, 1923-03-06

protested Mrs. Forester. Take it
up right now and get the thing off
our minds. The decorators are
through and before we saw that
newspaper article l had made all
arrangements to nov out to Wood
mere Saturday morning"
Now look here. folks" protested
Forester. Let your arrangements
for moving Saturday morning go
ahead just as you had planned. 1
cannot do anything about delivering
this money before Saturday night.
as these men would not be expecting
II until that time. The police are
working on the case right now and
you have absolutely no cause for
worry or lear"
But Mr.. Nevins- began Jo-
sephine.
HIS case has nothing to do with
mine" interrupted Forester. HE
was an old man in the first place;
and in the second. he didn't tax
any precautions"
on Wednesday evening. Just as
dusk was falling Benjamin Green.
detective, dropped off the train near
oooptA 1oAtf 81 LIB a htaN u
die in each hand. He found no diff
Guilty in locating the oak tree. After
n careful inspection of his surround
ings. to make sure that he was not
observed. he swiftly plunged into the
heavy underground at the sid of the
road directly facing the tree.
Green had carefully timed his ar
rival to give him n few minutes OF
daylight to arrange a small storage
battery and n powerful automobile
spotlight. so the light would have n
clear space through which to throw
its beam directly on the tree when
the current vas switched On. Then
he sat down beside his apparatus.
leaned his back against n tree, n
prepared to await developments.
After darkness fell he found his
vigil somewhat tiresome. He dared
not smoke. nor strike n light of IL
kind.
Gradually. he became conscious OF
n sound different from the usual
night sounds in woods. II appeared
something like the whistling of the
wind Just before a summe thunder
storm. but. looking up. he saw that
the sky was ~unclouded. and filled
with a multitude OF twinkling stars.
The sound continued at intervals.
growing louder on each occasion, and
at last Green realized with a start
that It was distinctly like a human
sigh.
A chill OF horror ran up his spine.
A moment later, he heard a metal
lie rattle as though a person in
heavy chains were trying to move
about
He resolved that the NEXT time a
sound came to him he would throw
on the light.
But the next sound was more un.
canny than those he heard before.
ind as Green listened ho temporarily
forgot about tho light.
1t was the muffled tolling OF a
bell. The ouild rose and fell on
the still night; nov seemingly close
at hand; now floating far away.
Green was sure hat 4. must be
very close TO midnight. and even
though It had been earlier in the
evening. It was not likely hat any
one would be ringing Il church or
fident that the sound he heard orig.
school bell. Moreover. he was con.
mated in his immediate neighbor-
hood.
Gradually Tho sound seemed to
drift away.
After a while. Green's eyes became
accustomed TO the darkness n he
could dimly see tho gray outline IN
the starlight.
Suddenly he was conscious Of
something like a moving shadow IN
the roadway before him. He heard
lee or something had stopped
no sound. yet he was confident that
in front of the tree. Instantly he
threw on his light. It brought out
in cold relief the figure Of a woman
walking up the path toward the tree.
She stopped abruptly at the unex-
pected burst of light. and Green real.
lied thai she would instinctly tur
to see its source, allowing him to sec
her face.
Indeed, she had already begun tina, ler