us4 ,kennedy's encounter with ,rapport had had an effect which none of us had considered4 ,the step or two in advance which the prophet had taken had brought him into the line of vision of the still half-stupefied ,veda lying back of ,kennedy on the hospital cot4 ,the mere sight of him1 the sound of his voice and the mention of the ,red ,lodge had been sufficient to penetrate that stupor4 ,she was sitting bolt upright1 a ghastly1 trembling specter4 ,slowly a smile seemed to creep over the cruel face of the mystic4 ,was it not a recognition of his hypnotic power8 ,kennedy turned and laid a gentle hand on the quaking convulsed figure of the woman4 ,one could feel the electric tension in the air1 the battle of two powers for good or evil4 ,which would win--the old fascination of the occult or the new power of science8 ,it was a dramatic moment4 ,yet not so dramatic as the outcome4 ,to my surprise1 neither won4 ,suddenly she caught sight of her husband4 ,her face changed4 ,all the prehistoric jealousy of which woman is capable seemed to blaze forth4 8,i will defend myself60 she cried4 8,i will fight back6 ,she shall not win--she shall not have you--no--she shall not--never60 ,i recalled the strained feeling between the two women that ,i had noticed in the cab4 ,was it ,mrs4 ,langhorne who had been the disturbing influence1 whose power she feared1 over herself and over her husband8 ,rapport had fallen back a step1 but not from the mind of ,kennedy4 8,here10 challenged ,craig1 facing the group and drawing from his pocket the glass ampoule1 8,i picked this up at the ,red ,lodge last night40 ,he held it out in his hand before the ,rapports so that they could not help but see it4 ,were they merely good actors8 ,they betrayed nothing1 at least by face or action4 8,it is crotalin10 he announced1 8the venom of the rattlesnake--crotalus horridus4 ,it has been noticed that persons suffering from certain diseases of which epilepsy is one1 after having been bitten by a rattlesnake1 if they recover from the snake bite1 are cured of the disease40 ,kennedy was forging straight ahead now in his exposure4 8,crotalin10 he continued1 8is one of the new drugs used in the treatment of epilepsy4 ,but it is a powerful two-edged instrument4 ,some one who knew the drug1 who perhaps had used it1 has tried an artificial bite of a rattler on ,veda ,blair1 not for epilepsy1 but for another1 diabolical purpose1 thinking to cover up the crime1 either as the result of the so-called death thought of the ,lodge or as the bite of the real rattler at the ,lodge40 ,kennedy had at last got under ,dr4 ,vaughn's guard4 ,all his reticence was gone4 8,i joined the cult10 he confessed4 8,i did it in order to observe and treat one of my patients for epilepsy4 ,i justified myself4 ,i said1 #8,i will be the exposer1 not the accomplice1 of this modern ,satanism4' ,i joined it and--0 8,there is no use trying to shield anyone1 ,vaughn10 rapped out ,kennedy1 scarcely taking time to listen4 8,an epileptic of the most dangerous criminal type has arranged this whole elaborate setting as a plot to get rid of the wife who brought him his fortune and now stands in the way of his unholy love of ,mrs4 ,langhorne4 ,he used you to get the poison with which you treated him4 ,he used the ,rapports with money to play on her mysticism by their so-called death thought1 while he watched his opportunity to inject the fatal crotalin40 ,craig faced the criminal1 whose eyes now showed more plainly than words his deranged mental condition1 and in a low tone added1 8,the ,devil is in you1 ,seward ,blair60 ,,chapter ,,xxv ,,the 8,,happy ,,dust0 ,veda ,blair's rescue from the strange use that was made of the venom came at a time when the city was aroused as it never had been before over the nation-wide agitation against drugs4 ,already1 it will be recalled1 ,kennedy and ,i had had some recent experience with dope fiends of various kinds1 but this case ,i set down because it drew us more intimately into the crusade4 8,i've called on you1 ,professor ,kennedy1 to see if ,i can't interest you in the campaign ,i am planning against drugs40 ,mrs4 ,claydon ,sutphen1 social leader and suffragist1 had scarcely more than introduced herself when she launched earnestly into the reason for her visit to us4 8,you don't realize it1 perhaps10 she continued rapidly1 8but very often a little silver bottle of tablets is as much a necessary to some women of the smart set as cosmetics40 8,i've heard of such cases10 nodded ,craig encouragingly4 8,well1 you see ,i became interested in the subject10 she added1 8when ,i saw some of my own friends going down4 ,that's how ,i came to plan the campaign in the first place40 ,she paused1 evidently nervous4 8,i've been threatened1 too10 she went on1 8but ,i'm not going to give up the fight4 ,people think that drugs are a curse only to the underworld1 but they have no idea what inroads the habit has made in the upper world1 too4 ,oh1 it is awful60 she exclaimed4 ,suddenly1 she leaned over and whispered1 8,why1 there's my own sister1 ,mrs4 ,garrett4 ,she began taking drugs after an operation1 and now they have a terrible hold on her4 ,i needn't try to conceal anything4 ,it's all been published in the papers--everybody knows it4 ,think of it--divorced1 disgraced1 all through these cursed drugs6 ,dr4 ,coleman1 our family physician1 has done everything known to break up the habit1 but he hasn't succeeded40 ,dr4 ,coleman1 ,i knew1 was a famous society physician4 ,if he had failed1 ,i wondered why she thought a detective might succeed4 ,but it was evidently another purpose she had in mind in introducing the subject4 8,so you can understand what it all means to me1 personally10 she resumed1 with a sigh4 8,i've studied the thing--,i've been forced to study it4 ,why1 now the exploiters are even making drug fiends of mere--children60 ,mrs4 ,sutphen spread out a crumpled sheet of note paper before us on which was written something in a trembling scrawl4 8,for instance1 here's a letter ,i received only yesterday40 ,kennedy glanced over it carefully4 ,it was signed 8,a ,friend10 and read3 8,i have heard of your drug war in the newspapers and wish to help you1 only ,i don't dare to do so openly4 ,but ,i can assure you that if you will investigate what ,i am about to tell you1 you will soon be on the trail of those higher up in this terrible drug business4 ,there is a little center of the traffic on ,west #ffth ,street1 just off ,broadway4 ,i cannot tell you more1 but if you can investigate it1 you will be doing more good than you can possibly realize now4 ,there is one girl there1 whom they call #8,snowbird4' ,if you could only get hold of her quietly and place her in a sanitarium you might save her yet40 ,craig was more than ordinarily interested4 8,and the children--what did you mean by that80 8,why1 it's literally true10 asserted ,mrs4 ,sutphen in a horrified tone4 8,some of the victims are actually school children4 ,up there in #ffth ,street we have found a man named ,armstrong1 who seems to be very friendly with this young girl whom they call #8,snowbird4' ,her real name1 by the way1 is ,sawtelle1 ,i believe4 ,she can't be over eighteen1 a mere child1 yet she's a slave to the stuff40 8,oh1 then you have actually already acted on the hint in the letter80 asked ,craig4 8,yes10 she replied1 8,i've had one of the agents of our ,anti-,drug ,society1 a social worker1 investigating the neighborhood40 ,kennedy nodded for her to go on4 8,i've even investigated myself a little1 and now ,i want to employ some one to break the thing up4 ,my husband had heard of you and so here ,i am4 ,can you help me80 ,there was a note of appeal in her voice that was irresistible to a man who had the heart of ,kennedy4 8,tell me just what you have discovered so far10 he asked simply4 8,well10 she replied slowly1 8after my agent verified the contents of the letter1 ,i watched until ,i saw this girl--she's a mere child1 as ,i said--going to a cabaret in the neighborhood4 ,what struck me was that ,i saw her go in looking like a wreck and come out a beautiful creature1 with bright eyes1 flushed cheeks1 almost youthful again4 ,a most remarkable girl she is1 too10 mused ,mrs4 ,sutphen1 8who always wears a white gown1 white hat1 white shoes and white stockings4 ,it must be a mania with her40 ,mrs4 ,sutphen seemed to have exhausted her small store of information1 and as she rose to go ,kennedy rose also4 8,i shall be glad to look into the case1 ,mrs4 ,sutphen10 he promised4 8,i'm sure there is something that can be done--there must be40 8,thank you1 ever so much10 she murmured1 as she paused at the door1 something still on her mind4 8,and perhaps1 too10 she added1 8you may run across my sister1 ,mrs4 ,garrett40 8,indeed10 he assured her1 8if there is anything ,i can possibly do that will assist you personally1 ,i shall be only too happy to do it40 8,thank you again1 ever so much10 she repeated with just a little choke in her voice4 ,for several moments ,kennedy sat contemplating the anonymous letter which she had left with him1 studying both its contents and the handwriting4 8,we must go over the ground up there again10 he remarked finally4 8,perhaps we can do better than ,mrs4 ,sutphen and her drug investigator have done40 ,half an hour later we had arrived and were sauntering along the street in question1 walking slowly up and down in the now fast-gathering dusk4 ,it was a typical cheap apartment block of variegated character1 with people sitting idly on the narrow front steps and children spilling out into the roadway in imminent danger of their young lives from every passing automobile4 ,on the crowded sidewalk a creation in white hurtled past us4 ,one glance at the tense face in the flickering arc light was enough for ,kennedy4 ,he pulled my arm and we turned and followed at a safe distance4 ,she looked like a girl who could not have been more than eighteen1 if she was as old as that4 ,she was pretty1 too1 but already her face was beginning to look old and worn from the use of drugs4 ,it was unmistakable4 ,in spite of the fact that she was hurrying1 it was not difficult to follow her in the crowd1 as she picked her way in and out1 and finally turned into ,broadway where the white lights were welcoming the night4 ,under the glare of a huge electric sign she stopped a moment1 then entered one of the most notorious of the cabarets4 ,we entered also at a discreet distance and sat down at a table4 8,don't look around1 ,walter10 whispered ,craig1 as the waiter took our order1 8but to your right is ,mrs4 ,sutphen40 ,if he had mentioned any other name in the world1 ,i could not have been more surprised4 ,i waited impatiently until ,i could pick her out from the corner of my eye4 ,sure enough1 it was ,mrs4 ,sutphen and another woman4 ,what they were doing there ,i could not imagine1 for neither had the look of habitues of such a place4 ,i followed ,kennedy's eye and found that he was gazing furtively at a flashily dressed young man who was sitting alone at the far end in a sort of booth upholstered in leather4 ,the girl in white1 whom ,i was now sure was ,miss ,sawtelle1 went over and greeted him4 ,it was too far to see just what happened1 but the young woman after sitting down rose and left almost immediately4 ,as nearly as ,i could make out1 she had got something from him which she had dropped into her handbag and was now hugging the handbag close to herself almost as if it were gold4 ,we sat for a few minutes debating just what to do1 when ,mrs4 ,sutphen and her friend rose4 ,as she passed out1 a quick1 covert glance told us to follow4 ,we did so and the two turned into ,broadway4 8,let me present you to ,miss ,mc,cann10 introduced ,mrs4 ,sutphen as we caught up with them4 8,miss ,mc,cann is a social worker and trained investigator whom ,i'm employing40 ,we bowed1 but before we could ask a question1 ,mrs4 ,sutphen cried excitedly3 8,i think ,i have a clue1 anyway4 ,we've traced the source of the drugs at least as far as that young fellow1 #8,whitecap1' whom you saw in there40 ,i had not recognized his face1 although ,i had undoubtedly seen pictures of him before4 ,but no sooner had ,i heard the name than ,i recognized it as that of one of the most notorious gang leaders on the ,west ,side4 ,not only that1 but ,whitecap's gang played an important part in local politics4 ,there was scarcely a form of crime or vice to which ,whitecap and his followers could not turn a skilled hand1 whether it was swinging an election1 running a gambling club1 or dispensing 8dope40 8,you see10 she explained1 8even before ,i saw you1 my suspicions were aroused and ,i determined to obtain some of the stuff they are using up here1 if possible4 ,i realized it would be useless for me to try to get it myself1 so ,i got ,miss ,mc,cann from the ,neighborhood ,house to try it4 ,she got it and has turned the bottle over to me40 8,may ,i see it80 asked ,craig eagerly4 ,mrs4 ,sutphen reached hastily into her handbag1 drew forth a small brown glass bottle and handed it to him4 ,craig retreated into one of the less dark side streets4 ,there he pulled out the paraffinned cork from the bottle1 picked out a piece of cotton stuffed in the neck of the bottle and poured out some flat tablets that showed a glistening white in the palm of his hand4 ,for an instant he regarded them4 8,i may keep these80 he asked4 8,certainly10 replied ,mrs4 ,sutphen4 8,that's what ,i had ,miss ,mc,cann get them for40 ,kennedy dropped the bottle into his pocket4 8,so that was the gang leader1 #8,whitecap1'0 he remarked as we turned again to ,broadway4 8,yes10 replied ,mrs4 ,sutphen4 8,at certain hours1 ,i believe he can be found at that cabaret selling this stuff1 whatever it is1 to anyone who comes properly introduced4 ,the thing seems to be so open and notorious that it amounts to a scandal40 ,we parted a moment later1 ,mrs4 ,sutphen and ,miss ,mc,cann to go to the settlement house1 ,craig and ,i to continue our investigations4 8,first of all1 ,walter10 he said as we swung aboard an uptown car1 8,i want to stop at the laboratory40 ,in his den1 which had been the scene of so many triumphs1 ,kennedy began a hasty examination of the tablets1 powdering one and testing it with one chemical after another4 8,what are they80 ,i asked at length when he seemed to have found the right reaction which gave him the clue4 8,happy dust10 he answered briefly4 8,happy dust80 ,i repeated1 looking at him a moment in doubt as to whether he was joking or serious4 8,what is that80 8,the ,tenderloin name for heroin--a comparatively new derivative of morphine4 ,it is really morphine treated with acetic acid which renders it more powerful than morphine alone40 8,how do they take them8 ,what's the effect80 ,i asked4 8,the person who uses heroin usually powders the tablets and snuffs the powder up the nose10 he answered4 8,in a short time1 perhaps only two or three weeks1 one can become a confirmed victim of #8happy dust4' ,and while one is under its influence he is morally1 physically and mentally irresponsible40 ,kennedy was putting away the paraphernalia he had used1 meanwhile talking about the drug4 8,one of the worst aspects of it1 too10 he continued1 8is the desire of the user to share his experience with some one else4 ,this passing on of the habit1 which seems to be one of the strongest desires of the drug fiend1 makes him even more dangerous to society than he would otherwise be4 ,it makes it harder for anyone once addicted to a drug to shake it off1 for his friends will give him no chance4 ,the only thing to do is to get the victim out of his environment and into an entirely new scene40 ,the laboratory table cleared again1 ,kennedy had dropped into a deep study4 8,now1 why was ,mrs4 ,sutphen there80 he asked aloud4 8,i can't think it was solely through her interest for that girl they call ,snowbird4 ,she was interested in her1 but she made no attempt to interfere or to follow her4 ,no1 there must have been another reason40 8,you don't think she's a dope fiend herself1 do you80 ,i asked hurriedly4 ,kennedy smiled4 8,hardly1 ,walter4 ,if she has any obsession on the subject1 it is more likely to lead her to actual fanaticism against all stimulants and narcotics and everything connected with them4 ,no1 you might possibly persuade me that two and two equal five--but not seventeen4 ,it's not very late4 ,i think we might make another visit to that cabaret and see whether the same thing is going on yet40 ,,chapter ,,xxvi ,,the ,,binet ,,test ,we rode downtown again and again sauntered in1 this time with the theater crowd4 ,our first visit had been so quiet and unostentatious that the second attracted no attention or comment from the waiters1 or anyone else4 ,as we sat down we glanced over1 and there in his corner still was ,whitecap4 ,apparently his supply of the dope was inexhaustible1 for he was still dispensing it4 ,as we watched the tenderloin habitues come and go1 ,i came soon to recognize the signs by the mere look on the face--the pasty skin1 the vacant eye1 the nervous quiver of the muscles as though every organ and every nerve were crying out for more of the favorite nepenthe4 ,time and again ,i noticed the victims as they sat at the tables1 growing more and more haggard and worn1 until they could stand it no longer4 ,then they would retire1 sometimes after a visit across the floor to ,whitecap1 more often directly1 for they had stocked themselves up with the drug evidently after the first visit to him4 ,but always they would come back1 changed in appearance1 with what seemed to be a new lease of life1 but nevertheless still as recognizable as drug victims4 ,it was not long1 as we waited1 before another woman1 older than ,miss ,sawtelle1 but dressed in an extreme fashion1 hurried into the cabaret and with scarcely a look to right or left went directly to ,whitecap's corner4 ,i noticed that she1 too1 had the look4 ,there was a surreptitious passing of a bottle in exchange for a treasury note1 and she dropped into the seat beside him4 ,before he could interfere1 she had opened the bottle1 crushed a tablet or two in a napkin1 and was holding it to her face as though breathing the most exquisite perfume4 ,with one quick inspiration of her breath after another1 she was snuffing the powder up her nose4 ,whitecap with an angry gesture pulled the napkin from her face1 and one could fancy his snarl under his breath1 8,say--do you want to get me in wrong here80 ,but it was too late4 ,some at least of the happy dust had taken effect1 at least enough to relieve the terrible pangs she must have been suffering4 ,as she rose and retired1 with a hasty apology to ,whitecap for her indiscretion1 ,kennedy turned to me and exclaimed1 8,think of it4 ,the deadliest of all habits is the simplest4 ,no hypodermic2 no pipe2 no paraphernalia of any kind4 ,it's terrible40 ,she returned to sit down and enjoy herself1 careful not to obtrude herself on ,whitecap lest he might become angry at the mere sight of her and treasure his anger up against the next time when she would need the drug4 ,already there was the most marvelous change in her4 ,she seemed captivated by the music1 the dancing1 the life which a few moments before she had totally disregarded4 ,she was seated alone1 not far from us1 and as she glanced about ,kennedy caught her eye4 ,she allowed her gaze to rest on us for a moment1 the signal for a mild flirtation which ended in our exchange of tables and we found ourselves opposite the drug fiend1 who was following up the taking of the dope by a thin-stemmed glass of a liqueur4 ,i do not recall the conversation1 but it was one of those inconsequential talks that ,bohemians consider so brilliant and everybody else so vapid4 ,as we skimmed from one subject to another1 treating the big facts of life as if they were mere incidents and the little as if they overshadowed all else1 ,i could see that ,craig1 who had a faculty of probing into the very soul of anyone1 when he chose1 was gradually leading around to a subject which ,i knew he wanted1 above all others1 to discuss4 ,it was not long before1 as the most natural remark in the world following something he had made her say1 just as a clever prestidigitator forces a card1 he asked1 8,what was it ,i saw you snuffing over in the booth--happy dust80 ,she did not even take the trouble to deny it1 but nodded a brazen 8,yes40 8,how did you come to use it first80 he asked1 careful not to give offense in either tone or manner4 8,the usual way1 ,i suppose10 she replied with a laugh that sounded harsh and grating4 8,i was ill and ,i found out what it was the doctor was giving me40 8,and then80 8,oh1 ,i thought ,i would use it only as long as it served my purpose and1 when that was over1 give it up40 8,but--80 prompted ,craig hypnotically4 8,instead1 ,i was soon using six1 eight1 ten tablets of heroin a day4 ,i found that ,i needed that amount in order to live4 ,then it went up by leaps to twenty1 thirty1 forty40 8,suppose you couldn't get it1 what then80 8,couldn't get it80 she repeated with an unspeakable horror4 8,once ,i thought ,i'd try to stop4 ,but my heart skipped beats2 then it seemed to pound away1 as if trying to break through my ribs4 ,i don't think heroin is like other drugs4 ,when one has her #8coke'--that's cocaine--taken away1 she feels like a rag4 ,fill her up and she can do anything again4 ,but1 heroin--,i think one might murder to get it60 ,the expression on the woman's face was almost tragic4 ,i verily believe that she meant it4 8,why10 she cried1 8if anyone had told me a year ago that the time would ever come when ,i would value some tiny white tablets above anything else in the world1 yes1 and even above my immortal soul1 ,i would have thought him a lunatic40 ,it was getting late1 and as the woman showed no disposition to leave1 ,kennedy and ,i excused ourselves4 ,outside ,craig looked at me keenly4 8,can you guess who that was80 8,although she didn't tell us her name10 ,i replied1 8,i am morally certain that it was ,mrs4 ,garrett40 8,precisely10 he answered1 8and what a shame1 too1 for she must evidently once have been a woman of great education and refinement40 ,he shook his head sadly4 8,walter1 there isn't likely to be anything that we can do for some hours now4 ,i have a little experiment ,i'd like to make4 ,suppose you publish for me a story in the ,star about the campaign against drugs4 ,tell about what we have seen to-night1 mention the cabaret by indirection and ,whitecap directly4 ,then we can sit back and see what happens4 ,we've got to throw a scare into them somehow1 if we are going to smoke out anyone higher up than ,whitecap4 ,but you'll have to be careful1 for if they suspect us our usefulness in the case will be over40 ,together1 ,kennedy and ,i worked over our story far into the night down at the ,star office1 and the following day waited to see whether anything came of it4 ,it was with a great deal of interest tempered by fear that we dropped into the cabaret the following evening4 ,fortunately no one suspected us4 ,in fact1 having been there the night before1 we had established ourselves1 as it were1 and