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» eo Bm oro "The i ER A -- ------ CHAPTER I. "You recall the sudden death of my uncle, Martin Dale, a fortnight ago' It was a very anxious and worried young lady who had come to Ken- nedy's laboratory and introduced her- self as Clare Claremont. Her clear gray eyes looked out searchingly beneath the rakish hat that tilted over a mass of the soft- est Titian tinted hair. Altogether, Clare Claremont, from the nervously nodding tip of feather above her head to the dainty toe of her modish little boot, was of fascinatng crea- ture, trebly so in her appealing dis- tress, "I recall it perfectly, encouraged Kennedy, 'Is there something 1 can do to help you?" Craig shot a sidewise glance at me, Indeed, we did remember the case, for we had discussed it several times. Two weeks before, the highly re- spected president of the One Hund- redth National Bank had passed out of life most mysteriously and most dramatically, and we had wished that we might have an excuse for becoming connected with the case. It had happened on the evening of a birthday party, which had been ar- raged for his niece and ward, Clare Claremont, to celebrate the arrival of her eighteenth birthday. The party was already assembling at the Dale mansion, A shot was heard| upstairs, and, according to the news- | paper reports, Clare herself, followd | by a young man well known in so- ciety, Jack Speed, had rushed up. There they had found Dale in his| room, lying on the floor, an ugly! a great deal of stuff that no one else could get, The novelty of the thing had ap- pealed to the Star and they had given him a job. To the amazement of everybody on the paper, Steed was actually making good, He had never done anything serious before, but now seemed to see his chance and take it. I was very glad of it for he was a most likable fellow and the experience was making a man of him, More than that, it was easy to see from the way in which Clare spoke of Jack Speed, that she thought a great deal of him, and I felt sure that if he came through on the Star it would be the best thing for both of them. Ravenal we already knew as a young detective. who had, like so many others, come to New York apparently from nowhere and by some process '"'arrived", I did not recall that he had had any very re- markable cases, and yet he seemed to have done pretty well, Some of the cases were given to him by peo- ple very well known, He did not call himself a.detective, but simply an "investigator." It sounded better with his society clientele, . 'What have you and Mr. Ravenal discovered, so far?" asked Kennedy, "Very little, It seems as though every time we get a clue that leads anywhere, this gang must get ahead of us and spoil it. Now comes the note. I had heard of you and I thought that the best thing I could do would be to come and see you before--"", An envelope suddenly scaled in through the air from the window and dropped on the floor just beside us. x vis = ork with him than Black Menace | BY ARTHUR BE REEVE | Clare jumpéd up with a little scream. wound in his forehead and clutched in his hand a revolver. I picked up the envelope as Craig {ran to the window. He looked u There had been the usual attempt | a, 4 oy but there was re Br to hush the matter up--conflicting| here Whoever had scaled the en- stories of an intruder and of his! . 056 in had had plenty of time to "cleaning a gun," but it was general-| the sid the Chemist ly understood that, although the Cor- | 8° around the side of the emistyy "books, a number of strange letters. oner's jury brought a non-committal | verdict, Dale had committed suicide. | Cleare leaned nervously forward, | watching Kennedy's face intently. | "Professor Kennedy," she went on, | in a very tremulous tone, "when my | uncle's safe down at the office was) opened, it was found that my 'entire | estate of over a million dollars was dissipated. There was not a cent] left---not a cent of his own. She leaned over even closer in her | excitement, talking rapidly, though| without hysterics. | | "But I did find in some of his papers, which he overlooked or for-| got to destroy with the rest of his! | Someone had blackmailed him, | Every dollar was gone. I was pen- niless. I set out with a detective trying to make something out of the | letters, for they seemed to point .o/ a gang of blackmailers. I determin- ed to get back what I could." She paused thoughtfully and added. "Somehow I believe that the money, or at least a large part of it, is some- where, if 1 could only find it." She laid down on the laboratory table a piece of paper on which was| some writing, in a peculiar disguised | scrawl. The paper was dirty and| crumpled. t "To-day, I received this," she ex-| plained. | I bent over with Kennedy and | read: | You will call off your detective Ravenal as well as that young man, Speed--or we will ge you all. THE BLACK MENACE. Jack Speed, I happened to know, was at the time a newspaper man on the Star. His father, a broker, had become tired of Jack's wild notori- ous society career and has told him that he would have to do some serious work. Steed had come down to the Star with the rather novel proposal that, owing to his close society conncctions, he could write FEL { g B } ] hi Building and disappear on the cam- pus. Pursuit was useless now. He turned and took the envelope from my hand. With his finger he tore it open and pulled out a note. As he did so, from the note there fluttered to the floor a crisp yellow piece of paper. 