The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1917-11-15

hacBeard came up to Donald with
q smile of affected friendliness.
II understand that there is no rec
ord of our friends address," he said
Poor Masterman was a very retiring
man. No doubt we shall learn from
his friends In a day or two. 1 win
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 Ia there anything further tc
be doner'
II hardly think so" answered Don
aid.
Then II 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
o cordially.
Donsld took the p~roffered hand and
felt a sense of disgust at the touch
of the limp fingers. He strobe out Of
the club and took a taxicab to the
station.
The Baltimore train was Just about
TO leave. Late that night Lieutenant
Paget found the captains house. II
proved to be in a little old-fashioned
thoroughfare fianked by neat two
story houses. Each had a tiny back
garden surrounded by a high wall.
There was about II aH atmosphere, IL
not Of mystery, at any rate Of the re-
trement common to such backwaters
in the roaring streams of city life.
The captains was the last house in
the street. 1t stood a little farther
back than the rest, and was turned
slightly askew, facing them obliquely.
as though 1t 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 nat 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 1t was a hal
Inclination; 1t was a 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 1t 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 door, He lit q 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
a room at the back of the house, which
had apparently been built out at a
date subsequent to the completion of
the structure In Its original form.
He stopped short at the threshold.
hearing the 'swish. swish of water.
It was not falling water, but O.
gentle and continuous ripping. 1t oc-
Cured to him that II was, on a smaller
| scale. the sound that a seal makes IN
the course OF its cesseiess peregrins-
| lions around its tank.
There was a palm tree In a huge
pot on either side Of what looked Hike
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 a chandelier close to the
wall.
Donald lit three gas-jets.
The light iickered and sputtered as
the air rushed out. Then, when II
had grown steady, Donald saw that
a sort of Photographic lens was at
tached to q 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 q wall. There
was a connection between the tube
and another which ran upward from
the top Of the retort.
Presently Donald caught sight OF q
barometer attached to the front or the
mechanism. Now he began to under
stand. The object In the tank, what
ever II was. was under a pressure OF
. number of a~tmospheres.
He approached the tank and walled
round 1t. peering into 1t from evefJ
side. He saw the ripples on the wa
ter, md there was a faint sound a. OF
Il An hrus6od a0aiugt The glaeS. Rul