were welcomed as old patrons and good spenders4 ,i noticed1 however1 that ,whitecap was not there4 ,the story had been read by such of the dope fiends as had not fallen too far to keep abreast of the times and these and the waiters were busy quietly warning off a line of haggard-eyed1 disappointed patrons who came around1 as usual4 ,some of them were so obviously dependent on ,whitecap that ,i almost regretted having written the story1 for they must have been suffering the tortures of the damned4 ,it was in the midst of a reverie of this sort that a low exclamation from ,kennedy recalled my attention4 ,there was ,snowbird with a man considerably older than herself4 ,they had just come in and were looking about frantically for ,whitecap4 ,but ,whitecap had been too frightened by the story in the ,star to sell any more of the magic happy dust openly in the cabaret1 at least4 ,the pair1 nerve-racked and exhausted1 sat down mournfully in a seat near us1 and as they talked earnestly in low tones we had an excellent opportunity for studying ,armstrong for the first time4 ,he was not a bad-looking man1 or even a weak one4 ,in back of the dissipation of the drugs one fancied he could read the story of a brilliant life wrecked4 ,but there was little left to admire or respect4 ,as the couple talked earnestly1 the one so old1 the other so young in vice1 ,i had to keep a tight rein on myself to prevent my sympathy for the wretched girl getting the better of common sense and kicking the older man out of doors4 ,finally ,armstrong rose to go1 with a final imploring glance from the girl4 ,obviously she had persuaded him to forage about to secure the heroin1 by hook or crook1 now that the accustomed source of supply was cut off so suddenly4 ,it was also really our first chance to study the girl carefully under the light1 for her entrance and exit the night before had been so hurried that we had seen comparatively little of her4 ,craig was watching her narrowly4 ,not only were the effects of the drug plainly evident on her face1 but it was apparent that the snuffing the powdered tablets was destroying the bones in her nose1 through shrinkage of the blood vessels1 as well as undermining the nervous system and causing the brain to totter4 ,i was wondering whether ,armstrong knew of any depot for the secret distribution of the drug4 ,i could not believe that ,whitecap was either the chief distributer or the financial head of the illegal traffic4 ,i wondered who indeed was the man higher up4 ,was he an importer of the drug1 or was he the representative of some chemical company not averse to making an illegal dollar now and then by dragging down his fellow man8 ,kennedy and ,i were trying to act as if we were enjoying the cabaret show and not too much interested in the little drama that was being acted before us4 ,i think little ,miss ,sawtelle noticed1 however1 that we were looking often her way4 ,i was amazed1 too1 on studying her more closely to find that there was something indefinably queer about her1 aside from the marked effect of the drugs she had been taking4 ,what it was ,i was at a loss to determine1 but ,i felt sure from the expression on ,kennedy's face that he had noticed it also4 ,i was on the point of asking him if he1 too1 observed anything queer in the girl1 when ,armstrong hurried in and handed her a small package1 then almost without a word stalked out again1 evidently as much to ,snowbird's surprise as to our own4 ,she had literally seized the package1 as though she were drowning and grasping at a life buoy4 ,even the surprise at his hasty departure could not prevent her1 however1 from literally tearing the wrapper off1 and in the sheltering shadow of the table cloth pouring forth the little white pellets in her lap1 counting them as a miser counts his gold1 8,the old thief60 she exclaimed aloud4 8,he's held out twenty-five60 ,i don't know which it was that amazed me most1 the almost childish petulance and ungovernable temper of the girl which made her cry out in spite of her surroundings and the circumstances1 or the petty rapacity of the man who could stoop to such a low level as to rob her in this seeming underhand manner4 ,there was no time for useless repining now4 ,the call of outraged nature for its daily and hourly quota of poison was too imperative4 ,she dumped the pellets back into the bottle hastily1 and disappeared4 ,when she came back1 it was with that expression ,i had come to know so well4 ,at least for a few hours there was a respite for her from the terrific pangs she had been suffering4 ,she was almost happy1 smiling4 ,even that false happiness1 ,i felt1 was superior to ,armstrong's moral sense blunted by drugs4 ,i had begun to realize how lying1 stealing1 crimes of all sorts might be laid at the door of this great evil4 ,in her haste to get where she could snuff the heroin she had forgotten a light wrap lying on her chair4 ,as she returned for it1 it fell to the floor4 ,instantly ,kennedy was on his feet1 bending over to pick it up4 ,she thanked him1 and the smile lingered a moment on her face4 ,it was enough4 ,it gave ,kennedy the chance to pursue a conversation1 and in the free and easy atmosphere of the cabaret to invite her to sit over at our table4 ,at least all her nervousness was gone and she chatted vivaciously4 ,kennedy said little4 ,he was too busy watching her4 ,it was quite the opposite of the case of ,mrs4 ,garrett4 ,yet ,i was at a loss to define what it was that ,i sensed4 ,still the minutes sped past and we seemed to be getting on famously4 ,unlike his action in the case of the older woman where he had been sounding the depths of her heart and mind1 in this case his idea seemed to be to allow the childish prattle to come out and perhaps explain itself4 ,however1 at the end of half an hour when we seemed to be getting no further along1 ,kennedy did not protest at her desire to leave us1 8to keep a date10 as she expressed it4 8,waiter1 the check1 please10 ordered ,kennedy leisurely4 ,when he received it1 he seemed to be in no great hurry to pay it1 but went over one item after another1 then added up the footing again4 8,strange how some of these waiters grow rich80 ,craig remarked finally with a gay smile4 ,the idea of waiters and money quickly brought some petty reminiscences to her mind4 ,while she was still talking1 ,craig casually pulled a pencil out of his pocket and scribbled some figures on the back of the waiter's check4 ,from where ,i was sitting beside him1 ,i could see that he had written some figures similar to the following3 #eahc #dgcie #fedgbf #bifdcge #dgbichae #ibdgchfea #badfjgchei 8,here's a stunt10 he remarked1 breaking into the conversation at a convenient point4 8,can you repeat these numbers after me80 ,without waiting for her to make excuse1 he said quickly 8#eahc40 8#eahc10 she repeated mechanically4 8#dgcie10 came in rapid succession1 to which she replied1 perhaps a little slower than before1 8#dgcie40 8,now1 #fedgbf10 he said4 8#fedgbf10 she repeated1 ,i thought with some hesitation4 8,again1 #bifdcge10 he shot out4 8#bfi10 she hesitated1 8#gc--0 she stopped4 ,it was evident that she had reached the limit4 ,kennedy smiled1 paid the check and we parted at the door4 8,what was all that rigmarole80 ,i inquired as the white figure disappeared down the street4 8,part of the ,binet test1 seeing how many digits one can remember4 ,an adult ought to remember from eight to ten1 in any order4 ,but she has the mentality of a child4 ,that is the queer thing about her4 ,chronologically she may be eighteen years or so old4 ,mentally she is scarcely more than eight4 ,mrs4 ,sutphen was right4 ,they have made a fiend out of a mere child--a defective who never had a chance against them40 ,,chapter ,,xxvii ,,the ,,lie ,,detector ,as the horror of it all dawned on me1 ,i hated ,armstrong worse than ever1 hated ,whitecap1 hated the man higher up1 whoever he might be1 who was enriching himself out of the defective1 as well as the weakling1 and the vicious--all three typified by ,snowbird1 ,armstrong and ,whitecap4 ,having no other place to go1 pending further developments of the publicity we had given the drug war in the ,star1 ,kennedy and ,i decided on a walk home in the bracing night air4 ,we had scarcely entered the apartment when the hall boy called to us frantically3 8,some one's been trying to get you all over town1 ,professor ,kennedy4 ,here's the message4 ,i wrote it down4 ,an attempt has been made to poison ,mrs4 ,sutphen4 ,they said at the other end of the line that you'd know40 ,we faced each other aghast4 8,my ,god60 exclaimed ,kennedy4 8,has that been the effect of our story1 ,walter8 ,instead of smoking out anyone--we've almost killed some one40 ,as fast as a cab could whisk us around to ,mrs4 ,sutphen's we hurried4 8,i warned her that if she mixed up in any such fight as this she might expect almost anything10 remarked ,mr4 ,sutphen nervously1 as he met us in the reception room4 8,she's all right1 now1 ,i guess1 but if it hadn't been for the prompt work of the ambulance surgeon ,i sent for1 ,dr4 ,coleman says she would have died in fifteen minutes40 8,how did it happen80 asked ,craig4 8,why1 she usually drinks a glass of vichy and milk before retiring10 replied ,mr4 ,sutphen4 8,we don't know yet whether it was the vichy or the milk that was poisoned1 but ,dr4 ,coleman thinks it was chloral in one or the other1 and so did the ambulance surgeon4 ,i tell you ,i was scared4 ,i tried to get ,coleman1 but he was out on a case1 and ,i happened to think of the hospitals as probably the quickest4 ,dr4 ,coleman came in just as the young surgeon was bringing her around4 ,he--oh1 here he is now40 ,the famous doctor was just coming downstairs4 ,he saw us1 but1 ,i suppose1 inasmuch as we did not belong to the ,sutphen and ,coleman set1 ignored us4 8,mrs4 ,sutphen will be all right now10 he said reassuringly as he drew on his gloves4 8,the nurse has arrived1 and ,i have given her instructions what to do4 ,and1 by the way1 my dear ,sutphen1 ,i should advise you to deal firmly with her in that matter about which her name is appearing in the papers4 ,women nowadays don't seem to realize the dangers they run in mixing in in all these reforms4 ,i have ordered an analysis of both the milk and vichy1 but that will do little good unless we can find out who poisoned it4 ,and there are so many chances for things like that1 life is so complex nowadays--0 ,he passed out with scarcely a nod at us4 ,kennedy did not attempt to question him4 ,he was thinking rapidly4 8,walter1 we have no time to lose10 he exclaimed1 seizing a telephone that stood on a stand near by4 8,this is the time for action4 ,hello--,police ,headquarters1 ,first ,deputy ,o',connor1 please40 ,as ,kennedy waited ,i tried to figure out how it could have happened4 ,i wondered whether it might not have been ,mrs4 ,garrett4 ,would she stop at anything if she feared the loss of her favorite drug8 ,but then there were so many others and so many ways of 8getting0 anybody who interfered with the drug traffic that it seemed impossible to figure it out by pure deduction4 8,hello1 ,o',connor10 ,i heard ,kennedy say2 8you read that story in the ,star this morning about the drug fiends at that ,broadway cabaret8 ,yes8 ,well1 ,jameson and ,i wrote it4 ,it's part of the drug war that ,mrs4 ,sutphen has been waging4 ,o',connor1 she's been poisoned--oh1 no--she's all right now4 ,but ,i want you to send out and arrest ,whitecap and that fellow ,armstrong immediately4 ,i'm going to put them through a scientific third degree up in the laboratory to-night4 ,thank you4 ,no--no matter how late it is1 bring them up40 ,dr4 ,coleman had gone long since1 ,mr4 ,sutphen had absolutely no interest further than the recovery of ,mrs4 ,sutphen just now1 and ,mrs4 ,sutphen was resting quietly and could not be seen4 ,accordingly ,kennedy and ,i hastened up to the laboratory to wait until ,o',connor could 8deliver the goods40 ,it was not long before one of ,o',connor's men came in with ,whitecap4 8,while we're waiting10 said ,craig1 8,i wish you would just try this little cut-out puzzle40 ,i don't know what ,whitecap thought1 but ,i know ,i looked at ,craig's invitation to 8play blocks0 as a joke scarcely higher in order than the number repetition of ,snowbird4 ,whitecap did it1 however1 sullenly1 and under compulsion1 in1 ,i should say about two minutes4 8,i have ,armstrong here myself10 called out the voice of our old friend ,o',connor1 as he burst into the room4 8,good60 exclaimed ,kennedy4 8,i shall be ready for him in just a second4 ,have ,whitecap held here in the anteroom while you bring ,armstrong into the laboratory4 ,by the way1 ,walter1 that was another of the ,binet tests1 putting a man at solving puzzles4 ,it involves reflective judgment1 one of the factors in executive ability4 ,if ,whitecap had been defective1 it would have taken him five minutes to do that puzzle1 if at all4 ,so you see he is not in the class with ,miss ,sawtelle4 ,the test shows him to be shrewd4 ,he doesn't even touch his own dope4 ,now for ,armstrong40 ,i knew enough of the underworld to set ,whitecap down1 however1 as a 8lobbygow0--an agent for some one higher up1 recruiting both the gangs and the ranks of street women4 ,before us1 as ,o',connor led in ,armstrong1 was a little machine with a big black cylinder4 ,by means of wires and electrodes ,kennedy attached it to ,armstrong's chest4 8,now1 ,armstrong10 he began in an even tone1 8,i want you to tell the truth--the whole truth4 ,you have been getting heroin tablets from ,whitecap40 8,yes1 sir10 replied the dope fiend defiantly4 8,to-day you had to get them elsewhere40 ,no answer4 8,never mind10 persisted ,kennedy1 still calm1 8,i know4 ,why1 ,armstrong1 you even robbed that girl of twenty-five tablets40 8,i did not10 shot out the answer4 8,there were twenty-five short10 accused ,kennedy4 ,the two faced each other4 ,craig repeated his remark4 8,yes10 replied ,armstrong1 8,i held out the tablets1 but it was not for myself1 ,i can get all ,i want4 ,i did it because ,i didn't want her to get above seventy-five a day4 ,i have tried every way to break her of the habit that has got me--and failed4 ,but seventy-five--is the limit60 8,a pretty story60 exclaimed ,o',connor4 ,craig laid his hand on his arm to check him1 as he examined a record registered on the cylinder of the machine4 8,by the way1 ,armstrong1 ,i want you to write me out a note that ,i can use to get a hundred heroin tablets4 ,you can write it all but the name of the place where ,i can get them40 ,armstrong was on the point of demurring1 but the last sentence reassured him4 ,he would reveal nothing by it--yet4 ,still the man was trembling like a leaf4 ,he wrote3 8,give ,whitecap one hundred shocks--,a ,victim40 ,for a moment ,kennedy studied the note carefully4 8,oh--er--,i forgot1 ,armstrong1 but a few days ago an anonymous letter was sent to ,mrs4 ,sutphen1 signed #8,a ,friend4' ,do you know anything about it80 8,a note80 the man repeated4 8,mrs4 ,sutphen8 ,i don't know anything about any note1 or ,mrs4 ,sutphen either40 ,kennedy was still studying his record4 8,this10 he remarked slowly1 8is what ,i call my psychophysical test for falsehood4 ,lying1 when it is practiced by an expert1 is not easily detected by the most careful scrutiny of the liar's appearance and manner4 8,however1 successful means have been developed for the detection of falsehood by the study of experimental psychology4 ,walter1 ,i think you will recall the test ,i used once1 the psychophysical factor of the character and rapidity of the mental process known as the association of ideas80 ,i nodded acquiescence4 8,well10 he resumed1 8in criminal jurisprudence1 ,i find an even more simple and more subjective test which has been recently devised4 ,professor ,stoerring of ,bonn has found out that feelings of pleasure and pain produce well-defined changes in respiration4 ,similar effects are produced by lying1 according to the famous ,professor ,benussi of ,graz4 8,these effects are unerring1 unequivocal4 ,the utterance of a false statement increases respiration2 of a true statement decreases4 ,the importance and scope of these discoveries are obvious40 ,craig was figuring rapidly on a piece of paper4 8,this is a certain and objective criterion10 he continued as he figured1 8between truth and falsehood4 ,even when a clever liar endeavors to escape detection by breathing irregularly1 it is likely to fail1 for ,benussi has investigated and found that voluntary changes in respiration don't alter the result4 ,you see1 the quotient obtained by dividing the time of inspiration by the time of expiration gives me the result40 ,he looked up suddenly4 8,armstrong1 you are telling the truth about some things--downright lies about others4 ,you are a drug fiend--but ,i will be lenient with you1 for one reason4 ,contrary to everything that ,i would have expected1 you are really trying to save that poor half-witted girl whom you love from the terrible habit that has gripped you4 ,that is why you held out the quarter of the one hundred tablets4 ,that is why you wrote the note to ,mrs4 ,sutphen1 hoping that she might be treated in some institution40 ,kennedy paused as a look of incredulity passed over ,armstrong's face4 8,another thing you said was true10 added ,kennedy4 8,you can get all the heroin you want4 ,armstrong1 you will put the address of that place on the outside of the note1 or both you and ,whitecap go to jail4 ,snowbird will be left to her own devices--she can get all the #8snow1' as some of you fiends call it1 that she wants from those who might exploit her40 8,please1 ,mr4 ,kennedy10 pleaded ,armstrong4 8,no10 interrupted ,craig1 before the drug fiend could finish4 8,that is final4 ,i must have the name of that place40 ,in a shaky hand ,armstrong wrote again4 ,hastily ,craig stuffed the note into his pocket1 and ten minutes later we were mounting the steps of a big brownstone house on a fashionable side street just around the corner from ,fifth ,avenue4 ,as the door was opened by an obsequious colored servant1 ,craig handed him the scrap of paper signed by the password1 8,a ,victim40 ,imitating the cough of a confirmed dope user1 ,craig was led into a large waiting room4 8,you're in pretty bad shape1 sah10 commented the servant4 ,kennedy nudged me and1 taking the cue1 ,i coughed myself red in the face4 8,yes10 he said4 8,hurry--please40 ,the servant knocked at a door1 and as it was opened we caught a glimpse of ,mrs4 ,garrett in negligee4 8,what is it1 ,sam80 she asked4 8,two gentlemen for some heroin tablets1 ma'am40 8,tell them to go to the chemical works--not to my office1 ,sam10 growled a man's voice inside4 ,with a quick motion1 ,kennedy had ,mrs4 ,garrett by the wrist4 8,i knew it10 he ground out4 8,it was all a fake about how you got the habit4 ,you wanted to get it1 so you could get and hold him4 ,and neither one of you would stop at anything1 not even the murder of your sister1 to prevent the ruin of the devilish business you have built up in manufacturing and marketing the stuff40 ,he pulled the note from the hand of the surprised negro4 8,i had the right address1 the place where you sell hundreds of ounces of the stuff a week--but ,i preferred to come to the doctor's office where ,i could find you both40 ,kennedy had firmly twisted her wrist until1 with a little scream of pain1 she let go the door handle4 ,then he gently pushed her aside1 and the next instant ,craig had his hand inside the collar of ,dr4 ,coleman1 society physician1 proprietor of the ,coleman ,chemical ,works downtown1 the real leader of the drug gang that was debauching whole sections of the metropolis4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii ,,the ,,family ,,skeleton ,surprised though we were at the unmasking of ,dr4 ,coleman1 there was nothing to do but to follow the thing out4 ,in such cases we usually ran into the greatest difficulty--organized vice4 ,this was no exception4 ,even when cases involved only a clever individual or a prominent family1 it was the same4 ,i recall1 for example1 the case of a well-known family in a ,new ,york suburb1 which was particularly difficult4 ,it began in a rather unusual manner1 too4 8,mr4 ,kennedy--,i am ruined--ruined40 ,it was early one morning that the telephone rang and ,i answered it4 ,a very excited ,german1 breathless and incoherent1 was evidently at the other end of the wire4 ,i handed the receiver to ,craig and picked up the morning paper lying on the table4 8,minturn--dead80 ,i heard ,craig exclaim4 8,in the paper this morning8 ,i'll be down to see you directly40 ,kennedy almost tore the paper from me4 ,in the next to the end column where late news usually is dropped was a brief account of the sudden death of ,owen ,minturn1 one of the foremost criminal lawyers of the city1 in ,josephson's ,baths downtown4 ,it ended3 8,it is believed by the coroner that ,mr4 ,minturn was shocked to death and evidence is being sought to show that two hundred and forty volts of electricity had been thrown into the attorney's body while he was in the electric bath4 ,joseph ,josephson1 the proprietor of the bath1 who operated the switchboard1 is being held1 pending the completion of the inquiry40 ,as ,kennedy hastily ran his eye over the paragraphs1 he became more and more excited himself4 8,walter10 he cried1 as he finished1 8,i don't believe that that was an accident at all40 8,why80 ,i asked4 ,he already had his hat on1 and ,i knew he was going to ,josephson's breakfastless4 ,i followed reluctantly4 8,because10 he answered1 as we hustled along in the early morning crowd1 8it was only yesterday afternoon that ,i saw ,minturn at his office and he made an appointment with me for this very morning4 ,he was a very secretive man1 but he did tell me this much1 that he feared his life was in danger and that it was in some way connected with that ,pearcy case up in ,stratfield1 ,connecticut1 where he has an estate4 ,you have read of the case80 ,indeed ,i had4 ,it had seemed to me to be a particularly inexplicable affair4 ,apparently a whole family had been poisoned and a few days before old ,mr4 ,randall ,pearcy1 a retired manufacturer1 had died after a brief but mysterious illness4 ,pearcy had been married a year or so ago to ,annette ,oakleigh1 a ,broadway comic opera singer1 who was his second wife4 ,by his first marriage he had had two children1 a son1 ,warner1 and a daughter1 ,isabel4 ,warner ,pearcy1 ,i had heard1 had blazed a vermilion trail along the ,great ,white ,way1 but his sister was of the opposite temperament1 interested in social work1 and had attracted much attention by organizing a settlement in the slums of ,stratfield for the uplift of the workers in the ,pearcy and other mills4 ,broadway1 as well as ,stratfield1 had already woven a fantastic background1 for the mystery and hints had been broadly made that ,annette ,oakleigh had been indiscreetly intimate with a young physician in the town1 a ,dr4 ,gunther1 a friend1 by the way1 of ,minturn4 8,there has been no trial yet10 went on ,kennedy1 8but ,minturn seems to have appeared before