he Blac Te BLACK BOX ** The Moving Fi s The Prince of hw ne Singers, * ** Anna, the Adventuress," etc. By E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM Novelized from the motion picture drama same namé produced .by the Universal Manufacturing Company. I tographg from the i the ilm ith pho- aon (Copyright, 1815, by Otis F, Wood) SYNOPSIS. | Banford Quest, master criminologist of the world, finds that in bringing to jus- tice Macdougal, the murderer of Lord Ashilcigh's daughter, he has but just en- tered a life-and-death contest with a mys- terious master criminal. Engaged by Pro- fessor Ashleigh, Lord Ashleigh's brother, to recover the stolen skeleton of an an- thropoid ape, hurried to Mrs. Rheinholdt's reception, 'where her diamonds have been torn from her throat by a pair of hands without arms or body, a black box later appegrs from nowhere in his roonis and a note ontained In it, signed by the arme less hmds, sarcastically suggests that the Rhein t diamonds and the skeleton may be hidden together. While Laura, Quest's secretary, shadows Craig, the pro- fessor's valet, Quest and Lenora, his as- sistant, find the skeleton fn a hut in the rofessor's garden, and discover there an nhuman creature, half monkey and half man. As the professor explains, the hut is set afire and the monkey-man and skeloton are destroyed in the flames. In Quest's rooms the Rhetnholdt diamonds suddenly reappear, enclosed In a second black box with a note signed by the threatening hands. FOURTH INSTALLMENT AN OLD GRUDGE. CHAPTER X. ' Sanford Quest was smoking his after-breakfast cigar with a relish somewhat affected by the measure of his perplexitics. Early though it was, Lenora was already in her place, bend- ing over her desk, and Laura, who had Just arrived, was busy divesting her self of her coat and hat. Quest watched the latter impatiently. ~~ "Well? he asked. Laura came forward, straightening her halr with her hands. "No go," she answered." "I spent the evening in the club, and I talked with two men who knew Craig, but I couldn't get on to anything. From all I could hear of the man, respectabll- ity is his middle name." "That's the professor's own idea," Quest remarked grimly, "We're fairly up against it, boss" Laura sighed. "The best thing we can do Is to get on to another job. The Rheinholdt woman has got her Jewels back, or will have at noon to- day. I bet she won't worry about the thief. Then the professor's moldy old skeleton was réturned to him, even if it wag burned up afterwards. Ishould take on something fresh." "Can't be done," Quest replied short- ly' "Look here, girls, your average intellects are often apt- to hit upon the truth, when a man who sees too far ahead goes wrong. Rule Craig out. Any other possible person occur to you? Speak out, Lenora. You've something on your mind, I can see." "I'm afraid you'll laugh at me," ghe began tentatively. "Won't hurt you if I do," Quest re plied. "lI can't help thinking of Macdou- gal." Lenora continued falteringly. "He has never been recaptured. I don't know whéther he's dead or ajve. He had a perfect passion for jewels. If he is alive, he would be desperate and would attempt anything." Quest smoked in silence for a mo ment. sii) the return of the jewels squelched the Macdougal theory," he remarked. "He wouldn't be likely to part with the stuff when he'd ance got bis hands on it. However, 1 always meant, when we had a moment's spare time, to look into that fellow's where- abouts. We'll take it on straight away. Can't do any harm." "I know the section boss on the rallway at the spot where he disap peared," Laura announced. "Then just take tho train down to * Mountways--ihat's the nearest spot-- and get busy with him," Quest direct ed. "Try and persuade him to loan Us the gang's haundear to go down the line. Lenora und I wifl come on in the automobile." "Také you longer," Lenora re ed. iden- and "Mrs. Reinholdt's cotwing h ity her jewels at twelve 0 "gan't run any risk of there i 2% § Ek: iz : < i Army will call too. You can give her this check." Ross Brown, who was Quests secre- tary-valet and general factotum, ac- cepted the slip of paper and placed it in an envelope. "There are .no other instructions, sir? he inquired. "None," Quest replied. "You'll look out for.the wireless, and you had bet- ter switch the through cable and tel egraph communication on to head- q#arters. Come on, Lenora." They left the house, entered the waiting automobile, and drove rapid- ly towards the confines of the city. By Quest's directions the automo- bile was brought to a standstill at a point where it skirted the main rail way line, and close to the section house which he had appointed for hls rendezvous with Laura. She had apparently seen their approach, and she came out to meet them at once, ac- companied by a short, thick-set man whom she Introduced as Mr. Horan. "This is Mr. Horan, the section boss," she explained. Mr. Horan shook hands. "Say, I've heard of you, Mr. Quest," he announced. "The young lady tells me you are some interested in that prisoner they lost off the cars near here." "That's 80," Quest admitted. "We'd like to go to the spot if we could." "That's dead easy," the boss re plied. "I'll take you along on the handcar." The section