1 stopped to pick it up and as I did so gave a startled gasp. My fingers closed over a thous- and-dollar bill. Kennedy looked in amazement, first at the note in his own hands and then at the bill in mine. Clare ut- tered a startled scream. It was evi- dent that she had thought the letter was another threat from the Black Menace. Together we three crowded about and read the note. It was | short and direct: "Miss Clare Claremont: "I now of four attempts to get the Black Menace--the great society blackmailer. I approve of your go- ing to Kennedy finally. That is ali I can say. I kmow who it is but my lips are sealed. If you knew you would understand. You must keep this secret even from your de- tective and Mr. Speed. "RIPLEY GRANBY." The name at the end of the note was no less a shock to us than the strange succession of events which had just led up to this mysterious communication. Ripley Granby was perhaps the best known clubman in town, a friend of Dale and of Clare's own father before his death, club- mate of Speed, and altogether a notable figure in New York society. What the note could mean none of us was able even-to dream. It was certainly not a forgery, nor was it likely that any one would lightly throw about thousand dollar bills un- less there was some great and com- pelling reason for it. Kennedy's ming was working ra- pidly, endeavoring to piece together some order out of the sudden chaos. Clare looked at him anxiously. Ken- nedy smiled. "Evidently you have ome friend," he encouraged, "even if he insists in remaining unknown to every ome except ourselves." Clare's mind seem to be in a whirl. A moment before she had been pen- niless. Now at least she had a siz- able sum of money, and there seemed to be no reason why ome who did things in this way would leave her in the lurch. I handed her the bill She hesitatd 2 moment to take it and I could fancy the thoughts that were running through her mind. Finally, she turned to Craig. "Evidently he has confidence in you," she said simply. If there had been the slightest doubt before of Kennedy's interest in the case, there certainly was none now. There could be no question but much more," he remarked slowly, "but you are quite right, Miss Clare- mont. We must follow this thing wherever it leads us to the . Would you mind taking me so that I cam have a talk Ravenal and find out just he had gone? I should much .. OSHAWA, ONTARIO, SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 1922 3 to have him think that I have come in to crowd him out. Clare was delighted at his accept- ance, Thqugh she sald nothing about it, it was easy to see that the situ- ation troubled 'her. One detattive who had gone so far and could go no further might be a serious stumb- ling block if another was called in, Kennedy's attitude promised to smooth over what she had consider- ed to he a very spot, "By all means," she replied, rising with sudden energy, as though she were fearful that Kennedy might re- consider his offer, "I was almost afraid to come to you at first--and then I didn't know whether it would be fair to Mr. Ravenal to do it any- how. There must be some way in which we can all go ahead together." A quarter of an hour later our taxi- cab pulled up hefore an old brown- stone house, which the upward march of trade had converted from a splen- did dwelling of the past generation to an indifferent office building of the present, Sr We entered the building and climb- ed the stairs to the second floor, Clare tapped on the door of a front room and it was opened quickly by a colored boy. At the sight of Miss Claremont he bowed and ushered us in, Whatever may be said of Ravenal as a criminal investigator he certainly was a connoisseur, I had expected to find a detective office with perhaps several operatives hanging about in a back office. This place was the direct antithesis. Few artists might have boasted a studio or den which was more beautifully fitted than this headquarters of the society detective. But then, I reflected, that was prob- ably the very genius of the man and part of his stock in trade. Ravenal himself was a moderately tall, dark-haired and olive-complex- foned young man of a type which one may see by the score any afternoon on the avenue. The only difference between Ravenal and the type was that, if anything, he seemed to be the mould from which the others were cast. That, too, was a point in his favor as a society detective. There was no social gathering at which Ravenal would not pass as one of the inner circle itself. As Clare introduced us I watched Ravenal closely to see how he was going to take the change. Instead of showing any annoyance, the young detective stretched out his hand frankly to Craig and smiled, showing 2. perfect row of teeth. "Really, Professor Kennedy," he greeted. "I cannot help saying 1 am delighted. When Miss Claremont came to me at first I was only too glad to take the case, for it seemed acquaintance. But: the case is too big. If I might be associated with you and even share in the credit of it I would be quite satisfied." Kennedy said very little, although he had a way of putting anyone at