The Davenport New Era (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 7, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 20, 1915 Page: 3 of 7
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■8RS
Black Box
By E. PHILLIPS
OPPENHEIM
Novelized from the motion pic-
ture drama of the tame name
produced by the Universal Film
Manufacturing Company.
Copyright, 1916, by Otis F. Wood
SIXTH INSTALLMENT
THE UNSEEN TERROR.
CHAPTER XIV.
With a little gesture of despair
Quest turned away frotn the Instru-
ment which seemed suddenly to have
become so terribly unresponsive, and
looked across the vista of square
roofs and tangled masses of telephone
wires to where the lights of larger
New York flared up against the sky.
From his attic chamber the roar of
the city a few blocks away was al-
ways In his ears. He had forgotten
In those hours of frenzied solitude to
fear for his own safety. He thought
only of Lenora. He paused once more
before the little Instrument.
"Lenora, where are you?" he sig-
naled. "I have taken a lodging In the
Servants' club. I am still In hiding,
'hoping that Craig may come here. I
am very anxious about you."
Still no reply! Quest drew a chair
up to the window and sat there with
folded arms looking down Into the
street. Suddenly he sprang to his
feet. The Instrument quivered—there
was a message at last! He took It
down with a little choke of relief.
"I don't know where I am. I am ter-
rified. I was outside the garage when
I was seized from behind. The 'Hands'
held me. I was unconscious until 1
found myself here. I am now In an
attic room with no window except the
skylight, which I cannot reach. I can
see nothing—hear nothing. No one
has hurt me, no one comes near me.
Food la pushed through a door, which
is locked again immediately. The
house seems empty, yet I fancy that I
am being watched all the time. I am
terrified!"
Quest drew the Instrument towards
him.
"I have your message," he signaled.
"Be brave! I am watching for Craig.
Through him I shall reach you before
long. Send me a mesage every now
and then."
Quest again took up his vigil in
front of the window. Once more his
eyes swept the narrow street with its
constant stream of passers-by. Then
suddenly he found himself gripping
the window sill in a momentary thrill
of rare excitement. His vigil was
rewarded at last. The man for whom
he was waiting was there! Quest
watched him cross the street, glance
furtively to the right and to the left,
then enter the club. He turned back
to the little wireless and his fingers
worked as though inspired.
"I am on Craig's track," he signaled.
"Be brave."
He waited for no reply, but opened
the door and, stealing softly out of the
room, suddenly confronted Craig In
the deserted hallway. Before he could
utter a cry Quest's left hand was over
his mouth and the cold muzzle of an
automatic pistol was pressed to his
ribs.
"Turn round and mount those stairs,
Craig," Quest ordered.
Craig turned slowly round and
obeyed. He mounted the steps with
reluctant footsteps, followed by Quest.
"Through the door to your right,"
the latter directed. "That's right!
Now sit down in that chair facing
me."
Quest closed the door carefully.
Craig sat where he had been ordered,
bis fingers gripping the arms of the
chair. In his eyes Bhone the furtive,
terrified light' of the trapped crim-
inal.
"What do you want with me?" Craig
asked doggedly.
"First of all." Quest replied, "I
want to know what you have done
with my assistant, the girl whom you
carried off from the professor's gar-
age."
Craig shook his head.
"I know nothing about her."
"She locked you in the garage,"
Quest continued, "and sent for me.
When I arrived 1 found the garage
door open. Lenora gone and you a
fugitive."
Bewilderment struggled for a mo-
ment with blank terror In Craig's ex-
pression.
"How do you know that she locked
me in the garage?"
Quest smiled, stretched out his right
arm and his long fingers played soft-
ly with the pocket wireless.
"In Just the same way," be ex-
plaiued, "that I am sending her this
message at the present moment—a
message which she will receive and
understand wherever she is hidden.
Would you like to know what I am
telling her?"
The man shivered. His eyes, as
though fascinated, watched the little
Instrument.
"I am saying this, Craig," Quest
continued. "Craig Is here and in my
power. He Is sitting within a few
feet of me and will not leave this
room until he has told me your where-
abouts. Keep up your courage. Le-
nora. You shall be free in an hour."
The trapped man looked away from
the instrument into Quest's face.
