Evening star., 1922-01-15
BY Sax Rohner

"A barrow under the study floor!"
groaned the major. It'll have the
place pulled down. won't live in It!
Cad! II Marjorie knew. she would
| never close her eyes under the roof
OF Low Fennel again-Tm sure she
wouldn't! But, what's more. Addison,
the thing is dangerous-infernally
dangerous. 1t nearly killed young
| Wales" he added with a complacency
which was significant.
! ut was the fright that nearly killed
him." / said shortly.
Maj. Dale stared across the table
at me.
| Addison" he said, what does IL
mean? What unholy thing haunts
Low Fennel? You've studied these
beastly subjects. and 1 rely upon you
to make the place clean and good to
live in again"
Major" l replied. II doubt IL Low
FenneI will ever be fit to live in. At
any time an abnormal rise of tenn
perature might produce the most
dreadful results
you don't mean to tell me-
| IF you care to have the new wing
pulled down and the wall bricked up
again. if you care to keep all your
doors and windows fastened securely
whenever the thermometer begins to
exhibit signs of rising. if you avoid
going out on hot nights attsr dusk.
as you would avoid the plaguc-yes.
it may be possible to live in Low
J Fennel."
| Again the major stared
! What dyou mean. Addison b.
whispered For Gods sake, tell me,
| What is it-what is it?''
ut is what some students have
labeled an elemental and some a
Control" replied; ''it is something
older than the house; older, perhaps.
than the very hills-something which
may never be classified-something as
old as the root Of all evil, and it
dwells in the ancient British tu-
mulus.'
As 1 had hoped-for my plans were
dependent upon 1.-THE phenomenal
heat wave continued uninterruptediy.
The household was late retiring, for
the gray lord-Fear-had imposed his
will upon all within 1t.
Mrs Dale was as loath to retire as
were the servants, but finally We pre-
vailed upon her to depart, and she
ran upstairs as though the legions
of the lost pursued her. slamming and
locking her door SO that the sound
echoed all over the house.
In the majors study we made our
preparations. The windows were
W widely opened and the door was ajar.
Not breath of wind disturbed the
stiffness of the night, and, although
Maj. Dale had agreed to act exactly
as I might direct, he stared in almost
comic surprise when he learned the
nature of these directions.
Placing two large silk handker-
chiefs upon the table, l saturated
them with the contents of a bottle
which had brought in my pocket,
and handed one of the handkerchiefs
to him.
Tie that over your mouth and nos
trils," 1 said. .'and whatever happens
don't remove it unless l tell you"
But. Addison"
"You know the compact. major? III
YOU aren't prepared to assist, I must
ask you to retire. Tonight might be
the last chance, perhaps. for years.
Mai. Dale obeyed. and, a humorous
figure enough, stretched himself upon
the couch, staring at me round-eyed
l also fastened handkerchief about
my head.
"It would perhaps be better" I said.
my voice dimmed by the wet silk, IF
we avoided conversation as much as
possible"
| I cd hack a
of the carpet, exposing the floor
planks, and with brace and bit bored
a round hole in one of these. Into it
I screwed the tube, attached to lit
tie watch-like contrivance, twisting
the face of the dial so that ! could
study it from where I proposed TO sit.
Then l took up my post.
/, Half an hour passed in almost com
plete silence. save for the audible
breathing of the major. Having
agreed to assist me. in justice TO my
old friend. / must say that he did his
best to stick to the bargain and TO
play his part in what obviously he
regarded as an insane comedy.
At about the expiration of this
thirty minutes / thought / heard Il
Evidently. the major heard nothing
Again ] thought ! heard a sound as
of the rustling of silk upon the stair.
Finally I was almost certain that the
| floor of the room above tviz, the
majors bedroom) creaked slightly.
| At that 1 saw my companion glance
! upward. then across at me, with
question In his eyes. But l merely
shook my head.
~ 4 x
AN hour passed. The stiffness of
Low Fennel was really extraordi-
nary. A thermometer which / had
placed upon the table near to my ell
bow recorded the fact that the tenn
perature of the room had not abated
a fraction of point since sunset, and,
sitting still though 1 was. I found
myself bathed in perspiration. De-
spite the open door and windows, not
a breath of air stirred in the place,
but the room was laden with the op-
pyessive perfume of those night
scented flowers which I have men,
toned elsewhere, for it was family
perceptible to me. despite the wet
silk.
/ Then, all at once-and not gradu-
ally. as had anticipated-the meter
at my feet began to register. In
| stantiy I looked to the thermometer.
1t had begun to fall.