the coroner's jury at ,stratfield and to have asserted the innocence of ,mrs4 ,pearcy and that of ,dr4 ,gunther so well that1 although the jury brought in a verdict of murder by poison by some one unknown1 there has been no mention of the name of anyone else4 ,the coroner simply adjourned the inquest so that a more careful analysis might be made of the vital organs4 ,and now comes this second tragedy in ,new ,york40 8,what was the poison80 ,i asked4 8,have they found out yet80 8,they are pretty sure1 so ,minturn told me1 that it was lead poisoning4 ,the fact not generally known is10 he added in a lower tone1 8that the cases were not confined to the ,pearcy house4 ,they had even extended to ,minturn's too1 although about that he said little yesterday4 ,the estates up there adjoin1 you know40 ,owen ,minturn1 ,i recalled1 had gained a formidable reputation by his successful handling of cases from the lowest strata of society to the highest4 ,indeed it was a byword that his appearance in court indicated two things--the guilt of the accused and a verdict of acquittal4 8,of course10 ,craig pursued as we were jolted from station to station downtown1 8you know they say that ,minturn never kept a record of a case4 ,but written records were as nothing compared to what that man must have carried only in his head40 ,it was a common saying that1 if ,minturn should tell all he knew1 he might hang half a dozen prominent men in society4 ,that was not strictly true1 perhaps1 but it was certain that a revelation of the things confided to him by clients which were never put down on paper would have caused a series of explosions that would have wrecked at least some portions of the social and financial world4 ,he had heard much and told little1 for he had been a sort of 8father confessor40 ,had ,minturn1 ,i wondered1 known the name of the real criminal8 ,josephson's was a popular bath on ,forty-second ,street1 where many of the 8sun-dodgers0 were accustomed to recuperate during the day from their arduous pursuit of pleasure at night and prepare for the resumption of their toil during the coming night4 ,it was more than that1 however1 for it had a reputation for being conducted really on a high plane4 ,we met ,josephson downstairs4 ,he had been released under bail1 though the place was temporarily closed and watched over by the agents of the coroner and the police4 ,josephson appeared to be a man of some education and quite different from what ,i had imagined from hearing him over the telephone4 8,oh1 ,mr4 ,kennedy10 he exclaimed1 8who now will come to my baths8 ,last night they were crowded1 but to-day--0 ,he ended with an expressive gesture of his hands4 8,one customer ,i have surely lost1 young ,mr4 ,pearcy10 he went on4 8,warner ,pearcy80 asked ,craig4 8,was he here last night80 8,nearly every night10 replied ,josephson1 now glib enough as his first excitement subsided and his command of ,english returned4 8,he was a neighbor of ,mr4 ,minturn's1 ,i hear4 ,oh1 what luck60 growled ,josephson as the name recalled him to his present troubles4 8,well10 remarked ,kennedy with an attempt at reassurance as if to gain the masseur's confidence1 8,i know as well as you that it is often amazing what a tremendous shock a man may receive and yet not be killed1 and no less amazing how small a shock may kill4 ,it all depends on circumstances40 ,josephson shot a covert look at ,kennedy4 8,yes10 he reiterated1 8but ,i cannot see how it could be4 ,if the lights had become short-circuited with the bath1 that might have thrown a current into the bath4 ,but they were not4 ,i know it40 8,still10 pursued ,kennedy1 watching him keenly1 8it is not all a question of current4 ,to kill1 the shock must pass through a vital organ--the brain1 the heart1 the upper spinal cord4 ,so1 a small shock may kill and a large one may not4 ,if it passes in one foot and out by the other1 the current isn't likely to be as dangerous as if it passes in by a hand or foot and then out by a foot or hand4 ,in one case it passes through no vital organ2 in the other it is very likely to do so4 ,you see1 the current can flow through the body only when it has a place of entrance and a place of exit4 ,in all cases of accident from electric light wires1 the victim is touching some conductor--damp earth1 salty earth1 water1 something that gives the current an outlet and--0 8,but even if the lights had been short-circuited10 interrupted ,josephson1 8,mr4 ,minturn would have escaped injury unless he had touched the taps of the bath4 ,oh1 no1 sir1 accidents in the medical use of electricity are rare4 ,they don't happen here in my establishment10 he maintained stoutly4 8,the trouble was that the coroner1 without any knowledge of the physiological effects of electricity on the body1 simply jumped at once to the conclusion that it was the electric bath that did it40 8,then it was for medical treatment that ,mr4 ,minturn was taking the bath80 asked ,kennedy1 quickly taking up the point4 8,yes1 of course10 answered the masseur1 eager to explain4 8,you are acquainted with the latest treatment for lead poisoning by means of the electric bath80 ,kennedy nodded4 8,i know that ,sir ,thomas ,oliver1 the ,english authority who has written much on dangerous trades1 has tried it with marked success40 8,well1 sir1 that was why ,mr4 ,minturn was here4 ,he came here introduced by a ,dr4 ,gunther of ,stratfield40 8,indeed80 remarked ,kennedy colorlessly1 though ,i could see that it interested him1 for evidently ,minturn had said nothing of being himself a sufferer from the poison4 8,may ,i see the bath80 8,surely10 said ,josephson1 leading the way upstairs4 ,it was an oaken tub with metal rods on the two long sides1 from which depended prismatic carbon rods4 ,kennedy examined it closely4 8,this is what we call a hydro-electric bath10 ,josephson explained4 8,those rods on the sides are the electrodes4 ,you see there are no metal parts in the tub itself4 ,the rods are attached by wiring to a wall switch out here40 ,he pointed to the next room4 ,kennedy examined the switch with care4 8,from it10 went on ,josephson1 8wires lead to an accumulator battery of perhaps thirty volts4 ,it uses very little current4 ,dr4 ,gunther tested it and found it all right40 ,craig leaned over the bath1 and from the carbon electrodes scraped off a white powder in minute crystals4 8,ordinarily10 ,josephson pursued1 8lead is eliminated by the skin and kidneys4 ,but now1 as you know1 it is being helped along by electrolysis4 ,i talked to ,dr4 ,gunther about it4 ,it is his opinion that it is probably eliminated as a chloride from the tissues of the body to the electrodes in the bath in which the patient is wholly or partly immersed4 ,on the positive electrodes we get the peroxide4 ,on the negative there is a spongy metallic form of lead4 ,but it is only a small amount40 8,the body has been removed80 asked ,craig4 8,not yet10 the masseur replied4 8,the coroner has ordered it kept here under guard until he makes up his mind what disposition to have made of it40 ,we were next ushered into a little room on the same floor1 at the door of which was posted an official from the coroner4 8,first of all10 remarked ,craig1 as he drew back the sheet and began1 a minute examination of the earthly remains of the great lawyer1 8there are to be considered the safeguards of the human body against the passage through it of a fatal electric current--the high electric resistance of the body itself4 ,it is particularly high when the current must pass through joints such as wrists1 knees1 elbows1 and quite high when the bones of the head are concerned4 ,still1 there might have been an incautious application of the current to the head1 especially when the subject is a person of advanced age or latent cerebral disease1 though ,i don't know that that fits ,mr4 ,minturn4 ,that's strange10 he muttered1 looking up1 puzzled4 8,i can find no mark of a burn on the body--absolutely no mark of anything40 8,that's what ,i say10 put in ,josephson1 much pleased by what ,kennedy said1 for he had been waiting anxiously to see what ,craig discovered on his own examination4 8,it's impossible40 8,it's all the more remarkable10 went on ,craig1 half to himself and ignoring ,josephson1 8because burns due to electric currents are totally unlike those produced in other ways4 ,they occur at the point of contact1 usually about the arms and hands1 or the head4 ,electricity is much to be feared when it involves the cranial cavity40 ,he completed his examination of the head which once had carried secrets which themselves must have been incandescent4 8,then1 too1 such burns are most often something more than superficial1 for considerable heat is developed which leads to massive destruction and carbonization of the tissues to a considerable depth4 ,i have seen actual losses of substance--a lump of killed flesh surrounded by healthy tissues4 ,besides1 such burns show an unexpected indolence when compared to the violent pains of ordinary burns4 ,perhaps that is due to the destruction of the nerve endings4 ,how did ,minturn die8 ,was he alone8 ,was he dead when he was discovered80 8,he was alone10 replied ,josephson1 slowly endeavoring to tell it exactly as he had seen it1 8but that's the strange part of it4 ,he seemed to be suffering from a convulsion4 ,i think he complained at first of a feeling of tightness of his throat and a twitching of the muscles of his hands and feet4 ,anyhow1 he called for help4 ,i was up here and we rushed in4 ,dr4 ,gunther had just brought him and then had gone away1 after introducing him1 and showing him the bath40 ,josephson proceeded slowly1 evidently having been warned that anything he said might be used against him4 8,we carried him1 when he was this way1 into this very room4 ,but it was only for a short time4 ,then came a violent convulsion4 ,it seemed to extend rapidly all over his body4 ,his legs were rigid1 his feet bent1 his head back4 ,why1 he was resting only on his heels and the back of his head4 ,you see1 ,mr4 ,kennedy1 that simply could not be the electric shock40 8,hardly10 commented ,kennedy1 looking again at the body4 8,it looks more like a tetanus convulsion4 ,yet there does not seem to be any trace of a recent wound that might have caused lockjaw4 ,how did he look80 8,oh1 his face finally became livid10 replied ,josephson4 8,he had a ghastly1 grinning expression1 his eyes were wide1 there was foam on his mouth1 and his breathing was difficult40 8,not like tetanus1 either10 revised ,craig4 8,there the convulsion usually begins with the face and progresses to the other muscles4 ,here it seems to have gone the other way40 8,that lasted a minute or so10 resumed the masseur4 8,then he sank back--perfectly limp4 ,i thought he was dead4 ,but he was not4 ,a cold sweat broke out all over him and he was as if in a deep sleep40 8,what did you do80 prompted ,kennedy4 8,i didn't know what to do4 ,i called an ambulance4 ,but the moment the door opened1 his body seemed to stiffen again4 ,he had one other convulsion--and when he grew limp he was dead40 ,,chapter ,,xxix ,,the ,,lead ,,poisoner ,it was a gruesome recital and ,i was glad to leave the baths finally with ,kennedy4 ,josephson was quite evidently relieved at the attitude ,craig had taken toward the coroner's conclusion that ,minturn had been shocked to death4 ,as far as ,i could see1 however1 it added to rather than cleared up the mystery4 ,craig went directly uptown to his laboratory1 in contrast with our journey down1 in abstracted silence1 which was his manner when he was trying to reason out some particularly knotty problem4 ,as ,kennedy placed the white crystals which he had scraped off the electrodes of the tub on a piece of dark paper in the laboratory1 he wet the tip of his finger and touched just the minutest grain to his tongue4 ,the look on his face told me that something unexpected had happened4 ,he held a similar minute speck of the powder out to me4 ,it was an intensely bitter taste and very persistent1 for even after we had rinsed out our mouths it seemed to remain1 clinging persistently to the tongue4 ,he placed some of the grains in some pure water4 ,they dissolved only slightly1 if at all4 ,but in a tube in which he mixed a little ether and chloroform they dissolved fairly readily4 ,next1 without a word1 he poured just a drop of strong sulphuric acid on the crystals4 ,there was not a change in them4 ,quickly he reached up into the rack and took down a bottle labeled 8,potassium ,bichromate40 8,let us see what an oxidizing agent will do10 he remarked4 ,as he gently added the bichromate1 there came a most marvelous1 kaleidoscopic change4 ,from being almost colorless1 the crystals turned instantly to a deep blue1 then rapidly to purple1 lilac1 red1 and then the red slowly faded away and they became colorless again4 8,what is it80 ,i asked1 fascinated4 8,lead80 8,n-no10 he replied1 the lines of his forehead deepening4 8,no4 ,this is sulphate of strychnine40 8,sulphate of strychnine80 ,i repeated in astonishment4 8,yes10 he reiterated slowly4 8,i might have suspected that from the convulsions1 particularly when ,josephson said that the noise and excitement of the arrival of the ambulance brought on the fatal paroxysm4 ,that is symptomatic4 ,but ,i didn't fully realize it until ,i got up here and tasted the stuff4 ,then ,i suspected1 for that taste is characteristic4 ,even one part diluted seventy thousand times gives that decided bitter taste40 8,that's all very well10 ,i remarked1 recalling the intense bitterness yet on my tongue4 8,but how do you suppose it was possible for anyone to administer it8 ,it seems to me that he would have said something1 if he had swallowed even the minutest part of it4 ,he must have known it4 ,yet apparently he didn't4 ,at least he said nothing about it--or else ,josephson is concealing something40 8,did he swallow it--necessarily80 queried ,kennedy1 in a tone calculated to show me that the chemical world1 at least1 was full of a number of things1 and there was much to learn4 8,well1 ,i suppose if it had been given hypodermically1 it would have a more violent effect10 ,i persisted1 trying to figure out a way that the poison might have been given4 8,even more unlikely10 objected ,craig1 with a delight at discovering a new mystery that to me seemed almost fiendish4 8,no1 he would certainly have felt a needle1 have cried out and said something about it1 if anyone had tried that4 ,this poisoned needle business isn't as easy as some people seem to think nowadays40 8,then he might have absorbed it from the water10 ,i insisted1 recalling a recent case of ,kennedy's and adding1 8by osmosis40 8,you saw how difficult it was to dissolve in water10 ,craig rejected quietly4 8,well1 then10 ,i concluded in desperation4 8,how could it have been introduced80 8,i have a theory10 was all he would say1 reaching for the railway guide1 8but it will take me up to ,stratfield to prove it40 ,his plan gave us a little respite and we paused long enough to lunch1 for which breathing space ,i was duly thankful4 ,the forenoon saw us on the train1 ,kennedy carrying a large and cumbersome package which he brought down with him from the laboratory and which we took turns in carrying1 though he gave no hint of its contents4 ,we arrived in ,stratfield1 a very pretty little mill town1 in the middle of the afternoon1 and with very little trouble were directed to the ,pearcy house1 after ,kennedy had checked the parcel with the station agent4 ,mrs4 ,pearcy1 to whom we introduced ourselves as reporters of the ,star1 was a tall blonde4 ,i could not help thinking that she made a particularly dashing widow4 ,with her at the time was ,isabel ,pearcy1 a slender girl whose sensitive lips and large1 earnest eyes indicated a fine1 high-strung nature4 ,even before we had introduced ourselves1 ,i could not help thinking that there was a sort of hostility between the women4 ,certainly it was evident that there was as much difference in temperament as between the butterfly and the bee4 8,no10 replied the elder woman quickly to a request from ,kennedy for an interview1 8there is nothing that ,i care to say to the newspapers4 ,they have said too much already about this--unfortunate affair40 ,whether it was imagination or not1 ,i fancied that there was an air of reserve about both women4 ,it struck me as a most peculiar household4 ,what was it8 ,was each suspicious of the other8 ,was each concealing something8 ,i managed to steal a glance at ,kennedy's face to see whether there was anything to confirm my own impression4 ,he was watching ,mrs4 ,pearcy closely as she spoke4 ,in fact his next few questions1 inconsequential as they were1 seemed addressed to her solely for the purpose of getting her to speak4 ,i followed his eyes and found that he was watching her mouth1 in reality4 ,as she answered ,i noted her beautiful white teeth4 ,kennedy himself had trained me to notice small things1 and at the time1 though ,i thought it was trivial1 ,i recall noticing on her gums1 where they joined the teeth1 a peculiar bluish-black line4 ,kennedy had been careful to address only ,mrs4 ,pearcy at first1 and as he continued questioning her1 she seemed to realize that he was trying to lead her along4 8,i must positively refuse to talk any more10 she repeated finally1 rising4 8,i am not to be tricked into saying anything40 ,she had left the room1 evidently expecting that ,isabel would follow4 ,she did not4 ,in fact ,i felt that ,miss ,pearcy was visibly relieved by the departure of her stepmother4 ,she seemed anxious to ask us something and now took the first opportunity4 8,tell me10 she said eagerly1 8how did ,mr4 ,minturn die8 ,what do they really think of it in ,new ,york80 8,they think it is poisoning10 replied ,craig1 noting the look on her face4 ,she betrayed nothing1 as far as ,i could see1 except a natural neighborly interest4 8,poisoning80 she repeated4 8,by what80 8,lead poisoning10 he replied evasively4 ,she said nothing4 ,it was evident that1 slip of a girl though she was1 she was quite the match of anyone who attempted leading questions4 ,kennedy changed his method4 8,you will pardon me10 he said apologetically1 8for recalling what must be distressing4 ,but we newspapermen often have to do things and ask questions that are distasteful4 ,i believe it is rumored that your father suffered from lead poisoning80 8,oh1 ,i don't know what it was--none of us do10 she cried1 almost pathetically4 8,i had been living at the settlement until lately4 ,when father grew worse1 ,i came home4 ,he had such strange visions--hallucinations1 ,i suppose you would call them4 ,in the daytime he would be so very morose and melancholy4 ,then1 too1 there were terrible pains in his stomach1 and his eyesight began to fail4 ,yes1 ,i believe that ,dr4 ,gunther did say it was lead poisoning4 ,but--they have said so many things--so many things10 she repeated1 plainly distressed at the subject of her recent bereavement4 8,your brother is not at home80 asked ,kennedy1 quickly changing the subject4 8,no10 she answered1 then with a flash as though lifting the veil of a confidence1 added3 8,you know1 neither ,warner nor ,i have lived here much this year4 ,he has been in ,new ,york most of the time and ,i have been at the settlement1 as ,i already told you40 ,she hesitated1 as if wondering whether she should say more1 then added quickly3 8,it has been repeated often enough2 there is no reason why ,i shouldn't say it to you4 ,neither of us exactly approved of father's marriage40 ,she checked herself and glanced about1 somewhat with the air of one who has suddenly considered the possibility of being overheard4 8,may ,i have a glass of water80 asked ,kennedy suddenly4 8,why1 certainly10 she answered1 going to the door1 apparently eager for an excuse to find out whether there was some one on the other side of it4 ,there was not1 nor any indication that there had been4 8,evidently she does not have any suspicions of that10 remarked ,kennedy in an undertone1 half to himself4 ,i had no chance to question him1 for she returned almost immediately4 ,instead of drinking the water1 however1 he held it carefully up to the light4 ,it was slightly turbid4 8,you drink the water from the tap80 he asked1 as he poured some of it into a sterilized vial which he drew quickly from his vest pocket4 8,certainly10 she replied1 for the moment nonplussed at his strange actions4 8,everybody drinks the town water in ,stratfield40 ,a few more questions1 none of which were of importance1 and ,kennedy and ,i excused ourselves4 ,at the gate1 instead of turning toward the town1 however1 ,kennedy went on and entered the grounds of the ,minturn house next door4 ,the lawyer1 ,i had understood1 was a widower and1 though he lived in ,stratfield only part of the time1 still maintained his house there4 ,we rang the bell and a middle-aged housekeeper answered4 8,i am from the water company10 he began politely4 8,we are testing the water1 perhaps will supply consumers with filters4 ,can you let me have a sample80 ,she did not demur1 but invited us in4 ,as she drew the water1 ,craig watched her hands closely4 ,she seemed to have difficulty in holding the glass1 and as she handed it to him1 ,i noticed a peculiar hanging down of the wrist4 ,kennedy poured the sample into a second vial1 and ,i noticed that it was turbid1 too4 ,with no mention of the tragedy to her employer1 he excused himself1 and we walked slowly back to the road4 ,between the two houses ,kennedy paused1 and for several moments appeared to be studying them4 ,we walked slowly back along the road to the town4 ,as we passed the local drug store1 ,kennedy turned and sauntered in4 ,he found it easy enough to get into conversation with the druggist1 after making a small purchase1 and in the course of a few minutes we found ourselves gossiping behind the partition that shut off the arcana of the prescription counter from the rest of the store4 ,gradually ,kennedy led the conversation around to the point which he wanted1 and asked1 8,i wish you'd let me fix up a little sulphureted hydrogen40 8,go ahead10 granted the druggist good-naturedly4 8,i guess you can do it4 ,you know as much about drugs as ,i do4 ,i can stand the smell1 if you can40 ,kennedy smiled and set to work4 ,slowly he passed the gas through the samples of water he had taken from the two houses4 ,as he did so the gas1 bubbling through1 made a blackish precipitate4 8,what is it80 asked the druggist curiously4 8,lead sulphide10 replied ,kennedy1 stroking his chin4 8,this is an extremely delicate test4 ,why1 one can get a distinct brownish tinge if lead is present in even incredibly minute quantities40 ,he continued to work over the vials ranged on the table before him4 8,the water contains1 ,i should say1 from ten to fifteen hundredths of a grain of lead to the gallon10 he remarked finally4 8,where did it come from80 asked the druggist1 unable longer to restrain his curiosity4 8,i got it up at ,pearcy's10 ,kennedy replied frankly1 turning to observe whether the druggist might betray any knowledge of it4 8,that's strange10 he replied in genuine