his ease. We sat down in the wonder- ful easy chairs that Ravenal had gathered and with a few well-direct- ed questions Kennedy was straight- way into the heart of the case. If Ravenal had any expectation of cross- examining Kennedy he must have realized immediately that he had met more than his match. Kennedy interviewed him with an art that I envied. It would have been a won- derful asset to anyone in the news- paper business. I shall not attempt to repeat the long story of the fruitless efforts of Clare Claremont, Jack Speed and Ravenal to trace out even the slender clues contained in the packet of notes found among the effects of Martin Dale. It was true that after review- ing them I was forced to the conclus- ion that none had actually been a good clue. And yet all seemed to have presented possibilities. Whether the Black Menace was an individual as seemed to be hinted at in Granby's letter, or a gang of black- mailers, as Miss Claremont evidently thought, was still as mysterious as ever. That there was some individual who was the head and brains of the gang, if gang there were, was at least certain. The frustration of every attempt, whether by Clare her- self, or by Jack Speed with his news- paper conmections, or by Ravenal seemed to point to the fact that there was more than one. Even the method of blackmailing was still a mystery, whether it was through beautiful women or shady finance, or both. But that there was some powerful weapon wielded by the Black Menace was beyond question. As we sat there, forgetful of the minutes, it seemed that in our com- sideration of the case, we were ex- hausting the list of the best known men and women of the metropolis. There was every reason to believe that the operations of the Black Menace had reached into the lives of which we did not dream. The most difficult, in fact seemingly impossible, part of it was that by the very nature of the affair evidence against the Black M was led, mot by its very wictims. it was late in the afternoon when "You think that we can do some- thing? inquired Miss Claremont, FIIMAT] GW ) covered up its tracks so well that be our only chance to see Granby unobserved--if indeed we can do so even now, trail there," CHAPTER 11, THE GREEN DEATH I refleated on the darger of the visit, not so much to ourselves as to Granby, If Granby knew that Clare had been to see "us, others might know it, too--might even know of Granby's own attempt at secret com- munication and assistance to her, Kennedy, 1 saw also, felt that we must observe the conditions of the girl, Yet the Black Menace had after our talk with Ravenal we had no point of attack, Every lead that had occured so far seemed to have heen exhausted. We were practically forced into starting our investigation with Granby. If we could only see him once secretly we might never need to see him again until such time as he himself determined that the meeting was safe, Accordingly, when our cab stopped on the corner of Madison Avenue and Thirty-fourth street, and Kenn- edy jumped out and paid the driver, I knew that he was doing everything in his power to cover our trail. We walked back into the Murray Hill distriet of old houses, turning cor- ners and endeavoring to see that we were not trailed, Finally we came out on the block on Park Avenue on which I knew the Granby house to be, in that little basis of splendid dwellings hetween Thirty-fourth and Forthy-second streets. As we walked up the street we could see that a closed car was already standing before the door. "Might I see him?" asked Ken- nedy quickly. "You nave no objec- We must pick up the tions?" "The doctor considered a moment "None whatever. Perhaps you can give us some clue to the mystery." He turned and led the way up through the heavily carpeted hall, and we came at last to the huge front bedroom on the second floor. Granby was a bachelor, although he kept the big Granby house 'in the city open just as his father and grandfather had done before him. The big room was luxuriously fur- nished. In the style of a past genera- tion, Just now it was in disorder, In the next room were a nurse and a maid, stunned by the suddenness of the death, As we entered we could see Gran- by's body stretched on the bed, cover. ed by a sheet. Kennedy stepped over quietly to it and lifted a corner of the sheet, regarding the cold and distorted face which he disclosed, He seemed to be debating what to do first. He quickly replaced the sheet and strode out into the hall again where I stood with Dr. Gilbert and Kato. "What was he doing last in the library?" demanded Kennedy of Kato, "I don't know, sir, he came in, He seemed very ners vous. When I saw him again in the library, on the table were a glass and a decanter. I should say, sir, that he had taken a drink." Without waiting to hear more, Kennedy hurried down the hall to the first floor, over the English basement, A moment later, as we followed, he entered the library. I saw him as Kennedy passed, looking intently at the house and at others near it, then both up and down the street, In- stead of going in he walked about the block. When we had nearly com- pleted the circuit, he turned, and we doubled on our tracks. No one, apparently, was paying the slightest! attention to what we were doing. | The closed car, however, was still standing before the