The Oregon daily journal., January 21, 1917, Page 67, Image 67

THE SUNDAY FICTION MAGAZINE, JANUARY 21, 1917
11
believe we win hare tne complete story
of thla amazing tangle of events."
As he spoke the door opened and Bart
Kendall, perfectly attired, entered and
bowed low over the hand of Miss Holi
day. "Pardon my delay," he said easily, "I
stopped to make a purchase."
He glanced quickly at Gordon and
smiled at Miss Holiday. -
''Oh," said the girl, her color mount
ing, "we did not Intend to announce it
until later."
A LAUGH, followed by hearty congrat
ulations, greeted her naive admis
sion, and Kendall, bowing his congratu
lations, handed her ' magnificent gem.
"But the setting!" the girl exclaimed,
drawing back; "what is It?"
"It is a memento, said the gambler.
"Part of the mystery la which we all
have been' tangled."
The party was seated. The shadow of
crime and tragedy that hung over them
served to modify their Jubilation over the
Greens' victory and restrain the happi
ness even of the young people.
"Events have moved rapidly since I
became ill," said Mr. Holiday. The
master criminal of the generation has
worked against us and failed. I have
asked you all here to discuss the evi
dence to see what legal proof we have
that may be used to convict Professor
Terpening of these crimes. We can con
vict him of kidnaping my daughter, but
can we prove he murdered Lester?
"Let each tell what he knows," sug
gested Paulin. "I seem to have been the
prize boob; I confess now that I have
suspected Lester, both the Metzlers, Mr.
Holiday, Gordon and Mr. Kendall, and'
never Professor Terpening."
"Let us start with the beginning."
said Kendall. "Metzler, you first."
"I was In Boston In August," said the
actor. "A man whom I now know was
Terpening offered me a large sum to
carry a package to Cleveland and give it
to Victor Lester. I delivered the pack
age. Lester said an old crank in Boston
wanted him to try an experiment. He
was worried and told me the man had
paid him a large sum to do a small thing
that he was in the man's power. When
the Greens started to lose X asked Lester
about it. He admitted to me that he had
done as the man directed, and feared he
had hurt the team. The man was press
ing him for money and Lester was des
. perate. He told me he had tried to re
turn the package to the fellow,, but he
had refused to accept It, and insisted that
he continue the experiments. Lester did
not understand what the nature of the
thing was, and was reading and study
ing to find out. The note and books
Gordon found after his death were a
clew to what he had learned."
"My story should be first." said Ar
thur Metzler. "I got homesick and re
turned from Europe without father's con
sent. I did not then know why he was
so anxious for me to remain in Europe
and thought him unjust. X was broke
and my sister could net help me much.
In this dilemma Terpening earns to me.
He wanted me to find out whether father
had a certain small box in his possession.
. He said that box contained something
very valuable to science, but not to Mr.
.Holiday. He offered me money to find
out whether the box was la father's pos
session. I tried to learn from ray sister
about the box, but she was frightened by
my questions. She accused me of spying
and seeing the box. I told Terpening the
box was la father's possession. On Aug.
29 he gave me a, black box. told me, to
take it to a certain broker and hand it to
him. The broker took from the box a
large sum of money and said it was all
right."
That was the money that was bet
that the Greens would lose," said Ken
dall dryly. "No wonder X could not find
out who placed the bets."
"After X had dona this I grew alarmed
and accused the man of robbing Mr. Hol
iday. He turned upon ma and told me I
was in bis newer I owed' him money. He
told me he could ruin me and ruin Les
ter. The night Lester was murdered we
both were desperate. When Lester won
that money gambling he said he' had
enough to buy his freedom from the man
and that he would force him to take back
the accursed box. He showed me the
box and it was exactly like the one in
which I' carried the money. I told him
to open it, and he declared Terpening
told him that to open it would be certain
death."
"Terpening, then, was in New York
when Lester was killed?" asked Mr. Hol
iday. "Yes. Letter was to meet him. When
Lester was killed I thought he had
opened the box despite orders and been
killed.
"I saw no more of the man until the
night X disappeared. I sneaked around
the house to see my sister, met the man
face to face, and knew no more until I
found myself prisoner in the basement
of Terpenlng'g house in Cambridge."
