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,PEH ^ I ^5?Albei I ?* NOVELIZED F1 | i - j SYNOPSIS. i John Davis and Hawk Morgan, execu- . .tors oi the estate of John Carr, miner, disagree over the disposition of the profits -Of the mine. Morgan seeks the gold and the girl, Ethel, Carr's adopted daughter, 'for himself, and unsuspected by Davis, iwhom Ethel really loves, lytkes several sensational attempts upon the life of 1 ! Davis. Suspicion is diverted to a mys! terious hermit. Davis and Rainface are hound and hurled in*-> the sea by Hindus. EPISODE 12. jj : THE RUSHING HORROR. ; i 1 Joha Davis, captured by the Hindus < land brought to the cottage on the bluff , [overlooking the sea, managed to cut his T>onds and barricade himself in an up- ! per room of the house. The door was , finally battered down by the gang of . orientals, and John, after making a great fight against them, went down beneath the wlight of numbers. Rain- j face, who had hastened to his rescue, suffered a similar fate, and the two i were bound and put in large gunny j sacks. They were then carried to the ' edge of the bluff and thrown headlong ' ;into the sea to be drowned like blind i life. kittens. - j. They struck the water with a tre- | mendous splash and disappeared in j twin spots of foam. A fuil minute '* passed. Then a head appeared upon ' the surface, immediately followed by . the arm of John, the hand of which I clasped the short sheath knife which ? he had carried concealed in the waist- 1 band of his trousers, and with which ; he had cut himself free of bonds while j in the cottage of the Hindus. Floating . upon his back barely long enough to j - fill his lungs half a dozen times with ! fresh air, he turned and dove otter , like. Fortunately the water here, be- j ing close off shore, was not more than j a dozen feet deep and he had "ittle difficulty in finding the sack in which was j confined the form of his Indian follower. One long sweep of the knife ripped the receptacle from end to end, and not stopping to do more than thrust hi$ v ? knife in his pocket he seized the motionless and half drowned man by the ' collar and began kicking his way vigorously toward the surface. Greatly ut of breath he reached it. For a moment more he treaded water as he supported the face of Rainface to the air, and, once more recovered; started for the shore towing the Indian 7 at his side. It was but a few dozen strokes to the beach, and arriving j there he laid the stilHsenseless form of I A1? con/1 Q n r? wflitpd i UlC icu uiau vu Ui^ OUUU uuv? ?I ?* ?? ? for nature to take its course. Not long | afterward Rainface gasped, groaned and then sat up. Fifteen minutes later he was little the worse for his ducking, j At once they started up the face of the cliff. Precipitous though it wag, by : y following# the windings of a narrow ; i , * trail they eventually reached its top, and soon after, encountering a passing taxi, they engaged it and ordered that ! they be driven with all speed to the Mackenzie hotel. v : With a hasty paying* of their driver $ they dashed into that hostelry and ran to^the door of their apartment. The . rooms were empty. A hurried search revealing no clue as to the whereabouts > ? of the absent ones, they hurriedly sought the elevator man and began plying him with questions. He scratch- j *V ed his head reflectively. "Yes sir. Now that I think of it the j lady with two doctors?leastwise they j , looked like doctors?went out about half an hour ago." f Wondering what this might mean, the puzzled pair descended and sought the street. As they were deliberating as to what course to pursue, a policeman came strolling by, and promptly John fell upon hirS. "Yes, I seen a lady such as you describe drive off with a couple of ? ?-- - 'Ilil- arm (Jhp meoicai gents a nine wuuc a6v. ~? seemed sick or somethin' and I was going to ask her what was the matter, but they got started before I could get to them. However, it looked kinda fun^ ny, so I made a note of the number of the car for future reference in case I wanted it" "And that number?" cried Davis. The officer consulted his note book. "Cal. 37655. And if it concerns you, mister, if you will call up the License Bureau and say that Patrolman Waddy , gave you the number, they'll tell you who the owner is." "Thank you, officer," returned Davis, ^ as he slipped him a bill. Back into the hotel they hurried, where John imme^ diately accosted the operator at the telephone switchboard. "Will you please call up the license < bureau and say that Policeman Waddy wishes to know tne owner 01 cur u umber 37655?" he requested. "We will be back in ten minutes to get your reply." Returning to the lobby they were informed that the car was owned by & v Dr. Fream, also receiving the further and very welcome information that the said gentleman had recently rented a country house in Idle Wild, a residential suburb on Eucalyptus avenue, Number 22. Much pTeased at having struck so warm v icent, they at once engaged a motorcar and instructed that they be taken to the number named. Arriv-1 0 \ * L IS'/ d L Smiflv; ROM V1TAGRAPH P ? ?