house when Ken- "I took away the glass and put the decanter back in the cellaret," explained Kato. Kennedy turned toward a heauti- fu] mahogany and glass cellaret in an alcove of the den. "Which decanter?" he demanded. Kato pointed it out, As he did so, Kennedy bent for- ward and lifted it, but his eyes were not on the decanter, With two sheets el premiums, Bend for our new illu The wrappers from Comfort Soap and Pearl White Naptha Soap are good for many valuable Use these two spléndid soaps for all household purposes -- and exchange the wrappers for gifts you want. £ A - PCO Ti pre SOAP": [ faaasameasan "a Veeeeeceoe et d premium COMFORT SOAP PREMIUM STORE 80 King Street West, Toronto Kato and Dr, Gilbert told us of Gran- by was quite typical, First the victim sees everything about him yellow and if enough of the drug has been taken, this yellow vision gradually changes to green, insensibility, convulsions and death follows, "kauced In food or drink its slight taste can be easily masked, although sometimes even a small amount has been known to produce unexpectedly bad results," I looked at Kennedy in amazement and horror, "The green death," I exclaimed, He nodded, "We know what it was, but we are just as far as ever from knowing whence it came." (To be continued) INVENTIONS AND THEIR DATES When and Where a Whole Lot of The cotton gin was the work of Eli Whitney, 1703. Anemoneters were Woflers in 1709. The first almanac was printed in Hungary in 1470, The Gatling gun was the work of Gatling, 1861, Barometers were invented by Torri- celli, 1643, Bombshells werd first made in Hol- land in 1495, SPORT COMME! The Central Aague Executive will meet in Port Hope on Monday to deal with Lindsay's protest against Co- hourg. Lindsay claims that after Umpire Rosevear called time in the eighth innings, when Catcher Cum- mings was hurt, that Skitch went to third before play had been resumed and before the umpire had called "play ball." invanted by nedy turned into the English base-'of paper, which he picked up from a First Things Were Done It was just a moment that we| waited. A Japanese butler opened | the door, and his beady eyes slanted | at us subtly. Before he could even| refuse to admit us, Kennedy had stepped inside followed by me. | | writing desk, ment and rang. he scraped up 'the slight dust which had collected on the shelf. Then he folded up the paper into which he had scraped the dust and drew from his pocket a small case in which he always car- ried some miniature test tubes. as though it must be that I possessed | the confidence of other clients of her| "Give Mr. Granby my vard," said | From the decanter, he poured a bit Kennedy briskly. '""Tell him it 8! of the liquor and plugged the test {very important." [ tube, restoring it to his pocket. | The Japanese took the pasteboard| With scarcely a word of explana- land fingered it, glancing at it out of | tion further, Kennedy 'excused him- | the corner of his eye and then at us.!gelf to Dr. Gilbert, and we are on {In perfect English he parred. "But, our way up to the laboratory. It sir, Mr. Granby cannot see anyone was a quick ride and silent. Ken- | Just now. nedy had but one idea, and that was Cannot see anyone? "Why?" | first of all to discover the manner There was a noise of someone com-! in which Granby had met his sudden |ing down stairs, and I saw a rather' fate. portly middle aged man, with a Van In the laboratory he set to work | Dyke beard. As he caught sight of ut once, examining first under a | us, half way down, he looked quickly! microscope the few grains of dust in | over at the butler. | the paper, I stood beside him, eager- Who are these gentlemen, Kato?" | ly watching, as finally he looked up he asked. from the eye-piece. "Dr. Gilbert I believe," hastened! "Some sort of powder," he re- Kennedy before the Jap could reply, | marked, "colorless or perhaps whit- recognizing at once the well-known ish, shining flat rhombic prisms." society physician. | "Held the dust and powder to his 'Yes," returned the doctor, slight-| nose, but it evidently had no odor. ly elevating his eyebrows. Under a hand lens with a pair of af | don't believe that we haye ever tweezers he picked out what I as- met," introduced Kennedy, taking | sumed to be some grains and placed the card from the Jap and handing | them on his tongue. His face in- it to the doctor, "but perhaps you dicated that the taste was a bit acid, have heard of me at the university?" | ut I could not tell whether it gave Dr. Gilbert glanced at the card, him a clue or not. then his manner changed as he look- | He turned from the microscope ed up at Kennedy. "Oh yes, yes.! taking the test tube from the case in Professor Kennedy. You are here jis pocket. Quickly he poured the con- just a bit late. Mr. rGanby is|tents into a larger test tube, and I dead." . : saw that he was making a hasty Astounding News qualitative analysis. The abruptness of the announce- I knew that it would be some ment almost swept us off our feet, ime before Kennedy discovered any- but Kennedy quickly recovered. | thing. £ { "Dead?" he repeated, "It seems al-| "I think ,Craig." I suggested, | most impossible. I know that he must | «Miss Clarem uld know about jaave, been alive at least two hours| this, and perhaps I had better tell | A | r" | The doctor shook his head sadly. el