The Horry herald. (Conway, S.C.) 1886-1923, December 23, 1915, Page SIX, Image 6
mc
I TEe BLA<
Br E. PHILLIP
IS
Author of "The Moving Noveli*
Finger," "The Prince of tame n;
Sinner*," "Anna, the I Manufa<
Adventure**, " etc. I tographi
(Copyright. 1916.
This interesting instalment of
the Black Box will be shown in
motion pictures at the Casino
Theatre Thursday night.
SYNOPSIS.
Snnford Quest, master criminologist of
the. world, finds that In bringing to justice
Macdougal, the murderer of Lord AshJeigh's
daughter, he 1ms but just begun
a life-and-death stmggle with a mysterious
master criminal. In n hidden hut in
Professor Ashleigh's garden he has seen
an ape skeleton and a living creature,
half monkey, half man, destroyed by fire.
In his rooms have anneared black "boxes
containing notes, signed by a pair of,
armless hands, l^aura and I/onora, his as-!
sistants. suspect Craig, the professor's
servant, of a double murder. The black
boxes continue to appear in uncanny
fashion Craig, captured, escapes to Port
Said. Quest and his party follow, and beyond
into the desert. They are captured
by Mongers, escape with Craig as their
captivo. and turn him over to Inspector
French in Pan Francisco. Tie escapes In
n train wreck, outgenerals his pursuers, i
and goes back to New York, where he |
dies while Quest is attempting to hypno-!
tize him into conf< ssion.
FIFTEENTH INSTALLMENT
CHAPTER XXXV.
The first shock was over. Craig's i
body had boon removed, and the girls
bad taken Mary, half stunned with
grief, to their room. French and
Quest were left alone.
"That is some disappointment," J
the former remarked, gloomily.
"It is a disappointment," Quest
said, slowly, "which may clear the
way to bigg r things."
"What's in your mind now?" French
Inquired.
Quest shook his head.
"A turmoil. First of all, where is
the professor?"
"Must have scooted right away
home," French suggested. "He was
looking pretty sick all the time. Guess
it must have been a powerful shock
for liiin, and he isn't so young as he
used to be."
"Give me that paper of Craig's
again," Quest asked
The inspector produced the document
from his inner pocket, and
Quest, stretching it out upon his knee,
read it word for word.
r mRever (o Cuuiimiwlcate or to have
anything to do with anyone of the
name of Ashleigh, eh?" he remarked,
as he handed it back again. "Rather
a queer provision, that, French."
> "I've been thinking that myself," the
Inspector admitted
Quest glanced ^.4. 4,_e clock.
"Well," he said, "if you're ready,
inspector, we'll be getting along."
The two men drove to the outskirts
of the city almost in silence. The
tirnfpCQnr'c linnpn c/.... - ' *
4 a Huiioc oticnieu mure man
ever deserted as they drew up at the
front door. They entered without
ringing and crossed the hall towards
the library. On the threshold Quest
paused and held up his finger.
' "Someone is in there," he whispered,
stepping quickly forward. "Come!"
He threw open the door. The room
was empty, yet both Quest and French |
were conscious of a curious conviction
that it had been occupied within
the last few seconds.
"Queer, hut it seemed to me I heard
someone." French muttered.
"I was sure of it," Quest replied.
They stood still for a moment and
listened. The silence in the empty!
house was almost unnatural. Quest
turned away with a shrug of the
shoulders.
"At any rate," ho said. "Craig's dying
thoughts must have been truthful.
Come."
He led the way to the fireplace,]
wiiii uown on nis Knees and passed
his hands over the bricks. The third
one he touched, shook. Tie tapped
it?without a doubt it was hollow. :
With his penknife he loosened the j
mortar a little and drew it out easily.
The hack was open. Inside was the
black box.
"Craig's secret at last!" Kronen
muttered, hoarsely. "Bring it to the
light, quick!"