"Mr. Quest," he said, "you are a
wonderful man, but there are limits to
your power. You can tear my tongue
out from my mouth, but you cannot
force me to speak."
Quest leaned a little farther for-
ward In his chair, his gaze became
more concentrated.
"That Is where you are wrong,
Craig. That Is where you make a mis-
take. In a very few minutes you will
be telling me all the secrets of your
heart."
Craig shivered, drew back a little
In his chair, tried to rise and fell
back again helpless.
"My God!" he cried. "Leave me
alone!"
"When you have told me the truth,"
Quest answered swiftly, "and you will
tell me all I want to know In a few
mlnut.es. . . . Your eyelids are get-
ting a little heavy, Craig. Don't re-
sist. Something which is like sleep la
coming over you. You see my will
has yours by the throat"
Craig shook his head. A very weak
smile of triumph flickered for a mo-
ment at the corners of his lips.
"Your fortune chamber trick won't
work on me!" he exclaimed. "You
can never—"
The whole gamut of emotions
seemed already to base spent them-
selves In the man's face, but at that
moment there was a new element, an
element of terrified curiosity in the
expression of his eyes as he stared
towards the door.
"Is this another trick of yours?" he
muttered.
Quest, too, turned his head and
sprang instantly to his feet. From un-
derneath the door came a little puff
of smoke.
"The place Is on fire," he announced
briefly. "Pull yourself together, man.
We shall have all we can do to get
out of this."
Craig turned to the door, but stag-
gered back almost Immediately.
"The stairs are going!" he shrieked.
Quest was on his hands and knees,
fumbling under his trucklebed. He
pulled out a crude form of fire es-
cape, a rough sort of cradle with a
rope attached.
"Know how to use this?" he asked
Craig quickly. "Here, catch hold. Put
your arms Inside this strap."
Yard l)y yard, swinging a little In
the air, Craig made his descent. When
he arrived in the street there were a
hundred willing hands to release him.
Quest drew up the rope quickly,
warned by a roar of anxious voices.
Then he commenced to descend, let-
ting himself down hand over hand, al-
ways with one eye upon that length
of rope that swung below. Suddenly,
as he reached the second floor a lit-
tle cry from the crowd warned him
of what had happened. Tongues of
flame curling out from the blazing
building had caught the rope, which
was being burned through not a dozen
feet away from him. He descended
a little farther and paused in mid-
air.
A shout from the crowd reached
him.
'The cables! Try the cables!"
He glanced round. Seven or eight
feet away, and almost level with him,
warn a double row of telegraph wires.
Almost as he saw them the rope below
him burned through and fell to the
ground. He swung a little towards
the side of the house, pushed himself
vigorously away from It with his feet
and at the farthest point of the out-
ward swing jumped. His hands grap-
I pled the telegraph wires safely
I Hand over hand he made his way
to the nearest pole and slipped easily
to ths ground.
"Where is the man who came down
before me?" he asked a bystander.
"Talking to the police in the car
over yonder," was the hoarse reply.
Craig pushed his way through the
crowd to where Craig was speaking
eagerly to French. He stopped short
and stooped down. He was near
enough to hear the former's words.
"Mr. French, you saw the man come
down the ropes and swing on the ca
bles? That was Quest, Sanford Quest,
the man who escaped from the Tombs
prison. He can't have got away yet.'
Quest drew off his coat, turned It in-
side out and replaced it swiftly. He
coolly picked up a hat someone had
lost In the crowd and pulled it over
his eyes. He passed within a few
feet of where Craig and the Inspector
were talking.
"Say, boys, Sanford Quest is in the
crowd somewhere. He's the man who
jumped on the cable lines. A hun-
dred dollars for his arrest!"
CHAPTER XV.
The professor swung round In his
chair and greeted Quest with some
surprise, but also a little disappoint-
ment.
"No news of Craig?" he asked.
"I got Craig, all right," he replied.
"He came to the Servants' club, where
I was halting for him. My luck's out,
though. The place was burned to
the ground last night. I saved his
life and then the brute gave me away
to the police. I had to make my es-
cape as best I could."
Quest smoked In silence for a mo-
ment
"Any mall for me, professor?" he
asked abruptly.
