The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1916-03-31

| the secretive red-dot communications
from New York city addressed by
Moseley to himself on behalf of some
customer who ordered simply by code
| of inkdots. He was the man | had to
find. The giant luna moths helped to
| do it."
81 don't see where they come in al
ALL" declared Dorr bluntly. "A moth
a foot wide couldn't crawl through a
keyhole."
mo; nor do any damage If it did.
| The luna is harmless. The moths
were important only as clues-and
bait Their enormous size showed
Professor Moseley's line of work; the
selective breeding of certain forms of
life to two or three times the normal
proportions. Very we'll; had to as,
certain some creature which, if magni-
| fed several times, would be deadly,
and which would still be capable of
entering large keyhole. Having de-
| termined that"
you found what it was?" cried
Dorr.
"One moment Having determined
| that, had still to get in touch with
Professor Moseley's mysterious New
York correspondent. | figured that
he must be interested in Professor
Moseley's particular branch of re-
search or he never could have devised
| mis- murderous scheme. So con-
structed the luna moth advertisement
| to draw him, and when | got reply
| ant of Mr.. DORIS, the chain was com
| plete. Now, you see where the luna
| moths were useful. If / had adver-
tised, instead of them. the lathrodec-
tus, he might have suspected and re-
| Trained from answering"
What's the lathrodectus?" demand
| ed both the hearers at once.
For answer Average Jones took a
letter from his pocket and read:
| Bureau of Entomology,
U. S. Department of Agriculture,
Washington, D. c., April 7.
Mr.. A. v. r. Jones,
| Astor Court Temple, New York City.
Dear Sir-Replying to your letter of in
Quiry, the only insect answering your
| specifications is a small spider Lathrodec-
| tus mactans, sometimes popularity called
| the Red Dot, from bright red mark upon
| the back. Rare cases are known where
death has been caused by the bite of this
| insect.
This bureau knows nothing of any ex-
| perments in breeding the Lathrodectus
| for size. Your surmise that specimens OF
| two or three times the normal size would
| be dangerous to life is undoubtedly cor
rect, and selected breeding to that end
should be conducted only under adequate
scientific safeguards. A Lathrodectus
| mactans with fangs large enough to pene-
| trate the skin of the hand, and a double
| or triple supply of venom, would be, per-
haps, more deadly than a cobra.
| The species is very susceptible to cold.
| and would hardly survive severe frost.
1t frequents woodpiles and outhouses.
| Yours truly,
L. o. HOWARD.
| Chief of Bureau.
| Then Ross was sneaking down
here at night and putting the spiders
which he had got from Professor Nose
| ley through my keyhole, in the hope
! that sooner or later one of them would
| get me-" said Dorr.
"a very reasonable expectation, too
Vide, the dogs" returned Average
Jones.
And now" said Mr.. Curtis Fleming
will someone kindly explain to me
what this Ross fiend had against our
friend, Mr.. Dorr?"
Nothing" replied Average Jones
You see Mr.. Dorr was interfering
with the machinery of one of our rul
ing institutions, the Canned Meat
Trust"
Nonsense! Socialistic nonsense!'
snapped Mr.. Curtis Fleming. Trusts
may be unprincipled, but they don't
commit individual crimes"
Don't they?" returned Average
Jones, smiling amiably at his own
boot tip.
But why so roundabout a meth
od?" asked Dorr skeptically
We'll, they tried the ordinary meth
| DDS of murder on you through agents,
| That didn't work. 1t was up to the
tial men on it. Ross is an amateur
entomologist. He devised a means
that looked to be pretty safe and. in
the long run, sure"
And would have been but for your
| skill, young JONES'" declared Mr.. Cur,
tbs Fleming, with emphasis.
Average Jones shook his head. You
might give some of the credit to Prov.
| idence," he said. Just one little event
would have meant the saving of this
Italian child, and of Professor Nose
ley, and the death of Dorr. instead O!
the other way around"
"And that event?" asked Mr.. Curti1
Fleming.
Five degrees of frost in Bridge
port" replied Average Jones.
l Copyright. The Bobbs- Merrill Company,
| ton. which has n0fhipp RI do with I'll C