They were unemotional men, but the
moment was supreme. The key to
the mystery of these tragical weeks
was there in their hands! Their eyes
almost devoured those few hastily
scrawled words buried with so much
care:
See Page 62, January Number,
American Medical Journal, 1905.
They looked at one another. They
repeated vaguely this most commonplace
of messages. As the final result
of their strenuous enterprise, these
cryptic words seemed pitifully inade
urai 15 iui*tj uarKened. Ho
crumpled the paper in his fingers.
"There must be Rome meaning in
this/' he muttered. "It can't be altogether
a fool'R game we're on. Wait."
He moved towards a table which
usually stood against the wall, but
which had obviously been dragged
out recently into the middle of the
room. It was covered with bound
volumes. Quest glanced at one and
exclaimed softly:
"American Medical Journal, 1905!
CK. BOX |
S OPPENHEIM
ed from the motion picture drama of the
ime produced by the Universal Film
during Company. Illustrated with phoi
from the motion picture production.
by Otis F. Wood.)
French, there's something in this message.
after ai?."
Ho turned over the pages rapidly.
Then he came fro a stop. Page 61
was there; page 62 had been neatly
removed with a pair of scissors.
"The professor!" ho cried. "The
i/iwicooi/i 3 uuuu ui worn nerei"
The tw? men stood looking at oivs
another across the table. Strange
thoughts were framing themselves in
the brains of both of them. Then
there came a startling and in its way
a dramatic interlude. Through the
empty house came the ringing of the
electric bell from the front door, shrill
and insistent. Without a moment's
hesitation, Quest hurried out and
French followed him. On the doorstep
was another surprise. Lonora and
Laura were there, the former carrying
a small, black-bound volume.
"Don't be cross," she begged,
quickly. "We just had to come. Look!
We picked this up underneath the
chair where Craig was sitting. It
must have slipped from his pocket.
You see what is written 011 it??
Diary of John Craig."
Quest took it in his hand.
"Say, this ought to be interesting," 1
he remarked "Come along."
They passed into the library.
French lingered behind for a moment
and caught them up just as they were
opening the book underneath the electric
lamp.
"See here what I've found!" he exclaimed.
"It was just by the side of
the wall there. Where's that magazine?"
Me spread out the piece of paper?it
fitted exactly into the empty space.
They all read together:
Professor Ashleigh, after being bit- !
ten by the anthropoid, rapidly devcl- i
oped hydrophobia of a serious nature, j
After treatment with a new serum the
patient was relieved of the hydropho- |
bic symptoms, but to my horror this
mild-mannered, humane man seems
possessed at times of all the charac- I
teristics of the brutal anthropoid? '
cunning, thievery, brutality. I do not
Know what may come of this. I hesitate
to put even these words on to
paper. I am doubtful as to what
course, in the interests of humanity, j
I ought 19 take.
(Signed1! JAI^ES MERRILL, M. D.
Editor's Note?Just as we go to
press, a cable announces the terrible (
death of Doctor Merrill, the writer of
the above notes. He was attacked by
wild animals whilst alone in a South ;
American jungle, and torn to pieces.
There was a queer little silence 1
among the company. No one seemed i
inclined for speech. They looked at ;
one another in dumb, wondering horror.
Then Quest drew a penknife
from his pocket and with a turn of his
wrist forced the lock of the diary.
They all watched him with fascinated
PVP4 It U'nc ?
_^ ,v ?u? nvMiiuiiiiii^ iu nsrapB
from their thoughts. They leaned
over as he spread the book out before
him. Those first two sentences
were almost in the nature of a dedication:
For ten years I have protected my
master, Prof. Edgar Ashleigh, at the
cost of my peace of mind, my happi- j
ness, my reputation. This book, even
though it be too late to help me, shall
clear my reputation.
Quest closed the volume.
"French," he decided, "we must find
the professor. Will you have your
men search the house and grounds immediately?"