boss turned round and whistled. From a little side track two men jumped on to a handcar, and brought it around to where they were ! his revolver into the road and obeyed. k Box the spot where he had left the car. The chauffeur, who saw him coming, started up and climbed to his seat. Quest took hig place. "Drive to the office," he ordered. The man slipped in his clutch. They were in the act of gliding off when there was a tremendous report. They topped short. The man jumped down and looked at the back tire. "Blowout," he remarked laconically. | Quest frowned. | "How long will it take?" . "Four miniftes," the man replied. | "I've got another wheel ready. That's | the queerest blowout I ever 'saw, though." The two men leaned over the tire. Suddenly Quest's expression changed. His hand stole into his hip pocket. "Tom," he explained, "that wasn't a blowout at all. Look here!" He pointed to the small level hole. Almost at once he stood back and the sunshine flashed upon the revolver clutched in his right hand. . "That was a bullet," he continued. "Someone fired at that tire. Tom, there's trouble about." I The man looked nervously around. "That's a rifle bullet, sure," he mut. | tered, "Get on the wheel as quick as you' can," Quest directed. "Here, I'll give you a hand." He stoopped down to unfasten the straps which fastened the spare wheel. It was one of his rare-lapses, realized a moment too late. Almost in his ears came the hoarse cry: "Hands up, guvnor! Hands up this second or I'll blow you to hell!" Quest glanced over his shoulder and looked into the face of Red Gallagher, raised a little above the level of the road. A very ugly little revolver was pointed directly at Quest's heart. "My mate's got you covered on the other side of the road, too. Hands up, both of you, or we'll make a quick job of it." Quest shrugged his shoulderp, threw As he did so, the other man stole out from behind a bush and sprang for the chauffeur, who under cover of the car was stealing off. There was a brief struggle, then the dull thud of the railway man's rifle falling on the chauffeur's head. He rolled over and lay in the road, standing. A few yards away the man who was propelling it--a great, red-' headed Irishman--suddenly ceased his efforts. Leaning over his pole, he gazed at Quest. A sudden ferocity darkened his coarse face. He gripped his mate by the arm. "See that bloke there?" he asked, pointing at Quest. "The guy with the linen collar?" the other answered. "I see him." "That's. Quest," the detective," the Irishman went on hoarsely. "That's the man who got me five years in the pen, the beast! That's the man I've been looking for. You're my mate, Jim, eh?" "I guess so," the other grunted. "Are you going to try and do him in?" "Now then, you' fellows," Horan shouted. "What are you hanging about there for, Red Gallagher? Bring the carriage up. You fellows can have a smoke for an hour. I'm going to take her down the line for a bit." The two men obeyed and disap peared in the direction of the section house. Quest looked after them curi- ously. "That's a big fellow," he remarked. "What did you call him? Red Galla- gher? I seem to have seen him be- fore." "He was the most troublesome fel- low on the line once, although he was the biggest worker," the boss replied. "He got five years in the penitentiary and that seems to have taken the spirit out of him." "I believe I was in the case," Quest observed carelessly. s "That's so! Now then, young la- dies," Mr. Horan advised, "hold tight, and here goes!" They ambled down the line for about half a mile. Then Horan brought them to standstill, "This is the spot," he declared. "Now, if you want my impressions you are welcome to them. All the search bas been made on the right-hand side here and in New York. I've had my eye on that hill for a long time. My impression is that he hid there." ~ "I'l take your advice" Quest de cided. "We'll spread out and take a little exercise in hill climbing." "Good luck to you!" the claimed. They searched carefully an erately for more than half an hour. Then Laura suddenly called out. They looked around to find only her head visible. She scrambled up, muddy and we wet leaves clinging to her skirt. Y, Y i 1ji8geIee, HEE . i i g i § i gF fil : 2 it ji: i i 's -- "It's a Rithy dirty hole," he re! "Pitch him off amongst the bushes," Red Gallagher ordered. "You don't want anyone who comes by to see. Now lend me a hand with this chap." "What do you profose to do with me?" Quest asked. "You'll know goon enough," Red Gal- lagher answered. "A matter of five minutes' talk, to start with. You see that handcar house?" "Perfectly well," Quest assented. "My eyesight is quite normal." "Get there then. I'm a yard behind you and my revolver's pointing for the middle of your back." Quest sprang lightly down from the road, crossed the few intervening yards and stepped into the handcar house, Gallagher and his mate followed close behind. Quest paused on the threshold. marked. "Can't we have our little chat out here? Is it money you want?" Gallagher glanced around. Then with an ugly push of the shoulder he sent Quest reeling into the shed. His great form blocked up the doorway. "Ne," he cried fiercely, "it's not money I want this time. Quest, you