The professor opened a drawer and
handed him a telegram.
"Only this!"
Quest opened It and read It through.
It was from the sheriff of a small
town In Connecticut:
The men you inquired for are both
here. They have sold an automobile
and seem to be spending the proceeds.
Shall I arrest?"
Quest studied the message for a
moment.
"Bay, this is rather interesting, pro-
fessor," he remarked. "These are
the two thugs who set upon me
at the section house. They killed the
signal man, who could have been
my alibi, and swiped my car, in
which, as it cannot be found, French
supposes that I returned to New York.
With their arreBt the case against
me collapses. I tell you frankly, pro-
fessor," Quest continued frowning. "I
hate to leave the city without having
found that girl; but I am not sure
that the quickest way to set things
right would not be to go down, arrest
these men and bring them back here,
clear myself, apd then go tooth and
niil for Craig."
*• ••••
Quest stepped off the cars at Bethel
a little before noon that morning. The
sheriff met him at the depot and greet-
ed him cordially but with obvious sur-
prise.
"Say, Mr. Quest," he exclaimed, as
they turned away, "I know these men
are wanted on your charge, but I
thought—you'll excuse me for saying
so—that you were in some trouble
yourself."
Quest nodded.
"I'm out of that—came out yester-
day. The moment my car is Identi-
fied and Red Gallagher and his mate
arrested every scrap of evidence
against me goes."
"Well, here's the garage and the
man who bought the car," the sherifT
remarked, "and- there's the car itself
in the road. It's for you to say wheth-
er It can be Identified."
Quest drew a sigh of relief.
"That's mine, right enough," he de-
clared. "Now for the men."
"Say, I want to tell you some-
thing," the sheriff began dubiously.
"These two are real thugs. They ain't
going to take It lying down."
"Where are they?" Quest de-
manded.
"In the worst saloon here," the sher-
iff replied. 'They've been there pret-
ty well all night, drinking, and they're
there again this morning, hard at it.
They've got firearms, and though I
ain't exactly a nervous man, Mr.
Quest—"
"You leave it to me," Quest Inter-
rupted. "This is my Job and I want
to take the men myself."
"You'll never do It" the sheriff de-
clared.
"Well," Quest decided, "I'm going
in, and I'm going In unarmed. You
can- bring your men in later, If I call
for help or if you hear any shoot-
ing."
He pushed open the door of the sa
loon. There were a dozen men drink-
ing around the bar and in the cen
ter of them Red Gallagher and his
mate. Quest walked right up to the
two men.
"Gallagher," he said, "you're my
prisoner. Are you coming quietly?"
Gallagher's mate, who was half
drunk, swung round and fired a wild
shot In Quest's direction. The result
was a general stampede. Red Galla-
gher alone remained motionless. Grim
and dangerously silent, he held a pis-
tol within a few Inches of Quest's
forehead.
"If my number's up," he exclaimed
ferociously. "It won't be you to take
me."
"I think It will," Quest answered.
"Put that away."
Gallagher hesitated. Quest's Influ-
ence over him was Indomitable.
"Put It away," Quest repeated firm-
ly, "You know you daren't use It
Your account's pretty full up, as It
is."
Gallagher's hand wavered. From out-
side came the shouts of the sheriff and
his men, struggling to fight their way
in through the little crowd who were
rushing for safety. Suddenly Quest
backed, Jerked the pistol up with his
right elbow, and with almost the same
movement struck Red Gallagher un-
der the jaw. The man went over
with a crash. His mate, who had
been staggering about, cursing vicious-
ly, fired another wild shot at Quest
who swayed and fell forward.
"I've done him!" the man Bhouted.
"Get up, Red! I've done him, all
right! Finish your drink. Well get
out of this!"
He bent unsteadily over Quest. Sud-
denly the latter sprang up, seized him
by the leg and sent him sprawling.
The gun fell from his hand. Quest
picked it up and held It firmly out, cov-
ering both men. Gallagher was on his
knees, groping for his own weapon.
"Get the handcuffs on them," QueBt-
dlrected the sheriff, who with his men
had at last succeeded In forcing his
way Into the saloon.