The. inspector loft the room like a
dazed man. They could hear him giving
orders outside.
"The next page," Lenora begged.
"Just one page more!"
Quest hesitated for a moment. Then
he turned it over. All three read
again:
Ten years of horror, struggling all
the while to keep him from that other
self, that thing of bestiality, to keep
his horrible secret from the world, to
cover up his crimes, even though
their shadow should rest upon me.
Now Sanford Quest has come. Will
this mean discovery?
"Another page," Quest said. "Don't
you see where it is leading us? We
have the truth here. Wait!"
Ho strode hastily to the door. French
and one of the plain-clothes men were !
descending the stairs.
"Well?" Quest asked, breathlessly.
"The professor is not in the house,"
French reported. "We are going to
search the grounds."
Quest returned to the library.
Lenora clung to his arm. The diarv
j lay still upon the table.
Quest opened the volume slowly,
j Again they all read together:
The evil nature is growing stronger
every day. He is developing a sort
of ferocious cunning to help him in
his crimes. He wanders about in the
dark, wearing a black velvet suit
with holes for his eyes, and leaving
only his hands exposed. I have
watched him come Into a half-darkened
room and one can see nothing
1 but the hands and the eyes; somei
times if he closes his eyes, only the
THE HORRY HER
i ~
hands.
"Mrs. Rheinholdt!" Quest muttered.
The door was suddenly opened and
French entered.
"Heaten!" he exclaimed, tersely.
"You haven't found him?" Quest
asked.
French shook his head.
"We've searched every room, every
cupboard, every scrap of the cellar
in the place," he announced. "We've
been into every corner of the grounds,
searched it all backwards and forwards.
There's no sign of the proteesor."
Quest pocketed the diary.
"You're perfectly certain that he
1b not in this house or anywhere upon
the premises?"
"Certain sure!" French replied.
Quest shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, we'd better get back," he
said.
They were on the point of starting,
the chauffeur with his hand upon the
starting handle, French with the
icering wneei or tne police car already
in his hand. And then the little
party seemed suddenly turned to
Btone. For a few breathless seconds
not one of them moved. Out into the
clammy night air came the echoes of
a hideous, inhuman, blood-curdling
! scream. Quest was the ilrst to re|
cover himself. He leaped from his
seat and rushed back across the emp1
ty hall into the study, followed a litj
tie way behind by French and the
! others. An unsuspected panel door
1 which led into the garden stood alight:
ly ajar. The professor, with his hand
on the back of a chair, was staring
' at the ilreplace, shaking as though
1 with some horrible ague, his face distorted,
his body curiously hunched
up. lie seemed suddenly to have
dropped his humanity, to have fallen
back into the world of some strange
creatines. He heard their footsteps,
but he did not turn his head. His
hands were stretched out in front
of him as though to keep away from
his sight some hateful object.
"Stop him!" he cried. "Take him
away! It's Craig?his spirit! Ho
came to me in the garage, lie followed
nie through the grounds, he mocked
at me when I hid in the tree. He's
there now, kneeling before the lireplace.
Why can't I kill him! He
is coming! Stop him, someone!"
No one spoke or moved; no one, indeed,
hyd the power. Then at last
Quest found words.
"There is no one in the room, professor."
he said, "except us."
The sound of a human voice seemed
to produce a strcnge effect. The professor
straightened himself, shook his
head, his hands dropped to his side,
ghastly pale, but his smile was once
more the smile of the amiable naturalist.
"My friends," he said, "forgive me. j
I am very old. and the events of these
last few hours have un?erved me.
Forgive me." ,
He groped for a moment and sank
into a chair. Quest fetched a decan- j
ter and a glass from the sideboard, j
poured out some wine and held it to
his lips. The professor drank It pup. i
erly.
"My dear friend," he exclaimed,
"you have saved me. I have something
to tell you, something I must tell
you at once, but not here. I loathe
this place. Let me come with you
to your rooms."
