The midland journal., 1917-09-28

between his voyages.
| MacBeard came up to Donald with
smile of affected friendliness.
II understand that there is no rec
ord of our friends address," he said
"Poor Masterman was very retiring
man. No doubt we shall learn from
his friends in day or two. will
have an announcement published, and
have arranged for the funeral to be
held from Byam's undertaking estab-
lishment the day after tomorrow at
noon. Is there anything further to
| be done?"
II hardly think so," answered Don
aid.
'"Then if you can look in here to-
morrow at eleven, we may talk mat
ters over. And now permit me to wish
you good evening"" said the profess
sor cordially.
Donald took the proffered hand and
felt sense of disgust at the touch
of the limp fingers. He strode out of
the club and took taxicab to the
station.
The Baltimore train was just about
to leave. Late that night Lieutenant
Paget found the captains house. 1t
proved to be in little old-fashioned
thoroughfare flanked by neat two
story houses. Each had a tiny back
garden surrounded by a high wall
There was about it an atmosphere, If
not Of mystery, at any rate of the re-
tirement common to such backwaters
in the roaring streams of city life.
The captains was the last house in
the street. It stood a little farther
back than the rest, and was turned
slightly askew, facing them obliquely,
as though it knew itself to be out of
place and was watching it's neighbors
apprehensively over its shoulder.
There was no light behind any Of
the drawn shades. A small dome on
a flat roof seemed to contain tele-
scope.
Donald climbed a fence, walked
round to the back, and went up the
weed-grown path. The grass had not
been moved since it sprouted in
spring; the garden was unkempt and
ragged. Donald felt sure that there
was nobody within.
AS he trod the flags Of the garden
walk, he fancied he heard the foot
steps Of man in the street, following
him. He stopped and listened, but
now no sound was to be heard. He
peered back into the darkness, but
saw nobody. Doubtless 1t was hal
lucination: it was place of echoes
and hauntings. And 1t seemed singu-
larly appropriate for old Masterman
to have had his lonely residence here,
matching his lonely life.
AS Donald had anticipated, the front
door was locked, and the window of
the living room was apparently nailed
up. He traversed the narrow path
that led to the back of the house. To
his surprise, the kitchen window was
open.
Then it occurred to him that Mas
terman had, Of course, gone directly
home on his return from his last
earthly voyage. He swung himself
across the window sill and dropped to
the kitchen floor. He lit match and
found the gas.
The yellow flare disclosed very
ordinary kitchen. Masterman's coat
hung on a nail beside the window, and
he had been cooking porridge upon
the range. Donald went through into
a room at the back of the house, which
had apparently been built out at
date subsequent to the completion OF
the structure in It's original form.
He stopped short at the threshold,
hearing the "swish, swish" Of water.
It was not falling water, but a
gentle and continuous ripping. 1t oc-
Cured to him that it was, on smaller
scale, the sound that seal makes in
the course of it's ceaseless peregrsna-
tions around its tank.
There was palm tree in a huge
pot on either side of what looked like
an enormous goldfish bowl. Behind
this was a second bowl, even larger.
In the middle of the room was COM
plicated apparatus resembling a re-
tort. He saw a chandelier close to the
wall.
Donald lit three gas-jets.
The light flickered and sputtered as
the air rushed out. Then, when it
had grown steady, Donald saw that
sort of Photographic lens was at
tached to a box in front of the appa-
ratus, directed toward the great tank
between the palms.
Approaching, he perceived that the
top of the tank was covered with
glass. A slender tube of the same
material entered the water from
above, where 1t was supported upon
an arm extended from wall. There
was a connection between the tube
and another which ran upward from
the top of the retort.
Presently Donald caught sight of a
barometer attached to the front Of the .
mechanism. Now he began to under
stand. The object in the tank, what
ever 1t was, was under pressure of
"a