The Ely miner., 1915-05-07

He handed Jens 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.
Lugging and tugging they managed
to get the heavy piece of furniture out
| and downstairs again, loading 1t on
the wagon. Then they drove off with
it, 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
mel" growled a voice as the cabinet
door opened. "But I've got him this
time!"
It was the Clutching Hand.
Craig gazed into our living room eau
tiously.
II can't see anything wrong, he said
to me as stood just beside him. Miss
Dodge" he added, twill you and the
rest excuse me II ask you to wait
just moment lonser?"
Elaine watched him, fascinated. He
| crossed the room, then went into each
of our other rooms. Apparently moth
ing was wrong and minute later he
reappeared at the doorway.
II guess it's all right" he said. Ter.
haps 1t was only Jensen, the janitor."
Elaine, Aunt Josephine and Susie
Martin entered. Craig placed chairs
for them, but still I could see that he
was uneasy. From time to time, while
they were admiring one of our treas
| ures after another, he glanced about
suspiciously.
''What is the trouble, do you Think
asked Elaine wonderingly, noticing
| his manner.
IL can't just say" answered Craig,
trying 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 the under.
world that Craig had amassed in his
adventures.
At last her eye wandered across the
room. She caught sight of her OWL
picture, occupying place of honor
but hanging askew.
isn't that just like mani" she ex.
| claimed. Such housekeepers as you
are-srch 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 tc
speak quickly enough.
Kennedy stood quite still, gazing al
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 ths
room"
| Craig frowned.
AS for myself / did not know wha,
to make of it.
I'm afraid I shall have to ask yos
to step into this back room," said Crail
at length to the ladies. I'm sorry
but we can't be too careful with this
intruder. whoever he was"
Elaine, however, stopped at the door
For moment Kennedy appeared t.
be considering. Then his eye fell or
fishing rod that stood In a corner
He took it and moved toward the pic
| ture.
On his hands and knees, to ont
| side, down as close as he could get te
| the floor, with the rod extended a.
arms length, he motioned to me to dc
the same, behind him..
Carefully Kennedy reached out with
the pole and Strengthened the picture.
AS he did so there was flash, 9
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 a,
| the report. / looked about. Kennedy
was unharmed 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 g
package done up roughly in newspa
per, was a shotgun with its barre,
| sawed off about six inches from the
| lock, fastened to block of wood, and
connected to a series of springs or
the trigger, released by little electro
magnetic arrangement actuated b.:
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 second.
She laid one hand on his arm, as she
faced him. With the other she traced
an iyna pinarv line in tho air from fhe
level Of the buckshot to his head and
then straight to the internal thing that
had lain in the fireplace.