• ••••••
Crouching In her chair, her pale,
terror-stricken face supported be-
tween her hands, Lenora, her eyes
filled with hopeless misery, gazed at
the dumb Instrument upon the table.
Her last gleam of hope seemed to be
passing. Her little friend was silent.
Once more her weary fingers spelled
out a final, despairing message.
"What has happened to. you? I am
waiting to hear all the time. Has Craig
told you where I am? I am afraid!"
There was still no reply. Her head
sank a little lower on her folded
arms. Even the luxury of tears seemed
denied her. Fear, the fear which dwelt
with her day and night had her in
its grip. Suddenly she leaped, scream-
ing, from her place. Splinters of
glass fell all around her. Her first
wild thought was of release; she
gazed upwards at the broken pane.
Then very faintly from the street be-
low she heard the shout of a boy's
angry voice:
"You've done It now, Jimmy! You're
a fine pitcher, ain't you? Lost it,
that's what you've gone and done!"
The thoughts formed themselves
meQhanlcally in her mind. Her eyes
sought the ball which had come crash-
ing Into the room. There was life
once more in her pulses. She found
a scrap of paper and a pencil in her
pocket. With trembling fingers she
wrote a few words:
"Police headquarters. I am Sanford
Quest's assistant, abducted and im-
prisoned here In the room where the
ball has fallen. Help! I am going
mad!
She twisted the paper, looked
around the room vainly for string, and
finally tore a thin piece of ribbon
from her bosom. She tied the mes-
sage round the ball, set her tefeth and
threw It at the empty skylight. The
first time she was not successful and
the ball came back. The second time
it passed through the center of the
opening. She heard It strike the sound
portion of the glass outside, heard It
rumble down the roof. A few seconds
of breathless silence! Her heart al-
most stopped beating. Had It rested
In some ledge or fallen Into the street
below? Then she heard the boy's
voice:
"Gee! Here's the ball come back
again!"
A new light shone into the room.
She seemed to be breathing a different
atmosphere—the atmosphere of hope.
She listened no longer with horror
for a creaking upon the stairs. She
walked backwards and forwards until
she was exhausted. . . . Curiously
enough, when the end came she was
asleep, crouched upon the bed and
dreaming wildly. She sprang up to
find Inspector French, with a police-
man behind him, standing upon the
threshold.
"Inspector!" she cried, roshing to-
wards him. "Mr. French! Oh, thank
God!"
Her feelings carried her away. She
threw herself at his feet. She was
laughing and crying and talking Inco-
herently, all at the same time. The
inspector assisted her to a chair.
"Say, what's all this mean?" he de-
manded.
She told him her story, incoherent-
ly, In broken phrases. French listened
with puzzled frown.
Then he realized that she wafi on
the point of a nervous breakdown
and in no condition for interrogations.
'That'll do," he said. "I'll take care
of you for a time, young lady, and I'll
ask you a few questions later on. My
men are searching the house. You
and I will be getting on, If you can
tear yourself away."
• ••••••
The plain-clothes man, who was
lounging In Quest's most comfortable
easy chair and smoking one of his
best cigars, suddenly laid down his
paper. He moved to the window. A
large, empty automobile stood in the
street outside, from which the occu-
pants had presumably Just descend-
ed. He hastened towards the door,
which waa opened, however, before he
was halfway across the room. The
cigar slipped from his fingers. It was
Sanford Quest, who stood there, fol-
lowed by the sherifT of Bethel, two
country policemen and Red Gallagher
and his mate, heavily handcuffed.
"Say, aren't you wanted down yon-
der, Mr. Quest?" the man Inquired.
"That's all right now," Quest told
him. "I'm ringing up Inspector French
myself. You'd better stand by the
other fellows there and keep your
eye on Red Gallagher and bis mate."
The plain-clothes man did as he was
told. Quest took up the receiver from
j his telephone instrument and arranged
the phototelenme.
"Police station No. 1, central," he
said—"through to Mr. French's of-
fice, If you please. Mr. Quest
wants to speak to him. Yes, San-
ford Quest. No need to get excited!
. . . All right I'm through, am I?
. . . Hello, inspector?"
A rare expression of Joy suddenly
transfigured Quest's face. He was
gazing downward Into the little mir-
ror. .