"You all know my story," said Miss
Holiday. "1 knew of the existence of the
box feared it had disappeared, feared
Arthur had stolen it, so did not tell fa
ther. I suspected Professor Terpening. I
determined to tell Mr. Gordon about It
and sent for him. X was waiting for him,
heard htm coming and arose to go down
stairs? and at Abe door met the professor.
I started to scream, but instead became
unconscious, and when I awakened I was
in his house In Cambridge, in a base
ment room, where Fred Mr. Gordon
found me. On the night before the pro
fessor took me into his laboratory he
seemed crazy. He told me that vengeance
was hist He showed me a machine y
which he said he could project wireless
telephone messages. I begged to be re
leased, and he grew furious and pushed
me back into the basement. He forgot
to lock the door. I crept Into the labor
atory, found the machine, and tried it
sad the message was' received."
She( smiled down upon Gordon.
Y WHOLE story is of suspicions."
said Gordon. "I suspected Terpen
ing because he lied clumsily in say
ing be did not know baseball. I saw
Lester's picture in his home and knew it
was not by chance he had picked Lies as
his victim. My suspicions were diverted
again and again, but came back each
time. I believed he alone could be work
ing with the mysterious rays and that
he was pretending to help us In order to
use them more effectively. When I re
ceived the wireless message from Helen
I hurried to Terpening's house, and by
forcing a basement window secured en
trance and rescued Helen. By accident
1 also stumbled upon Arthur, and he
helped us get away."
"I will spare Mr. Holiday the pain, of
telling bis storyj said Kendall gravely.
"Terpening- was working for revenge as
well as wealth. .He sought to ruin Mr.
Holiday by stealing his ramp of radium
and using it to bring suspicion upon Its
real owner. He knew ef the existence of
M1
H'
this radium for years, and had searched
for it In vain until he discovered that Mr.
Holiday. Instead of hiding it In some ob
scure corner, kept it always at home and
close to him. He wished to ruin me
financially as much for revenge as for
gain. He owed me a grudge."
"You think you think?" Mr. Holiday
half rose from his chair and stood star
ing at the gambler.
"Yes," said Kendall brusquely, "Ter
pening is not Terpening he Is Metzler,
the master criminal of the world, the
man who wrecked the life of his wife,
the man who hid for years from my
vengeance, the father of Arthur Metzler,
the man we thought died in the mine
years ago."
I feared it." groaned Mr. Holiday.
"The night my daughter disappeared a
strange message came a message from
Metzler and it was the shock and horror
of discovering that he lived that stag
gered my brain."
E BOWED his bead on his hands for
instant, then straightened up
and exclaimed:
"He must not escape this lime Justice
must be done! The world is not safe with
this man at large!"
"Calm yourself." said Kendall quietly.
"I have had the house surrounded since
before daylight. Metzler Is Inside and
gives no sign of knowing he is watched.
Warrants have been issued charging him
with the murder of Lester, with kidnap
ing Miss Holiday and with robbing Mr.
Holiday. The detectives are waiting for
word from us to serve them. Let us go."
Half an hour later two automobiles
flashed through Cambridge and swung to
the curb in front of the grim house of
mystery. Gordon, eager and excited,
sprang from the first, and the others has
tened after him up the leaf -littered walk.
He was hammering upon the great door
before the others mounted the porch
steps. The grim, unsmiling ogress that
had met them on preceding occasions
opened the door. Gordon, expecting re
sistance, lunged forward, ready to force
an entrance, but to the surprise of all the
woman, smiling sardonically, threw open
the door and bowed to them with mock
courtesy.
"We wish to see Professor Terpening,"
said Kendall, controlling his emotions
better than the others were able to do.
"Is. he in?"
"He is In the laboratory," said the
woman metallically. "You may see him
there."
Her manner had led to the sudden feer
that the master criminal bad escaped,
and the words of the woman relieved the
anxiety. Gordon pushed forward quickly.
"Careful, Gordon," said Kendall quiet
ly. "We are dealing with a dangerous
man. I will bring two of the detectives.
Watch out for tricks. Metzler is most
dangerous at bay."
The party, following the woman,
passed through the library, the detec
tives walking with Gordon and Kendall.
The woman, who had preceded thenv
threw wide the door to the laboratory.
