The Davenport New Era (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 7, No. 10, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 15, 1915 Page: 3 of 8
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Black Box
By E. PHILLIPS
OPPENHEIM
Novelized from the motion picture
drama of the same name produced
by the Universal Film Mfg. Com-
pany.
Copyright, 1015, by Otis F. Wood
FIRST INSTALLMENT
"THE
TENEMENT HOUSE MYS-
TERY."
CHAPTER J.
"This habit of becoming late for
breakfast," Lady Ashleigh remarked,
as she sat dowi the coffee pot, "is
growing upon your father. Any news,
dear?"
Ella glanced up from a pile of cor-
respondence tfrrough which she had
been looking a little negligently.
"None at all, mother. My corre-
spondence is just the usual sort of rub-
bish—invitations and gossip. Such a
lot of invitations, by the bye."
"At your age," Lady Ashleigh de-
clared, "that is the sort of correspond-
ence which you should find interest-
ing."
"You know I am not like that, moth
er," she protested. "My music is really
the only part of life which absolutely
appeals to me. Oh, why doesn't Dela-
rey make up his mind and let father
know, as he promised! . . . Here
comes daddy, mum."
Lord Ashleigh loitered for a mo-
ment to raise the covers from the
dishes upon a side table. Afterwards
he seated himself at the table. ^
"I heard this morning," he said
"It is our farewell present to you,"
Lord Ashleigh declared.
Ella, impelled by some curious im-
pulse which she could not quite un-
derstand, glanced quickly around to
where the manservant was standing.
For once she saw something besides
the perfect automaton. His eyes, in-
stead of being fixed at the back of his
master's chair, were simply riveted
upon the st6nes. A queer little feeling
of uneasiness disturbed Ella for the
moment. It passed, however, as in
glancing away her attention was once
more attracted by the sparkle of the
jewels upon her bosom.
CHAPTER Ml.
The streets of New York were cov-
ered with a thin, powdery snow as the
very luxurious car of Mrs. Delarey
drew up outside the front of the Le-
land hotel, a little after midnight. Ella
leaned over and kissed her hostess.
"Thank you, dear, ever so much,
for your delightful dinner," she ex-
claimed, "and for bringing me home.
As for the music, well, I can't talk
about It. I am just going upstairs
into my room to sit and think."
The car rolled off. Ella, a large
umbrella held over her head by the
doorkeeper, stepped up the little strip
of drugget which led into the softly
warmed hall of the Leland. Behind
her came her mafd, Lenora, and Mac-
dougal, who had been riding on the
box with the chauffeur. He paused
for a moment to wipe the snow from
his clothes as Ella crossed the hall to
the left. Lenora turned toward him.
He whispered something in her ear.
For a moment she shook. Then she
turned away and followed her mis-
tress upstairs.
Arrived in her apartment, Ella
threw herself with a little sigh of con-
tent into a big easy-chaiS before the
fire and gave herself up for a few mo-
ments to reverie.
A log stirred upon the fire. She
leaned forward lazily to replacc it and
then stopped short. Exactly opposite
to her was a door which opened on
to a back hall. It was used only by
"from your friend Delarey, E'la He ' 'I*e servants. Just as she was in the
went into the matter very fuhy. The act of leaning forward Ella became
substance of it is that for .he first conscious of a curious hallucination.
year of your musical training he ad- ■
vises New York.
"I have not finished yet. This caWe-
gram," he went on, drawing a little
slip of blue paper from his pocket,
"was brought to me this morning—"
He smoothed it out before him and
read:
To Lord Ashleigh, Hamhlln House. Dor-
set, England: I find a magnificent pro-
gram arranged for at Metropolitan Opera
house this year. Have taken box for
your daughter, engaged the best profes-
sor In the world, and secured an apart-
ment at the Leland. our most select and
comfortable residential hotel. Understand
your brother Is still In South America, re-
turning early spring, but will do our best
to make your daughter's year of study aa
pleasant as possible. Advise her sail on
Saturday by Mauretanla.
"On Saturday?" Ella almost
screamed.
"1 shall now," Lord Ashleigh said,
"leave you to talk over and discuss
this matter for the rest of the day.
At dinner time tonight you can tell me
your decision, or rather we will dis-
cuss it together."
CHAPTER II.