surprise4 8,our water in ,stratfield is supplied by a company to a large area1 and it has always seemed to me to be of great organic purity40 8,but the pipes are of lead1 are they not80 asked ,kennedy4 8,y-yes10 answered the druggist1 8,i think in most places the service pipes are of lead4 ,but10 he added earnestly as he saw the implication of his admission1 8water has never to my knowledge been found to attack the pipes so as to affect its quality injuriously40 ,he turned his own faucet and drew a glassful4 8,it is normally quite clear10 he added1 holding the glass up4 ,it was in fact perfectly clear1 and when he passed some of the gas through it nothing happened at all4 ,just then a man lounged into the store4 8,hello1 ,doctor10 greeted the druggist4 8,here are a couple of fellows that have been investigating the water up at ,pearcy's4 ,they've found lead in it4 ,that ought to interest you4 ,this is ,dr4 ,gunther10 he introduced1 turning to us4 ,it was an unexpected encounter1 one ,i imagine that ,kennedy might have preferred to take place under other circumstances4 ,but he was equal to the occasion4 8,we've been sent up here to look into the case for the ,new ,york ,star10 ,kennedy said quickly4 8,i intended to come around to see you1 but you have saved me the trouble40 ,dr4 ,gunther looked from one of us to the other4 8,seems to me the ,new ,york papers ought to have enough to do without sending men all over the country making news10 he grunted4 8,well10 drawled ,kennedy quietly1 8there seems to be a most remarkable situation up there at ,pearcy's and ,minturn's1 too4 ,as nearly as ,i can make out several people there are suffering from unmistakable signs of lead poisoning4 ,there are the pains in the stomach1 the colic1 and then on the gums is that characteristic line of plumbic sulphide1 the distinctive mark produced by lead4 ,there is the wrist-drop1 the eyesight affected1 the partial paralysis1 the hallucinations and a condition in old ,pearcy's case almost bordering on insanity--to enumerate the symptoms that seem to be present in varying degrees in various persons in the two houses40 ,gunther looked at ,kennedy1 as if in doubt just how to take him4 8,that's what the coroner says1 too--lead poisoning10 put in the druggist1 himself as keen as anyone else for a piece of local news1 and evidently not averse to stimulating talk from ,dr4 ,gunther1 who had been ,pearcy's physician4 8,that all seems to be true enough10 replied ,gunther at length guardedly4 8,i recognized that some time ago40 8,why do you think it affects each so differently80 asked the druggist4 ,dr4 ,gunther settled himself easily back in a chair to speak as one having authority4 8,well10 he began slowly1 8,miss ,pearcy1 of course1 hasn't been living there much until lately4 ,as for the others1 perhaps this gentleman here from the ,star knows that lead1 once absorbed1 may remain latent in the system and then make itself felt4 ,it is like arsenic1 an accumulative poison1 slowly collecting in the body until the limit is reached1 or until the body1 becoming weakened from some other cause1 gives way to it40 ,he shifted his position slowly1 and went on1 as if defending the course of action he had taken in the case4 8,then1 too1 you know1 there is an individual as well as family and sex susceptibility to lead4 ,women are especially liable to lead poisoning1 but then perhaps in this case ,mrs4 ,pearcy comes of a family that is very resistant4 ,there are many factors4 ,personally1 ,i don't think ,pearcy himself was resistant4 ,perhaps ,minturn was not1 either4 ,at any rate1 after ,pearcy's death1 it was ,i who advised ,minturn to take the electrolysis cure in ,new ,york4 ,i took him down there10 added ,gunther4 8,confound it1 ,i wish ,i had stayed with him4 ,but ,i always found ,josephson perfectly reliable in hydrotherapy with other patients ,i sent to him1 and ,i understood that he had been very successful with cases sent to him by many physicians in the city40 ,he paused and ,i waited anxiously to see whether ,kennedy would make some reference to the discovery of the strychnine salts4 8,have you any idea how the lead poisoning could have been caused80 asked ,kennedy instead4 ,dr4 ,gunther shook his head4 8,it is a puzzle to me10 he answered4 8,i am sure of only one thing4 ,it could not be from working in lead1 for it is needless to say that none of them worked40 8,food80 ,craig suggested4 ,the doctor considered4 8,i had thought of that4 ,i know that many cases of lead poisoning have been traced to the presence of the stuff in ordinary foods1 drugs and drinks4 ,i have examined the foods1 especially the bread4 ,they don't use canned goods4 ,i even went so far as to examine the kitchen ware to see if there could be anything wrong with the glazing4 ,they don't drink wines and beers1 into which now and then the stuff seems to get40 8,you seem to have a good grasp of the subject10 flattered ,kennedy1 as we rose to go4 8,i can hardly blame you for neglecting the water1 since everyone here seems to be so sure of the purity of the supply40 ,gunther said nothing4 ,i was not surprised1 for1 at the very least1 no one likes to have an outsider come in and put his finger directly on the raw spot4 ,what more there might be to it1 ,i could only conjecture4 ,we left the druggist's and ,kennedy1 glancing at his watch1 remarked3 8,if you will go down to the station1 ,walter1 and get that package we left there1 ,i shall be much obliged to you4 ,i want to make just one more stop1 at the office of the water company1 and ,i think ,i shall just about have time for it4 ,there's a pretty good restaurant across the street4 ,meet me there1 and by that time ,i shall know whether to carry out a little plan ,i have outlined or not40 ,,chapter ,,xxx ,,the ,,electrolytic ,,murder ,we dined leisurely1 which seemed strange to me1 for it was not ,kennedy's custom to let moments fly uselessly when he was on a case4 ,however1 ,i soon found out why it was4 ,he was waiting for darkness4 ,as soon as the lights began to glow in the little stores on the main street1 we sallied forth1 taking the direction of the ,pearcy and ,minturn houses4 ,on the way he dropped into the hardware store and purchased a light spade and one of the small pocket electric flashlights1 about which he wrapped a piece of cardboard in such a way as to make a most effective dark lantern4 ,we trudged along in silence1 occasionally changing from carrying the heavy package to the light spade4 ,both the ,pearcy and ,minturn houses were in nearly total darkness when we arrived4 ,they set well back from the road and were plentifully shielded by shrubbery4 ,then1 too1 at night it was not a much frequented neighborhood4 ,we could easily hear the footsteps of anyone approaching on the walk1 and an occasional automobile gliding past did not worry us in the least4 8,i have calculated carefully from an examination of the water company's map10 said ,craig1 8just where the water pipe of the two houses branches off from the main in the road40 ,after a measurement or two from some landmark1 we set to work a few feet inside1 under cover of the bushes and the shadows1 like two grave diggers4 ,kennedy had been wielding the spade vigorously for a few minutes when it touched something metallic4 ,there1 just beneath the frost line1 we came upon the service pipe4 ,he widened the hole1 and carefully scraped off the damp earth that adhered to the pipe4 ,next he found a valve where he shut off the water and cut out a small piece of the pipe4 8,i hope they don't suspect anything like this in the houses with their water cut off10 he remarked as he carefully split the piece open lengthwise and examined it under the light4 ,on the interior of the pipe could be seen patchy lumps of white which projected about an eighth of an inch above the internal surface4 ,as the pipe dried in the warm night air1 they could easily be brushed off as a white powder4 8,what is it--strychnine80 ,i asked4 8,no10 he replied1 regarding it thoughtfully with some satisfaction4 8,that is lead carbonate4 ,there can be no doubt that the turbidity of the water was due to this powder in suspension4 ,a little dissolves in the water1 while the scales and incrustations in fine particles are carried along in the current4 ,as a matter of fact the amount necessary to make the water poisonous need not be large40 ,he applied a little instrument to the cut ends of the pipe4 ,as ,i bent over1 ,i could see the needle on its dial deflected just a bit4 8,my voltmeter10 he said1 reading it1 8shows that there is a current of about #a4h volts passing through this pipe all the time40 8,electrolysis of water pipes60 ,i exclaimed1 thinking of statements ,i had heard by engineers4 8,that's what they mean by stray or vagabond currents1 isn't it80 ,he had seized the lantern and was eagerly following up and down the line of the water pipe4 ,at last he stopped1 with a low exclamation1 at a point where an electric light wire supplying the ,minturn cottage crossed overhead4 ,fastened inconspicuously to the trunk of a tree which served as a support for the wire was another wire which led down from it and was buried in the ground4 ,craig turned up the soft earth as fast as he could1 until he reached the pipe at this point4 ,there was the buried wire wound several times around it4 ,as quickly and as neatly as he could he inserted a connection between the severed ends of the pipe to restore the flow of water to the houses1 turned on the water and covered up the holes he had dug4 ,then he unwrapped the package which we had tugged about all day1 and in a narrow path between the bushes which led to the point where the wire had tapped the electric light feed he placed in a shallow hole in the ground a peculiar apparatus4 ,as nearly as ,i could make it out1 it consisted of two flat platforms between which1 covered over and projected1 was a slip of paper which moved forward1 actuated by clockwork1 and pressed on by a sort of stylus4 ,then he covered it over lightly with dirt so that1 unless anyone had been looking for it1 it would never be noticed4 ,it was late when we reached the city again1 but ,kennedy had one more piece of work and that devolved on me4 ,all the way down on the train he had been writing and rewriting something4 8,walter10 he said1 as the train pulled into the station1 8,i want that published in to-morrow's papers40 ,i looked over what he had written4 ,it was one of the most sensational stories ,i have ever fathered1 beginning1 8,latest of the victims of the unknown poisoner of whole families in ,stratfield1 ,connecticut1 is ,miss ,isabel ,pearcy1 whose father1 ,randall ,pearcy1 died last week40 ,i knew that it was a 8plant0 of some kind1 for so far he had discovered no evidence that ,miss ,pearcy had been affected4 ,what his purpose was1 ,i could not guess1 but ,i got the story printed4 ,the next morning early ,kennedy was quietly at work in the laboratory4 8,what is this treatment of lead poisoning by electrolysis80 ,i asked1 now that there had come a lull when ,i might get an intelligible answer4 8,how does it work80 8,brand new1 ,walter10 replied ,kennedy4 8,it has been discovered that ions will flow directly through the membranes40 8,ions80 ,i repeated4 8,what are ions80 8,travelers10 he answered1 smiling1 8so named by ,faraday from the ,greek verb1 io1 to go4 ,they are little positive and negative charges of electricity of which molecules are composed4 ,you know some believe now that matter is really composed of electrical energy4 ,i think ,i can explain it best by a simile ,i use with my classes4 ,it is as though you had a ballroom in which the dancers in couples represent the neutral molecules4 ,there are a certain number of isolated ladies and gentlemen--dissociated ions--0 8,who don't know these new dances80 ,i interrupted4 8,they all know this dance10 he laughed4 8,but1 to be serious in the simile1 suppose at one end of the room there is a large mirror and at the other a buffet with cigars and champagne4 ,what happens to the dissociated ions80 8,well1 ,i suppose you want me to say that the ladies gather about the mirror and the men about the buffet40 8,exactly4 ,and some of the dancing partners separate and follow the crowd4 ,well1 that room presents a picture of what happens in an electrolytic solution at the moment when the electric current is passing through it40 8,thanks10 ,i laughed4 8,that was quite adequate to my immature understanding40 ,kennedy continued at work1 checking up and arranging his data until the middle of the afternoon1 when he went up to ,stratfield4 ,having nothing better to do1 ,i wandered out about town in the hope of running across some one with whom to while away the hours until ,kennedy returned4 ,i found out that1 since yesterday1 ,broadway had woven an entirely new background for the mystery4 ,now it was rumored that the lawyer ,minturn himself had been on very intimate terms with ,mrs4 ,pearcy4 ,i did not pay much attention to the rumor1 for ,i knew that ,broadway is constitutionally unable to believe that anybody is straight4 ,kennedy had commissioned me to keep in touch with ,josephson and ,i finally managed to get around to the ,baths1 to find them still closed4 ,as ,i was talking with him1 a very muddy and dusty car pulled up at the door and a young man whose face was marred by the red congested blood vessels that are in some a mark of dissipation burst in on us4 8,what--closed up yet--,joe80 he asked4 8,haven't they taken ,minturn's body away80 8,yes1 it was sent up to ,stratfield to-day10 replied the masseur1 8but the coroner seems to want to worry me all he can40 8,too bad4 ,i was up almost all last night1 and to-day ,i have been out in my car--tired to death4 ,thought ,i might get some rest here4 ,where are you sending the boys--to the ,longacre80 8,yes4 ,they'll take good care of you till ,i open up again4 ,hope to see you back again1 then1 ,mr4 ,pearcy10 he added1 as the young man turned and hurried out to his car again4 8,that was that young ,pearcy1 you know4 ,nice boy--but living the life too fast4 ,what's ,kennedy doing--anything80 ,i did not like the jaunty bravado of the masseur which now seemed to be returning1 since nothing definite had taken shape4 ,i determined that he should not pump me1 as he evidently was trying to do4 ,i had at least fulfilled ,kennedy's commission and felt that the sooner ,i left ,josephson the better for both of us4 ,i was surprised at dinner to receive a wire from ,craig saying that he was bringing down ,dr4 ,gunther1 ,mrs4 ,pearcy and ,isabel to ,new ,york and asking me to have ,warner ,pearcy and ,josephson at the laboratory at nine o'clock4 ,by strategy ,i managed to persuade ,pearcy to come1 and as for ,josephson1 he could not very well escape1 though ,i saw that as long as nothing more had happened1 he was more interested in 8fixing0 the police so that he could resume business than anything else4 ,as we entered the laboratory that night1 ,kennedy1 who had left his party at a downtown hotel to freshen up1 met us each at the door4 ,instead of conducting us in front of his laboratory table1 which was the natural way1 he led us singly around through the narrow space back of it4 ,i recall that as ,i followed him1 ,i half imagined that the floor gave way just a bit1 and there flashed over me1 by a queer association of ideas1 the recollection of having visited an amusement park not long before where merely stepping on an innocent-looking section of the flooring had resulted in a tremendous knocking and banging beneath1 much to the delight of the lovers of slap-stick humor4 ,this was serious business1 however1 and ,i quickly banished the frivolous thought from my mind4 8,the discovery of poison1 and its identification10 began ,craig at last when we had all arrived and were seated about him1 8often involves not only the use of chemistry but also a knowledge of the chemical effect of the poison on the body1 and the gross as well as microscopic changes which it produces in various tissues and organs--changes1 some due to mere contact1 others to the actual chemicophysiological reaction between the poison and the body40 ,his hand was resting on the poles of a large battery1 as he proceeded3 8,every day the medical detective plays a more and more important part in the detection of crime1 and ,i might say that1 except in the case of crime complicated by a lunacy plea1 his work has earned the respect of the courts and of detectives1 while in the case of insanity the discredit is the fault rather of the law itself4 ,the ways in which the doctor can be of use in untangling the facts in many forms of crime have become so numerous that the profession of medical detective may almost be called a specialty40 ,kennedy repeated what he had already told me about electrolysis1 then placed between the poles of the battery a large piece of raw beef4 ,he covered the negative electrode with blotting paper and soaked it in a beaker near at hand4 8,this solution10 he explained1 8is composed of potassium iodide4 ,in this other beaker ,i have a mixture of ordinary starch40 ,he soaked the positive electrode in the starch and then jammed the two against the soft red meat4 ,then he applied the current4 ,a few moments later he withdrew the positive electrode4 ,both it and the meat under it were blue6 8,what has happened80 he asked4 8,the iodine ions have actually passed through the beef to the positive pole and the paper on the electrode4 ,here we have starch iodide40 ,it was a startling idea1 this of the introduction of a substance by electrolysis4 8,i may say10 he resumed1 8that the medical view of electricity is changing1 due in large measure to the genius of the ,frenchman1 ,dr4 ,leduc4 ,the body1 we know1 is composed largely of water1 with salts of soda and potash4 ,it is an excellent electrolyte4 ,yet most doctors regard the introduction of substances by the electric current as insignificant or nonexistent4 ,but on the contrary the introduction of drugs by electrolysis is regular and far from being insignificant may very easily bring about death4 8,that action10 he went on1 looking from one of us to another1 8may be therapeutic1 as in the cure for lead poisoning by removing the lead1 or it may be toxic--as in the case of actually introducing such a poison as strychnine into the body by the same forces that will remove the lead40 ,he paused a moment1 to enforce the point which had already been suggested4 ,i glanced about hastily4 ,if anyone in his little audience was guilty1 no one betrayed it1 for all were following him1 fascinated4 ,yet in the wildly throbbing brain of some one of them the guilty knowledge must be seared indelibly4 ,would the mere accusation be enough to dissociate the truth from1 that brain or would ,kennedy have to resort to other means8 8,some one10 he went on1 in a low1 tense voice1 leaning forward1 8some one who knew this effect placed strychnine salts on one of the electrodes of the bath which ,owen ,minturn was to use40 ,he did not pause4 ,evidently he was planning to let the force of his exposure be cumulative1 until from its sheer momentum it carried everything before it4 8,walter10 he ordered quickly4 8,lend me a hand40 ,together we moved the laboratory table as he directed4 ,there1 in the floor1 concealed by the shadow1 he had placed the same apparatus which ,i had seen him bury in the path between the ,pearcy and ,minturn estates at ,stratfield4 ,we scarcely breathed4 8,this10 he explained rapidly1 8is what is known as a kinograph--the invention of ,professor ,hele,shaw of ,london4 ,it enables me to identify a person by his or her walk4 ,each of you as you entered this room has passed over this apparatus and has left a different mark on the paper which registers40 ,for a moment he stopped1 as if gathering strength for the final assault4 8,until late this afternoon ,i had this kinograph secreted at a certain place in ,stratfield4 ,some one had tampered with the leaden water pipes and the electric light cable4 ,fearful that the lead poisoning brought on by electrolysis might not produce its result in the intended victim1 that person took advantage of the new discoveries in electrolysis to complete that work by introducing the deadly strychnine during the very process of cure of the lead poisoning40 ,he slapped down a copy of a newspaper4 8,in the news this morning ,i told just enough of what ,i had discovered and colored it in such a way that ,i was sure ,i would arouse apprehension4 ,i did it because ,i wanted to make the criminal revisit the real scene of the crime4 ,there was a double motive now--to remove the evidence and to check the spread of the poisoning40 ,he reached over1 tore off the paper with a quick1 decisive motion1 and laid it beside another strip1 a little discolored by moisture1 as though the damp earth had touched it4 8,that person1 alarmed lest something in the cleverly laid plot1 might be discovered1 went to a certain spot to remove the traces of the diabolical work which were hidden there4 ,my kinograph shows the footsteps1 shows as plainly as if ,i had been present1 the exact person who tried to obliterate the evidence40 ,an ashen pallor seemed to spread over the face of ,miss ,pearcy1 as ,kennedy shot out the words4 8,that person10 he emphasized1 8had planned to put out of the way one who had brought disgrace on the ,pearcy family4 ,it was an act of private justice40 ,mrs4 ,pearcy could stand the strain no longer4 ,she had broken down and was weeping incoherently4 ,i strained my ears to catch what she was murmuring4 ,it was ,minturn's name1 not ,gunther's1 that was on her lips4 8,but10 cried ,kennedy1 raising an accusatory finger from the kinograph tracing and pointing it like the finger of ,fate itself1 8but the self-appointed avenger forgot that the leaden water pipe was common to the two houses4 ,old ,mr4 ,pearcy1 the wronged1 died first4 ,isabel has guessed the family skeleton--has tried hard to shield you1 but1 ,warner ,pearcy1 you are the murderer60 ,,chapter ,,xxxi ,,the ,,eugenic ,,bride ,scandal1 such as that which ,kennedy unearthed in this ,pearcy case1 was never much to his liking1 yet he seemed destined1 about this period of his career1 to have a good deal of it4 ,we had scarcely finished with the indictment that followed the arrest of young ,pearcy1 when we were confronted by a situation which was as unique as it was intensely modern4 8,there's absolutely no insanity in ,eugenia's family10 ,i heard a young man remark to ,kennedy1 as my key turned in the lock of the laboratory door4 ,for a moment ,i hesitated about breaking in on a confidential conference1 then reflected that1 as they had probably already heard me at the lock1 ,i had better go in and excuse myself4 ,as ,i swung the door open1 ,i saw a young man pacing up and down the laboratory nervously1 too preoccupied even to notice the slight noise ,i had made4 ,he paused in his nervous walk and faced ,kennedy1 his back to me4 8,kennedy10 he said huskily1 8,i wouldn't care if there was insanity in her family--for1 my ,god6--the tragedy of it all now--,i love her60 ,he turned1 following ,kennedy's eyes in my direction1 and ,i saw on his face the most haggard1 haunting look of anxiety that ,i had ever seen on a young person4 ,instantly ,i recognized from the pictures ,i had seen in the newspapers young ,quincy ,atherton1 the last of this famous line of the family1 who had attracted a great deal of attention several months previously by what the newspapers had called his search through society for a 8eugenics bride10 to infuse new blood into the ,atherton stock4 8,you need have no fear that ,mr4 ,jameson will be like the other newspaper men10 reassured ,craig1 as he introduced us1 mindful of the prejudice which the unpleasant notoriety of ,atherton's marriage had already engendered in his mind4 ,i recalled that when ,i had first heard of ,atherton's 8eugenic marriage10 ,i had instinctively felt a prejudice against the very idea of such cold1 calculating1 materialistic1 scientific mating1 as if one of the last fixed points were disappearing in the chaos of the social and sex upheaval4 ,now1 ,i saw that one great fact of life must always remain4 ,we might ride in hydroaeroplanes1 delve into the very soul by psychanalysis1 perhaps even run our machines by the internal forces of radium--even marry according to ,galton or ,mendel4 ,but there would always be love1 deep passionate love of the man for the woman1 love which all the discoveries of science might perhaps direct a little less blindly1 but the consuming flame of which not all the coldness of science could ever quench4 ,no tampering with the roots of human nature could ever change the roots4 ,i must say that ,i rather liked young ,atherton4 ,he had a frank1 open face1 the most prominent feature of which was his somewhat aristocratic nose4 ,otherwise he impressed one as being the victim of heredity in faults1 if at all serious1 against which he was struggling heroically4 ,it was a most pathetic story which he told1 a story of how his family had degenerated from the strong stock of his ancestors until he was the last of the line4 ,he told of his education1 how he had fallen1 a rather wild youth bent in the footsteps of his father who had been a notoriously good clubfellow1 under the influence of a college professor1 ,dr4 ,crafts1 a classmate of his father's1 of how the professor had carefully and persistently fostered in him an idea that had completely changed him4 8,crafts always said it was a case of eugenics against euthenics10 remarked ,atherton1 8of birth against environment4 ,he would tell me over and over that birth gave me the clay1 and it wasn't such bad clay after all1 but that environment would shape the vessel40 ,then ,atherton launched into a description of how he had striven to find a girl who had the strong qualities his family germ plasm seemed to have lost1 mainly1 ,i gathered1 resistance to a taint much like manic depressive insanity4 ,and as he talked1 it was borne in on me that1 after all1 contrary to my first prejudice1 there was nothing very romantic indeed about disregarding the plain teachings of science on the subject of marriage and one's children4 ,in his search for a bride1 ,dr4 ,crafts1 who had founded a sort of ,eugenics ,bureau1 had come to advise him4 ,others may have looked up their brides in ,bradstreet's1 or at least the ,social ,register4 ,atherton had gone higher1 had been overjoyed to find that a girl he had met in the ,west1 ,eugenia ,gilman1 measured up to what his friend told him were the latest teachings of science4 ,he had been overjoyed because1 long before ,crafts had told him1 he had found out that he loved her deeply4 8,and now10 he went on1 half choking with emotion1 8she is apparently suffering from just the same sort of depression as ,i myself might suffer from if the recessive trait became active40 8,what do you mean1 for instance80 asked ,craig4 8,well1 for one thing1 she has the delusion that my relatives are persecuting her40 8,persecuting her80 repeated ,craig1 stifling the remark that that was not in itself a new thing in this or any other family4 8,how80 8,oh1 making her feel that1 after all1 it is ,atherton family rather than ,gilman health that counts--little remarks that when our baby is born1 they hope it will resemble ,quincy rather than ,eugenia1 and all that sort of thing1 only worse and more cutting1 until the thing has begun to prey on her mind40 8,i see10 remarked ,kennedy thoughtfully4 8,but don't you think this is a case for a--a doctor1 rather than a detective80 ,atherton glanced up quickly4 8,kennedy10 he answered slowly1 8where millions of dollars are involved1 no one can guess to what lengths the human mind will go--no one1 except you40 8,then you have suspicions of something worse80 8,y-yes--but nothing definite4 ,now1 take this case4 ,if ,i should die childless1 after my wife1 the ,atherton estate would descend to my nearest relative1 ,burroughs ,atherton1 a cousin40 8,unless you willed it to--0 8,i have already drawn a will10 he interrupted1 8and in case ,i survive ,eugenia and die childless1 the money goes to the founding of a larger ,eugenics ,bureau1 to prevent in the future1 as much as possible1 tragedies such as this of which ,i find myself a part4 ,if the case is reversed1 ,eugenia will get her third and the remainder will go to the ,bureau or the ,foundation1 as ,i call the new venture4 ,but10 and here young ,atherton leaned forward and fixed his large eyes keenly on us1 8,burroughs might break the will4 ,he might show that ,i was of unsound mind1 or that ,eugenia was1 too40 8,are there no other relatives80 8,burroughs is the nearest10 he replied1 then added frankly1 8,i have a second cousin1 a young lady named ,edith ,atherton1 with whom both ,burroughs and ,i used to be very friendly40 ,it was evident from the way he spoke that he had thought a great deal about ,edith ,atherton1 and still thought well of her4 8,your wife thinks it is ,burroughs who is persecuting her80 asked ,kennedy4 ,atherton shrugged his shoulders4 8,does she get along badly with ,edith8 ,she knows her ,i presume80 8,of course4 ,the fact is that since the death of her mother1 ,edith has been living with us4 ,she is a splendid girl1 and all alone in the world now1 and ,i had hopes that in ,new ,york she might meet some one and marry well40 ,kennedy was looking squarely at ,atherton1 wondering whether he might ask a question without seeming impertinent4 ,atherton caught the look1 read it1 and answered quite frankly1 8,to tell the truth1 ,i suppose ,i might have married ,edith1 before ,i met ,eugenia1 if ,professor ,crafts had not dissuaded me4 ,but it wouldn't have been real love--nor wise4 ,you know10 he went on more frankly1 now that the first hesitation was over and he realized that if he were to gain anything at all by ,kennedy's services1 there must be the utmost candor between them1 8you know cousins may marry if the stocks are known to be strong4 ,but if there is a defect1 it is almost sure to be intensified4 ,and so ,i--,i gave up the idea--never had it1 in fact1 so strongly as to propose to her4 ,and when ,i met ,eugenia all the ,athertons on the family tree couldn't have bucked up against the combination40 ,he was deadly in earnest as he arose from the chair into which he had dropped after ,i came in4 8,oh1 it's terrible--this haunting fear1 this obsession that ,i have had1 that1 in spite of all ,i have tried to do1 some one1 somehow1 will defeat me4 ,then comes the situation1 just at a time when ,eugenia and ,i feel that we have won against ,fate1 and she in particular needs all the consideration and care in the world--and--and ,i am defeated40 ,atherton was again pacing the laboratory4 8,i have my car waiting outside10 he pleaded4 8,i wish you would go with me to see ,eugenia--now40 ,it was impossible to resist him4 ,kennedy rose and ,i followed1 not without a trace of misgiving4 ,the ,atherton mansion was one of the old houses of the city1 a somber stone dwelling with a garden about it on a downtown square1 on which business was already encroaching4 ,we were admitted by a servant who seemed to walk over the polished floors with stealthy step as if there was something sacred about even the ,atherton silence4 ,as we waited in a high-ceilinged drawing-room with exquisite old tapestries on the walls1 ,i could not help feeling myself the influence of wealth and birth that seemed to cry out from every object of art in the house4 ,on the longer wall of the room1 ,i saw a group of paintings4 ,one1 ,i noted especially1 must have been ,atherton's ancestor1 the founder of the line4 ,there was the same nose in ,atherton1 for instance1 a striking instance of heredity4 ,i studied the face carefully4 ,there was every element of strength in it1 and ,i thought instinctively that1 whatever might have been the effects of in-breeding and bad alliances1 there must still be some of that strength left in the present descendant of the house of ,atherton4 ,the more ,i thought about the house1 the portrait1 the whole case1 the more unable was ,i to get out of my head a feeling that though ,i had not been in such a position before1 ,i had at least read or heard something of which it vaguely reminded me4 ,eugenia ,atherton was reclining listlessly in her room in a deep leather easy chair1 when ,atherton took us up at last4 ,she did not rise to greet us1 but ,i noted that she was attired in what ,kennedy once called1 as we strolled up the ,avenue1 8the expensive sloppiness of the present styles40 ,in her case the looseness with which her clothes hung was exaggerated by the lack of energy with which she wore them4 ,she had been a beautiful girl1 ,i knew4 ,in fact1 one could see that she must have been4 ,now1 however1 she showed marks of change4 ,her eyes were large1 and protruding1 not with the fire of passion which is often associated with large eyes1 but dully1 set in a puffy face1 a trifle florid4 ,her hands seemed1 when she moved them1 to shake with an involuntary tremor1 and in spite of the fact that one almost could feel that her heart and lungs were speeding with energy1 she had lost weight and no longer had the full1 rounded figure of health4 ,her manner showed severe mental disturbance1 indifference1 depression1 a distressing deterioration4 ,all her attractive ,western breeziness was gone4 ,one felt the tragedy of it only too keenly4 8,i have asked ,professor ,kennedy1 a specialist1 to call1 my dear10 said ,atherton gently1 without mentioning what the specialty was4 8,another one80 she queried languorously4 ,there was a colorless indifference in the tone which was almost tragic4 ,she said the words slowly and deliberately1 as though even her mind worked that way4 ,from the first1 ,i saw that ,kennedy had been observing ,eugenia ,atherton keenly4 ,and in the role of specialist in nervous diseases he was enabled to do what otherwise would have been difficult to accomplish4 ,gradually1 from observing her mental condition of indifference which made conversation extremely difficult as well as profitless1 he began to consider her physical condition4 ,i knew him well enough to gather from his manner alone as he went on that what had seemed at the start to be merely a curious case1 because it concerned the ,athertons1 was looming up in his mind as unusual in itself1 and was interesting him because it baffled him4 ,craig had just discovered that her pulse was abnormally high1 and that consequently she had a high temperature1 and was sweating profusely4 8,would you mind turning your head1 ,mrs4 ,atherton80 he asked4 ,she turned slowly1 half way1 her eyes fixed vacantly on the floor until we could see the once striking profile4 8,no1 all the way around1 if you please10 added ,kennedy4 ,she offered no objection1 not the slightest resistance4 ,as she turned her head as far as she could1 ,kennedy quickly placed his forefinger and thumb gently on her throat1 the once beautiful throat1 now with skin harsh and rough4 ,softly he moved his fingers just a fraction of an inch over the so-called 8,adam's apple0 and around it for a little distance4 8,thank you10 he said4 8,now around to the other side40 ,he made no other remark as he repeated the process1 but ,i fancied ,i could tell that he had had an instant suspicion of something the moment he touched her throat4 ,he rose abstractedly1 bowed1 and we started to leave the room1 uncertain whether she knew or cared4 ,quincy had fixed his eyes silently on ,craig1 as if imploring him to speak1 but ,i knew how unlikely that was until he had confirmed his suspicion to the last slightest detail4 ,we were passing through a dressing room in the suite when we met a tall young woman1 whose face ,i instantly recognized1 not because ,i had ever seen it before1 but because she had the ,atherton nose so prominently developed4 8,my cousin1 ,edith10 introduced ,quincy4 ,we bowed and stood for a moment chatting4 ,there seemed to be no reason why we should leave the suite1 since ,mrs4 ,atherton paid so little attention to us even when we had been in the same room4 ,yet a slight movement in her room told me that in spite of her lethargy she seemed to know that we were there and to recognize who had joined us4 ,edith ,atherton was a noticeable woman1 a woman of temperament1 not beautiful exactly1 but with a stateliness about her1 an aloofness4 ,the more ,i studied her face1 with its thin sensitive lips and commanding1 almost imperious eyes1 the more there seemed to be something peculiar about her4 ,she was dressed very simply in black1 but it was the simplicity that costs4 ,one thing was quite evident--her pride in the family of ,atherton4 ,and as we talked1 it seemed to be that she1 much more than ,eugenia in her former blooming health1 was a part of the somber house4 ,there came over me again the impression ,i had received before that ,i had read or heard something like this case before4 ,she did not linger long1 but continued her stately way into the room where ,eugenia sat4 ,and at once it flashed over me what my impression1 indefinable1 half formed1 was4 ,i could not help thinking1 as ,i saw her pass1 of the lady ,madeline in 8,the ,fall of the ,house of ,usher40 ,,chapter ,,xxxii ,,the ,,germ ,,plasm ,i regarded her with utter astonishment and yet found it impossible to account for such a feeling4 ,i looked at ,atherton1 but on his face ,i could see nothing but a sort of questioning fear that only increased my illusion1 as if he1 too1 had only a vague1 haunting premonition of something terrible impending4 ,almost ,i began to wonder whether the ,atherton house might not crumble under the fierceness of a sudden whirlwind1 while the two women in this case1 one representing the wasted past1 the other the blasted future1 dragged ,atherton down1 as the whole scene dissolved into some ghostly tarn4 ,it was only for a moment1 and then ,i saw that the more practical ,kennedy had been examining some bottles on the lady's dresser before which we had paused4 ,one was a plain bottle of pellets which might have been some homeopathic remedy4 8,whatever it is that is the matter with ,eugenia10 remarked ,atherton1 8it seems to have baffled the doctors so far40 ,kennedy said nothing1 but ,i saw that he had clumsily overturned the bottle and absently set it up again1 as though his thoughts were far away4 ,yet with a cleverness that would have done credit to a professor of legerdemain he had managed to extract two or three of the pellets4 8,yes10 he said1 as he moved slowly toward the staircase in the wide hall1 8most baffling40 ,atherton was plainly disappointed4 ,evidently he had expected ,kennedy to arrive at the truth and set matters right by some sudden piece of wizardry1 and it was with difficulty that he refrained from saying so4 8,i should like to meet ,burroughs ,atherton10 he remarked as we stood in the wide hall on the first floor of the big house4 8,is he a frequent visitor80 8,not frequent10 hastened ,quincy ,atherton1 in a tone that showed some satisfaction in saying it4 8,however1 by a lucky chance he has promised to call to-night--a mere courtesy1 ,i believe1 to ,edith1 since she has come to town on a visit40 8,good60 exclaimed ,kennedy4 8,now1 ,i leave it to you1 ,atherton1 to make some plausible excuse for our meeting ,burroughs here40 8,i can do that easily40 8,i shall be here early10 pursued ,kennedy as we left4 ,back again in the laboratory to which ,atherton insisted on accompanying us in his car1 ,kennedy busied himself for a few minutes1 crushing up one of the tablets and trying one or two reactions with some of the powder dissolved1 while ,i looked on curiously4 8,craig10 ,i remarked contemplatively1 after a while1 8how about ,atherton himself8 ,is he really free from the--er--stigmata1 ,i suppose you call them1 of insanity80 8,you mean1 may the whole trouble lie with him80 he asked1 not looking up from his work4 8,yes--and the effect on her be a sort of reflex1 say1 perhaps the effect of having sold herself for money and position4 ,in other words1 does she1 did she1 ever love him8 ,we don't know that4 ,might it not prey on her mind1 until with the kind help of his precious relatives even ,nature herself could not stand the strain--especially in the delicate condition in which she now finds herself80 ,i must admit that ,i felt the utmost sympathy for the poor girl whom we had just seen such a pitiable wreck4 ,kennedy closed his eyes tightly until they wrinkled at the corners4 8,i think ,i have found out the immediate cause of her trouble10 he said simply1 ignoring my suggestion4 8,what is it80 ,i asked eagerly4 8,i can't imagine how they could have failed to guess it1 except that they never would have suspected to look for anything resembling exophthalmic goiter in a person of her stamina10 he answered1 pronouncing the word slowly4 8,you have heard of the thyroid gland in the neck80 8,yes80 ,i queried1 for it was a mere name to me4 8,it is a vascular organ lying under the chin with a sort of little isthmus joining the two parts on either side of the windpipe10 he explained4 8,well1 when there is any deterioration of those glands through any cause1 all sorts of complications may arise4 ,the thyroid is one of the so-called ductless glands1 like the adrenals above the kidneys1 the pineal gland and the pituitary body4 ,in normal activity they discharge into the blood substances which are carried to other organs and are now known to be absolutely essential4 8,the substances which they secrete are called #8hormones'--those chemical messengers1 as it were1 by which many of the processes of the body are regulated4 ,in fact1 no field of experimental physiology is richer in interest than this4 ,it seems that few ordinary drugs approach in their effects on metabolism the hormones of the thyroid4 ,in excess they produce such diseases as exophthalmic goiter1 and goiter is concerned with the enlargement of the glands and surrounding tissues beyond anything like natural size4 ,then1 too1 a defect in the glands causes the disease known as myxedema in adults and cretinism in children4 ,most of all1 the gland seems to tell on the germ plasm of the body1 especially in women40 ,i listened in amazement1 hardly knowing what to think4 ,did his discovery portend something diabolical1 or was it purely a defect in nature which ,dr4 ,crafts of the ,eugenics ,bureau had overlooked8 8,one thing at a time1 ,walter10 cautioned ,kennedy1 when ,i put the question to him1 scarcely expecting an answer yet4 ,that night in the old ,atherton mansion1 while we waited for ,borroughs to arrive1 ,kennedy1 whose fertile mind had contrived to kill at least two birds with one stone1 busied himself by cutting in on the regular telephone line and placing an extension of his own in a closet in the library4 ,to it he attached an ordinary telephone receiver fastened to an arrangement which was strange to me4 ,as nearly as ,i can describe it1 between the diaphragm of the regular receiver and a brownish cylinder1 like that of a phonograph1 and with a needle attached1 was fitted an air chamber of small size1 open to the outer air by a small hole to prevent compression4 ,the work was completed expeditiously1 but we had plenty of time to wait1 for ,borroughs ,atherton evidently did not consider that an evening had fairly begun until nine o'clock4 ,he arrived at last1 however1 rather tall1 slight of figure1 narrow-shouldered1 designed for the latest models of imported fabrics4 ,it was evident merely by shaking hands with ,burroughs that he thought both the ,athertons and the ,burroughses just the right combination4 ,he was one of those few men against whom ,i conceive an instinctive prejudice1 and in this case ,i felt positive that1 whatever faults the ,atherton germ plasm might contain1 he had combined others from the determiners of that of the other ancestors he boasted4 ,i could not help feeling that ,eugenia ,atherton was in about as unpleasant an atmosphere of social miasma as could be imagined4 ,burroughs asked politely after ,eugenia1 but it was evident that the real deference was paid to ,edith ,atherton and that they got along very well together4 ,burroughs excused himself early1 and we followed soon after4 8,i think ,i shall go around to this ,eugenics ,bureau of ,dr4 ,crafts10 remarked ,kennedy the next day1 after a night's consideration of the case4 ,the ,bureau occupied a floor in a dwelling house uptown which had been remodeled into an office building4 ,huge cabinets were stacked up against the walls1 and in them several women were engaged in filing blanks and card records4 ,another part of the office consisted of an extensive library on eugenic subjects4 ,dr4 ,crafts1 in charge of the work1 whom we found in a little office in front partitioned off by ground glass1 was an old man with an alert1 vigorous mind on whom the effects of plain living and high thinking showed plainly4 ,he was looking over some new blanks with a young woman who seemed to be working with him1 directing the force of clerks as well as the 8field workers10 who were gathering the vast mass of information which was being studied4 ,as we introduced ourselves1 he introduced ,dr4 ,maude ,schofield4 8,i have heard of your eugenic marriage contests10 began ,kennedy1 8more especially of what you have done for ,mr4 ,quincy ,atherton40 8,well--not exactly a contest in that case1 at least10 corrected ,dr4 ,crafts with an indulgent smile for a layman4 8,no10 put in ,dr4 ,schofield1 8the ,eugenics ,bureau isn't a human stock farm40 8,i see10 commented ,kennedy1 who had no such idea1 anyhow4 ,he was always lenient with anyone who had what he often referred to as the 8illusion of grandeur40 8,we advise people sometimes regarding the desirability or the undesirability of marriage10 mollified ,dr4 ,crafts4 8,this is a sort of clearing house for scientific race investigation and improvement40 8,at any rate10 persisted ,kennedy1 8after investigation1 ,i understand1 you advised in favor of his marriage with ,miss ,gilman40 8,yes1 ,eugenia ,gilman seemed to measure well up to the requirements in such a match4 ,her branch of the ,gilmans has always been of the vigorous1 pioneering type1 as well as intellectual4 ,her father was one of the foremost