Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-07-20
A Light Moved There.

A Light Moved There.
hours and that mass of shadow would
be moving-moving-
A noise, very slight, came from the
library behind the opened doors. The
marine glasses remained poised in the
girls hands while she listened. Again
the noise-a faint metallic click.
She hardly breathed. Turning ever
SO slowly, she put one hand between
the curtains and parted them sc that
she could look through into the cav
ernous gloom behind her.
A light moved there-a clear, round
eye Of light. Behind 1t was the faint
doors-just a blur of white it was, but
it moved stealthily, swiftly. She heard
a key turn in a lock. Then swiftly the
eye of light travelled across the library
to the door leading to General Gran
dalrs room. There it paused to cut
the handle of the door and keyhole be-
meath out of darkness. A brown hand
slipped into the clear shaft of white
ness, put a key into the keyhole and
softly turned it. The same was done
for the locks of Lady Crandalls door,
on the opposite side of the library, and
for the one Jane had just closed be-
hind her-her own door. Then the cir
Gle of light, seeming to have an intel
llgence all its own, approached the
desk, flew swiftly to a drawer and
there paused. Once more the brown
hand plunged into the bore of light,
the drawer was carefully opened, and
a steel blue revolver reflected bright
sparks from its barrel as it was with
drawn.
Jane, hardly daring to breathe and
with the heavy curtains gathered close
so that only a space for her eyes was
left open, watched the orb of light fas-
cinated. It CROPPED under the desk,
found a nest of slender wires. There
was a "snick, snickI' and the severed
ends of the wires dropped to the floor.
set near the double doors, was the next
object to come under the restless,
searching eye. While light poured
steadily upon the circular bit of steel
delicate fingers played with it, twist
ing and turning this way and that.
Then they were laid upon the handle
Of the safe door, and 1t swung noise
lessly back. A tapering brown hand,
white sleeved, fumbled in a small
drawer, withdrew a packet of papers
and selected one.
Jane stepped boldly into the ROOM.
"Sahibah!" The white club of the
electric flash smote her full in the face.
"What are you doing at that safe,
Jaimihr Khan?" Jane spoke as steadi-
ly as she could, though excitement had
its fingers at her throat, and all her
nerves were twittering. She heard
some sharply whistled foreign word,
which might have been a curse.
Something that concerns you not at
all, Sahibah," the Indian answered, his
voice smooth as oil. He kept the light
fair on her face.
"I intend that 1t shall concern me-"
the girl answered, taking a step for
ward.
"Veree, veree foolish, Sahibah!" Jai-
mihr whispered, and with catlike stride
he advanced to meet her. "Veree fool
ish to come here at this time!"
Jane, frozen with horror at the mans
approach, lodged and ran swiftly to
the fireplace, where hung the ancient
vesper bell. The 1ashlight followed
her every move-picked out her hand
as 1t swooped down to seize a heavy
poker standing in it's rack beside the
bell.
"Sahibah, do not strike that bellr'
The warning came sharp and cold as
frost. Her hand was poised over the
bell, the heavy stub of the poker a
very few inches away from the bells
flare.
ITO strike that bell might involve in
great trouble n who Is veree dear to
you, Sahibah. Let us talk this over
most calmly. Surely you would not de-
sire that a friend, a veree dear friend
"Who do you mean2" she asked
sharply.
"Ah! That 1 leave to you to guess"
Jaimihr Khan's voice was silken. "But
certainly you know, Sahibah. A friend
the most Important
Then she suddenly understood. The
Indian was referring to Captain Wood
house thus glibly. Anger blazed in
her.
at isn't true!'
"Sahibah, I I'M sorry to contradict"
Jaimihr Khan had begun slowly to
creep toward her, his body crouching
slightly as a stalking cats.
"Tl prove it isn't truel" she cried
and brought the poker down on the bell
with a sharp blow. Like a tocsin came
its answering alarm.
"a thousand devils!" The Indian
leaped for the girl, but she evaded him
and ran to put the desk between her