"1 am to take it, I believe," Lord
Ashleigh began after dinner that eve-
ning, "that you have finally decided,
Ella, to embrace our friend Delarey's
suggestion and to leave us Saturday?'
"If you please," Ella murmured,
with glowing eyes.
"You will take your own maid with
you, of course," Lord Ashleigh contin-
ued. "Lenora is a good girl and I am
sure she will look after you quite well,
but I have decided to supplement Le-
nora's^«urveillance over your comfort
by sending with you, also, a sort of
courier and general attendant—whom
do you think? Well, Macdougal. He
has lived in New York for some years,
nnd you will doubtless find this a
great advantage, Ella."
Ella glanced over her shoulder at
the two servants who were standing
discreetly in the -background. Her
t'yes rested upon the pale, expression-
less face of the man who during the
last few years had enjoyed her fa-
ther's confidence.
For a moment a queer sense of ap-
prehension troubled her. Was it true,
she wondered, that she did not like the
man? She banished the thought al-
most as soon as it was conceived.
"You are spoiling me, daddy," Ella
sighed.
"If you think so now," he remarked,
"I do not know what you will say to
mo presently."
He laid upon the table a very fa-
miliar morocco case, stamped with a
■coronet.
"Our diamonds!" Ella exclaimed.
"T'ie Ashleigh diamonds!"
The necklace lay exposed to view,
1be wonderful stones flashing in the
subdued light.
"In New York," Lord Aphlelgh con
'tinued, "It Is the custom to wear jew
wiry in public" more, even, than in this
country. Allow me!"
He leaned forward. With long, capa-
ble fingers he fastened the necklace
arouud his daughter's neck.
"Lenora, come here at once."
The maid hurried In from the next
room. Ella pointed to the door.
"Lenora, look outside. See if any-
one is on-that landing. I fancied that
the door opened."
Lenora crossed the room and tried
the handle. Then she turned towards
her mistress in triumph.
"It is locked, my lady," she re-
ported.
"Go down and ask Macdougal to
come up. I am going to have this
thing explained."
Something of her mistress' agita-
tion seemed to have become commu-
nicated to Lenora.
She walked quickly to the back part
of the hotel and ascended to the wing
In which the servants' quarters were
situated. Here she made her way
along a corridor until she reached
Macdougal's room. She knocked, and
knocked again. There was no answer.
She tried the door and found it was
locked. Then she returned to the lift
and descended once more to the floor
upon which her mistress' apartments
were situated. She opened the door
of the suite without knocking and
turned at once to the sitting room.
"I am sorry, my lady—" she began.
Then she stopped short. The lift
boy, who had had a little trouble with
his starting apparatus and had not as
yet descended, heard the scream
which broke from her lips, and a fire-
man in an adjacent corridor came run
ning up almost at the same moment.
Lenora was on her knees by her mis-
tress' side. Ell^was still lying in the
easy-chair in wTlch she had been
seated, but her head was thrown back
in an unnatural fashion. There was
a red mark just across her throat,
Lenora shrieked, "She's fainted!
And the diamonds—the diamonds have
gone!"
A doctor, hurriedly summoned, had
just completed a hasty examination
when a police inspector, followed by a
detective, entered.
"This is your affair, gentlemen, not
mine," the doctor said gravely. "The
young lady is dead. She has been
cruelly strangled within the last five
or ten minutes."
The inspector made a careful exam-
ination of the room.
"Tell me," he inquired, "is this the
young lady who owned the wonderful
Ashleigh diamonds?"
"They've gone!" Lenora shrieked.
"They've been stolen! She was wear-
ing them when I left the room!"
The Inspector turned to the tele-
phone.
"Mr. Marsliam," he said. "I am
afraid this will be a difficult affair. I
am going to take the liberty of calling
in an expert. That you, exchange? I
want number one, New York city—
Mr. Sanford Quest."
CHAPTER IV.
There seemed to be nothing at all
original In the methods pursued by
the great criminologist when con
fronted with this tableau of death and
robbery. His remarks to the inspec-
tor were few and perfunctory. He
asked only a few languid questions of
Macdougal and Lenora, who were
summoned to his presence.
Macdougal then turned to leave the
room. Lenora was about to follow,
but Quest signed to her to remain.
