Evening star., 1921-03-13

taken off the heavy wrappin' paper.
and undone the cardboard carton,
what is revealed is more or less of a
eurio. The box is about ten inches
square, and it is covered with some
kind of skin with the hair worn off
| in spots and studded with bigheaded
orass tacks. It's an antique. all right.
| There's a crude sort of brass handle
on the top and Il trick catch for the
| cover that it takes US minute or so
to puzzle out.
| Now says Garry, when we've
worked the top loose. lets see this
Ell kut thing.
But first Miss Bolton has to pull
out layer or two of wIy-t looked
| like old curled hair. 1t smells as
| musty as it looks. Then comes this
round thing wrapped in faded green
vell that amt any too clean. She
unwinds that slow and careful and
the next thing We know she's hold
| ing up The Purble Bubble. Uncle
| cyrus was good describer, for
that's what it was. Something like
! an diversified Christmas tree decora-
ton. Only it don't seem to be just
| ordinary glass. You could almost
| see through it. and yet you couldn't
of purple. Kind of had the crowd
| gaspin' as the light from the table
| candles caught it.
"El Kut" says Miss Bolton. solemn.
| How curious" says Garry. "And
just fancy-it might be a piece of
| Tyrian ware, hundreds Of years old"
Its age is more than a thousand"
| says Miss Bolton.
| why. Sally. how can you tell?"
| asks Mrs. Robert
Il don't know" says she. "but I
! am sure"
"All right" says Mr. Robert Let's
| get on with the test. What do We
| do next?"
| Either Sally Bolton is as good an
actress as they say she is. or this
bubble affair was beginnin' to put the
| spell on her.
'S-s-s-sh"' says she. never taking
her eyes off it. Reverence for FL kut.
Do not speak, please. And there is
too much light. too much
! Just a moment says Mrs. Rob
ert. jumpin' UP and punchin' out the
dome switch. There"
! Better" says Miss Bolton. Now
two candles here. before me. You
! may. blow out the others. 1t is now
as it was in the tent OF llderim Ell
Kut. am ready. I am prepared to
! see what may be shown TO me.
With that she spreads the old veil
ever her head. covers the purple
bubble witt it, and rests her elbows
on the <able as IL she was waitin'
watchEIl. Maybe you don't think it
was /eird. there in that big dim din
in room, with h\r head wrapped up
th/t way and all I've rest of US holdin'
!, Gar breath and st&tchin' our necks.
lr.ven MIR. Robert. who's about as
Istodgy a party as you could dig up. is
starin earnest AS far me. | begun
w onderin' if there way anything to
this thought readin' stu\t. Could she
see in that glass globe wyatt was goin'
on inside our heads? Aine. for in
tcliin' it all, sight out ID I'D? What
was thinkin' Of anyway? And how
would 1t sound if it was reported ac-
| curate?
ing happens. You could hear folks
breathin' heavy. and now and then
lettin' out a deep sigh. One or two
wiggled in their chairs. Wee got a
little nervous and was bitin' her fln-
ger nails. AS for Garry Bliss. he's
pop eyes. his thick undelip twitch.
in like rabbits nose. All any Of
us could see of her. though. was her
shoulders. They were still and steady
and droppin' as il her breath was
coming deep and jerky.
! / can't say whether that went on
for five minutes or fifteen. 1t seemed
a long time. Twice Mrs Robert had
TO shoe out a maid who came buttin'
One had TO smother her giggles in a
napkin. Another took up sniffin'
The end Of my nose started to itch.
| Then all of a sudden Miss Bolton
! lets out something that's half way
| tetween sob and groan. snatches
off the veil, pushes the purple bubble
away from her toward the middle of
i the table. and drops her face into her
| folded arms.
J why, Sally'" says Mrs. Robert.
| "Whatevcr is the matterr'
| but she gets nothing out of Miss
l 4rI-
| tions.
'Tell u.s." insists Mr.. Robert. did
did you see anything: Could you
| read any ones thoughts?'
"Oh, don't!' means Miss Bolton
| please don't ask me-"
But see here" says Mr.. Robert,
that's what we been waiting for.
How are we going to know whether
you did or not?'
| "How?' says she, liftin' her head
and starin' about wild. How can you
ask?'
Then you did read some of our
thoughts gays Garry Bliss. ''Whose o.
| "And what were they?" adds Mrs.
| Robert.
Ugh" says Miss Bolton. "You-you
don't know what you are asking. /
I've seen enough. Too much. And
for fear l might be tempted to look
| again."
She stops. -shudders, and the next
thing we knew she has grabbed the
purple bubble. showed back her chair,
stepped over to the fireplace and
smashed Ell Kut into a thousand
pieces on the hearth. While all we
| can do is gasp.
"There!" says she. THAT toy Of
Satan is finished, I hope And now
please. may I stay here all night :?
can't talk to any one. I'm feeling
rather faint"
She looked It. In fact. If Mr.. Robert
hadn't jumped and caught her I
don't know but she'd have slumped on
the floor. Garry Bliss tried to help,
too. but she pushed him away.
mot you" says she. Don't touch
me"
So Mr.. Robert and Wee helped her
out Of the dinin room and upstairs.
by Jove" says Garry. That was
weird enough, eh?"
Say" 1 whispers, nudgin' him.
you wasn't bored as much as you
expected. were you?'
Somehow the party seems to break
lup -soon- after that Nobody wanted