thinkers in the ,west2 in fact had long held ideas on the betterment of the race4 ,you see that in the choice of a name for his daughter--,eugenia40 8,then there were no recessive traits in her family10 asked ,kennedy quickly1 8of the same sort that you find in the ,athertons80 8,none that we could discover10 answered ,dr4 ,crafts positively4 8,no epilepsy1 no insanity of any form80 8,no4 ,of course1 you understand that almost no one is what might be called eugenically perfect4 ,strictly speaking1 perhaps not over two or three per cent4 of the population even approximates that standard4 ,but it seemed to me that in everything essential in this case1 weakness latent in ,atherton was mating strength in ,eugenia and the same way on her part for an entirely different set of traits40 8,still10 considered ,kennedy1 8there might have been something latent in her family germ plasm back of the time through which you could trace it80 ,dr4 ,crafts shrugged his shoulders4 8,there often is1 ,i must admit1 something we can't discover because it lies too far back in the past40 8,and likely to crop out after skipping generations10 put in ,maude ,schofield4 ,she evidently did not take the same liberal view in the practical application of the matter expressed by her chief4 ,i set it down to the ardor of youth in a new cause1 which often becomes the saner conservatism of maturity4 8,of course1 you found it much easier than usual to get at the true family history of the ,athertons10 pursued ,kennedy4 8,it is an old family and has been prominent for generations40 8,naturally10 assented ,dr4 ,crafts4 8,you know ,burroughs ,atherton on both lines of descent80 asked ,kennedy1 changing the subject abruptly4 8,yes1 fairly well10 answered ,crafts4 8,now1 for example10 went on ,craig1 8how would you advise him to marry80 ,i saw at once that he was taking this subterfuge as a way of securing information which might otherwise have been withheld if asked for directly4 ,maude ,schofield also saw it1 ,i fancied1 but this time said nothing4 8,they had a grandfather who was a manic depressive on the ,atherton side10 said ,crafts slowly4 8,now1 no attempt has ever been made to breed that defect out of the family4 ,in the case of ,burroughs1 it is perhaps a little worse1 for the other side of his ancestry is not free from the taint of alcoholism40 8,and ,edith ,atherton80 8,the same way4 ,they both carry it4 ,i won't go into the ,mendelian law on the subject4 ,we are clearing up much that is obscure4 ,but as to ,burroughs1 he should marry1 if at all1 some one without that particular taint4 ,i believe that in a few generations by proper mating most taints might be bred out of families40 ,maude ,schofield evidently did not agree with ,dr4 ,crafts on some point1 and1 noticing it1 he seemed to be in the position both of explaining his contention to us and of defending it before his fair assistant4 8,it is my opinion1 as far as ,i have gone with the data10 he added1 8that there is hope for many of those whose family history shows certain nervous taints4 ,a sweeping prohibition of such marriages would be futile1 perhaps injurious4 ,it is necessary that the mating be carefully made1 however1 to prevent intensifying the taint4 ,you see1 though ,i am a eugenist ,i am not an extremist40 ,he paused1 then resumed argumentatively3 8,then there are other questions1 too1 like that of genius with its close relation to manic depressive insanity4 ,also1 there is decrease enough in the birth rate1 without adding an excuse for it4 ,no1 that a young man like ,atherton should take the subject seriously1 instead of spending his time in wild dissipation1 like his father1 is certainly creditable1 argues in itself that there still must exist some strength in his stock4 8,and1 of course10 he continued warmly1 8when ,i say that weakness in a trait--not in all traits1 by any means--should marry strength and that strength may marry weakness1 ,i don't mean that all matches should be like that4 ,if we are too strict we may prohibit practically all marriages4 ,in ,atherton's case1 as in many another1 ,i felt that ,i should interpret the rule as sanely as possible40 8,strength should marry strength1 and weakness should never marry10 persisted ,maude ,schofield4 8,nothing short of that will satisfy the true eugenist40 8,theoretically10 objected ,crafts4 8,but ,atherton was going to marry1 anyhow4 ,the only thing for me to do was to lay down a rule which he might follow safely4 ,besides1 any other rule meant sure disaster40 8,it was the only rule with half a chance of being followed and at any rate10 drawled ,kennedy1 as the eugenists wrangled1 8what difference does it make in this case8 ,as nearly as ,i can make out it is ,mrs4 ,atherton herself1 not ,atherton1 who is ill40 ,maude ,schofield had risen to return to supervising a clerk who needed help4 ,she left us1 still unconvinced4 8,that is a very clever girl10 remarked ,kennedy as she shut the door and he scanned ,dr4 ,crafts' face dosely4 8,very10 assented the ,doctor4 8,the ,schofields come of good stock80 hazarded ,kennedy4 8,very10 assented ,dr4 ,crafts again4 ,evidently he did not care to talk about individual cases1 and ,i felt that the rule was a safe one1 to prevent ,eugenics from becoming ,gossip4 ,kennedy thanked him for his courtesy1 and we left apparently on the best of terms both with ,crafts and his assistant4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiii ,,the ,,sex ,,control ,i did not see ,kennedy again that day until late in the afternoon1 when he came into the laboratory carrying a small package4 8,theory is one thing1 practice is another10 he remarked1 as he threw his hat and coat into a chair4 8,which means--in this case80 ,i prompted4 8,why1 ,i have just seen ,atherton4 ,of course ,i didn't repeat our conversation of this morning1 and ,i'm glad ,i didn't4 ,he almost makes me think you are right1 ,walter4 ,he's obsessed by the fear of ,burroughs4 ,why1 he even told me that ,burroughs had gone so far as to take a leaf out of his book1 so to speak1 get in touch with the ,eugenics ,bureau as if to follow his footsteps1 but really to pump them about ,atherton himself4 ,atherton says it's all ,burroughs' plan to break his will and that the fellow has even gone so far as to cultivate the acquaintance of ,maude ,schofield1 knowing that he will get no sympathy from ,crafts40 8,first it was ,edith ,atherton1 now it is ,maude ,schofield that he hitches up with ,burroughs10 ,i commented4 8,seems to me that ,i have heard that one of the first signs of insanity is belief that everyone about the victim is conspiring against him4 ,i haven't any love for any of them--but ,i must be fair40 8,well10 said ,kennedy1 unwrapping the package1 8there is this much to it4 ,atherton says ,burroughs and ,maude ,schofield have been seen together more than once--and not at intellectual gatherings either4 ,burroughs is a fascinating fellow to a woman1 if he wants to be1 and the ,schofields are at least the social equals of the ,burroughs4 ,besides10 he added1 8in spite of eugenics1 feminism1 and all the rest--sex1 like murder1 will out4 ,there's no use having any false ideas about that4 ,atherton may see red--but1 then1 he was quite excited40 8,over what80 ,i asked1 perplexed more than ever at the turn of events4 8,he called me up in the first place4 #8,can't you do something8' he implored4 #8,eugenia is getting worse all the time4' ,she is1 too4 ,i saw her for a moment1 and she was even more vacant than yesterday40 ,the thought of the poor girl in the big house somehow brought over me again my first impression of ,poe's story4 ,kennedy had unwrapped the package which proved to be the instrument he had left in the closet at ,atherton's4 ,it was1 as ,i had observed1 like an ordinary wax cylinder phonograph record4 8,you see10 explained ,kennedy1 8it is nothing more than a successful application at last of1 say1 one of those phonographs you have seen in offices for taking dictation1 placed so that the feebler vibrations of the telephone affect it4 ,let us see what we have here40 ,he had attached the cylinder to an ordinary phonograph1 and after a number of routine calls had been run off1 he came to this1 in voices which we could only guess at but not recognize1 for no names were used4 8,how is she to-day80 8,not much changed--perhaps not so well40 8,it's all right1 though4 ,that is natural4 ,it is working well4 ,i think you might increase the dose1 one tablet40 8,you're sure it is all right80 7with anxiety74 8,oh1 positively--it has been done in ,europe40 8,i hope so4 ,it must be a boy--and an ,atherton40 8,never fear40 ,that was all4 ,who was it8 ,the voices were unfamiliar to me1 especially when repeated mechanically4 ,besides they may have been disguised4 ,at any rate we had learned something4 ,some one was trying to control the sex of the expected ,atherton heir4 ,but that was about all4 ,who it was1 we knew no better1 apparently1 than before4 ,kennedy did not seem to care much1 however4 ,quickly he got ,quincy ,atherton on the wire and arranged for ,atherton to have ,dr4 ,crafts meet us at the house at eight o'clock that night1 with ,maude ,schofield4 ,then he asked that ,burroughs ,atherton be there1 and of course1 ,edith and ,eugenia4 ,we arrived almost as the clock was striking1 ,kennedy carrying the phonograph record and another blank record1 and a boy tugging along the machine itself4 ,dr4 ,crafts was the next to appear1 expressing surprise at meeting us1 and ,i thought a bit annoyed1 for he mentioned that it had been with reluctance that he had had to give up some work he had planned for the evening4 ,maude ,schofield1 who came with him1 looked bored4 ,knowing that she disapproved of the match with ,eugenia1 ,i was not surprised4 ,burroughs arrived1 not as late as ,i had expected1 but almost insultingly supercilious at finding so many strangers at what ,atherton had told him was to be a family conference1 in order to get him to come4 ,last of all ,edith ,atherton descended the staircase1 the personification of dignity1 bowing to each with a studied graciousness1 as if distributing largess1 but greeting ,burroughs with an air that plainly showed how much thicker was blood than water4 ,eugenia remained upstairs1 lethargic1 almost cataleptic1 as ,atherton told us when we arrived4 8,i trust you are not going to keep us long1 ,quincy10 yawned ,burroughs1 looking ostentatiously at his watch4 8,only long enough for ,professor ,kennedy to say a few words about ,eugenia10 replied ,atherton nervously1 bowing to ,kennedy4 ,kennedy cleared his throat slowly4 8,i don't know that ,i have much to say10 began ,kennedy1 still seated4 8,i suppose ,mr4 ,atherton has told you ,i have been much interested in the peculiar state of health of ,mrs4 ,atherton80 ,no one spoke1 and he went on easily3 8,there is something ,i might say1 however1 about the--er--what ,i call the chemistry of insanity4 ,among the present wonders of science1 as you doubtless know1 none stirs the imagination so powerfully as the doctrine that at least some forms of insanity are the result of chemical changes in the blood4 ,for instance1 ill temper1 intoxication1 many things are due to chemical changes in the blood acting on the brain4 8,go further back4 ,take typhoid fever with its delirium1 influenza with its suicide mania4 ,all due to toxins--poisons4 ,chemistry--chemistry--all of them chemistry40 ,craig had begun carefully so as to win their attention4 ,he had it as he went on3 8,do we not brew within ourselves poisons which enter the circulation and pervade the system8 ,a sudden emotion upsets the chemistry of the body4 ,or poisonous food4 ,or a drug4 ,it affects many things4 ,but we could never have had this chemical theory unless we had had physiological chemistry--and some carry it so far as to say that the brain secretes thought1 just as the liver secretes bile1 that thoughts are the results of molecular changes40 8,you are1 then1 a materialist of the most pronounced type10 asserted ,dr4 ,crafts4 ,kennedy had been reaching over to a table1 toying with the phonograph4 ,as ,crafts spoke he moved a key1 and ,i suspected that it was in order to catch the words4 8,not entirely10 he said4 8,no more than some eugenists40 8,in our field10 put in ,maude ,schofield1 8,i might express the thought this way--the sociologist has had his day2 now it is the biologist1 the eugenist40 8,that expresses it10 commented ,kennedy1 still tinkering with the record4 8,yet it does not mean that because we have new ideas1 they abolish the old4 ,often they only explain1 amplify1 supplement4 ,for instance10 he said1 looking up at ,edith ,atherton1 8take heredity4 ,our knowledge seems new1 but is it8 ,marriages have always been dictated by a sort of eugenics4 ,society is founded on that40 8,precisely10 she answered4 8,the best families have always married into the best families4 ,these modern notions simply recognize what the best people have always thought--except that it seems to me10 she added with a sarcastic flourish1 8people of no ancestry are trying to force themselves in among their betters40 8,very true1 ,edith10 drawled ,burroughs1 8but we did not have to be brought here by ,quincy to learn that40 ,quincy ,atherton had risen during the discussion and had approached ,kennedy4 ,craig continued to finger the phonograph abstractedly1 as he looked up4 8,about this--this insanity theory10 he whispered eagerly4 8,you think that the suspicions ,i had have been justified80 ,i had been watching ,kennedy's hand4 ,as soon as ,atherton had started to speak1 ,i saw that ,craig1 as before1 had moved the key1 evidently registering what he said1 as he had in the case of the others during the discussion4 8,one moment1 ,atherton10 he whispered in reply1 8,i'm coming to that4 ,now10 he resumed aloud1 8there is a disease1 or a number of diseases1 to which my remarks about insanity a while ago might apply very well4 ,they have been known for some time to arise from various affections of the thyroid glands in the neck4 ,these glands1 strange to say1 if acted on in certain ways can cause degenerations of mind and body1 which are well known1 but in spite of much study are still very little understood4 ,for example1 there is a definite interrelation between them and sex--especially in woman40 ,rapidly he sketched what he had already told me of the thyroid and the hormones4 8,these hormones10 added ,kennedy1 8are closely related to many reactions in the body1 such as even the mother's secretion of milk at the proper time and then only4 ,that and many other functions are due to the presence and character of these chemical secretions from the thyroid and other ductless glands4 ,it is a fascinating study4 ,for we know that anything that will upset--reduce or increase--the hormones is a matter intimately concerned with health4 ,such changes10 he said earnestly1 leaning forward1 8might be aimed directly at the very heart of what otherwise would be a true eugenic marriage4 ,it is even possible that loss of sex itself might be made to follow deep changes of the thyroid40 ,he stopped a moment4 ,even if he had accomplished nothing else he had struck a note which had caused the ,athertons to forget their former superciliousness4 8,if there is an oversupply of thyroid hormones10 continued ,craig1 8that excess will produce many changes1 for instance a condition very much like exophthalmic goiter4 ,and10 he said1 straightening up1 8,i find that ,eugenia ,atherton has within her blood an undue proportion of these thyroid hormones4 ,now1 is it overfunction of the glands1 hyper-secretion--or is it something else80 ,no one moved as ,kennedy skillfully led his disclosure along step by step4 8,that question10 he began again slowly1 shifting his position in the chair1 8raises in my mind1 at least1 a question which has often occurred to me before4 ,is it possible for a person1 taking advantage of the scientific knowledge we have gained1 to devise and successfully execute a murder without fear of discovery8 ,in other words1 can a person be removed with that technical nicety of detail which will leave no clue and will be set down as something entirely natural1 though unfortunate80 ,it was a terrible idea he was framing1 and he dwelt on it so that we might accept it at its full value4 8,as one doctor has said10 he added1 8although toxicologists and chemists have not always possessed infallible tests for practical use1 it is at present a pretty certain observation that every poison leaves its mark4 ,but then on the other hand1 students of criminology have said that a skilled physician or surgeon is about the only person now capable of carrying out a really scientific murder4 8,which is true8 ,it seems to me1 at least in the latter case1 that the very nicety of the handiwork must often serve as a clue in itself4 ,the trained hand leaves the peculiar mark characteristic of its training4 ,no matter how shrewdly the deed is planned1 the execution of it is daily becoming a more and more difficult feat1 thanks to our increasing knowledge of microbiology and pathology40 ,he had risen1 as he finished the sentence1 every eye fixed on him1 as if he had been a master hypnotist4 8,perhaps10 he said1 taking off the cylinder from the phonograph and placing on one which ,i knew was that which had lain in the library closet over night1 8perhaps some of the things ,i have said will explain or be explained by the record on this cylinder40 ,he had started the machine4 ,so magical was the effect on the little audience that ,i am tempted to repeat what ,i had already heard1 but had not myself yet been able to explain3 8,how is she to-day80 8,not much changed--perhaps not so well40 8,it's all right1 though4 ,that is natural4 ,it is working well4 ,i think you might increase the dose one tablet40 8,you're sure it is all right80 8,oh1 positively--it has been done in ,europe40 8,i hope so4 ,it must be a boy--and an ,atherton40 8,never fear40 ,no one moved a muscle4 ,if there was anyone in the room guilty of playing on the feelings and the health of an unfortunate woman1 that person must have had superb control of his own feelings4 8,as you know10 resumed ,kennedy thoughtfully1 8there are and have been many theories of sex control4 ,one of the latest1 but by no means the only one1 is that it can be done by use of the extracts of various glands administered to the mother4 ,i do not know with what scientific authority it was stated1 but ,i do know that some one has recently said that adrenalin1 derived from the suprarenal glands1 induces boys to develop--cholin1 from the bile of the liver1 girls4 ,it makes no difference--in this case4 ,there may have been a show of science4 ,but it was to cover up a crime4 ,some one has been administering to ,eugenia ,atherton tablets of thyroid extract--ostensibly to aid her in fulfilling the dearest ambition of her soul--to become the mother of a new line of ,athertons which might bear the same relation to the future of the country as the great family of the ,edwards mothered by ,elizabeth ,tuttle40 ,he was bending over the two phonograph cylinders now1 rapidly comparing the new one which he had made and that which he had just allowed to reel off its astounding revelation4 8,when a voice speaks into a phonograph10 he said1 half to himself1 8its modulations received on the diaphragm are written by a needle point upon the surface of a cylinder or disk in a series of fine waving or zigzag lines of infinitely varying depth or breadth4 ,dr4 ,marage and others have been able to distinguish vocal sounds by the naked eye on phonograph records4 ,mr4 ,edison has studied them with the microscope in his world-wide search for the perfect voice4 8,in fact1 now it is possible to identify voices by the records they make1 to get at the precise meaning of each slightest variation of the lines with mathematical accuracy4 ,they can no more be falsified than handwriting can be forged so that modern science cannot detect it or than typewriting can be concealed and attributed to another machine4 ,the voice is like a finger print1 a portrait parl--unescapable40 ,he glanced up1 then back again4 8,this microscope shows me10 he said1 8that the voices on that cylinder you heard are identical with two on this record which ,i have just made in this room40 8,walter10 he said1 motioning to me1 8look40 ,i glanced into the eyepiece and saw a series of lines and curves1 peculiar waves lapping together and making an appearance in some spots almost like tooth marks4 ,although ,i did not understand the details of the thing1 ,i could readily see that by study one might learn as much about it as about loops1 whorls1 and arches on finger tips4 8,the upper and lower lines10 he explained1 8with long regular waves1 on that highly magnified section of the record1 are formed by the voice with no overtones4 ,the three lines in the middle1 with rhythmic ripples1 show the overtones40 ,he paused a moment and faced us4 8,many a person10 he resumed1 8is a biotype in whom a full complement of what are called inhibitions never develops4 ,that is part of your eugenics4 ,throughout life1 and in spite of the best of training1 that person reacts now and then to a certain stimulus directly4 ,a man stands high2 once a year he falls with a lethal quantity of alcohol4 ,a woman1 brilliant1 accomplished1 slips away and spends a day with a lover as unlike herself as can be imagined4 8,the voice that interests me most on these records10 he went on1 emphasizing the words with one of the cylinders which he still held1 8is that of a person who has been working on the family pride of another4 ,that person has persuaded the other to administer to ,eugenia an extract because #8it must be a boy and an ,atherton4' ,that person is a high-class defective1 born with a criminal instinct1 reacting to it in an artful way4 ,thank ,god1 the love of a man whom theoretical eugenics condemned1 roused us in--0 ,a cry at the door brought us all to our feet1 with hearts thumping as if they were bursting4 ,it was ,eugenia ,atherton1 wild-eyed1 erect1 staring4 ,i stood aghast at the vision4 ,was she really to be the ,lady ,madeline in this fall of the ,house of ,atherton8 8,edith--,i--,i missed you4 ,i heard voices4 ,is--is it true--what this man--says8 ,is my--my baby--0 ,quincy ,atherton leaped forward and caught her as she reeled4 ,quickly ,craig threw open a window for air1 and as he did so leaned far out and blew shrilly on a police whistle4 ,the young man looked up from ,eugenia1 over whom he was bending1 scarcely heeding what else went on about him4 ,still1 there was no trace of anger on his face1 in spite of the great wrong that had been done him4 ,there was room for only one great emotion--only anxiety for the poor girl who had suffered so cruelly merely for taking his name4 ,kennedy saw the unspoken question in his eyes4 8,eugenia is a pure normal1 as ,dr4 ,crafts told you10 he said gently4 8,a few weeks1 perhaps only days1 of treatment--the thyroid will revert to its normal state--and ,eugenia ,gilman will be the mother of a new house of ,atherton which may eclipse even the proud