nodded assent, and, delight- "Quite true," he replied, "but this ed by the mission, which at least thing has been 80 sudden that even|gerved as an outlet for my own ex- I do not know as yet what hap-| citement, I hurried out. pened. ! Clare Claremont, however, "But what was it?" persisted Ken-| uot at home, nor could I find nedy. "There must be something that per. 1 called up the Star, but you know." Speed was out on an ignment and The doctor waved his hand toward | could not be located. venal, too, the Jap. "It was Kato who called| must have left his dem directly af- was Buckles were first made in 1680. Brandy was first made' in France | in 1310. | The first horse railroad was built in 1826. . Chloral was discovered by Liebig 1831. Lampblack was invented by Mini in 1844, Quicksilver was first arts in 1540. Telescopes were first made by Jan- sen in 1590. Waterpipes of ldad were first made in used in the { in use. in 1236. The folding envelope was first used in 1836. Coal was first used in England as | fuel in 1350. The electrotype was the work of Spencer, 1837. Coal oil was first used as an illu- minant in 1826. Ice was first made by machindgry by {and | plate will have white figures on a dull Carre in 1860. The velocipede was invented by | Drais in 1817. | The piano was invented by Christo. fali in 1711. | Steel needels were first. made in| England in 1545. | Iron pavements were first laid in| London in 1817. FOR BABY "Safety First" Four generations of babies have been kept clean, fresh, fragrant, and free from skin me, perhaps an hour ago. Mr. Gran- by, he says, went out very hurriedly early in the afternoon and returned most agitated. He shut himself up in the library, and not ten minutes ter we did, for his servamt could tell me mothing. Unable to carry Make Auto Markers More Substantial The 1923 motor license plates will be more substantial than those now They will also cost more, The price will be 23 cents per pair, as against 14% cents a pair this year. A contract for the number of plates has been given to the Canadian Colortype Company of Hamilton, and the plates will be of 24 gauge steel, | reinforced with a double edging along the top and bottom. The plates in use this year have proved unsatisfactory, rusting easily becoming illegible. The new | black ground, and the enamel, it is | said, will be of the most durable kind. A New York letter carrier seeing a baby falling from an upper window, caught it in his mail bag. What? Oh yes, a male baby.--Philadelphia Record. BR rire. 4 Ove of the sight aids to beauty and rejuvenation. a out my mission, I was finally forced |= to go back to the laboratory, trust- ing that Kennedy had made some later, Kato says he heard him ringing the bell and calling frantically, "Tell them again, Kato, just what hap- pened." Progress. As 1 entered, Kennedy was ap- parently finishing up his work. could see by his manner that he had discovered something. I told him hastily of my failure to find Miss Claremont, and, even before I had a chance to ask a question, he beckoned me over to his table, where, before him im a rack, stod a test tube about half full of some liguid. "I didn't have very many grains of the stuff," he remarked, "but from even the few that I had I have dis- Reluctantly the Jap looked from us to the doctor, then concluded that he had better take his orders from the physician. "I heard the bell, and as I came to the library door Mr. Granby was standing by the library table. He had his hands up before his eyes. As I entered he said, "Kato, what color does this room seem to you?" I was greatly surprised, and I could think of nothing to say except "Many colors Sir'. He stared around and I thought his eyes would jump out of his head. "Kato it's yellow! Everything in the room fis yellow! Call Dr. Gilbert immediately. "I did so, and before the doctor came we managed to get him up to his room. He was very weak and del- irious. He seemed to be getting worse, and just before the doctor came we heard him groaning; "It's turning green--everything is turning green?!" Dr. Gilbert nodded as though to in- dicate that the butler had told his story substantially as he had alveady heard it "Yes, Kennedy," said Dr. Gilbert, "When I got here he was wery far sone, almost in a state of coma. His vision seemed to be wery strangely affected, and the muscles which con- trolled his throat were gradually be- coming paralyzed. "1 could make nothing out of what he mumbled except that it seemed 10 |/ be that he feared someone or some thing. Once or twice he opened his eyes without recognizing me, and I could just make out that, as his wis- ion was fading, he was muttering, "1 see everything green--green-- green. 1 see. everything green." In the face of two such witnesses in the solution of the liguor." another test tube in i § £ i § tf i : i id BE Ex i £gt id I » i i | iH rH ! "ig i H i [id H i} 44 ] 2 : g i 7 i | there could be no doubt mow of the wragedy into which we had ran. " we Symphony.Laun pick up a sheet of writing paper so invitingly IB be iful £5 the eye and the touch, that it seemed to say to your fingers, "You must write on me! "? Symphony Lawn is just such 2 paper. It comes in and envelopes in the newest shapes. Also correspondence cards to match. May we show you Symphony Lawn? Gog SE JURY & LOVELL LTD. Sewers "FW. THOMPSOR