"I should like to have a little con-
versation with you about your mis-
tress," he said to her pleasantly. "If
you don't mind, I will ask you to ac-
company me in my car. I will send
the man back with you."
They descended in the lift together
and Quest handed the girl into his car.
They drove quickly through the silent
streets.
In a few minutes Lenora was in-
stalled in an easy chair in Quest's sit-
ting-room.
"Lean back and make yourself com-
fortable," Quest invited, as he took a
chair opposite to her. "I must just
look through these papers."
The girl did as she was told. She
opened her coat. The room was de-
lightfully warm, almost overheated. A
sense of rest crept over her. She was
conscious that Quest had laid down
the letters which he had been pre-
tending to read. His eyes were fixed
upon her. There was a queer new
look in them, a strange new feeling
creeping through her veins.
Quest's voice broke an unnatural
silence.
"You arc anxious to telephone some-
one," he said. "You looked at both
the booths as we came through the
hotel. Then you remembered, I think,
that he would not be there yet. Tele-
phone now. The telephone is at your
right hand. You know the number."
She obeyed almost at once.
"Number 700, New York city."
"You will ask," Quest continued,
"whether he is all right whether the
jewels are safe."
There was a brief silence then the
girl's voice.
"Are you there, James? . . .Yes,
I am Lenora. Are you safe? Have
you the jewels? . . . Where? . . •
You are sure that you are safe? . . .
No, nothing fresh has happened."
"You are at the hotel," Quest said
softly. "You are going to him."
"I cannot sleep," she continued. "I
am coming to you."
She set down the receiver. Quost
leaned a little more closely over her.
"You know where the jewels are
hidden," he said. "Tell me where?
Her lips quivered. She made no an-
swer.
'Very good," Quest concluded. "You
need not tell me. Only remember this:
At nine o'clock tomorrow morning you
will bring those Jewels to this apart
ment. . . . Rest quietly now. I
want you to go to sleep."
She obeyed without hesitation.
Quest watched, for a moment, her
regular breathing. Then he touched
a bell by his side. Laura entered al-
most at once.
Together they carried the sleeping
girl out of the room into a larger
apartment. A single electric light was
burning on the top of a square mirror
fixed upon an easel. Towards this
they carried the giri and laid her in an
easy chair almost opposite to it.
"The battery is just on the left,"
Laura whispered.
Quest nodded.
"Give me the band."
She turned away for a moment and
disappeared in the shadows. When
she returned, she carried a curved
band of flexible steel. Quest took it
from her, attached it by means of a
coil of wire to the battery, and with
firm, soft fingers slipped It on to
Lenora's forehead. Then he stepped
back.
"She's a subject, Laura—I'm sure
of It! Now for our great experiment!"
They watched Lenora intently
"Certainly," Quest replied. "To tell
you the truth, 1 find that I shall not
need to ask you those questions, after
all. A messenger from the police sta-
tion has been here. He says they
have csflie to the conclusion that a
very well-knowu gang of New York
criminals are in this thing. We know
how to track them down all right."
"I may go now. then?" she repeated,
with immense relief.
Quest escorted the girl downstairs,
opened the front door, blew his whis-
tle and his car pulled up at the door.
"Take this young lady," he ordered,
"wherever she wishes. Good-night!"
The girl drove off. Quest watched
the car disappear around the corner.
Then he turned slowly and made prep-
arations for his adventure. . . .
"Number 700, New York," he mut-
tered, half an hour later, as he left
his house. "Beyond Fourteenth street
—a tough neighborhood."
He hesitated for a moment, feeling
the articles in his overcoat pocket—a
revolver in one, a small piece of hard
substance In the other. Then he
stepped into his car, which had just
returned.
"Where did you leave the young
lady?" he asked the chauffeur.
"In Broadway, sir. She left me and
boarded a cross-town car."
Quest nodded approvingly.
"No finesse," he sighed.
CHAPTER V.
Sanford Quest was naturally a per-
son unaffected by presentiments
nervous fears of any sort, yet, having
advanced a couple of yards along the
hallway of the house which he had
just entered without difficulty, he came
to a standstill, oppressed with the
sense of impending danger.
"Anyone here?" he asked, raising
his voice.
There was no direct response, yet
from somewhere upstairs he heard the
half-smothered cry of a woman. He
.gripped his revolver in his fingers. He
took a quick step forward. The floor
gave way beneath him. He was fall-
ing into blackness. . . .