<11 n .1 >li there, ilioy glanced at its sign which road "St. Luke's Hospital. Dr. Frearu, Sup't.," and dismounted from their vehicle. Meanwhile as to Etheh Terribly worried at the report brought by the physicians that JohD was badly hurt and in danger of dy- J mg, she sat listlessly in the machine is the Spider sped them over the road to.. Idle Wild where the bogus "St. j Luke's Hospital" with its sign especial ly painted for this purpose by Morgan, was situated. As they drove into the carriage way and the handsome building confronted her, she clasped her hands over her bosom and with a j little gasp summoned her fortitude for ; the ordeal which lay before her. In front of the door Dr. Fream and his , assistant helped her carefully down, and supporting her lightly upon each , side, led her within. Escorting her to the reception room, they seated her. j Dr. Fream spoke. "If you will rest and compose your- j self for a few moments, I will go and see in what condition the patient is. ! If he is well enough to see you. I will j take you to him. But I implore you, j Miss, to bear this in mind. While I j expect you will find him alive and con- ! scious, you must be prepared for a 1 shock when you first see him." Bow- ; ing gravely to her he left the room, J while the distressed girl, biting her j lip and with fingers clenched, subdued j her wild impulse to follow him and throw herself at the bedside of the man she loved so dearly. Morgan, his coat and collar off and wearing a white shirt, was standing In ? rnrmi nnstnirs which had been fitted up as a hospital private room, when his confederate, Fream, entered. "Is she here?" he asked. The other nodded. "Then we'll get busy." Placing himself upon the bed Morgan covered himself while Fream bandaged his head and the other confederate donned a white hospital interne's uniform. When Fream had finished the entire head of the Hawk was swathed, in bandages, save for one eye which had been left unbound that the pretended sufferer might see. This done, Fream turned the light low and returned to the lower floor. Ethel was standing at the window looking out into the darkness when he entered. Noting the fluttering of her lips and the heaving of her bosom, and fearing that she was about to collapse beneath the nervous strain, he hastened to her. "Yes, he is still alive," he said hurriedly. "He wants you to do something?some strange request. If you can comply with it, I believe it will help him in his fight for life." "Anything!" she cried passionately. "Anything he may ask. Only take me to him at once." Taking her by the arm, he led her from the room. Softly he opened the door and Ethel, feeling herself growing faint and dizzy, stood gazing into the subduedly lighted room. At the sight of the bandaged one in the bed, she uttered a low cry and started impulsively forward, but the hand of Fream held her back. "Slowly and quietly," he warned In a low tone. Realizing that she must control herself, the girl slowed her pace. She kneeled beside the bed and one hand lovingly touched the bandages. "I am so glad that you are alive, dear. You will live for me, John, won't you?" By a slight movement of the head, the swathed one indicated that he wished to speak to her. She bent closer to him, her ear turned to catch his whispered words. "He asks me to marry him, so it he dies?" She buried her face in her hands, but regained her self control and looked up at Fream. "I am ready. Send for a minister," she said. "It will help him," returned Fream soberly. "How strange his voice sounds," she said. A slight smile crept to the lips of the physician. "What would you expect when one has been burned nearly to death, be?* J ?- :mv? siues ufiug lewiuijr vjulj j.hc is that he can speak at all." Silently she nodded her understanding. Fream, stepping into the next room, spoke to the Spider who sat there smoking. "The girl is ready. Take the car and get the Reverend Dr. Preston and bring him here as quick as the devil will let you. Then in ten minutes we will have the thing cinched." Leaping to his feet, the Spider went hurrying on his mission. Leaving their machine. John and Rainface walked up to the house. All was dark within, nor did any response come to their ringing of the bell. With vague suspicion crawling into their minds they walked about the place, inspecting it closely. Then as the sound of an approaching auto smote their ears, they ran to the front of the building and peeped around a corner just as the Spider and another man w.ac was unmistakably a minister entered the door. Now wholly suspicious and alarmed, they hastened to mm. r k Cyrus IoWnservd Br* . HOTO PLAY CertntoM. 1919, bg VltajraDb Exploded With a Tremendous Roar. i the auto and glanced at its number. It the Hindus, and where have you beer ; was Calif. 