"As you please," Quest answered,
calmly.
He gripped Quest's arm. In silence
they passed from the room, in silence
they took their places once more
In the automobiles, in silence they
drove without a pause to Quest's
rooms. The professor made his way
at once to his favorite easy chair,
threw off his overcoat and leaned
back.
"Quest," he pronounced, "you are
the best friend I have in my life! It
is you who have rid me of my great
burden. Tell me?help me a little
with my story?have you read that
page from the Medical Journal which
The Professor Sat There Like a Figure
of Stone.
Craig has kept locked up all these
years?"
"We have all read it," Quest replied.
"It was forged," the professor declared,
firmly, "forged by Craig. All
the years since he has blackmailed
me. 1 have been his servant and his
tool. I have been afraid to speak. At
last I am free of him. Thank God!"
"Craig, after all," French muttered.
Lenora stood a little apart with
a faint frown upon her forehead, i
i She touched Quest on the shoulder. !
AL?, OKWAY, S C.
I\\TriwfI
>>j
"He Is Dead!"
"Mr. Quest," she murmured, "be is
lying!"
Quest turned his head. Iiis lips
scarcely moved.
"What do you mean?" ho whispered.
"He is lying!" Lenora insisted. "I
tell you there's another creature
there, something we don't understand.
Let me bring the electro-thought
transference apparatus; iet us read
his minu. If I am wrong, 1 v. ill go
down on my knees and beg for forgiveness."
Quest nodded. Lenora hastened to
the farther end of the room, snatched
the cloth from the instrument and
wheeled down the little mirror with
its coils and levers. The professor
watched her. Slowly his face changed.
The benevolence faded away, his teeth
for a moment showed in something
which was almost a snarl.
"You believe me?" he cried, turning
to Quest. "You are not going
to try that horrible thing on me?Professor
Lord Ashleigh? 1 am all broken
up. I am not fit for It. Look at my
hands, how they shake."
"Professor," Quest said, sternly, "we
are surrounded by the shadow of ^oine
terrible deeds for which as yet there
is no explanation. I do not say that
we mistrust you, but I ask yo i to
submit to this test."
"1 refuse!" the professor replied,
harshly.
"And I insist," Quest muttered.
The professor drew a little breath.
He sat back in his chair. His face
became still, his lips were drawn
closely together. Lenora wheeled up
the machine and with deft fingers adjusted
the fittings on one side. Quest
himself connected it "up on the other, i
The professor sat there like a figure
of stone. The silence in the room j
was so intense chat the ticking of
the small clock upon the mantel piece
was clearly audible. The very atmosphere
seemed charged with the thrill
and wonder of it. Never before had
Quest met with resistance so complete
and immovable. Sternly he concentrated
the whole of his will power
upon his task. Almost at once there
was a change. The professor fell
back in the chair. The tense self-control
had passed from his features,
his lips twitched. Simultaneously,
the mirror for a moment was clouded
?then slowly a picture upon it gathered
outline and substance. There
was a jungle, strange, tall trees, and
brushwood so thick that it reached
to the waists of the two men who
were slowly making their way through
it. One was the professor, clearly
recognizable under his white sun helmet;
the other a stranger to all of
them. Suddenly they stopped. The
latter had crept a yard or so ahead,
his gun raised to his shoulder, his
eyes fixed upon some possible object
of pursuit. There was a sudden
change in the professor. They saw
him seize his gun by the barrel and
whirl it above his head. He seemed
suddenly to lose his whole identity.
He crouched on his haunches, almost
like an animal, and sprang at the other's
throat. They could almost hear
the snarl from his lips as the two
men went down together into the undergrowth.
The picture faded away.
"Doctor Merrill!" Lenora faltered.
"Then it was not wild beasts which
killed him."
Almost immediately figures again
appeared in the mirror. There was a
small passage which seemed to lead
from the back entrance of a house;
the professor, with a black mantle,
Craig followed him, pleading, expostulating.