The fall itself was scarcely a dozen
feet. He picked himself up, his shoul
der bruised, his head swimming a lit-
tle. Suddenly a gleam of light shone
down. A trap-door above his head
was slid a few inches back. The flare
of an electric torch shone upon his
face, a man's voice addressed him.
"Not the great Sanford Quest? Thfs
surely cannot be the greatest detec-
tive in the world walking so easily.lft-
to the spider's web!"
"Any chance of getting out?" Quest
asked laconically.
"None!" was the bitter reply.
"You've done enough mischief. You're
there to rot!"
"Why th!s animus r.gainst me, my
friend Macdougal?" Quest demanded.
"You and I have never come up
against one another before. I didn't
like the life you led in New York ten
years ago, or your friends, but you've
suffered nothing through me."
"If I let you go," once more came
the man's voice, "I know very well in
what chair I shall be sitting before
a month has passed. I am James Mac-
dougal, Mr. Sanford Quest, and 1 have
got the Ashleigh diamonds, and I have
settled an old grudge, if not of my own,
of one greater than you. That's all.
A pleasant night to you!"
The door went down with a bang.
"A perfect oubliette," he remarked
to himself, as he held a match over
his head a moment or two later, "built
fir the purpose. • It must be the house
we failed to find which Bill Taylor
used to keep before he was shot.
Smooth brick walls, smooth brick floor,
only exit twelve feet above one's head.
Human means, apparently, are useless.
Science, you have been my mistress all
Lenora""liest" sa'id,' slowly and j m/,d_a„y8;_ "f6 "°W
firmly, "your mind is full of one sub-
ject. You see your mistress in her
chair by the fireside. She is toying ,
or lose an earnest disciple.
Quest felt in his overcoat pocket
and drew out the small, hard pellet,
with her diamonds. Look again. She | He «rlPPe(1 U lnIU|"8 ""Rers, stood
lies there dead! Who was it entered as nearly 88 Possible underneath the
the room, Lenora? l/jok! Look!
Gaze into that mirror. What do you
see there?" ,
The girl's eyes had opened. They
were fixed now upon the mirror—dis-
tended, full of unholy things.
"Try harder, Lenora." he muttered,
his own breath laboring. "It Is there
in your brain! Look!"
For a single second the smooth sur-
face of the mirror was obscured. A
room crept dimly like a picture into
being, a fire upon the hearth, a girl
leaning back in her chair. A door
in the background opened. A man j
stole out. He crept nearer to the girl
—his eyes fixed upon the diamonds, a
thin, silken cord twisted round his
wrist. Buddeni/ she saw him—too
late! His hand was upon her lips,
his face seemed to start almost from
the mirror—then blackness! . . .
Lenora opened her eyes. She was
still in the easy-chair before the fire.
"Mr. Quest!" she faltered.
He looked up from some letters
which he had been studying.
spot from which he had been project'
ed, coolly swung his arm back, and
flung the black pebble against the
sliding door. The explosion which fol-
lowed shook the very ground under
hiB feeL For minutes afterwards
everything around him seemed to
rock. Then Sanford Quest emerged,
dusty but unhurt, and touched a con-
stable on his arm.
"Arrest me," he ordered. "I am San-
ford Quest. I must be taken at once
to headquarters."
They found a cab without much dif-
ficulty. It was five o'clock when they
reached the central police station.
Inspector French happened to be JuBt
going oft duty. He recognized Quont
with a little exclamation.
"Got your man to bring me here,"
Quest explained "so as to get away
from the mob."
"Say, you've been in trouble!" the
inspector remarked, leading the way
into his room.
"Bit of an explosion, that's all,"
Quest replied. "I shall be all right
"I am so sorry," he said politely. "I when you've lent me a clotbeBbrush."
really had forgotten that you were "The Ashleigh diamonds, eh?" the
here. But you know—that you have inspector asked eagerly.
been to sleep?"
"Can 1 go now?" she asked.
"I shall have them at nine o'clock
thlB morning," Sanford Quest prow
Quest slept fol* a couple of hours,
had a bath and made a leisurely toilet.
At a quarter to nine he sat down to
breakfast In his rooms.
