The Dickinson press., 1915-04-17

ne ratified some loose change IN his
pocket. "Here-there goes q whole
days tips"
He handed Jens . dollar in small
change. s l5az. .:&
stiIl 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 tugging they managed.
to get the heavy piece Of furniture out
and downstairs again, loading It on
the wagon. Then they drove of with )
It, accompanied by a parting volley;
from Jensen. ...f .
In an unfrequented street, perhaps,
half a mile away, the wagon stopped.
With q 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.
hme!"
1t was the Clutching Hand.
Craig gazed into our living eau
tiously.
II can't see anything wrong" he said
to me as I stood just beside him. Miss
Dodge" he added, will you and the.
rest excuse me If I 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
r%eappeared at the doorway.
II 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 I could see that he
was uneasy. From time to time, while
they were admiring n Of u treas
ures after another, he glanced about
suspiciously.
What is the trouble do you Think"
asked Elaine wonderingly, noticing
bis manner
Il can't just say" answered Craig.
trying to appear easy. /
0AO 1oO 14oCA on0 WILL hOOA 4AIO4~
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 amassec in his
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-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 filed
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 leftI
was it, Walter?" he asked.
T.. 1T certainly was not" / answered
positively. There was more -time
spent in getting that picture jusH
right than l eve saw you spend on thef
room"
Craig frowned. +
AS for myself l did not know what
to make of it.
I'm afraid I 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 a moment Kennedy appeared t9
be considering. Then his eye fell on
a fishing rod that stood in a cornerl
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 he rod extended at
arms length, he mottoned 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, q
loud, d%eafening report, and q great
pun 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. I looked about. Kennedy
was unframed and 80 were the rest.
With a bound he was at the fire.
place, followed by Elaine and tho rest
of us. There, in what remained Of q
package done up roughly in newspa-
per, was a shotgun with it's barrek
sawed of about six inches from the
lock, fastened to a 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