They saw the conservatory
for a minute, and then blackness. The
professor was leaning against a marble
basin. There was nothing to be
seen of him but his eyes and
They saw him listen for a mom
or two in cold, unresponsive silence,
then stretch out his hand and push
Craig away. The picture glowed and
faded and glowed again. Then they
saw through the gloom the figure of
a woman approach, a diamond necklace
around her neck. They saw the
hands steal out and .encircle her
throat?and then more darkness, silence,
obscurity. The mirror' was
empty once more.
"Mrs. Rheinholdt's jewels!" I^enora
cried. "What next? Oh!? my God
_
\ I
bHB^HIK
Quest Declared.
what next?"
Their eyes ached with the strain,
but there was not one of them who
could even glance away from the mirror.
It was Quest's study which slowly
appeared then. The Salvation
Army girl was there, talking to the
professor. They saw him leave her,
| they saw him look back from the
| door, a strange, evil glance. Then the
I secretary entered and spoke to her.
Once more the door opened. The
hands were there, stretching and
reaching, a paper-weight gripped in
the right-hand lingers. They saw it
i.n.-vu aui?u me stxTt'iary s neau, they
saw the other hand take the girl hy
the throat and push her towards the
table. A wild scream broke from
Leriora's lips. Quest wavered for a
moment. The picture faded out.
"Oh, stop it!" Lenora begged.
"Haven't we seen enough? We know
the truth now. Stop it or I shall die!"
The criminologist made no reply.
His eyes were still lixed upon the professor,
who showed some signs of returning
consciousness. He was gripping
at his collar. He seemed to have
difficulty with his breathing. Quest
suddenly braced himself. He pushed
Lenora back.
"One more," he muttered. "There's
something growing in his mind. 1 can
feel it. Wait!"
Again they all turned towards the
mirror. They saw the hallway of Ashleigh
house, the pictures upon the
walls, they could almost feel the quiet
silence of night. They saw the professor
come stealing down the stairs.
He was wearing the black velvet suit
with the cowl in his hand. They
watched him pause before a certain
door, draw on the cowl and disappear.
Through the opening they could see
Lord Ashleigh asleep in bed, the moonlight
streaming through, the open window
across the counterpane. They
! saw the professor turn with a strange,
I horribie iooK in his face and close the
i door. Lenora burst into sobs.
"No more!" she shrieked. "No
more, or I shall go mad!"
Quest leaned forward and released
their victim. The whole atmosphere
of the place seemed immediately to
change. Lenora drew a long, convulsive
breath and sank into a chair. The
professor sat up and gazed at them
all with the air of a man who has
just awakened from a dream.
"Have I, by any chance, slept?" he
asked. "Or?"
He never finished his sentence. Ilia
eyes fell upon the mirror, the rnetal
hand lying by his side. He read the
truth in the faces still turned towards
him. He rose to his feet. There was
another and equally sudden change in
his demeanor and tone. He carried
himself with the calm dignity of the
scientist.
"The end of our struggle, I presume?"
he said to Quest, pointing to
the metal band. "You will at least admit
that I have shown you fine sport."
No one answered him. Even Quest
had barely yet recovered himself. The
professor shrugged his shoulders.
"I recognize, of course," he said,
gravely, "that this is the end. A person
in extrpmis has privileges. Will
you allow me to write just a matter of
twenty lines at your desk?"
Silently Quest assented. The professor
seated himself in the swing chair,
drew a sheet of paper towards him,
dipped the pen in the ink and began
to write. Then he turned around and
reached for his own small black bag
which lay upon the table. Quest
caught him by the wrist.
"What do you want out of that, professor?"
ho iminirr>rl
"Merely my own pen and ink," the
professor expostulated. "If there is
anything I detest in Che world, it is
violet ink. And your pen, too, is execrable.