brute, you dirty bloodhound! You sent me to the pen for five years--you a hh THE DAILY BRITISH WHIG, SA of This Story-at the IDEAL Theatre, Monday and Tuesday "You Don't--You Don't Suspect Me of This?" of black substance inside, closed it up, placed it against the far wall, un- twisted 'the coil, stood back near the door and then pressed the button. The i result was extraordinary. The whole of the far wall was blown out and for some distance in fromt the ground was furrowed up by the explosion. Quest replaced the instrument in his | pocket, sprang through the opening and ran for the tower house. Behind him on its way to New York he could see a freight train coming along. He! could hear, too, Red Gallagher's roar | of anger. It was less than fifty yards, i yet as soon as he reached the shelter of the tower the thunder of the freight sounded in Quest's cars. He glanced | around. Red Gallagher and his mate were racing almost side by side to- wards him. He rushed up the parrow stairs into the signal room, tearing open his coat to show his official badge. "Stop the freight," he shouted to the operator, "Quick. I'm Sanford Quest, detective--special powers from the chief commissioner." The man moved to the signal. 'An- other voice thundered in his ears. He turned swiftly around. The Irishman's red head had appeared at the top of the staircase. "Drop that signal or I'll blow you into bits," he shouted. : The eperator hesitated, dazed. "Walk towards me," Gallagher shouted. "Look here, you guy, this will show you whether I'm In earnest or not!" A bullet passed within a few inches of the operator's head. He came slow- ly across the room. Below they could hear the roar of the freight. "This ain't your job," the Irishman continued savagely. "We want the cop, and we're going to have him." Quest had stolen a yard or two nearer during this brief colloquy. Gal lagher's mate from behind shouted out a warning just a second too late. With a sudden kick, Quest sent the re- volver flying across the room and be- fore the Irishman could recover he | struck him full in the face. Notwith.! standing his huge size and strength, | Gallagher reeled. The operator who' had just begun to realize what was happening flung himself bodily against the two thugs. A shot from the tan: gled mass of struggling limbs whis- | tiled past Quest's head as he sprang! to the window which overlooked the | track. The freight had already almost passed. Quest steadied himself for a supreme effort, crawled out on the 1it- tle steel bridge and poised himself for a moment. . The last car was just be- neath. The gap between it and the previous one was slipping by." He set Lis teeth and jumped on the smooth top. Back behind the tower Red Galla- gher and his mate bent with horrified faces over the body of the signalman. "What the hell did you want to plug him for?" the latter muttered. "He ain't in the show at all. You've done us, Red, he's cooked!" Red Gallagher staggered to his feet, Already the horror of the murderer was in his face as he glanced furtive ly around. : "l never meant to drop him," he muttered. "T got mad at seeing Quest get off. That man's a devil." "What are we going to do?" the other demanded hoarsely. "There's the auto," Gallagher shout- ed. "Come on, old man! I can fix the wheel. If we've got to swing for, this job, we'll have something of our own back first." LN They crawled to the side of the road. Gallagher's rough, hairy fingers | Inspector admitted. "Inspector, I am so excited at the idea of getting my jewels back. Isn't Mr. Quest a wonderful man?" "Fre's a clever chap, all right," the "All the same, I'm rather sorry he wasn't able to lay hands on the thief." "That's your point of view, of course," Mrs. Rheinholdt remarked. "1 can think of nothing but having my diamonds back, 'I feel I ought to go and thank the professor for recom- mending Mr. Quest." The Inspector made no reply. Mrs. Rheinholdt was suddenly aware that she was becoming a little tactless. "Of course," she sighed, "it is dis appointing not to be able to lay your hands upon the thief. That Is where I suppose you must find the interfer ence of an amateur llke Mr. Quest a little troublesome sometimes. He gets back the property, which is what the private individual wants, but he doesn't secure the thief, which is, of course, the real end of the case from your point of view." "It's a queer affair about these jew- els," the inspector remarked. "Quest hasn't told me the whole story yet. Here we are on the stroke of time!" The car drew up outside Quest's house. The inspector assisted his companion to alight and rang the bell at the front door. There was a some what prolonged pause. He rang again, "Never knew this to happen before," he remarked. "That sort of secretary: valet of Mr. Quest's--Ross Brown I think he calls him--is always on the $pot." They waited for some time. there was still no answer to their sum- mons. The inspector placed his ear to the keyhole. There was not a sound to be heard. He drew back, a little puzzled. At that moment his atten. tion was caught by the fluttering of a little piece of white material caught in the door. He pulled it out. It was a fragment of white embroidery, and on it were several small stains. The