record of the founder of the old40 8,who blew the whistle80 demanded a gruff voice at the door1 as a tall bluecoat puffed past the scandalized butler4 8,arrest that woman10 pointed ,kennedy4 8,she is the poisoner4 ,either as wife of ,burroughs1 whom she fascinates and controls as she does ,edith1 she planned to break the will of ,quincy or1 in the other event1 to administer the fortune as head of the ,eugenics ,foundation after the death of ,dr4 ,crafts1 who would have followed ,eugenia and ,quincy ,atherton40 ,i followed the direction of ,kennedy's accusing finger4 ,maude ,schofield's face betrayed more than even her tongue could have confessed4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiv ,,the ,,billionaire ,,baby ,coming to us directly as a result of the talk that the ,atherton case provoked was another that involved the happiness of a wealthy family to a no less degree4 8,i suppose you have heard of the #8billionaire baby1' ,morton ,hazleton ,,iii80 asked ,kennedy of me one afternoon shortly afterward4 ,the mere mention of the name conjured up in my mind a picture of the lusty two-year-old heir of two fortunes1 as the feature articles in the ,star had described that little scion of wealth--his luxurious nursery1 his magnificent toys1 his own motor car1 a trained nurse and a detective on guard every hour of the day and night1 every possible precaution for his health and safety4 8,gad1 what a lucky kid60 ,i exclaimed involuntarily4 8,oh1 ,i don't know about that10 put in ,kennedy4 8,the fortune may be exaggerated4 ,his happiness is1 ,i'm sure40 ,he had pulled from his pocketbook a card and handed it to me4 ,it read3 8,gilbert ,butler1 ,american representative1 ,lloyd's40 8,lloyd's80 ,i queried4 8,what has ,lloyd's to do with the billion-dollar baby80 8,very much4 ,the child has been insured with them for some fabulous sum against accident1 including kidnaping40 8,yes80 ,i prompted1 8sensing0 a story4 8,well1 there seem to have been threats of some kind1 ,i understand4 ,mr4 ,butler has called on me once already to-day to retain my services and is going to--ah--there he is again now40 ,kennedy had answered the door buzzer himself1 and ,mr4 ,butler1 a tall1 sloping-shouldered ,englishman1 entered4 8,has anything new developed80 asked ,kennedy1 introducing me4 8,i can't say10 replied ,butler dubiously4 8,i rather think we have found something that may have a bearing on the case4 ,you know ,miss ,haversham1 ,veronica ,haversham80 8,the actress and professional beauty8 ,yes--at least ,i have seen her4 ,why80 8,we hear that ,morton ,hazleton knows her1 anyhow10 remarked ,butler dryly4 8,well80 8,then you don't know the gossip80 he cut in4 8,she is said to be in a sanitarium near the city4 ,i'll have to find that out for you4 ,it's a fast set she has been traveling with lately1 including not only ,hazleton1 but ,dr4 ,maudsley1 the ,hazleton physician1 and one or two others1 who if they were poorer might be called desperate characters40 8,does ,mrs4 ,hazleton know of--of his reputed intimacy80 8,i can't say that1 either4 ,i presume that she is no fool40 ,morton ,hazleton1 ,jr41 ,i knew1 belonged to a rather smart group of young men4 ,he had been mentioned in several near-scandals1 but as far as ,i knew there had been nothing quite as public and definite as this one4 8,wouldn't that account for her fears80 ,i asked4 8,hardly10 replied ,butler1 shaking his head4 8,you see1 ,mrs4 ,hazleton is a nervous wreck1 but it's about the baby1 and caused1 she says1 by her fears for its safety4 ,it came to us only in a roundabout way1 through a servant in the house who keeps us in touch4 ,the curious feature is that we can seem to get nothing definite from her about her fears4 ,they may be groundless40 ,butler shrugged his shoulders and proceeded1 8,and they may be well-founded4 ,but we prefer to run no chances in a case of this kind4 ,the child1 you know1 is guarded in the house4 ,in his perambulator he is doubly guarded1 and when he goes out for his airing in the automobile1 two men1 the chauffeur and a detective1 are always there1 besides his nurse1 and often his mother or grandmother4 ,even in the nursery suite they have iron shutters which can be pulled down and padlocked at night and are constructed so as to give plenty of fresh air even to a scientific baby4 ,master ,hazleton was the best sort of risk1 we thought4 ,but now--we don't know40 8,you can protect yourselves1 though10 suggested ,kennedy4 8,yes1 we have1 under the policy1 the right to take certain measures to protect ourselves in addition to the precautions taken by the ,hazletons4 ,we have added our own detective to those already on duty4 ,but we--we don't know what to guard against10 he concluded1 perplexed4 8,we'd like to know--that's all4 ,it's too big a risk40 8,i may see ,mrs4 ,hazleton80 mused ,kennedy4 8,yes4 ,under the circumstances she can scarcely refuse to see anyone we send4 ,i've arranged already for you to meet her within an hour4 ,is that all right80 8,certainly40 ,the ,hazleton home in winter in the city was uptown1 facing the river4 ,the large grounds adjoining made the ,hazletons quite independent of the daily infant parade which one sees along ,riverside ,drive4 ,as we entered the grounds we could almost feel the very atmosphere on guard4 ,we did not see the little subject of so much concern1 but ,i remembered his much heralded advent1 when his grandparents had settled a cold million on him1 just as a reward for coming into the world4 ,evidently1 ,morton1 ,sr41 had hoped that ,morton1 ,jr41 would calm down1 now that there was a third generation to consider4 ,it seemed that he had not4 ,i wondered if that had really been the occasion of the threats or whatever it was that had caused ,mrs4 ,hazleton's fears1 and whether ,veronica ,haversham or any of the fast set around her had had anything to do with it4 ,millicent ,hazleton was a very pretty little woman1 in whom one saw instinctively the artistic temperament4 ,she had been an actress1 too1 when young ,morton ,hazleton married her1 and at first1 at least1 they had seemed very devoted to each other4 ,we were admitted to see her in her own library1 a tastefully furnished room on the second floor of the house1 facing a garden at the side4 8,mrs4 ,hazleton10 began ,butler1 smoothing the way for us1 8of course you realize that we are working in your interests4 ,professor ,kennedy1 therefore1 in a sense1 represents both of us40 8,i am quite sure ,i shall be delighted to help you10 she said with an absent expression1 though not ungraciously4 ,butler1 having introduced us1 courteously withdrew4 8,i leave this entirely in your hands10 he said1 as he excused himself4 8,if you want me to do anything more1 call on me40 ,i must say that ,i was much surprised at the way she had received us4 ,was there in it1 ,i wondered1 an element of fear lest if she refused to talk suspicion might grow even greater8 ,one could see anxiety plainly enough on her face1 as she waited for ,kennedy to begin4 ,a few moments of general conversation then followed4 8,just what is it you fear80 he asked1 after having gradually led around to the subject4 8,have there been any threatening letters80 8,n-no10 she hesitated1 8at least nothing--definite40 8,gossip80 he hinted4 8,no40 ,she said it so positively that ,i fancied it might be taken for a plain 8,yes40 8,then what is it80 he asked1 very deferentially1 but firmly4 ,she had been looking out at the garden4 8,you couldn't understand10 she remarked4 8,no detective--0 she stopped4 8,you may be sure1 ,mrs4 ,hazleton1 that ,i have not come here unnecessarily to intrude10 he reassured her4 8,it is exactly as ,mr4 ,butler put it4 ,we--want to help you40 ,i fancied there seemed to be something compelling about his manner4 ,it was at once sympathetic and persuasive4 ,quite evidently he was taking pains to break down the prejudice in her mind which she had already shown toward the ordinary detective4 8,you would think me crazy10 she remarked slowly4 8,but it is just a--a dream--just dreams40 ,i don't think she had intended to say anything1 for she stopped short and looked at him quickly as if to make sure whether he could understand4 ,as for myself1 ,i must say ,i felt a little skeptical4 ,to my surprise1 ,kennedy seemed to take the statement at its face value4 8,ah10 he remarked1 8an anxiety dream8 ,you will pardon me1 ,mrs4 ,hazleton1 but before we go further let me tell you frankly that ,i am much more than an ordinary detective4 ,if you will permit me1 ,i should rather have you think of me as a psychologist1 a specialist1 one who has come to set your mind at rest rather than to worm things from you by devious methods against which you have to be on guard4 ,it is just for such an unusual case as yours that ,mr4 ,butler has called me in4 ,by the way1 as our interview may last a few minutes1 would you mind sitting down8 ,i think you'll find it easier to talk if you can get your mind perfectly at rest1 and for the moment trust to the nurse and the detectives who are guarding the garden1 ,i am sure1 perfectly40 ,she had been standing by the window during the interview and was quite evidently growing more and more nervous4 ,with a bow ,kennedy placed her at her ease on a chaise lounge4 8,now10 he continued1 standing near her1 but out of sight1 8you must try to remain free from all external influences and impressions4 ,don't move4 ,avoid every use of a muscle4 ,don't let anything distract you4 ,just concentrate your attention on your psychic activities4 ,don't suppress one idea as unimportant1 irrelevant1 or nonsensical4 ,simply tell me what occurs to you in connection with the dreams--everything10 emphasized ,craig4 ,i could not help feeling surprised to find that she accepted ,kennedy's deferential commands1 for after all that was what they amounted to4 ,almost ,i felt that she was turning to him for help1 that he had broken down some barrier to her confidence4 ,he seemed to exert a sort of hypnotic influence over her4 8,i have had cases before which involved dreams10 he was saying quietly and reassuringly4 8,believe me1 ,i do not share the world's opinion that dreams are nothing4 ,nor yet do ,i believe in them superstitiously4 ,i can readily understand how a dream can play a mighty part in shaping the feelings of a high-tensioned woman4 ,might ,i ask exactly what it is you fear in your dreams80 ,she sank her head back in the cushions1 and for a moment closed her eyes1 half in weariness1 half in tacit obedience to him4 8,oh1 ,i have such horrible dreams10 she said at length1 8full of anxiety and fear for ,morton and little ,morton4 ,i can't explain it4 ,but they are so horrible40 ,kennedy said nothing4 ,she was talking freely at last4 8,only last night10 she went on1 8,i dreamt that ,morton was dead4 ,i could see the funeral1 all the preparations1 and the procession4 ,it seemed that in the crowd there was a woman4 ,i could not see her face1 but she had fallen down and the crowd was around her4 ,then ,dr4 ,maudsley appeared4 ,then all of a sudden the dream changed4 ,i thought ,i was on the sand1 at the seashore1 or perhaps a lake4 ,i was with ,junior and it seemed as if he were wading in the water1 his head bobbing up and down in the waves4 ,it was like a desert1 too--the sand4 ,i turned1 and there was a lion behind me4 ,i did not seem to be afraid of him1 although ,i was so close that ,i could almost feel his shaggy mane4 ,yet ,i feared that he might bite ,junior4 ,the next ,i knew ,i was running with the child in my arms4 ,i escaped--and--oh1 the relief60 ,she sank back1 half exhausted1 half terrified still by the recollection4 8,in your dream when ,dr4 ,maudsley appeared10 asked ,kennedy1 evidently interested in filling in the gap1 8what did he do80 8,do80 she repeated4 8,in the dream8 ,nothing40 8,are you sure80 he asked1 shooting a quick glance at her4 8,yes4 ,that part of the dream became indistinct4 ,i'm sure he did nothing1 except shoulder through the crowd4 ,i think he had just entered4 ,then that part of the dream seemed to end and the second part began40 ,piece by piece ,kennedy went over it1 putting it together as if it were a mosaic4 8,now1 the woman4 ,you say her face was hidden80 ,she hesitated4 8,n--no4 ,i saw it4 ,but it was no one ,i knew40 ,kennedy did not dwell on the contradiction1 but added1 8,and the crowd80 8,strangers1 too40 8,dr4 ,maudsley is your family physician80 he questioned4 8,yes40 8,did he call--er--yesterday80 8,he calls every day to supervise the nurse who has ,junior in charge40 8,could one always be true to oneself in the face of any temptation80 he asked suddenly4 ,it was a bold question4 ,yet such had been the gradual manner of his leading up to it that1 before she knew it1 she had answered quite frankly1 8,yes--if one always thought of home and her child1 ,i cannot see how one could help controlling herself40 ,she seemed to catch her breath1 almost as though the words had escaped her before she knew it4 8,is there anything besides your dream that alarms you10 he asked1 changing the subject quickly1 8any suspicion of--say the servants80 8,no10 she said1 watching him now4 8,but some time ago we caught a burglar upstairs here4 ,he managed to escape4 ,that has made me nervous4 ,i didn't think it was possible40 8,anything else80 8,no10 she said positively1 this time on her guard4 ,kennedy saw that she had made up her mind to say no more4 8,mrs4 ,hazleton10 he said1 rising4 8,i can hardly thank you too much for the manner in which you have met my questions4 ,it will make it much easier for me to quiet your fears4 ,and if anything else occurs to you1 you may rest assured ,i shall violate no confidences in your telling me40 ,i could not help the feeling1 however1 that there was just a little air of relief on her face as we left4 ,,chapter ,,xxxv ,,the ,,psychanalysis 8,h-m10 mused ,kennedy as we walked along after leaving the house4 8,there were several #8complexes1' as they are called1 there--the most interesting and important being the erotic1 as usual4 ,now1 take the lion in the dream1 with his mane4 ,that1 ,i suspect1 was ,dr4 ,maudsley4 ,if you are acquainted with him1 you will recall his heavy1 almost tawny beard40 ,kennedy seemed to be revolving something in his mind and ,i did not interrupt4 ,i had known him too long to feel that even a dream might not have its value with him4 ,indeed1 several times before he had given me glimpses into the fascinating possibilities of the new psychology4 8,in spite of the work of thousands of years1 little progress has been made in the scientific understanding of dreams10 he remarked a few moments later4 8,freud1 of ,vienna--you recall the name8--has done most1 ,i think in that direction40 ,i recalled something of the theories of the ,freudists1 but said nothing4 8,it is an unpleasant feature of his philosophy10 he went on1 8but ,freud finds the conclusion irresistible that all humanity underneath the shell is sensuous and sensual in nature4 ,practically all dreams betray some delight of the senses and sexual dreams are a large proportion4 ,there is1 according to the theory1 always a wish hidden or expressed in a dream4 ,the dream is one of three things1 the open1 the disguised or the distorted fulfillment of a wish1 sometimes recognized1 sometimes repressed4 8,anxiety dreams are among the most interesting and important ,anxiety may originate in psycho-sexual excitement1 the repressed libido1 as the ,freudists call it4 ,neurotic fear has its origin in sexual life and corresponds to a libido which has been turned away from its object and has not succeeded in being applied4 ,all so-called day dreams of women are erotic2 of men they are either ambition or love4 8,often dreams1 apparently harmless1 turn out to be sinister if we take pains to interpret them4 ,all have the mark of the beast4 ,for example1 there was that unknown woman who had fallen down and was surrounded by a crowd4 ,if a woman dreams that1 it is sexual4 ,it can mean only a fallen woman4 ,that is the symbolism4 ,the crowd always denotes a secret4 8,take also the dream of death4 ,if there is no sorrow felt1 then there is another cause for it4 ,but if there is sorrow1 then the dreamer really desires death or absence4 ,i expect to have you quarrel with that4 ,but read ,freud1 and remember that in childhood death is synonymous with being away4 ,thus for example1 if a girl dreams that her mother is dead1 perhaps it means only that she wishes her away so that she can enjoy some pleasure that her strict parent1 by her presence1 denies4 8,then there was that dream about the baby in the water4 ,that1 ,i think1 was a dream of birth4 ,you see1 ,i asked her practically to repeat the dreams because there were several gaps4 ,at such points one usually finds first hesitation1 then something that shows one of the main complexes4 ,perhaps the subject grows angry at the discovery4 8,now1 from the tangle of the dream thought1 ,i find that she fears that her husband is too intimate with another woman1 and that perhaps unconsciously she has turned to ,dr4 ,maudsley for sympathy4 ,dr4 ,maudsley1 as ,i said1 is not only bearded1 but somewhat of a social lion4 ,he had called on her the day before4 ,of such stuff are all dream lions when there is no fear4 ,but she shows that she has been guilty of no wrongdoing--she escaped1 and felt relieved40 8,i'm glad of that10 ,i put in4 8,i don't like these scandals4 ,on the ,star when ,i have to report them1 ,i do it always under protest4 ,i don't know what your psychanalysis is going to show in the end1 but ,i for one have the greatest sympathy for that poor little woman in the big house alone1 surrounded by and dependent on servants1 while her husband is out collecting scandals40 8,which suggests our next step10 he said1 turning the subject4 8,i hope that ,butler has found out the retreat of ,veronica ,haversham40 ,we discovered ,miss ,haversham at last at ,dr4 ,klemm's sanitarium1 up in the hills of ,westchester ,county1 a delightful place with a reputation for its rest cures4 ,dr4 ,klemm was an old friend of ,kennedy's1 having had some connection with the medical school at the ,university4 ,she had gone up there rather suddenly1 it seemed1 to recuperate4 ,at least that was what was given out1 though there seemed to be much mystery about her1 and she was taking no treatment as far as was known4 8,who is her physician80 asked ,kennedy of ,dr4 ,klemm as we sat in his luxurious office4 8,a ,dr4 ,maudsley of the city40 ,kennedy glanced quickly at me in time to check an exclamation4 8,i wonder if ,i could see her80 8,why1 of course--if she is willing10 replied ,dr4 ,klemm4 8,i will have to have some excuse10 ruminated ,kennedy4 8,tell her ,i am a specialist in nervous troubles from the city1 have been visiting one of the other patients1 anything40 ,dr4 ,klemm pulled down a switch on a large oblong oak box on his desk1 asked for ,miss ,haversham1 and waited a moment4 8,what is that80 ,i asked4 8,a vocaphone10 replied ,kennedy4 8,this sanitarium is quite up to date1 ,klemm40 ,the doctor nodded and smiled4 8,yes1 ,kennedy10 he replied4 8,communicating with every suite of rooms we have the vocaphone4 ,i find it very convenient to have these microphones1 as ,i suppose you would call them1 catching your words without talking into them directly as you have to do in the telephone and then at the other end emitting the words without the use of an earpiece1 from the box itself1 as if from a megaphone horn4 ,miss ,haversham1 this is ,dr4 ,klemm4 ,there is a ,dr4 ,kennedy here visiting another patient1 a specialist from ,new ,york4 ,he'd like very much to see you if you can spare a few minutes40 8,tell him to come up40 ,the voice seemed to come from the vocaphone as though she were in the room with us4 ,veronica ,haversham was indeed wonderful1 one of the leading figures in the night life of ,new ,york1 a statuesque brunette of striking beauty1 though ,i had heard of often ungovernable temper4 ,yet there was something strange about her face here4 ,it seemed perhaps a little yellow1 and ,i am sure that her nose had a peculiar look as if she were suffering from an incipient rhinitis4 ,the pupils of her eyes were as fine as pin heads1 her eyebrows were slightly elevated4 ,indeed1 ,i felt that she had made no mistake in taking a rest if she would preserve the beauty which had made her popularity so meteoric4 8,miss ,haversham10 began ,kennedy1 8they tell me that you are suffering from nervousness4 ,perhaps ,i can help you4 ,at any rate it will do no harm to try4 ,i know ,dr4 ,maudsley well1 and if he doesn't approve--well1 you may throw the treatment into the waste basket40 8,i'm sure ,i have no reason to refuse10 she said4 8,what would you suggest80 8,well1 first of all1 there is a very simple test ,i'd like to try4 ,you won't find that it bothers you in the least--and if ,i can't help you1 then no harm is done40 ,again ,i watched ,kennedy as he tactfully went through the preparations for another kind of psychanalysis1 placing ,miss ,haversham at her ease on a davenport in such a way that nothing would distract her attention4 ,as she reclined against the leather pillows in the shadow it was not difficult to understand the lure by which she held together the little coterie of her intimates4 ,one beautiful white arm1 bare to the elbow1 hung carelessly over the edge of the davenport1 displaying a plain gold bracelet4 8,now10 began ,kennedy1 on whom ,i knew the charms of ,miss ,haversham produced a negative effect1 although one would never have guessed it from his manner1 8as ,i read off from this list of words1 ,i wish that you would repeat the first thing1 anything10 he emphasized1 8that comes into your head1 no matter how trivial it may seem4 ,don't force yourself to think4 ,let your ideas flow naturally4 ,it depends altogether on your paying attention to the words and answering as quickly as you can--remember1 the first word that comes into your mind4 ,it is easy to do4 ,we'll call it a game10 he reassured4 ,kennedy handed a copy of the list to me to record the answers4 ,there must have been some fifty words1 apparently senseless1 chosen at random1 it seemed4 ,they were3 head to dance salt white lie green sick new child to fear water pride to pray sad stork to sing ink money to marry false death angry foolish dear anxiety long needle despise to quarrel to kiss ship voyage finger old bride to pay to sin expensive family pure window bread to fall friend ridicule cold rich unjust luck to sleep 8,the ,jung association word test is part of the ,freud psychanalysis1 also10 he whispered to me1 8,you remember we tried something based on the same idea once before80 ,i nodded4 ,i had heard of the thing in connection with blood-pressure tests1 but not this way4 ,kennedy called out the first word1 8,head10 while in his hand he held a stop watch which registered to one-fifth of a second4 ,quickly she replied1 8,ache10 with an involuntary movement of her hand toward her beautiful forehead4 8,good10 exclaimed ,kennedy4 8,you seem to grasp the idea better than most of my patients40 ,i had recorded the answer1 he the time1 and we found