As they are to be the last
words I shall leave to a sorrowing
world, I should like to write them in
my own fashion. Open the bag for
yourself, if you will. You can pass
me the things out."
Quest opened the bag, took out a
pen and a small glass bottle of ink.
He handed them to the professor, who
started at once more to write. Quest
watched him for a moment and then
turned away to French. .The professor
looked over his shoulder and sud
* !
? z
l
denly bared his wrist. Lenora seised *
her employer by the arm.
"Look!" she cried. "What is he go*
lng to do?"
Quest swung around, but he was too
late. The professor had dug the pen
into his arm. He sat In his chair and jA
laughed as they all hurried towards
him. Then suddenly he sprang to his
feet. Again the change came into
his face which they had seen in the
mirror. French dashed forward towards
him. The professor Bnarled,
seemed about to spring, then suddenly '
once more stretched out his hands to
show that he was helpless and handed
to Quest the paper upon which he had
been writing. ^
"You have nothing to fear from me,*
he exclaimed. "Here is my last message
to you, Sanford Quest. Head it?
read it aloud. Always remember that
this was not your triumph, but mine." j
Quest held up the paper. They alt
read. The professor's letters were
carefully formed, his handwriting perfectly
legible:
You have been a clever opponent^
Sanford Quest, but even now you are j
to be cheated. The wisdom of the ages
outreaches yours, outreaches it and
triumphs.
Quest looked up quickly.
"What the devil does he mean?" he
muttered.
The professor's arms shot suddenly
above his head. Again that strange
animal look convulsed his features,
lie hurst into a loud, unnatural laugh.
"Mean, you fool?" he cried, holding 1/k
out his wrist, which was slowly turning
black. "Poisoned! That is what
it means!"
They all stared at him. Quest
seized the ink bottle, revealed tho
false top and laid it down again with
a little exclamation. Then, before
they could realize it the end came.
The professor lay, a crumpled-up^^^
heap, upon the floor.
Quest swung round in his chair as
French entered the room and held out
his left hand.
"(Had to see you, French. Help
yourself to a cigar."
"I don't know as I want to smoke
this morning just at present, thank
you." French replied.
"Nothing wrong, eh?"
"The fact of it is," French explained,^
"T should like a few words with Miss
Laura."
rv a i ?
laugnea snortiy.
"Why on earth couldn't you say
so?" he observed. "Never knew you
bashful before, Inspector. She's up In
the laboratory. I'll ring for someone
to show you the way."
Quest touched the bell and his new
secretary entered almost at once.
"Take Inspector French up into the ^
laboratory," Quest directed. See you
later, French."
"Yes?perhaps?I hope so," the inspector
replied nervously.
Quest watched him disappear with
a puzzled smile. Then he sat down
at his desk, drew a sheet of paper towards
him arid began to write:
My Dear Inspector:
I am taking this opportunity of let-_
ting you know that out of deference to *
the wishes of the woman I hope soon
to marry, I am abandoning the hazardous
and nerve-racking profession
of criminology for a safer and happier
career. You will have, therefore, to
find help elsewhere in the future.
With best wishes. Yours,
SANFORD QUEST.
We left the sheet of paper upon the
desk and, ringing the bell, sent for H
Lenora. She appeared in a few mo
ments and came over to his side.
"What is it. Mr. Quest?" she asked.
He gave her the letter without remark.
She read it through and, turning
Rlowly around, looked at him expectantly.
"How's that seem to you?" he
asked, reaching out his hand for a
cigar. f
"Very sensible, indeed," she replied.
"It's no sort of life, this, for a married
man," Quest declared. "You
\
The Sound of a Human Voice Seemed
to Produce a Strange Effect.
agree with me there, don't you, Lonora?"
, ..
"Yea!" she admitted, a little.faintly.
The aecretary entered the room,
helped Quest on with his coat and
handed him his hat.
"If you are quitd ready, Lenora."
'