American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-04-18
Will-'O-the-
Wisp
n
By RAN COMSTOCK
Copyright

the aeTOpldile Sllu Jus ~
banked, came deity about as 1t neared
the poplars at the end of the en-
closure and dipped.
A shadow fled across the lawn he
meath ii.
Ashcroft lowered The forward planes,
the Will-0'the-Wisp settled, ran along
the grass for q little way, and a mo
ment later ne Jumped off and came
oyer where ( stood.
"What do you think of it, ne
queried eyntingly.
81 thiak," l replied that you have
perfected one of the most devilish con
trivances ever possessed by a re-
spectacle crook. When do we startF
Half an hour" he said. Come N
side and have a drink"
When we had seated ourselves on
either side of a bottle of sparkling
Chablis, he raised his glass and toasted
our coming adventure.
"To the safe voyage of the VIII
o'.the-Wisp and the Honorable Geor-
gia Calendars diamond dog collar,
said he.
And we drank it off with deep feel
ing.
A month before ! had come across
Ashcroft, or rather he had come across
me, and In a manner that left no doubt
as to my intentions In visiting him.
The fact Of It was, that his home
being one of the most s~nug-looking
villas in the exclusive section of Staten
Island, and | being a gentleman nv
ing mainly by my wits, | cast my eyes
upon it and computed mentally just
how much I should be in if fortune
should favor me with a clear field.
The upsh0t of the thing was, that
Just as | was about TO descend from
his thlrd-stOry window, together with
what more or less valuable articles ]
had managed to pick up in the course
of my visit, the electric lights were
switched on and a bullet splattered the
plaster down the back of my neck.
Ashcroft changed his mind after the
first shot, took me in, instructed me in
what he was pleased to call "the finer
polltS VI tue SuHle, anu llohi llol =
we were inseparable.
We d~istrusted each other most cor.
daily and split the profits.
He looked up at me from a long and
silent meditation upon the virtues of
the wine.
"The wind will drop in about fifteen
minutes, l should say, and the Honor
able Mrs. Calendars little private roof.
Just make it. Have you a revolver
l got out my automatic and inspected
, Its contents, and he nodded in ap
! prOval.
{ LET us pray we shall not have t.
} use them. Where are the masks?"
! We climbed aboard. The Will-o'-the
{ Wisp quivered, moved forward like {
! living thing. Ashcroft tilted the for
ward planes and we lifted.
An immense shadow was fitting
along the ground below us, but pres
entity the moor went behind n clouI
: and we sailed through darkness. TIL
l country below us was an inky surface
o with here and there n twinkling ligh
G that spoke of n house.
I Ashcroft moved the lever a trife an
! my seat inclined a fraction. l kne'
x that we were climbing.
Presently we righted and slid alOn
. IN a level. Ashcroft let out anothe
! notch and the purring of the mote
y increased to II muftled hum. A vim
I ing white ribbon that | knew was tn
e turnpike was d%iscernible below us an
n black spot n racing along In OF
wake.
II was an automobile, and a fair
II footing of the horn came up to us, bl
{ he men In it never lifted their face
1.-TWO thousand feet" said Ashcroft
. we shall just make It."
Far below us to the right one cou'
/ make out the varied lights of Gone
y Island.
! \ little north of them the shar
knife-like streak Of a searchlight fro
the Navy Yard swept back and fort
across the sky. once heading exact
: in II direction, but we were beyor
ITO l'NuNs
II looked like n toy city.
| could hardly believe II was Ne
!, York. that vague wilderness of root
the long strings OF lights that we.
the streets, the faint glow of Broa
:. way, the crawling things that | kne
were the trains of the elevated ra
road.
II was exactly IL 200 O'Clock. Ov
: Madison Square we circled again al
: Aid down in a long glide until v
= could have shaken hands with Diar
: had W. been in her vicinity. TIL,
=. Ashcroft shut Off the motor and '
= posed earthward In n narrowing clrcl
Ashcroft is nothing il not accurat
. We made our way cautiously aero
the two roofs that interviewed hetwe,
the Will-o'-the-Wisp and the Initial,
italian garden that sent "A soft glow
:, light into the night.
- Ashcroft softly parted the leaves
a the arbor wall and we peeped In.