37655, the machine of Dr. ?where have all of you been, if 1 j Fream. may ask?" . "That other fellow with preacher, Davis gave a short laugh. ! him Spider," grunted Rainface. "Him "It's a long story, but I suppose 1 i eot on wig and whiskers, but me know might as well begin." Ordering rei his walk." freshments, they seated themselves | "You're right, Rainface. I was try- while John briefly told his adventures, , Ing to place that gait of his. There's As he finished Morgan frowned, i the devil to pay in there sure, and "Who could that chap have .beec j we've got'to get in, locks or no locks." that pretended to be you?" John's ; Tearing open the tool box of the ma- head slowly waved, j chine he drew forth a heavy screw- "That's what gets me. Do you supi driver, and closlv followed by the In- pose it was that hermit chap or one i dian sprang to the nearest window. of his agents?" Morgan's hand fell Inserting the point of the impro- upon his knee with a resounding slap, : vised "jimmy" beneath the lower "That's it exactly. But thank good| frame and the jam, he gave his in- ness he failed. For one, I've had ; strument a savage downward push, enough of this town and am hungrj ' Before the leverage of the steel tool for the mountains again. Let's go back ! Kurct and thp Tvinrlnw no in the morning and fight him in the ? llic V-U LV.11 UUi.Cb WUV4 VMV .. _ J longer barred their way. Lifting it open. Meanwhile " The voice ol : hastily they crawled within and stood Ethel quickly arose, j listening. No sound met their ears, "Yes, let us leave this horrible ! and with soundless feet they crept up hotel where such things are always j the stairs, halting before a door happening. Cannot we go to some | through the keyhole of which a slen- quiet place near the sea. or " der fan of light streamed. John plac- John's hand, finding her own, gave Ing his ear to the crevice, drew his it a squeeze. breath and listened. Plainly to his "I know^just the spot. The Sea Clifl hearing came the words of the min- Inn down the bay. We'll pack our bag? ister. and motor down at once." With this "Is this your wish, my child?" Faint- understanding, they separated for the ly came the answer of Ethel. purpose of getting ready. "It is." Within their own room, Morgan "Then if any man can show just turned to the Spider, cause why this couple may not law- "You stay behind as if to make prepfully be joined together " arations for an early start. Here's the Snapping himself erect like a re- stuff you are to get. Be off the leased rubber band, John tried the Sea Cliff dock at midnight, tie up the i knob. The door was locked, but with launch and join me. I'll hang a towel j a savage cry bursting from his lips he oat my room and be on the watch placed one shoulder against it and *or you." gave a mighty heave. As though it They secured their auto and left the had been made of pasteboard it horrors, the Spider waving crumpled before him and fell crashing ^em good-by from the curb. In the into the room. Chest heaving and front seat with the chauffeur rode with fists clenched. Davis stood before ^01"gan? Ethel and John sat behind ? . - x .1 XI * the assemblage within. them, witn Kamrace mourned on mt "John! John!" cried the girl, start- au*"lary seat !nrear' Scarvcely ing back as though she saw a ghost. had to ed tbe first cor"er' haw' Half unbelievingly she turned her ^er, than the Indian, suspicious that eyes to the one beneath the covers. ;ae ?ne Ie" bahiad was, "P [? some "Then who is this " . deT'U alIpPed fr?m hls4sea' uan0; ^ i# i , ., . . ticed by his companions. Arriving at But Morgan did not wait to answer. ,he ho John secured three rooms One jump and he was out of bed and fm supposition being that with the Spider and the two 'physi- Ra|n(ace had preferred t0 come on cians" leaping at his heels he bolted foot and Indian.like had d d oft from the room, tumbled down the Q? John and Ethe! startstairs and streamed from the front for the|r r gaw that M door. The next moment those left be- was missing and opposed he had prehind heard the motor car go whir- ce(je(j them. ring into the night gut Hawk had not. Secreting Releasing Ethel from his arms, himseif untn they had retired he reDavis turned threateningly upon the turned to the desk and engaged two minister, but the girl interposed her- additional rooms above those taken by self between them. John, his excuse to the clerk being "Don't, John. He was deceived even that he expected two friends to arrive as I was. The doctor said it was you later on. This done, he mounted the ?and I was marrying him thinking it stairs and threw himself upon the would save your life." Explanations bed without undressing. . having been made all around, they Out in the bay in a motor boat, the * '* mimcfiiK Viic Ont.lnw nwni.-incr clnii-lr Cllnnor with PVe.S parroa, TUP cresuaueu UJIUIOICI iu ciuuci UUI.