Evening star., 1924-04-20


to his door. The box might have con-
tained flowers, but the habits and
character of Mr. Sandys made flowers
Incredible He was the type of man
who might send his wife present
of a sirloin steak upon her birthday
or of a waffle iron at Christmas, but
for him to have sent a box Of flowers
casually upon no occasion whatever
was unimaginable.
Aipin Stone. my adjoining neighbor
"a dealer in second hand books-and,
so i have discovered. an individual well
worth cultivating-was trimming the
grass about a flower bed. l called to
him
"Alpin." said I, "a parcel has just
been delivered to the Sandyses. 1t
looks like flowers"
Then" said he. MRS. Sandys must
have an indiscreet admirer."
1t might" said I, contain food"
IF it came from Sandys." said he,
cit might contain anything that is de-
void of beauty or sentiment, and is
useful"
But" said I, hes not such a bad
chap. Seems fond of his wife, and she
of him"
"A good husband and bountifuI pro-
WIDER" said Alpin sententiously. but
as empty Of imagination as a puff ball
is of honey"
At that moment Mrs Sandys ap-
eared in the door. Even at the dis
tance of a hundred yards one was
aware of her exceptional prettiness
even though her features were indis-
tinguishable.
She stood in the door an instant.
looking up and down the street: then
spying Alpin and myself. ran across
the porch, down the steps and toward
us. She paused before my house
breathless.
will you come? Will you please
come-quick?" she said.
What has happened?" said I,
though Alpin already had moved to-
ward her.
THE box. I'm afraid of the box"
Then. as we walked beside her-and
her pallor and trembling made it ap-
parent she was the victim of no ordi-
nary frght-She said. "I don't know
what it Is. l never felt so before.
II isn't fright exactly. but a kind
that box it overcame me. felt that
I had something horrible in my
hands"
You opened it?' Alpin asked.
"No-No.'
Alpin paused. you say your SEN
sation was one of loathing and
horror?
Yes
WAS the box light or heavy"
ut vast was quite heavy
"Did it feel" asked Alpin, "alive
or dead?'
1T felt" she said after a pause.
"malignant"
There was no mechanical tick
ing?"
No"
Alpin nodded to himself In Mrs
Sandy's hall he paused and said i'm
patiently, almost petulantly, THE
box The box
There" She pointed to a table in
the library where rested container
some two feet long by ten inches wide
and six inches deep. 1t was wrapped
in stout manila paper and secured in
tricateiy by a strong cord, knotted
and knotted again.
We approached it. No sooner had
we come within its immediate neigh
borhood than Mrs. Sandys covered
her face with her hands and uttered
a sort of moan. / myself was con-
scious of a peculiar and highly dis
agreeable sensation, not unlike the
feeling one has in a rapidly descend
ing elevator. Alpin Stones face mir
rored some unpleasant emotion, but
his lips were compressed and his
brows drawn. AS If by a tremendous
effort of the will, he compelled him.
self to lay his hand on the cover of
the box. He lifted it, weighed it,
shook it. From the sound the box
contained some heavy substance,
packed loosely in paper. He set the
continued.
Alpin turned to look at me, and
nodde d. as if confirming some con-
lecture ready made.
Wait" he said, Don't touch it
until come back. On your life, don't
unite a knot. Or better, 1 will carry
the box into the garden. Come
along"
+ 4 + i
WE walked through the house
w to the back yard, little plot
secluded by high shrubs. and Alpin
placed the box on the lawn; then he
walked to young fruit tree and
ruthlessly cut strong limb with his
jack-knife-a limb with forking
branches. This hs trimmed meticu-
1ously until he held in his hand a
a crotch at its extremity.
Mrs. Sandys, stand at a distance,
please. You, Jenkins, take that hoe
and be ready"
The cord was unfastened. Alpin
stood back. and with his wand loos-
ened the wrapping paper, disclosing a
strong box of corrugated board. He
placed the tip Of his wand under the
cover and tipped it upward, poising
tensely.
The box was filled loosely with
white paper such as is used to pack
fragile objects, paper cut into narrow
strips and looking like white excel
sior. That was all. Alpin reached
forward with his wand and stirred
the mass Of paper!
Slowly something emerged. Some
thing dark, sleek, loathsome reared
itself from its concealment with a
1.-the, graceful, horrible, undulating
movement, slowly swaying to and
fro. I think I uttered cry. Alpin
Iunxed forward deftly with his wand.
The box was overturned amid dis
concerting Topping and thrashing
about, and then Alpin turned to me,
calm restored, and said in his natural