The Springdale news., 1915-03-05

pocket "Here-tht goes a whole 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 inno- cent as when it came in
 Lugging and tugging they managed 10 get the heavy piece of furniture out | and downstairs again, loading it 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 i 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 cau- tiously
 T 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 moment lenger?"
 Elaine watched him, fascinated. He crossed the room, then went into each of our other rooms. Apparently noth- ing was wrong and a minute later he reappeared at the doorway.
 T guess it's all right" he said. Per haps 1t was only Jensen, the janitor."
 Elaine, Aunt Josephine and Susie Martin entered. Craig placed chairs for them, but still 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?'s asked Elaine wonderingly noticing his manner
 Il can't 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 l anu OuuS duu buuS ITODl tiS world that Craig had amasset tn his 1 adventures.
 At last her eye wandered across the room. She caught sight of her own picture, occupying a place of honor but hanging askew.
 Isn't that just like a mani" she ex- claimed. Such housekeepers as you are-sLeh carelessness,"
 She had taken a stop or two across the room to straighten the picture.
 Miss Dodget" almost shouted Ken nedy, his face fairly blanched. "Stop,'
 She turned, her stunning eyes filled with amazement his suddenness- Nevertheless she moved quickly to one side, as he waved his arms, unable to l 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.
 Tt certainly was not" I 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 I 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. 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 to be considering Then his eye fell on a fishing rod that stood in corner. He took 1t and moved toward the pie ture.
 On his hands and knees, to one side, down as close as he could get to the floor, with the rod extended at the same, behind him. Carefully Kennedy reached out with the pole and strengthened the picture. ] AS he did so there was a flash, a : loud, deafening report, and a great puff of smoke from the fireplace.
 The fire screen was riddled and over turned. A charge of buckshot shat tered the precious photograph nt Elaine.
 We had dropped flat on he floor at 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 package done up roughly in newspa- per, was shotgun with it's barrel sawed off about six inches from the lock, fastened to block of wood, and connected to a series of springs on the trigger, released by a 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