"At nine o'clock," he told his serv-
ant, "a young lady will c '!. Bring
her up."
The door was suddenly opened. Le-
nora walked In. Quest glanced In sur-
prise at the clock.
My fault!" he exclaimed. "We are
slow. Good-morning, Miss Lenora!"
She came straight to the table. She
laid a little packet upon the table.
Quest opened It coolly. The Ashleigh
diamonds flashed up at him. He
led Lenora to a chair and rang a bell.
"Prepare a bedroom upstairs," he
ordered. "Ask Miss Roche to come
here. . . . Laura," he added, as his
secretary entered, "will you look after
this young lady?"
A few minutes later Inspector
French was announced. Quest nodded
In a friendly manner.
"Some coffee, Inspector?"
"I'd rather have those diamonds!"
Quest threw them lightly across the
table.
The inspector whistled.
"And now, French, will you be here,
please, at midnight, with three men,
armed?"
"Here?" the inspector repeated.
Quest nodded.
"Our friend," he said, "is going to
be mad enough to walk Into hell,
even, when he finds out what he
thinks has happened."
"It wasn't any of Jimmy's lot?"
Sanford Quest shook his head.
"French," he said, "keep mum, but It
was the elderly family retainer, Mac-
dougal. I felt restbess about him.
He has lost the girl—he was married
to her, by the bye—and the jewels.
No fear of hiB slipping away. I Bhall
have him here at the time I told
you."
It was a few minutes before mid-
night when Quest parted the curtains
of a room on the ground floor of his
house in Georgia square and looked
out into the snow-white street. Then
he turned around and addressed the
figure lying as though asleep upon the
sofa by the fire.
"Lenora," he &aid, "I am going out.
Stay here, If you please, until I re-
turn." Sf J
He left the room. For a few mfr
ments there was a profound silence.
Then a white face was pressed against
the window. There w&s a crash of
glass. A man covered with snow
sprang into the apartment. He moved
swiftly to the sofa, and something
black and ugly swayed In his hand.
"So you've deceived me, have you?"
he panted. "Handed over the Jewels,
chucked me, and given me the double
cross! Anything to say?" I
Macdougal leaned forward, his
white face distorted with passion. The
life-preserver bent and quivered be-
hind him, cut the air with a swish
and crashed full upon the head.
The man staggered back. The
weapon fell from his fingers. For a
moment he was paralyzed. There was
no blood upon his hand, no cry—
silence inhuman, unnatural! He
looked again. Then the lights flashed
out all around him. There were two
detectives in the doorway, their re-
volvers covering him—Sanford Quest,
with Lenora In the background. In
the sudden illumination Macdougal's
horror turned almost to hysterical
rage. He had wasted his fury upon a
dummy!
"Take him, men," Quest ordered.
"Hands up, Macdougal. Your number's
up."
The handcuffs were upon him be-
fore he could move.
"What about the young woman?"
the inspector asked.
lenora stood In an attitude of de-
spair, her head downcast. She had
turned a little away from Macdougal.
Her hands were outstretched.
"You can let her alone," Sanford
Quest said quietly. "A wife cannot
give evidence against her husband,
and besides, I need her. She is going
to work for me."
Macdougal was already at the door,
between the two detectives. He swung
around. His voice was calm, almost
clear—calm with concentration of
hatred.
"You are a wonderful man, Mr.
Sanford Quest," he said. "Make the
most of your triumph. Your time is
nearly up, there Is one coming whose
wit and cunning, science and Bklll are
all-conquering. He will brush you
away, Sanford Quest, like a fly. Walt
a few weeks."
"You interest me," Quest mur-
mured. "Tell me some more about
this great master?"
"I shall tell you nothing," Macdoug-
al replied. "You will hear nothing,
you will know nothing. Suddenly you
will find yourself opposed. You will
struggle—and then the end. It Is cer-
tain."
They led him away. Only Lenora
rerialned, sobbing. Quest went up
to *er.
"You've had a rough time, Lenora."
he said, with strauge gentleness.
"Perhaps the brighter days are coin.
Ing."
(TO BS CONTINULLS.)
'mm
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Tryon, W. M. The Davenport New Era (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 7, No. 10, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 15, 1915, newspaper, April 15, 1915; Davenport, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc109990/m1/3/: accessed April 24, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.