"You've found Lenora, then, in-
spector?" he exclaimed. "Bully for
you! . . . What do I mean? What
I say! You forget that 1 am a sci-
entific man, French. No end of ap-
pliances here you haven't had time
to look at. I can eee you sitting there,
and Lenora and Laura looking a
though you had them on the rack. You
can drop that, French. I've got Red
Gallagher and his mate, got them
here with the sheriff of Bethel. They
went off with my auto and sold It.
We've got that. Also, in less than
five minutes my chauffeur will be
here. He's been lying In a farmhouse
unconscious, since that scrap. He
can tell you what time he saw me
last Bring the girls along, French—
and hurry!"
Quest hung up the receiver.
Inspector French was as good, even
better than his word. In a surpris-
ingly short time he entered the room,
followed by Laura and Lenora. Quest
gave them a hand each, but It waa
Into Lenora's eyes that he looked
"I mustn't stop to hear your story,
Lenora," Quest said. "You're safe—
that's the great thing."
"Found her in an empty house,"
French reported, "out Grayson avenue
way. Now, Mr. Quest, I don't want to
come the official over you too much,
but If you'll kindly remember you're
an escaped prisoner—"
There was a knock at the door. A
young man entered in chauffeur's liv-
ery, with his head still bandaged.
Quest motioned him to come in.
"I'll Just repeat my story of that
morning, Mr. French," Quest said. "We
went out to find Macdougal, and suc-
ceeded, as you know. Just as I was
starting for home those two thuga
set upon me. You know how I made
my escape. They went off In my au-
tomobile and sold it in Bethel. I ar-
rested them there myself this morn-
ing. Here's the sheriff who will bear
out what I say, alBO that they arriyed
at the place In my automobile."
Inspector French held out his hand.
"Mr. Quest," he said, "I reckon we'll
have to withdraw the case against
you. No hard feelings, I hope?"
"None at all," Quest replied prompt-
ly, taking his hand.
Quest stood upon the threshold
watching the sheriff and his prison-
ers leave the house. The former
turned round to wave his adleux.
"There's an elderly guy out here,"
he shouted, "seems to want to come
In."
Quest leaned forward and saw the
professor.
"My dear Quest," he exclaimed, aa
ho wrung his hand, "my heartiest con-
gratulations! As you know, I always
believed your innocence. I am delight-
ed that It liaB been proved."
"I will take a little whisky and one
of your excellent cigars, Quest," he
said. "I must ask you to bear with
me If I seem upset. After more than
twenty years' service from one whom
I ljave always treated as a friend this
sudden separation, to a man of my
ir Is somewhat trying. 1 do not al-
ii as you perceive, Mr. Quest, to
the horrible suspicion you seem to
have formed of Craig."
"All the same," the inspector re-
marked thoughtfully, "someone who la
still at large committed those murders
and stole those Jewels. What Is your
theory about the Jewels, Mr. Quest?"
"I haven't had time to frame one
yet," the criminologist replied. "You've
been keeping me too busy looking
after myself. However," he added,
"It's time something was done."
He took a magnifying glass from
his pocket and examined very closely
the whole of the front of the safe.
"No sign of finger prints," he mut-
tered. "The person who opened it
probably wore gloves."
He fitted the combination 1 swung
open the door. He stood , for &
moment speechless. Somen iu his
attitude attracted the inspector's at-
tention.
"What Is It, Mr. Quest?" he asked
eagerly.
Quest drew a little breath. Exactly
facing him, In the Bpot where the Jew-
els had been, was a small black box.
He brought It to the table and re-
moved the lid. Inside was a sheet of
paper, which he quickly unfolded.
They all three read the few lines to-
gether:
"Pitted agalnBt the Inherited cun-
ning of the ages, you have no chance.
I will take compasalon upon you.
Look In the right-hand drawer of your
desk."
Underneath appeared the signature
| of the "Hands." Quest moved like one
in a dream to his cabinet and pulled
open the right-hand drawer. He turned
around and faced the other two men.
In his hand was Mrs. Rhelnholdt'*
necklace!
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
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Tryon, W. M. The Davenport New Era (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 7, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 20, 1915, newspaper, May 20, 1915; Davenport, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc109995/m1/3/?rotate=90: accessed April 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.