Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-09-27

The captains was the last house in
back than the rest, and was turned
slightly askew, facing them obliquely,
IS though it knew itself to be out Of
place and was watching its neighbOrs
apprehensively over it's shoulder.
There was no light behind any Of
the drawn shades. A small dome on
a fat roof seemed to contain a tele-
scope.
Donald climbed q 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 a 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 it was a hal
lucinatfOn; it was a place Of echoes
and hauntings. And it 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 a match and
| found the gas.
The yellow fare disclosed a very
ordinary kitchen. Masterman's coat
| hung on q nail beside the window, and
he had been cooking porridge upon
the range Donald went through into
q room at the back Of the house, which
| had apparently been built out at a
date subsequent to the completion Of
the structure in it's original form.
He stopped short at the threshold,
! hearing the 'swlsh, swish Of water.
It was not falling water, but a
gentle and continuous ripping. 1t oc-
Cured to him that it was, on a smaller
scale, the sound that a seal makes in
the course Of its ceaseless peregrina-
tons around it's tank.
There was a palm tree in q 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 a COM
plicated apparatus resembling a re-
tort. He saw q chandelier close to the
wall.
Donald lit three gas-jets.
The light flickered and sputtered as
the air rushed out. Then, when 1t
had grown steady, Donald saw that
a 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 it was supported upon
an arm extended from a wall. There
| was q 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 it was, was under pressure Of
a number Of atmosphereS.
He approached the tank and walked
round it, peering into it from every
side. He saw the ripples on the wa
ter, and there was faint sound as of
fin brushed against the glass. But
he could see nothing in the nature of
living thing.
He could trace the movements, as
of some invisible body. He saw the
ripples glide forward along the sur
face, strike the glass wall opposite,
and continue at right angle, turning
again ana again as the creature con-
tinued on its steady course. The SEN
sation was uncanny. Captain Mas
terman's words came back to Donald :
"Ive brought my specimen home" He
was aware of an impulse to bolt. In
stead of which, however, he concen-
trated all his attention on the tank.
The movements in the water sub
sided. Donald had the impression that
the invisible creature had stopped and
was regarding him. He saw gentle
swirl as If a body stood upright with
in the tank. Then a sound from the
second tank drew him toward 1t.
It was a musical ringing, exactly
like that produced by drawing the
finger tip around the top of bowl OF
p water-a long-drawn sound, sweet and
clear Donald looked into this tank
which was open at the top and not
connected with the apparatus. But he
could see nothing there, either.
He turned back to the first tank
and all at once he perceived two black
specks, close together, halfway be
tween the top of the water and the
glass roof Each was about the size
of small currant. Donald went
nearer. He saw them move. Then he
started backward, overcome with hor'
ror.
The black specks were the pupils OF
a pair Of eyes fixed on his and fol