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About The advocate. (Portland, Or.) 19??-19?? | View Entire Issue (July 13, 1929)
Ju ly 13, lttütt IL L U ST R A T E D F E A T U R E SECTIO N 2 THE CREEPING THING A Story of Gruesome and Haunting Mystery tnr worsts L ir a *— n -1 4**«4 S « h iv a •( u> n y ilu w a a aual bow « •» u » r * m I la ff« a a 4 S r i» y o IR t (H 'T 4 U » N « L raa * te»»lt w h ic h w as an la m\mt MOON IW t» ir u tlr * l a a r tjl- te r U m • r a a | » a c y • t has hnA r w ho w as l e s t in lb « \ood*><* i n f ru t rtf J s u | k i * f H a it i. » h r m a r d c r h a d b r c n p«r< etfrtf h? k a n i M r » a a n i s a ( ( R I l T I M i a» I a ir t a t srrp rn t s * r * r r a w l in « aw r (M ad. I t w a s d iM a v r r v d h« D i* r « u h i s II a 111An s e r v a n t » h o . w it h h is * M w itr M ra a r a r r th e » I f a r r a p a n U • ! th e hAa.se e t h e r t h a n h i w a t K . A f t e r h a v b » f k e e n v ie w e d hv s e v e r a l pro|>ie t h e b e d s is te u n tf te h a v e v a n is h e d w h e n t h e c o r o n e r a p p e a r s o n th e sern e. N a t r a c e o f it is fo u n d T h e n e a t n ig h t M r a ic » h a h as p re v a il e d e p o ii t h e c & r t a l e tv l e t h e r t r v t e v a lv e t h e m y s t e r y b y s t a y i n g in th e ro o m e f m y s te r y is a ls « m n r d r r e d a n d s p i r it e d a s a y , A le n e H a r d m e r e a w e m a n d e t e c t iv e . tu ks g o t t e n p e r m is s io n t o t ry t h e p e rtl- «>■ * e v p e r i m e n t th is tim e . a lth a u gh t h e (au a o u s d e t e c t iv e . T o m F r e d e r ic k , h a s bebn s n m m o n e d 1 « ( h r e a s e hy b is f r i e n d a n d c o w a r k e r . A le e J o n a s Me is t a r r e d to g iv e p r e a e d e n r e fa r t h is f ir s t n ig h t to M is s H a r d m a r e . a d o m i n e e r in g and u n p le a s a n t per m u »ha tra g g s a f her a b i li t y U s o lv e th e p io b le m . N o » gw a n » i t h th e s t o r y . »y H o rn J t'M ii M o l l 'l l Tkr * M -ä *o w n Sr rial If rUr r ♦turned with one accord to the* 'tall, blank space of the closed ¡doorway leading into the oe ' jtagonul room. It stared back at us like a sealed entrance to a tomb. Shrugging my shoulders as if to rid them of a horror, intangible but, ; nevertheless, very renl^ I raised my voice to its normal outdoor pitch. It was an ef fort of which my companions j were as conscious as 1. Investigation. “Come on. Alee, let's in vestigate this blind alley here.” I vociferated. “We may find the lair of this Thing that creeps about. It must be the father and mother of all the pythons, from w hat you guys are tell-j mg me about it. And if i t * 1 INSTALLMENT IV. ; is. it's got to have a den HEN that fateful somewhere; it can’t possibly door of destiny do its deadly work and then The! closed with a sin vanish into thin air. darned Thing's too big for ister thud. on Alene Hardmore. that. And if it eats its prey, j I turned around to Alec and it's got to lie away some-! smiled. There was some- where to digest it. Come on, thinK of relief in beinjr rid of let’s get going.” With a bravado I did not the big dominating, black personality of her. It was a feel, 1 turned and went into relief that made me forget the short corridor with the for the moment that she was tiny window high up— its shutting herself in with a only opening— which separa ted the octagonal room from But in sudden rage at the water of fear that seemed to be rising silently in my own very real peril. A bit heightened probably the rest of the house, lying veins as that sound kept on in the dreadful house, I swore viciously at the old man and tore his clinging hands from my arms. by my own skepticism as to toward the front. Alec followed me in si the deductions arrived at by those who heretofore had lence. Old Diaron sank with came again to the wide hall' wondering if 1 m isfit not be upi kHuditenly. as tfs plumy branches been in the position of ob a sigh of exasperated con ag ain st som ething supernatural. swayed above ntc I Umuglit I saw servers, or rather hearers, I cern into his chair just out and looked down at old Dia- I looked a rm ** a t old Diaron 1,-an- a dim glow where but a m ooien l ron, there was something a side the narrow hall. It liiK bark ag ainst the wall w ith his was loathe to accept even previously U irre hud been black lies* Alec's explanations of just seemed to say: “Go on, bit worried in my glance. He ch a ir les* tilted in air Hi* sphyux- I stopped. KbrupUy. My breuth black face save me no com fort cam e in short, sh arp gust* 1 held what had occurred on the young fool, there» nothing said nothing, but pursed his llke "W e m ish t a* well have a smoke m yself m otionless Above me in die two previous occasions of the but your own personal ex lips in the knowing way he while we a re w ailing.” 