Charlevoix county herald., 1915-02-20

them quickly" he said in short,
broken utterance, as though eX-
hausted by his run.
Gafford struck a match and found
the shelf, procured the candles, and
ignited the wicks. He turned back
and fixed one OF each end of the
wireless table, setting them in a lit
tie pool of their own grease. He
lifted his eyes and gazed into Kar-
lofts. The man seemed pale in the
pickering light. His hair and beard
were inky against his pallid skin.
He clung with his hands on the edge
of the table as though for support.
1.-THE Observation-Disclosures it,! he
gasped.
The huskiness of his voice made
Gafford pause. He hesitated, and
some of the old fire crept into the
Russians words. Quick-fool!' he
raped with an effort and the Amer
lean leaped to obey.
He threw the turbine into gear.
"Now the dynamo - that other
leverw Karloff gasped. Gafford
sprang TO do his bidding. The whine
of the dynamo sang in the room.
Above it rose something like a
moan.
Gafford whirled around to behold
the great figure upon its knees, its
arms stretched out above the top Of
the wireless table, its fingers CROP
ing blindly to drag it back to its
feet.
Even as he ran toward II il slipped
from a kneeling to a sitting position.
Save for his arm about its shoulders
it would have toppled to the floor. 81
can't do it," muttered Karloff,
against the Americans arm. Il
can'tw
On the other side of the Russian
Shiela came to lend her help. To-
gether Gafford and she lowered the
man to the floor, and Shiela took the
great head in her lap. Gafford knelt
at his side. "KarlofI, what is it,"
ne questioned. What happened to
you. old chap ?"
The eyes of the nihilist turned to
him, and the bearded lips half
smiled. "That Jap shot me--back
there-when he fired after the car
| thought | could last it out-but |
can't. You, Gafford-I have eX-
planned You are an engineer You
should - understand. There are
bombs in the factory-fnished-
more in the magazine-the three in
the field. Explode them-Gafford
Explode them now and save-the
worldv
"He's dying" whispered Shiela in
an awed manner What can we do
for him? Isn't there something ?"
Nothing" responded Gafford sad
ly. Hes too far gone. If"
Karloff opened his eyes, which had
closed. In some subtle way he
seemed to have caught the meaning
of the woman's words. His eyes
sought hers and he smiled. One of
his great hands crept up, CROPPED for
her fingers, and gripped them. He
sighed. Tell her it's all right" he
said to Gafford. Then, with a last
flash of his imperious manner: And
you'll Why do you wait? To work!
Save your country! Save"
Gafford at the wireless table
heard Shiela's sob.
He did not turn around. He was
studying the chart of the valley,
whereon were marked the distances
of the various buildings from the
hut and the positions of the bombs
in the testing field. Presently he
put out his hand and moved the in
dicator on the seXtant to the reading
of the factory's range. With a hand
with trembled from excitement he
threw in the spark. Its kissing crash
responded while he stood and
studied. Then very slowly he turned
the tiny lever on the range-finder,
as he had seen the Russian do.
II seemed in that instant that his
motion had Embossed the pent-up
fires of the earth's hot heart. A
great mushroom of flame sprang
aloft in the night, reached the smoke
pail of the FORCES. and tore il asund-
er. 1t spread and widened and blot
ted out all else save itself in wall
of white flame, which seemed to
drive out all darkness and fill the
world with light.
The conclusion hurled the man
away from the table. set the hut
swaying, broke the glass in its win
dcws. and put out the candles, plung-
ing the place into darkness. Calling
to Shiela in reinsurance, Gafford
fumblcd for "A match, crept back
to the table, and lighted the can
dies again. His hand stole out
and moved the indicator to focus the
magazine. Lie down nOWp' he
called to Shiela in warning, and him
self knelt on the floor. Then with a
steady hand he pulled the lever back.
The flash was the end Of the
world in fire. The roar was the fall
ing of the universe 20 bits. In that
awful glare Gafford caught sight of
the trees on the mountain, bent and
torn and twirled like bits of chaff;
of great blocks of the magazines
walls hurled hundreds of feet into
the air.
So much he saw before the con-
cussion hurled column of air
against him, knocking him to the
floor, while the walls of the hut
cracked like bits of pasteboard and
gasped and sagged crafty at that
end nearest the awful force of the
havoc he had wrought.
Once more he struggled up and
CROPPED for a candle, found one on
the floor, and set il alight, while he
questioned Shiela, whether she were
all right. Very carefully then he
m. rLoI tba Yocitionc ~ tho dapop-