The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-12-07

~ HUBERT RAY

~ HUBERT RAY s
s$&sSsSss$SSs
DOWNRIGHT. 1872. western Newspaper Union.
Tive mon died through this instru.
naent n, III
We don't know that. They were
found lying dead, apparently Of apo
plexy, with this instrument at their
feet
They'd taken it down from the
waIl3'' @ -. @.
Evidently"
What Is it?"
tThe sacred lutte Of Tama, the In
dian goddess of death. Old Major
kitchener took it from an Indian@tem-
pie. He brought it home with him
and died five months later"
"And his nephew, George kitchener,
how long had he been In possession of
the placer
"Two months. He was only thirty.
One doesn't expect to die of apoplexy
at thirty"
mo chance of poison?"
Absolutely lone. Poison was sus-
pected at first, but the bodies and the
instrument were submitted to the
most careful analysis"
"Yet there is a legend that posses
sion of this lutte means death?"
1T was once taken from the tenn
pie, centuries ago, by the conquerer
Babur. His player died. His second
pIouar diod HiS favor;+o rrifo dind oil
playing the instrument. Then it was
returned to the temple"
Old Falconer unused. He knew q
good deal about Indian mythology. and
he was trying to recall something he
had Once read. He examined the lutte
for the twentieth time. 1t had four
strings. Three of them were tuned,
the fourth, when plucked, gave out no
sound at all. 1t was quite loose-yet
it was meant to be loose, for it was
fitted in it's grooves in such a way
that it was impossible to adjust 1t.
Eyes, that string was meant to be
loose" said the younger nan mo
n knows why. It's something con-
nected with the worship of Tama."
"a deadly poison that is commune
Gated to the fngers?" Falconer sug-
gested.
absolutely not. That strings been
scraped and Analysed" replied the
other.
"I1l solve the problem by morning"
said Falconer. SIN trying to remem-
Der something. Go to bed, Simpson"
81 hope there won't be a third fatal
ity," suggested Simpson. Il think
you'd better o play with the thing,
Falconer. AS you know, the coroner
insists it was all a coincidence. that
both deaths were due to apoplexy.
Let's burn the beastly thing"
Don't worry about me, old man."
Falconer returned. II think I'm on
the track of the mystery. Listen!" He
plucked the mute string. Can you
hear a~nythingT'
"Of course I can hear something"
answered Simpson. 1T sounds exactly
rs if n were plucking a piece Of
string"
Nothing musicale"
"Of course not. Can your
"Not a sound. All right, I'm IN the
track, Simpson"
See here, old man, I'd infinitely
rather you wouldn't examine the thing.
It's dangerous. I'm convinced you're
In peril"
sim going to solve this thing by
morning" answered Falconer.
Simpson went to bed, but for a long
time he was unable to sleep. He lis
tened to old Falconer moving about
in the room underneath him. Some
times he fancied he heard the soft
tinkle of the lutte strings. And gradu-
ally, as the night wore on. an awful
terror began to Cypress him. PRESENT.
ment of evil grew so strong that at
last he put on his dressing-gown and
went softly down the stairs, deter
mined to stop Falconer from playing
with the Internal thing.
He had just reached the door when
he heard a sharp, strangled cry, fol
lowed by the sound of a heavy body
falling. He rushed in.
rdlCOHcT lay upon tu6 moor, anu !
single glance showed Simpson that b,
was dead.
Some papers on the table drew Simp
sons attention. Falconer had beer
writing. Mechanically he picked them
up and read:
81 have discovered the mystery o.
the mute string, and it lis the mos,
devilish invention ever made by hui
mainly.
"Just as there are sounds 30 higt
that the human ear cannot distinguish
them, 81 there are sounds composer
Of such heavy vibrations that they ar,
fnaudible. Such is the mute string
Plucked at a certain point it gives on,
vibrations heavy enough to destroy
hfe-as conclusion does.
The two men who died must have
plucked at the string until thsg
touched just the point that calls on,
these vibrations. I have had a lucky
escape. I shall not touch the strinl
any more. except Just once to hnt
Out-
NatuFe Faker,
"a The carpet In our dining room Wi
becoming worn and mother, desfrinl
to wait till spring to buy q new one
cut the frayfng edges while Ruth