1 opiiud. and weird and eerie manifesta perience that will teach you 'had. “ Well, so you are be pulling nut my cig arette*. I offered | black velvet night lowered the g rea t m as* o f llie octagonal tower o f hor liken to my two companion! tions of what they all spoke isense.” Diaron was a fatal ginning to doubt your omnip ror and m ystery. T h ere wn* no m is a n k * " Alee took one. of with bated breath as the ist. His sigh was prophetic. otence,” the expression said. " “I T h never take I hud seen u taint glow In smoke anythin g but my j those windows high up there above The corridor was irregular. Creeping Thing. old pipe. M o n sieu r" D iaron took me I shook myself. I didn't "B u t' I tin,light a fte r Uie Itrst his strong «rented old cob pi|>r I startled m om ent. w hat of th a t? Alec did not smile in re It followed the contours of ' intend to let the first setback out and began filling it the two sides of the octagonal T lie woman In th rre would n atu rally turn. Instead his face was get my goat. “ If Uie T hin g ca n stand the odor have a light. T h e g reat randies grave with something of hor room that faced the front of of O u t pip« o f your*, I union f would give some such glow ' Y r t I “W ell,” I said, “one swal m I held my ust be a pretty tough cu stom er.” I < ontlnurd to stand ami stare. ."F u r." ror behind the gravity of it. the building. Joked I t seemed to me tfia t If I low doesn't make a spring my thought, "why did you “ We ought not to let her flashlight high and examined land one theory doesn’t prove didn't do som ething to relieve the reiterated not observe the light wlirn you nrst serious co ncern of those two. and a t looked up th e r e ? " do this, Tom,” he said and those walls carefully. They a fact.” the sam e tim e break th e tension of were smooth and solid all the "Y o u 're getting as hervou* a* a his voice was troubled. my iiv ii rapidly heightening nurvou* grandm other. T o m ." I s|s»kr aloud to way up. I turned my atten “There aren’t any theories “But, Mon Dieu! who can sym pathy with their mood. I would Im 1« I- UM I M M and stop her? Such a femme, tion to the straight wall of I about Ezra’s murder ami go B loco. Mime sort o f ralirnng laUm into my u t there seemed nothing th at ' mind and my nrrves T h a t the room from which, sep- Meme’s.” The words were H ard- so — so — ” Old Diaron'» would bring them ou t of it. They ore woman tuts simply lighted a voice as he broke in, was a ! arated by the width of the 'coldly and calmly conclusive. both seemed wropiied in an alm ost m so n icU iin g * cloak of dread and e x candle to Investigate Hut In spite of my words, I shook study in concern, vexation passage between them, they Alec spoke them at my el- tangible p ectan t horror rayed away in oblique lines m yself Into action and turning on my | bow. and helpless exasperation. B ittin g thus together Alee and 1 "W ell, I guess you must be had brought ch a irs from the ndioin- heel* strode hurriedly Into the hounr He broke off abruptly. There ¡from the central angle of A fih a stly Sound ing bedroom we smoked a while in were no words strong enough their joined corners. Like the right there, Alec, hut if this silence. At last I could stand It no As the front «trsir rloard behind to express his opinion of a other walls, it was smooth Thing gets in there tonight longer I got up and wiUi the escu i me. 1 heard It I thought ul first and makes as much racket as th a t I wanted to look around some It was the sudnrn Jar of the r k e ln g woman like Alene Hardmore, and solid. I le ft them. door B u t on,v for an In sta n t din The infinitesimal window 'you folks say it does, there’s m ore. detective extraordinary, and I sim ply had to get away from tin I en terta in this m istake T h ere | not going to be any theory tense atm osphere of horror in Koi- and the doorway leading to was no sound In th e world so un woman hard-boiled. wyn House T akin g my h a t from m istakable as the on, th a t fell tipou about what it does to the " I am inclined to believe the main central corridor of fh e hall rack, where I had left It, i giant black Hawkshawess ' « ' • s l l a a s * • * M e f< a i> the upper story of Selwyn I clapped It on my head and went that the Creeping Thing will t Into th e garden find a match in the lady in House were the only open now grimly ensconced there ou As I sauntered along the weed in, if Tom Frederick knows ings in the place. Alec had question,” I soothed them, grown p aths th a t had oner been himself.” I ostentatiously beau tifu lly -laid -ou t brick walks. T Do You W ant Som e facetiously, although some been right, there was no ex looked up a t the shadowy walls j loosened the big forty-four th e big pile o f stone and brick th a of t thing in the mystery and un planation here. canny silence of the place I was just a big chagrined. strapped in its holster be was Intended for the home of Imp P x l r n M o n e y ? for young Kara .Selwyn and was slowly getting into my I had been pretty sure that neath my arm and fiddled I is ness bride, Mary. ”B o," I m uted, for a moment with the other blood. I did not feel as un I would find some explana “does life bring to nad ght the Look Over Our concerned as I would have tion here— some clew to a at my waist, smiling determ dream s of m an ” T h e rising wind was gathering inedly the while. them think. C L A S S IF IE D ADS possible mode of entrance black cknxls together like som e giant At the entrance to the anti egress from without— in " I hope m ." F or ail my bravado, fist closing over th e world, and O n P a g e 11 som ething of th e fearfu l u n certain ty bu n d lin g g rea t shadows to fling wide corridor we stopped that otherwise perfectly un in A lec’s m ann er and tone seemed trees swayed uneasily tti the silence and involuntarily our eyes explained passage. When I to s e t arrow, to me I found m yself ansoss and M ight Its light, lik e g reat K I IN THIN W R K K ’H IHNIJK SA V E D FROM M YSE LF - The Paris Pepper-Pot - A «sau g Is« “ - - “ - True M ary a . “ - Page 5 - Pag« 9