The Monticellonian., 1915-04-15

days tips.
He handed Jens a dollar in small
change.
Still grumpy, but Modified by the
silver, Jens let them go up and opened
the door to our rooms again. There
stood the cabinet. as outwardly limo
cent as when it came in.
Logging and Juggling they managed
to get the heavy piece of furniture out
and downstairs again. loading 1t on
the wagon. Then they drove off with
accompanied by a parting volley
from Jensen
In an unfrequented street. perhaps
half mile away, the wagon stopped.
With keen glance around, the driver
and his helper made sure that no one
was about.
such a shaking up as you've given
me-" growled a voice as the cabinet
door orened. But I've got him this
time!"
1t was the Catching Hand.
Craig gazed into our living room eau
tiously.
q can't see anything wrong" he said
to m as | stood just beside him. Miss
Dodge" he added will you and the
rest excuse me if | ask you to wait
just a moment longer?"
Elaine watched him. fascinated. He
crossed the room, then went into each
of our other rooms. Apparently moth
ing was wrong and a minute later he.
reappeared at the doorway.
Z guess it's all right" he said. Per
haps it was only Jensen, the janitor.'
Elaine, Aunt Josephine and Susie
Martin entered. Craig placed chairs
for them, but still l could see that he
was uneasy. From time to time, while
they were admiring ore of our treas
ures after another, he glanced about
suspiciously.
What is the trouble, do you think?'
asked Elaine wonderingly. noticing
his manner.
II cant just say" answered Craig,
tryine to appear easy.
She had risen and with keen inter
est was looking at the books, the pic
lures, the queer collection of weapons
and odds and ends from thu under
world that Craig had amasse- If his
adventures.
At last her eye wandered across the
room. She caught sight of her own
pictuce, occupying a place of honor
but hanging askew.
Isn't that just like man. she ex-
claimed. Such housekeepers as you
are-sLCh carelessness!
She had taken a stop or two across
the room to straighten the picture.
Miss Dodge!" almost shouted Ken
nedy, his face fairly blanched. Stop"
She turned, her stunning eyes filled
with amaZement at his suddenness
Nevertheless she moved quickly to one
side, as he waved his arms, unable to
speak quickly enough.
Kennedy stood quite still. gazing at
the picture. askew, with suspicion.
That wasn't that way when we left.
was it, Walter?" he asked.
1T certainly was not" | answered
positively. There was more time
spent in getting that picture just
right than ever saw you spend on the
room"
Craig frowned.
AS for myself did not know what
to make of it.
I'm afraid | shall have to ask you
to step into this back room" said Craig
at length to the ladies. Pm sorry
but we can't be too careful with this
intruder, whoever he was"
Elaine, however. stopped at the door.
For a moment Kennedy appeared to
be considering. Then his eye fell on
a fishing rod that stood in corner.
He took it and moved toward the pic
ture
On his hands and knees, to one
side, down as close as he could get to
the floor, with the rod extended at
arms length he motioned to me to do
the same, behind him.
Carefully Kennedy reached out with
the pole and Strengthened the picture.
AS he did so there was a flash,
loud, deafening report, and great
puff of smoke from the fireplace.
The fire screen was riddled and over
turned A charge of buckshot shat
tered the precious photograph of
Elaine.
We had dropped fiat on The floor at
the report. | looked about. Kennedy
was unframed and SO were the rest.
With a bound he was at the fire.
place, followed by Elaine and the rest
of us. There, in what remained of
package done up roughly in newspa-
per, was a shotgun with its barrel
sawed off about six inches from the
lock, fastened to a block of wood, and
connected to series of springs ON
the trigger, released by little electro
magnetic arrangement actuated by
two batteries and leading by wires up
along the molding to the picture where
the slightest touch would complete the
circuit.
A startled cry from Elaine caused US
to turn.
She was standing directly before her
shattered picture where it hung aWry
on the wall The heavy charge of
buckshot had knocked away large
pieces of paper and plaster under it.
"Craig!" she gasped.
He was at her side in a second.
She laid one hand on his arm, as she
faced him. With the other she traced
an imaginary line in the air from the
level of the buckshot to his head and
then straight to the internal thing that