in- spector looked at them and looked at his fingers. His: face grew suddenly grave. "Seems to me," he muttered, "that there has been some trouble here. 1 shall have to take a liberty. If you'll excuse me, Mrs. Rheinholdt, I think it would be better if you waited in the car until I send out for you." "You don't think the jewels have been stolen again?" she gasped. The inspector made no reply. Ie had drawn from his pocket a litle pass key and was fitting it into the lock. The door swung open. Once more they were both conscious of that peculiar silence, which seemed to have in 'it some unnamable quality. He moved to the foot of the stairs and shouted: "Hello! Anyone there?" There was no reply. He opened the doors of the two rooms on the right. hand side, where Quest, when he was engaged ir any widespread affalr, kept a stenographer and a telegraph oper ator. Both rooms were empty. Then he turned towards Quest's study -on the left-hand side. French was a man of iron nerve. No power on earth - could have kept back the cry which broke from his lips. A few feet away from the door was stretched the body of the secretary- valet. On the other side of the room, lying as though she had slippéd from the sofa, her head fallen on one side in hideous fashion, was the body of Miss Quigg, the Salvation Army young woman. French set his teeth and drew back the curtains. In the clear er light the disorder of the room was fully revealed. There had been a ter. rible struggle. Between whom? How? There was suddenly a plercing shriek. The inspector turned quickly around. Mrs. Rheinholdt, who had dis. regarded his advice, was standing on the threshold. "Inspector!" she cried. "What has happened? Oh, my God!" still before he had passed the thresh- old. He looked upon the floor and he looked across to the sofa. Then he looked at French. "My God!" he muttered. The professor pushed past. He had looked around the room, and gazed at the two bodies with an expression of blank and absolute terror. Then he fell' back into Craig's arms. "The poor girl!" he cried. ble! Horrible! Horrible!" "Know anything about this?" Quest asked quickly. "Not a thing," the inspector replied. "We arrived, Mrs. Rheinheldt and I, at five minutes past twelve. There Was no answer to our ring. I used my pass key and entered. This is what I found." Quest stood over the body of his valet fora moment. The man*was ob- viously dead. The inspector took his handkerchief and covered up the head. A few feet away was a heavy paper weight. "Killed by a blow from behind," French remarked grimly, "with that little affair. Look here!" They glanced down at the girl Quest's eyebrows came together quick- ly. There were two blue marks upon her throat where a man's thumbs might have been. "The hands again," he muttered. The inspector nodded. "Can you make anything of it?" "Not yet," Quest confessed. ."I must think." The inspector glanced at him curi- ously. "Where on earth have you been to?" he demanded. "Been to?" Quest repeated. "Look in the mirror!" French sug- gested. Quest glanced at himself. His col- lar had given way, his tie was torn, a button and some of the cloth had been wrenched from his coat, his trousers were torn and he was covered with dust. "I'll tell you about my trouble a MNt- tle later on," he replied. "Say, can't we keep those girls out?" They were too late. Laura and Len- ora were already upon thé threshold. Quest swung round toward them. "Girls," he said, "there has been some trouble here. Go and wait up stairs, Lenora, or sit in the hail. "Horri- He Set His Teeth and Jumped. Laura, you had better telephone to the police station and for a doctor. That's right, isn't it, inspector?" "Yes!" the latter assented thought. fully. ! Lenora, white to the lips, staggered a few feet back into the hall. set her teeth and lingered. "Is that Rosas?" she asked. "It's his body," Quest replied. "He's been. murdered here, he and the Salva tion Army girl who was to come this morning for her check." Laura turned away half dazed. "I'd have trusted Ross with my life," Quest continued, "but he must have been alone in the house when the girl came. Do you suppose it was the usual sort of trouble?" Inspector French stooped down and picked up the paper-weight. Across it Was stamped the name of Sanford Quest. "This- yours, Quest?" . "Of course it is," Quest answered. "Everything in the room is mine." "The girl would fight to defend her- self," the inspector remarked slowly, "but she could never strike a man such a blow as your valet died from." French stooped and picked up = small clock. It had stopped at eleven- fifteen. He looked at it thoughtfully. "Quest," he went on, "I'll have to ask you a question." "Why not?" Quest replied looking quickly up. E "Where were you at eleven-fifteen?" "On tower No. 10 of the Hew York Central, scrapping for my Ife," Quest Laura WORLD'S GREATEST KIDNEY REMEDY "Fruit.a-tives" Have Proved' Their Value In Thousands of Cases WONDERFUL RECORD OF A WONDERFUL CURE Only Remedy That Acts On All Three Of The Organs Responsible For The Formation Of Uric Acid In The Blood. Many people do not realize that the Skin is one of the three great elimina- tors of waste matter from the body. 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