Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1908-09-03
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globe from the cage with his hand.
You will notice the glass is thin" he
| continued, 'and could be easily brok-
en-. 1t is intended that the glass
should be easily broken. When the
| fluid contained within the glass is ex-
posed TO the air :. changes Immediate
| ly into gas, a Whit of which is suf-
! ticient to destroy life
/ Christabel looked at the globe,
! fascinated and somewhat afraid of it.
1T is deadly thing" she said.
! won't YOU put it back, NJ. Anato-
! witch? It's not a toy to play with,
! she added, as he turned the globe in
| his hand and held it up to the light
| mo, it is not a thing to play with,
| he said, slowly, in a queer tone and
returned the globe to it's cage, which
he caused to revolve and close by
touching another spring.
81 suppose one of these globes has
never been broken?" asked Christa-
bel, with slight shudder.
Zone globe was, and here" he re-
piled "It was during my absence
! from Sulja. The culprit was chief
clerk man in whom l reposed a good
deal of confidence. Somehow he got
! into this passage, and later was found
/ lying dead on the floor by myself on
my return People wondered what
had become Of him. said Dmitri, with
a lift of his eyebrows. 'Pouf, He
was here dead"
( L +I,N+ rr1n
came to break?" inquired Christabel.
Il was coming to that" said Dmitri.
| 1T really is very interesting. Perhaps
you observed that after turning on
| the lights from the switchboard in
! my room / opened small safe in
which there is a machine It is a
wonderful machine. Come and look at
it, and III tell you what it can do"
| Dmitri walked out of the concrete
passage, followed by Christabel.
| Carefully he closed the door after her.
! The tiny safe still stood open.
/ The machine is actuated by cleo
| tricity,' said Dmitri and the smile on
| his face was curiously bland as he
| looked on tit was just as if he were
| LONG vi IL. GU Cdu S6S d lew vi IIS
! working parts. but most of them are
| concealed. Note this lever" he went
| on touching it with what might have
! been a caress. Il am going to adjust
| it so that if any one should put his
| hand On the steel door of my labora-
| tory it would mean instant death TO
! him"
How can that be?"
| In this way" replied Dmitri, and
| he gave the lever slight pull. This
! movement which you have seen me
make at this moment has caused the
! steel door to be charged with a power
| full current of electricity. Should
! human being come in contact with it
| when in this state the cage which
/ holds the glass globe will contract and
: shatter the glass. the fluid turns to
| gas and a breath Of it is fatal But
| that is not all. for the same electrical
| impulse Or energy has been Skilfully
used to open a sort of trap-door in the
! ceiling of the passage; the poisonous
gas thus escapes into the atmosphere,
| but not until it has done its work"
"How horrible!" exclaimed Christa-
| bel, growing a little pale.
THE machine can do more than
| that by moving the same lever" said
| Dmitri, not needing her ejaculation.
! 1T is not necessary for the steel door
| to be touched now" he continued,
shifting the lever, ito crush the globe.
! If were to move the lever 'one-six-
teenth OF one of your English inches
the globe would burst, and any one in
the passage would Immediately die,
while the gas would escape as before.
! 1t is all done by an arrangement Of
electric wires 1t really is very simple
when you know how it is done
TITS rather an Internal machine,
isn't it?'' asked Christabel.
We'll. you might call it that, sup
pose. if you liked" replied Dmitri.
yet it is beautiful thing in its
way"
It's fascinating in terrible sort of
way" said Christabel, looking at
Dmitri's fingers resting on the lever.
but of course. you can adjust the
lever so that the globe will not break
and nothing will happen even If there
is some one i'll the passage. 1t must
be so, otherwise | should not be alive
now
THAT is true" said Dmitri "Other-
wise, as you remark. you would not be
alive now" And he smiled a strange
smile.
'When | was in the passage" said
Christabel. land the door was closed
on me, you could have killed me in
stantly by a touch of the lever?'
THAT is true Also said Dmitri still
with that strange smile on his face.
ut is a horrible machine" she said,
and shuddered.
Don't you think we are perfectly
justified in taking such precautions to
preserve the secret that is so valuable
to us, Miss Joyce?" he asked, once
more looking at her intently.
'But it's murder said Christabel,
in voice of sharp protest. AS she
spoke she remembered how the Sc
cret had come through murder.
Dmitris only reply was another up
ward lift OF the eyebrows, a manner
ism of his.
'You don't think 500" she asked.
ITS a case of Killing, no murder,
as your English phrase is" he replied
using the very words he had spoken
| to Sir Maxwell Sisterson some weeks
7 before.
{ 'T cannot agree with you,'' returned