The Little River news., 1923-01-17
The Loose String
By HUBERT RAY

Two men died through this instru- ment7"'
 we don't knew that. They were found lying dead, apparently of apo. plexy, with this instrument at their feet"
 They'd taken 1t down from the wall?"
 Evidently"
 What is it?"
 The sacred Inte of Tama, the h. dian goddess of death. Old Major Kitchener took it from an Indian tenn pie. He brought it home with him and died five months later"
 And his nephew, George Kitchener, how lsng had he been in possession of the place?'
 Two months. He was only thirty. One doesn't expect to die of apoplexy at thirty"
 "No chance of poison?"
 Absolutely none. Poison was sus., pected at first, but the bodies and the most careful analysis"
 Yet there is a legend that posses. sion of this lute means death7"
 Tt was once taken from the tenn pie, centuries ago, by the conquerer Babur. His player died. His second player died. His favorite wife died-all playing the instrument. Then 1t was returned to the temple.'
 Old Falconer unused. He knew a good deal about Indian mythology, and he was trying to recall something he had once read. He examined the lute for the twentieth time. It had four strings Three of them were tuned, the fourth, when plucked, gave out no sound at all. It 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 it.
 "Yes. that string was meant to be loose," said the younger man. "No one knows why. It's something con- nected with the worship of Tama"
 "A deadly poison that is communi- cated to the fingers?" Falconer sug- gested.
 Absolutely not. That strings been scraped and analyzed," replied the other.
 I'll solve the problem by morning." said Falconer. "Im trying to remem- Der something. Go to bed, Simpson,"
 T hope there won't be a third fatal ity," suggested Simpson. q think you'd better not play with the thing, Falconer. As you know, the coroner insists it was all coincidence, that both deaths were due to apoplexy. Let's burn the beastly thing"
 Don't worry about me, old man." Falconer returned. q think I'm on the track of the mystery. Listen!" He plucked the mute string Gan you hear anything?"
 Of course 1 can hear something," answered Simpson. Ut sounds exactly as if one were plucl1ing piece of string"
 "Nothing musical?"
 "Of course not. Can you?"
 "NOt 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"
 "Im going to solve this thing by morning." answered Falconer.
 Simpson went to bed, but for 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 lute strings. And gradu- ally, as the night wore on, an awful terror began to oppress 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 sharp, strangled cry, fol- lowed by the sound of heavy body falling He rushed in.
 Falconer lay upon the floor, and single glance showed Simpson that he was dead.
 Some papers on the table drew Simp- sons attention. Falconer had been writing. Mechanically he picked them up and read:
 'I have discovered the mystery of the mute string, and 1t is the most devilish invention ever made by hu- 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 out vibrations heavy enough to destroy life-as concussion 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 lucky escape. I shall not touch the string any more, except just once to find out"
 Nature Faker. The carpet in our dining room was