out1 ,i recall afterward1 that the time averaged something like two and two-fifths seconds4 ,i thought her reply to the second word1 8green10 was curious4 ,it came quickly1 8,envy40 ,however1 ,i shall not attempt to give all the replies1 but merely some of the most significant4 ,there did not seem to be any hesitation about most of the words1 but whenever ,kennedy tried to question her about a word that seemed to him interesting she made either evasive or hesitating answers1 until it became evident that in the back of her head was some idea which she was repressing and concealing from us1 something that she set off with a mental 8,no ,thoroughfare40 ,he had finished going through the list1 and ,kennedy was now studying over the answers and comparing the time records4 8,now10 he said at length1 running his eye over the words again1 8,i want to repeat the performance4 ,try to remember and duplicate your first replies10 he said4 ,again we went through what at first had seemed to me to be a solemn farce1 but which ,i began to see was quite important4 ,sometimes she would repeat the answer exactly as before4 ,at other times a new word would occur to her4 ,kennedy was keen to note all the differences in the two lists4 ,one which ,i recall because the incident made an impression on me had to do with the trio1 8,death--life--inevitable40 8,why that80 he asked casually4 8,haven't you ever heard the saying1 #8,one should let nothing which one can have escape1 even if a little wrong is done2 no opportunity should be missed2 life is so short1 death inevitable'80 ,there were several others which to ,kennedy seemed more important1 but long after we had finished ,i pondered this answer4 ,was that her philosophy of life8 ,undoubtedly she would never have remembered the phrase if it had not been so1 at least in a measure4 ,she had begun to show signs of weariness1 and ,kennedy quickly brought the conversation around to subjects of apparently a general nature1 but skillfully contrived so as to lead the way along lines her answers had indicated4 ,kennedy had risen to go1 still chatting4 ,almost unintentionally he picked up from a dressing table a bottle of white tablets1 without a label1 shaking it to emphasize an entirely1 and ,i believe purposely1 irrelevant remark4 8,by the way10 he said1 breaking off naturally1 8what is that80 8,only something ,dr4 ,maudsley had prescribed for me10 she answered quickly4 ,as he replaced the bottle and went on with the thread of the conversation1 ,i saw that in shaking the bottle he had abstracted a couple of the tablets before she realized it4 8,i can't tell you just what to do without thinking the case over10 he concluded1 rising to go4 8,yours is a peculiar case1 ,miss ,haversham1 baffling4 ,i'll have to study it over1 perhaps ask ,dr4 ,maudsley ,if ,i may see you again4 ,meanwhile1 ,i am sure what he is doing is the correct thing40 ,inasmuch as she had said nothing about what ,dr4 ,maudsley was doing1 ,i wondered whether there was not just a trace of suspicion in her glance at him from under her long dark lashes4 8,i can't see that you have done anything10 she remarked pointedly4 8,but then doctors are queer--queer40 ,that parting shot also had in it1 for me1 something to ponder over4 ,in fact ,i began to wonder if she might not be a great deal more clever than even ,kennedy gave her credit for being1 whether she might not have submitted to his tests for pure love of pulling the wool over his eyes4 ,downstairs again1 ,kennedy paused only long enough to speak a few words with his friend ,dr4 ,klemm4 8,i suppose you have no idea what ,dr4 ,maudsley has prescribed for her80 he asked carelessly4 8,nothing1 as far as ,i know1 except rest and simple food40 ,he seemed to hesitate1 then he said under his voice1 8,i suppose you know that she is a regular dope fiend1 seasons her cigarettes with opium1 and all that40 8,i guessed as much10 remarked ,kennedy1 8but how does she get it here80 8,she doesn't40 8,i see10 remarked ,craig1 apparently weighing now the man before him4 ,at length he seemed to decide to risk something4 8,klemm10 he said1 8,i wish you would do something for me4 ,i see you have the vocaphone here4 ,now if--say ,hazleton--should call--will you listen in on that vocaphone for me80 ,dr4 ,klemm looked squarely at him4 8,kennedy10 he said1 8it's unprofessional1 but---0 8,so it is to let her be doped up under guise of a cure40 8,what80 he asked1 startled4 8,she's getting the stuff now80 8,no1 ,i didn't say she was getting opium1 or from anyone here4 ,all the same1 if you would just keep an ear open---0 8,it's unprofessional1 but--you'd not ask it without a good reason4 ,i'll try40 ,it was very late when we got back to the city and we dined at an uptown restaurant which we had almost to ourselves4 ,kennedy had placed the little whitish tablets in a small paper packet for safe keeping4 ,as we waited for our order he drew one from his pocket1 and after looking at it a moment crushed it to a powder in the paper4 8,what is it80 ,i asked curiously4 8,cocaine80 8,no10 he said1 shaking his head doubtfully4 ,he had tried to dissolve a little of the powder in some water from the glass before him1 but it would not dissolve4 ,as he continued to look at it his eye fell on the cut-glass vinegar cruet before us4 ,it was full of the white vinegar4 8,really acetic acid10 he remarked1 pouring out a little4 ,the white powder dissolved4 ,for several minutes he continued looking at the stuff4 8,that1 ,i think10 he remarked finally1 8is heroin40 8,more #8happy dust'80 ,i replied with added interest now1 thinking of our previous case4 8,is the habit so extensive80 8,yes10 he replied1 8the habit is comparatively new1 although in ,paris1 ,i believe1 they call the drug fiends1 #8heroinomaniacs4' ,it is1 as ,i told you before1 a derivative of morphine4 ,its scientific name is diacetyl-morphin4 ,it is ,new ,york's newest peril1 one of the most dangerous drugs yet4 ,thousands are slaves to it1 although its sale is supposedly restricted4 ,it is rotting the heart out of the ,tenderloin4 ,did you notice ,veronica ,haversham's yellowish whiteness1 her down-drawn mouth1 elevated eyebrows1 and contracted eyes8 ,she may have taken it up to escape other drugs4 ,some people have--and have just got a new habit4 ,it can be taken hypodermically1 or in a tablet1 or by powdering the tablet to a white crystalline powder and snuffing up the nose4 ,that's the way she takes it4 ,it produces rhinitis of the nasal passages1 which ,i see you observed1 but did not understand4 ,it has a more profound effect than morphine1 and is ten times as powerful as codeine4 ,and one of the worst features is that so many people start with it1 thinking it is as harmless as it has been advertised4 ,i wouldn't be surprised if she used from seventy-five to a hundred one-twelfth grain tablets a day4 ,some of them do1 you know40 8,and ,dr4 ,maudsley10 ,i asked quickly1 8do you think it is through him or in spite of him80 8,that's what ,i'd like to know4 ,about those words10 he continued1 8what did you make of the list and the answers80 ,i had made nothing and said so1 rather quickly4 8,those10 he explained1 8were words selected and arranged to strike almost all the common complexes in analyzing and diagnosing4 ,you'd think any intelligent person could give a fluent answer to them1 perhaps a misleading answer4 ,but try it yourself1 ,walter4 ,you'll find you can't4 ,you may start all right1 but not all the words will be reacted to in the same time or with the same smoothness and ease4 ,yet1 like the expressions of a dream1 they often seem senseless4 ,but they have a meaning as soon as they are #8psychanalyzed4' ,all the mistakes in answering the second time1 for example1 have a reason1 if we can only get at it4 ,they are not arbitrary answers1 but betray the inmost subconscious thoughts1 those things marked1 split off from consciousness and repressed into the unconscious4 ,associations1 like dreams1 never lie4 ,you may try to conceal the emotions and unconscious actions1 but you can't40 ,i listened1 fascinated by ,kennedy's explanation4 8,anyone can see that that woman has something on her mind besides the heroin habit4 ,it may be that she is trying to shake the habit off in order to do it2 it may be that she seeks relief from her thoughts by refuge in the habit2 and it may be that some one has purposely caused her to contract this new habit in the guise of throwing off an old4 ,the only way by which to find out is to study the case40 ,he paused4 ,he had me keenly on edge1 but ,i knew that he was not yet in a position to answer his queries positively4 8,now ,i found10 he went on1 8that the religious complexes were extremely few2 as ,i expected the erotic were many4 ,if you will look over the three lists you will find something queer about every such word as1 #8child1 #8to marry1' #8bride1' #8to lie1' #8stork1' and so on4 ,we're on the right track4 ,that woman does know something about that child40 8,my eye catches the words #8to sin1' #8to fall1' #8pure1' and others10 ,i remarked1 glancing over the list4 8,yes1 there's something there1 too4 ,i got the hint for the drug from her hesitation over #8needle' and #8white4' ,but the main complex has to do with words relating to that child and to love4 ,in short1 ,i think we are going to find it to be the reverse of the rule of the ,french1 that it will be a case of #8cherchez l'homme4'0 ,early the next day ,kennedy1 after a night of studying over the case1 journeyed up to the sanitarium again4 ,we found ,dr4 ,klemm eager to meet us4 8,what is it80 asked ,kennedy1 equally eager4 8,i overheard some surprising things over the vocaphone10 he hastened4 8,hazleton called4 ,why1 there must have been some wild orgies in that precious set of theirs1 and1 would you believe it1 many of them seem to have been at what ,dr4 ,maudsley calls his #8stable studio1' a den he has fixed up artistically over his garage on a side street40 8,indeed80 8,i couldn't get it all1 but ,i did hear her repeating over and over to ,hazleton1 #8,aren't you all mine8 ,aren't you all mine8' ,there must be some vague jealousy lurking in the heart of that ardent woman4 ,i can't figure it out40 8,i'd like to see her again10 remarked ,kennedy4 8,will you ask her if ,i may80 ,,chapter ,,xxxvi ,,the ,,ends ,,of ,,justice ,a few minutes later we were in the sitting room of her suite4 ,she received us rather ungraciously1 ,i thought4 8,do you feel any better80 asked ,kennedy4 8,no10 she replied curtly4 8,excuse me for a moment4 ,i wish to see that maid of mine4 ,clarisse60 ,she had hardly left the room when ,kennedy was on his feet4 ,the bottle of white tablets1 nearly empty1 was still on the table4 ,i saw him take some very fine white powder and dust it quickly over the bottle4 ,it seemed to adhere1 and from his pocket he quickly drew a piece of what seemed to be specially prepared paper1 laid it over the bottle where the powder adhered1 fitting it over the curves4 ,he withdrew it quickly1 for outside we heard her light step1 returning4 ,i am sure she either saw or suspected that ,kennedy had been touching the bottle of tablets1 for there was a look of startled fear on her face4 8,then you do not feel like continuing the tests we abandoned last night80 asked ,kennedy1 apparently not noticing her look4 8,no1 ,i do not10 she almost snapped4 8,you--you are detectives4 ,mrs4 ,hazleton has sent you40 8,indeed1 ,mrs4 ,hazleton has not sent us10 insisted ,kennedy1 never for an instant showing his surprise at her mention of the name4 8,you are4 ,you can tell her1 you can tell everybody4 ,i'll tell--,i'll tell myself4 ,i won't wait4 ,that child is mine--mine--not hers4 ,now--go60 ,veronica ,haversham on the stage never towered in a fit of passion as she did now in real life1 as her ungovernable feelings broke forth tempestuously on us4 ,i was astounded1 bewildered at the revelation1 the possibilities in those simple words1 8,the child is mine40 ,for a moment ,i was stunned4 ,then as the full meaning dawned on me ,i wondered in a flood of consciousness whether it was true4 ,was it the product of her drug-disordered brain8 ,had her desperate love for ,hazleton produced a hallucination8 ,kennedy1 silent1 saw that the case demanded quick action4 ,i shall never forget the breathless ride down from the sanitarium to the ,hazleton house on ,riverside ,drive4 8,mrs4 ,hazleton10 he cried1 as we hurried in1 8you will pardon me for this unceremonious intrusion1 but it is most important4 ,may ,i trouble you to place your fingers on this paper--so80 ,he held out to her a piece of the prepared paper4 ,she looked at him once1 then saw from his face that he was not to be questioned4 ,almost tremulously she did as he said1 saying not a word4 ,i wondered whether she knew the story of ,veronica1 or whether so far only hints of it had been brought to her4 8,thank you10 he said quickly4 8,now1 if ,i may see ,morton80 ,it was the first time we had seen the baby about whom the rapidly thickening events were crowding4 ,he was a perfect specimen of well-cared-for1 scientific infant4 ,kennedy took the little chubby fingers playfully in his own4 ,he seemed at once to win the child's confidence1 though he may have violated scientific rules4 ,one by one he pressed the little fingers on the paper1 until little ,morton crowed with delight as one little piggy after another 8went to market40 ,he had deserted thousands of dollars' worth of toys just to play with the simple piece of paper ,kennedy had brought with him4 ,as ,i looked at him1 ,i thought of what ,kennedy had said at the start4 ,perhaps this innocent child was not to be envied after all4 ,i could hardly restrain my excitement over the astounding situation which had suddenly developed4 8,that will do10 announced ,kennedy finally1 carelessly folding up the paper and slipping it into his pocket4 8,you must excuse me now40 8,you see10 he explained on the way to the laboratory1 8that powder adheres to fresh finger prints1 taking all the gradations4 ,then the paper with its paraffine and glycerine coating takes off the powder40 ,in the laboratory he buried himself in work1 with microscope compasses1 calipers1 while ,i fumed impotently at the window4 8,walter10 he called suddenly1 8get ,dr4 ,maudsley on the telephone4 ,tell him to come immediately to the laboratory40 ,meanwhile ,kennedy was busy arranging what he had discovered in logical order and putting on it the finishing touches4 ,as ,dr4 ,maudsley entered ,kennedy greeted him and began by plunging directly into the case in answer to his rather discourteous inquiry as to why he had been so hastily summoned4 8,dr4 ,maudsley10 said ,craig1 8,i have asked you to call alone because1 while ,i am on the verge of discovering the truth in an important case affecting ,morton ,hazleton and his wife1 ,i am frankly perplexed as to how to go ahead40 ,the doctor seemed to shake with excitement as ,kennedy proceeded4 8,dr4 ,maudsley10 ,craig added1 dropping his voice1 8is ,morton ,,iii the son of ,millicent ,hazleton or not8 ,you were the physician in attendance on her at the birth4 ,is he80 ,maudsley had been watching ,kennedy furtively at first1 but as he rapped out the words ,i thought the doctor's eyes would pop out of his head4 ,perspiration in great beads collected on his face4 8,p--professor ,k--,kennedy10 he muttered1 frantically rubbing his face and lower jaw as if to compose the agitation he could so ill conceal1 8let me explain40 8,yes1 yes--go on10 urged ,kennedy4 8,mrs4 ,hazleton's baby was born--dead4 ,i knew how much she and the rest of the family had longed for an heir1 how much it meant4 ,and ,i--substituted for the dead child a newborn baby from the maternity hospital4 ,it--it belonged to ,veronica ,haversham--then a poor chorus girl4 ,i did not intend that she should ever know it4 ,i intended that she should think her baby was dead4 ,but in some way she found out4 ,since then she has become a famous beauty1 has numbered among her friends even ,hazleton himself4 ,for nearly two years ,i have tried to keep her from divulging the secret4 ,from time to time hints of it have leaked out4 ,i knew that if ,hazleton with his infatuation of her were to learn---0 8,and ,mrs4 ,hazleton1 has she been told80 interrupted ,kennedy4 8,i have been trying to keep it from her as long as ,i can1 but it has been difficult to keep ,veronica from telling it4 ,hazleton himself was so wild over her4 ,and she wanted her son as she---0 8,maudsley10 snapped out ,kennedy1 slapping down on the table the mass of prints and charts which he had hurriedly collected and was studying1 8you lie6 ,morton is ,millicent ,hazleton's son4 ,the whole story is blackmail4 ,i knew it when she told me of her dreams and ,i suspected first some such devilish scheme as yours4 ,now ,i know it scientifically40 ,he turned over the prints4 8,i suppose that study of these prints1 ,maudsley1 will convey nothing to you4 ,i know that it is usually stated that there are no two sets of finger prints in the world that are identical or that can be confused4 ,still1 there are certain similarities of finger prints and other characteristics1 and these similarities have recently been exhaustively studied by ,bertilion1 who has found that there are clear relationships sometimes between mother and child in these respects4 ,if ,solomon were alive1 doctor1 he would not now have to resort to the expedient to which he did when the two women disputed over the right to the living child4 ,modern science is now deciding by exact laboratory methods the same problem as he solved by his unique knowledge of feminine psychology4 8,i saw how this case was tending4 ,not a moment too soon1 ,i said to myself1 #8,the hand of the child will tell4' ,by the very variations in unlike things1 such as finger and palm prints1 as tabulated and arranged by ,bertillon after study in thousands of cases1 by the very loops1 whorls1 arches and composites1 ,i have proved my case4 8,the dominancy1 not the identity1 of heredity through the infinite varieties of finger markings is sometimes very striking4 ,unique patterns in a parent have been repeated with marvelous accuracy in the child4 ,i knew that negative results might prove nothing in regard to parentage1 a caution which it is important to observe4 ,but ,i was prepared to meet even that4 8,i would have gone on into other studies1 such as ,tammasia's1 of heredity in the veining of the back of the hands2 ,i would have measured the hands1 compared the relative proportion of the parts2 ,i would have studied them under the ,x-ray as they are being studied to-day2 ,i would have tried the ,reichert blood crystal test which is being perfected now so that it will tell heredity itself4 ,there is no scientific stone ,i would have left unturned until ,i had delved at the truth of this riddle4 ,fortunately it was not necessary4 ,simple finger prints have told me enough4 ,and best of all1 it has been in time to frustrate that devilish scheme you and ,veronica ,haversham have been slowly unfolding40 ,maudsley crumpled up1 as it were1 at ,kennedy's denunciation4 ,he seemed to shrink toward the door4 8,yes10 cried ,kennedy1 with extended forefinger1 8you may go--for the present4 ,don't try to run away4 ,you're watched from this moment on40 ,maudsley had retreated precipitately4 ,i looked at ,kennedy inquiringly4 ,what to do8 ,it was indeed a delicate situation1 requiring the utmost care to handle4 ,if the story had been told to ,hazleton1 what might he not have already done8 ,he must be found first of all if we were to meet the conspiracy of these two4 ,kennedy reached quickly for the telephone4 8,there is one stream of scandal that can be dammed at its source10 he remarked1 calling a number4 8,hello4 ,klemm's ,sanitarium8 ,i'd like to speak with ,miss ,haversham4 ,what--gone8 ,disappeared8 ,escaped80 ,he hung up the receiver and looked at me blankly4 ,i was speechless4 ,a thousand ideas flew through our minds at once4 ,had she perceived the import of our last visit and was she now on her way to complete her plotted slander of ,millicent ,hazleton1 though it pulled down on herself in the end the whole structure8 ,hastily ,kennedy called ,hazleton's home1 ,butler1 and one after another of ,hazleton's favorite clubs4 ,it was not until noon that ,butler himself found him and came with him1 under protest1 to the laboratory4 8,what is it--what have you found80 cried ,butler1 his lean form a-quiver with suppressed excitement4 ,briefly1 one fact after another1 sparing ,hazleton nothing1 ,kennedy poured forth the story1 how by hint and innuendo ,maudsley had been working on ,millicent1 undermining her1 little knowing that he had attacked in her a very tower of strength1 how ,veronica1 infatuated by him1 had infatuated him1 had led him on step by step4 ,pale and agitated1 with nerves unstrung by the life he had been leading1 ,hazleton listened4 ,and as ,kennedy hammered one fact after another home1 he clenched his fists until the nails dug into his very palms4 8,the scoundrels10 he ground out1 as ,kennedy finished by painting the picture of the brave little broken-hearted woman fighting off she knew not what1 and the golden-haired1 innocent baby stretching out his arms in glee at the very chance to prove that he was what he was4 8,the scoundrels--take me to ,maudsley now4 ,i must see ,maudsley4 ,quick60 ,as we pulled up before the door of the reconstructed stable-studio1 ,kennedy jumped out4 ,the door was unlocked4 ,up the broad flight of stairs1 ,hazleton went two at a time4 ,we followed him closely4 ,lying on the divan in the room that had been the scene of so many orgies1 locked in each other's arms1 were two figures--,veronica ,haversham and ,dr4 ,maudsley4 ,she must have gone there directly after our visit to ,dr4 ,klemm's1 must have been waiting for him when he returned with his story of the exposure to answer her fears of us as ,mrs4 ,hazleton's detectives4 ,in a frenzy of intoxication she must have flung her arms blindly about him in a last wild embrace4 ,hazleton looked1 aghast4 ,he leaned over and took her arm4 ,before he could frame the name1 8,veronica60 he had recoiled4 ,the two were cold and rigid4 8,an overdose of heroin this time10 muttered ,kennedy4 ,my head was in a whirl4 ,hazleton stared blankly at the two figures abjectly lying before him1 as the truth burned itself indelibly into his soul4 ,he covered his face with his hands4 ,and still he saw it all4 ,craig said nothing4 ,he was content to let what he had shown work in the man's mind4 8,for the sake of--that baby--would she--would she forgive80 asked ,hazleton1 turning desperately toward ,kennedy4 ,deliberately ,kennedy faced him1 not as scientist and millionaire1 but as man and man4 8,from my psychanalysis10 he said slowly1 8,i should say that it ,,is within your power1 in time1 to change those dreams40 ,hazleton grasped ,kennedy's hand before he knew it4 8,kennedy--home--quick4 ,this is the first manful impulse ,i have had for two years4 ,and1 ,jameson--you'll tone down that part of it in the newspapers that ,junior--might read--when he grows up80 ,,the ,,end