The Tupelo journal., 1912-08-30

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I'VE Ought Pick Up That Buoy Be-
fore Long"
OF mild reproof; "and again tut. Eft
soons l will a tale unfold that'li shed
a heap of light upon the plot of this
issue OF the Half-Dime Library. Know
you not that Desmond the Dachshund
Detective is on the scent?
Les see: where'd / get on"
You were on the point Of making
some interesting discoveries" Coast
prompted patiently.
ITO be sure. As was
about to say, I felt my way along.
lost It. and presently stumbled onto
what seemed a pretty raw slice OF
melodrama. . The first Trims l
struck for was the farmhouse. Last
l heard of the island, Il was Inhabited
by a single family, a farmer. his wife
and q couple of kids. Must've been
a bit lonesome, but they didn't seem
to mind. They do say the man once
petitioned the State Legislature to
build a school-house on the island 10
educate his offspring on the ground
that as a taxpayer he was entitled to
their schooling at the expense OF the
Commonwealth. ,Shrewd customer:
as | recall 1t he nominated himself for
the job of janitor and his wife to be
school-mistress, both on salary!
/ had it in mind to pump him. 0
see, but somehow l missed the farm
house, the first cast. And when l
pulled up to take s%oundings I heard a
curious sort Of noise-singular in
that locality, at least: one OF those
noises that, once heard, is never for
gotten; as nearly as l a describe 1t,
q sort of ripping crash-very irregular
In duration and much mufled by dis
lance and fog. l picked up my ears
and tried to mark down the quarter 1t
came from. Then / followed it up as
best l could. After two or three false
turns / fell over what seemed to be
q wire stay, CROPPED round and found
q mast. The noise had stopped by
this time, but l knew what had made
1t without doubt; that mast was an
aerial, and I'd been listening to some
body operating a wireless station.
Next thing, | made out a glow OF light
that led me to a window. By now
was interested and laying very low.
"The window was open-it was
warm enough for that-and because
of the fog I could stand quite near
and see what was taking place inside
without being seen. 1t was a
goodish sized room, one of three I'M
der a single roof, by all appearances,
and stuffed full Of apparata of various
kinds. There was a big gas-motor
singing away at n end, running a
dynamo. Right near the window was
a heavy table with all the parapher-
MALTA of a wireless station.
There was a young man standing
right by the table, evidently just out
of his chair. He vas taking off the
telephone headpiece when I first saw
him. He looked to be under thirty,
and wore red hair and a good coat OF
sunburn; and he was mad clean
through-mad at another man who
was standing just inside a doorway
leading to another room. That door
was closed. The second man was
evidently just out of bed: he had a
crash bathrobe belted round him. with
his pyjamas showing underneath, and
beefy, naked ankles running into bed
room slippers. They were having 1t
hot and heavy, ripping out at eacn
other straight from the shoulder.
II don't know-didn't hear-what
started the row, and it ended just art
or | came within hearing. The young
er char was saying-he had a bit OF q
brogue: Don't let that trouble you.
Mister Black. I'll have you know !
wired for q relief last night, while
you we're at dinner, and the minute
he sets foot on this damned island, !
leave it; nor will l be resting till I've
turned In my report at the home Of
ice. Put that in your pipe. now
BLACK Gas he called him) seemed
to lose control of himself for an In
slant. He sort Of lurched forward.
his hands working as II he was going
to throw himself at the younger
mans throat; then he caught up.
thinking better Of 1t, AZ II he knew
the other fellow had grabbed his
chair by the back and stood ready to
brain him with It; which he couldn't
have known. for 1t turned out he wal
blind. II had my sight he said.