-IU8 ulVilt, home and Ethel, John and Rainface upon the Sea Cliff Inn, gave an ex, for their hotel. . clamation of satisfaction. From out | At their entrance Morgan and the of a window of that hostelry a towel Spider arose and came forward ques- hung, and guiding his boat to the dock tioning them rapidly. The Hawk he made it secure and approached the thrust out his hand? building. Inquiring of the sleepy clerk "We're sure glad to see you. When for the room that his friend had enyou did not turn up at that temple, gaged for him. he was shown to it, John, and we did not find you here, to be joined shortly thereafter by MorMiss Ethel* and I nearly went wild gan. The Spider opened the grip he' from anxiety. How did you escape had been carrying, taking from It a nail-puller and a number of other ob-1 jeets. "Davis' room is just beneath this, the girl's beneath the adjoining one, which I also engaged. I happened to remember that it would be easy for | us to pull up a few floor boards in | this old seaside shack, and that's what put the idea in my head," whispered the Hawk, as they began their task. Ten minutes of silent work had re- j moved a plank from the flooring of j each room, showing them the man and | girl lying asleep in their rooms be- j low. Because of the warmth of the j weather neither was fully dressed and each was lying without* covering, j1 From the contents of the grip, Mor| gan selected two long, telescoped cones : which he drew to their full length and j than handed one to the Spider, j 1 'Ton etherize Davis while I do the | isame for the girl," he whispered, i -With a nod of assent Bellas passed ! into the adjoining room, while Mor-! j gan bent over the opening in the floor | j of his chamber. A moment later the j ! cones slowly descended until they were | | close over the faces of the sleeping j | ones, and the etherizing process be- i ! gan. Within five minutes the victims ' lay wholly unconscious. I Quickly Morgan and his accomplice ! descended, to the floor below, and open-: j ing the doors leading to the slumber; Ing dupes, bound them securely. Then' j raising them in their arms they car-, tied them to the window, from whence they were lowered to the ground by j means of ropes which the Spider had j brought for the purpose, and from j there conveyed them to the dock. The ' Spider pointed to the launch with its skiff in tow. "That skiff has steel water-tight j compartments both fore and aft, and . In each of the compartments is an in [ fernal machine," he said. "Good," returned Morgan. "When! ! we get out a safe distance we'll cut I I loose and let them go to glory together , 1 ?the way they were bound to live." j ; Stowing the bound and helpless pair: 1 i In the skiff, the villains entered the! j launch and went chugging out to sea. i r An hour later Morgan looked at his j ' watch. ' j "One-thirty," he said. "The bombs 5 i are set for 1:45. We're far enough out. j Let go." A swift pass by*a knife j and the towing painter was severed. I the launch shooting ahead and leaving ' j the skiff with its death-dealing freight I rocking idly on the low waves of its ' i wake. J John had regained his senses some five minutes before the cutting loose ' of the little craft. Hearing the words of Morgan, "the bombs are set for I 1:45," but not recognizing the voice, he j had lain quiet, knowing that to speak ' j would mean the death of both himself ' i and the girl. No sooner had the launch I disappeared, however, than he began i making violent efforts to free himself. | j Finding this Impossible, he rolled 'to II the side of the girl, who was now be' ginning to revive. k! "Keep quiet, and I think I can get you loose," he said. Sinking his sharp ,; teeth into the light rope which bound I her wrists he began tearing it apart [! fiber by fiber, until at last she snapped the bonds and sat up. "My sheath knife?you will see its handle sticking up under my coat," he 1 told her, and quickly finding it, she severed his fastenings. In the stillness each could hear the ominous tickings of the clocks of the infernal contrivances locked In their steel comparti ments and beyond their reach. The man lifted the girl to her teet. "This craft is going to.be blown to flinders in about five minutes," he said , as he slipped one arm about her waist. ' "It's going to be a long swim and a hard one, but there is no help for it. I Hang on tight and keep your courage (I up." Raising her, he leaped into the I sea. . Barely had they covered the dis| tance of a hundred yards than the | twin explosions came. Such was the power of the devilish inventions that they were showered with flying splinters and buried beneath spray, but the distance was great enough to save them from hurt. Attracted by the noise and flash of the explosion, a fishing craft drew aside from its course, to see what had caused it. Hearing the shouts of the man in the water, they dragged him and the girl aboard and landed them at a village a few miles farther down the beach. There Davis learned that the next trolley would leave for the Sea Cliff Inn at 5 a. m., and at once called Morgan on the telephone. Returning to the wharf and satisfled that their victims had died in the n-hfnh thp\* hfld witnessed from afar, Morgan and the Spider found themselves confronted by Rainface, gun in hand, who had been un- j able to follow