At a long table. Uttered with strange
instruments, sat the archer Imi rial. He
arose slowly, his hand resting upon a
small lanternlike instrument from which
four lenses peered in four directions.
"Ah, gentlemen," he said, smiling.
"Ah, Mr. Gordon, Mr. Holiday, and you,
my dear friend, Mr. Kendall, and, ah,
my young relations, to what do I ewe the
honor of this not entirely unexpected
call?"
His tone was mockery, Ms callous
smile an Insult.
"Metzler, you damned murderer, you
cold Wooded hound, you " Mr. Holi
day, unable to stand the mockery,
lunged forward. Metzler. bis hand raised
as if in surprised protest, gave back half
a step.
"Finish it. boys! Beise him quick!"
Kendall uttered the final word sharply,
and the two detectives and Gordon
vprang toward Terpening from three
aides.
He stood towering, his face transfixed
with a leering smile, and as Kendall
shouted "Quick!" his fingers turned Just
a trifle.
Gordon and the two detectives, hands
extending, groping into thin air, recoiled
in amazement. The others fell back,
staring and stunned.
The spot where Terpening had stood
was vacant! Before their eyes he had
disappeared !
The master of crime had vanished Into
thin air!
IThe End
Coyri(ht, 11. fey J. Keckjr
China. Grand
By A.
BEYOND the faiat blue lines ef east
era hills
The thin, gray dawn is slotting out the
stars;
The moon, a fad Lag crescent, dies away
Before the wind that ushers la the day.
Sweet comes the breath of poppies o'er
the pis inn.
Sweet, thickly-stirring groves of
trees, '
Where fronds of ferns are reaching
toward the mora
And crimson lils, wet with dew. are
bom.
Canal Dawn
Ware
From far deep-shadowed,
, inlet mounts
The thin clear ripple el
caH: r
The highest cloud-tkreads catch the com
ing light
And sift pale color through the graying
night.
'Now from the water-gate of white-walled
town
The shadowy unaoi ant-boats are diss-
pling out;
So strange, elusive, phantomlike. It seems
The web-spcm Imagery of lightest
i dreams.
Ah, Cor the
The
The
The
The sanging
Across the plains calm-stretched la Ught
below!
on the Grand 1
ef the water km the
ef the flaming sky.
the fields that quiet Ue.
who early go
THE ROBE OF THE
RED VIRGIN
(Centimved frost Pwff 8)
beneath the baleful glare ef the massive
idol.
I heard a rustling of the woolen robes,
and the Red Virgin hurled them from
her and stood forth transfigured. She
lifted her proud head and Joined in that
strange liquid chant ef the stars. Her
voice rose with the swelling chorus a
mQe below. It trilled forth into the
shimmering pearl dust glory of the night,
until the very flaming planets of the
milky way seemed to tremble In conso
nance with the melody.
She turned and ran swiftly along the
cliff. The robe of rubies glittered in the
white light like a flame, and her hair
streamed palely behind her like the sa
cred fire of the Temple of Silence.
A fierce fear gripped me and I railed
to her and ran after her. struggling over
the rough granite and crashing nrnlnot
great bowlders. On she sped, heedless of
my entreaties, and so lightly and silent
ly that she seemed to float. .
I saw her poised for an Instant
against the star-spangled velvet void of
the sky. She lifted ber round, white
arms to the stars and MMefl eerily the
liquid, wordless hymn of am aged f Hied.
Then out Into the space aha leaped, tun
ing over and over In the molten silver
light, the robe of rubles trailing -"tg
lant sparks and the glorious red-gold
hair streaming after like a ghost rnsasL
Tbe voice of the worshipers rasa a a
grand crashing conclusion, a rearing
crescendo that drowned out my hrislr
and the distant waUlag scream of
Bed Virgin. Below ma red sparks
'forth from the pale gold hair Ilka
teors from a dying comet.
And oa the ledge, staring rcproacsv-
fully at me with its scarlet eye.
single ruby, like a drop of blond
new-rent heart.
X rode alone from the dead gray
of the last casa fire kmdled Toy oM I
Fu. The ratty bones turned their de
jected noses toward distant
About so walled the wstda fm't
Gobi desert. wMspartagr into at
Inr ears the dead secrets of
. turiea.
CTba EM
m. W L Keefcyl
bhe