One crook was masked by a handkerchief drawn tightly about his
lower face, leaving only his eyes visible beneath the cap with
visor pulled down over his forehead. He had a peculiar stoop of
the shoulders and wore his coat collar turned up. One hand, the
right, seemed almost deformed. It was that which gave him his name
in the underworld--the Clutching Hand.

The masked crook held carefully the ends of two wires attached to
an electric feed, and sending his pal to keep watch outside, he
entered the cellar of the Dodge house through a window whose pane
they had carefully removed. As he came through the window he
dragged the wires with him, and, alter a moment's reconnoitering
attached them to the furnace pipe of the old-fashioned hot-air
heater where the pipe ran up through the floor to the library
above. The other wire was quickly attached to the telephone where
its wires entered.

Upstairs, Dodge, evidently uneasy in his mind about the precious
"Limpy Red" letter, took it from the safe along with most of the
other correspondence and, pressing a hidden spring in the wall,
opened a secret panel, placed most of the important documents in
this hiding place. Then he put some blank sheets of paper in an
envelope and returned it to the safe.

Downstairs the masked master criminal had already attached a
voltmeter to the wires he had installed, waiting.

Just then could be heard the tinkle of Dodge's telephone and the
old man rose to answer it. As he did so he placed his foot on the
iron register, his hand taking the telephone and the receiver. At