them out into the bay. "Hermit! Hell! Where is Missy and Mr. Davis?" demanded the Indian, with a deadly glare in his black eyes. Knowing that they were caught, the Spider made a grab for his gun, and seeing the movement, the Indian pulled Ms trigger. Down came the hammer , with a dull thud upon a faulty cartridge, and before the red man could \ pull again, the pair wi re upon him. Kicking and striking him over the head with ihe butts of their weapons, they laid him prostrate and unconscious upon the boards of the wharf. "What'll we' do with him?knife him?" panted the Spider with a last vicious kick. The other man pushed him aside. "No. I've pot a better scheme. Re's onto us and we may need him as a j ransom offering to save our own necks." Gagging and pinioning the unfortunate one, they lugged him to the inn, and the Spider, going up to waatvi 1 o Thfc \f nr. his i uuin, iu?cicy a u'^t. jluw gan made fast to the inanimate form, and rejoining his companion the pair hauled the other into the room. There they stowed him away in a closet, and -6at down to plan what they should do upon the approaching day now close at hand. A rap at the door startled them, and Morgan cried out, asking who it was. "It's me?the clerk. Telephone call for you down in the office," was the response. Wondering whom the person might be, the Hawk descended and with rage, he was forced to contain himself as he listened to the words of Davis as they came over the wire. "Ethel and I were drugged while < asleep and taken out on the bay in 3 skiff towed by a launch. When miles from shore, the rascals cut us loose, leaving us in the skiff, in which were infernal machines. We managed to free ourselves and leap overboard just before the explosion. We were rescued by a fishing boat and landed here at Seadrift. We will leave for the inn on the trolley, which goes at five o'clock." "Hell's furies!" gritted the Hawk be? neath his breath. Then he cried anxiously : "Was Ethel hurt?or you?" "No. But it was a close call." "Thank Heaven," he called back as he hung up the instrument. Still raging, he rushed to the room of his fellow scoundrel. "They've escaped again, curse them," he swore, as he jerked the other man to his feet. "They are coming on the five o'clock trolley, but if we move fast enough, maybe we can get them on the route." Hurriedly he began I throwing things into their grips. ' "Get them; how?" demanded the | Spider as he followed the other's actions in gathering up the incriminat' ing evidence that lay about. "Bring that box of T. N. T., and Til J show you," returned the Hawk. Thrust; Ing the package of high explosive into the grip, the pair hurriedly left the ; house. They hurried to a nearby garage and secured a light machine. Getting into 1 it and giving it full power, they went racing down the road in the direction of the approaching trolley, while Morgan rehearsed to his confederate the details of the fresh dastardly plot which had flashed through his mind | as he heard the words of Davis that he and the girl were coming on the elecj trie road. Some miles out in the country the eyes of Morgan fell upon the branch of a tree that crossed the ; rails, and he brought the machine to a sudden stop. ; "This place will do. We'll throw this rope over that limb,'tie the T. N. T. to the end of it and then haul the boxcontaining it up to the branch. Then we'll run this light line through tne J grass and across the rails. When the car comes along, of course the wheels | will cut the rope, and down will come the explosive on top of the car. And when that happens, down will go ro<*ka-by, baby and all. Get me?" "Sure," returned the Spider as hf began whirling the rope, preparatory :o a cast over the limb. "You've got a jfreat j head on you for jokes, Morgan. You're sure some ^humorist." "Cut out that stuff and get down to J business," swore his companion, as he took out the explosive. Five minutes later the trap, was set, and entering their machine, they drove it to the top of a nearby hill, from yPence they could survey the scene which was to i follow. Within the approaching car, John was standing upon the front platform, smoking his morning cigar, Ethel standing at his side with one arm slipped lovingly through his own. Being somewhat behind time, the motorman had all power turned on and they were slipping over the rails at the rate nntt o miic* n minute. Suddenly i ui iicanj u iui.v M ? ?r John gave a shout. "See that rope across the track! That means?" | But so great was the speed of the car that the wheels had passed over [ the object before he could finish his I sentence, severing it and releasing the i hell box from above. Down it dropped j as a plummet, and had it not been for the speed at which the car was going, must have landed fairly upon the roof of the car. As it was, it struck upon the track immediately behind the rear platform and exploded with a tremendous roar. The car, rearing in the air like a frightened horse, burst apart and fell a mass of wreckage. (END OF TWELFTH EPISODE.)