Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1922-09-22
The
Loose String
BY HUBERT RAY

I uleHl
we don't know that. They were
found lying dead, apparently of suo.
pieAy' with this instrument at their
feet" '''
They'd taken it down from tba
wall?" WV
Evidently"
what is it?"
The sacred lutte Of Tama. the IN.
dian goddess of death. ola N,ior
kitchener took it from an Indian fem.
pie. lie brought it home with him
and died five months later"
And his nephew, George Kitchener
now long had he been in possession Of
the placer"
Two months. He was only thirty
one doesn't expect to die of apopleyv
at thirty"
mo chance of poison?"
Absolutely none. 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 possess
sion OF this lutte means death?"
1T was once taken from the TEN.
pie centuries ago, by the conauerer
Babur. His player died. His second
player died. His fayorite wife dled-all
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 we're tuned
the fourth, when plucked, gave out no
sound at all. 1t was quite loose-yet
1t was meant to be loose. for it was
fitted in its grooves in such a way
that ii was impossible to adjust 1t.
Yes, that string was meant to be
loose" said the younger man. mo
one knows why. It's something con.
nected with the worship of Tama."
"A deadly poison that is communi
Gated to the ingers?' Falconer sug
gested.
absolutely not. That strings been
scraped and Analysed" replied the
other.
I'll solve the problem by morning" ~,
said FaIconer. I'm trying to remem,
Der something. Go to bed, Simpson"
Il hope there won't be a third fatal.
lty," suggested Simpson. Il think
you'd better not 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 81 think I'm on
the track of the mystery Listen" He
plucked the mute string. Can you
hear anything?"
"Of course | can hear something
answered Simpson. 1T sounds exactly
as if one were plucking a piece of
string"
Nothing musicalf'
"Of course not. Can you?'
mot a sound. All right, I'm on 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"
I'm 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
iinkle 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 dressng-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 heavy body
| falling. He rushed in.
Falconer lay upon the floor, and a
single glance showed Simpson that he
was dead.
Some papers on the table drew Simp.
I son ATTENTION. dItDHti Hdu bFVA
writing. Mechanically he picked them
up and read:
81 have discovered the mystery of
the mute string, and 1t is the most
devIlish invention ever made by hui
manity.
"Just as there are sounds so high
that the human ear cannot distinguish
them, so there are sounds composed
of such heavy vibrations that they are
inaudible. Such is the mute string.
Plucked at a certain point 1t gives our
vibrations heavy enough to destroy
Hfe-as conclusion does.
The two men who died must have
plucked at the string until they
touched just the point that calls out
these vibrations. I have had a lucky
escape. l shall not touch the string
any more, except Just once to find
out"
Nature Faker.