Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1924-05-23

chest heave. the gaplIke mouth con-
torted.
And suddenly he realized that this
grotesque, pitiful thing was suffering
He saw Immediately that the pro-
fessor's fall had disarranged the
tubes that led from the tank. That
and the removal of the glass lid, which
MacBeard's tumble had knocked to
the floor, had reduced the air pressure
to normal. The creature was suffer-
ing because there were only 10 pounds
Of air upon each square inch of its
surface. 1t suffered just as human
being suffers on a high mountain.
It squirmed and writhed, and the
water was churned up by its fiappers.
The gill openings beneath the ears
tapped convulsively. Donald could
do nothing. He knew that it was
growing visible because 1t was dying
as happens with the crystalline crabs
and other invisible denizens Of the
deep sea. Soon the force of the in
ternal pressure would disrupt 1t,
He turned off the gas and staggered
out through the kitchen into the little
garden. He knew now that Master
mans story had some germ of truth:
he had discovered some species of
deep-water-seal, and his mind, strained
by his privations, had imagined the
rest. Why, he himself had almost
imagined he had seen a woman in the
second tankl
He reached the gate, opened it,
slammed it, and ran down the road.
He did not cease running till he pulled
himself up under a street light. He
realized then that he was hatless;
people were staring after him.
And, looking back, he imagined that
he saw the shadowy outlines Of the
girls body beneath the light Of the
lamp.
"Im going crazyl" he muttered.
"Its been a crazy night. wonder
/ wonder how much of it happened
and how much was the result Of the
blow !"
And he half believed MacBeard had
never existed, and that a burglar had
assaulted him.
But as he thrust his hands into
the pockets of his trousers, he pulled
out the single page of Mastermans
manuscript, and then he knew that
there was at least some basis for the
remembrances that surged through his
busy brain.
Under the light of the next lamp
he read the page.
''My dear friend Donald" it began.
Then followed the lines which Paget
had begun in the Inventors club but
never finished. There was the warn
ing against MacBeard, 'the enemy of
the human race" Then Masterman
had written:
So much have learned, but know lit
tie. He has the shrewdest brain of the
century, and It is capable of infinite evil.
Not as a tale-bearer. Donald, but out of
duty to humanity, 1 here set down what /
have discovered about him. II he knew
that his past was revealed, my life would
be worth less than even the two months
which my doctor gives me.
He has been tracking me, spying on me.
I learned only today that he has a fast
motorboat in readiness off the coast TO
make the journey to the Shetlands as
soon as he has discovered all that know.
You must thwart him, and under no cir
cumstances let him get hold Of this man.
uscript. His history is as follows;
Donald scanned the rest of the page
hastily. MaeBeard's past, though it
seemed shady and criminal, had little
interest for Donald then. He resolved |
to put Masterman out of his mind In
attention to his duties.
OF one thing only he was sure: he
was not going back to the house to
see whether there were any more
specimens.
Somehow-he never quite remem-
)ered how-Donald found hotel, ex-
planned his appearance to the landlord,
obtained fresh clothing, sent for his
yalise, drank three hot whisky toddies,
md got to bed.