Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1925-05-08
CHAPTER II-Continued

SomelHlHS ulQ udppeu-a very Smaii
thing and not at all disturbing. It
was merely the sudden appearance on
the wall facing him of a small blue
circle Of light. It did not dance. 1t
did not even move. 1t merely faced
and regarded him, rather like watch
full eye.
He glanced across the room, but
without much interest OF course he
reasoned there was some wholly nat
ural explanation of the circle. He
nerves time to quiet down before he
tried to sleep. He would resolutely
think of other things-of scenes and
episodes of his boyhood But the eff
fort, occasionally successful in the
past, did not calm him now. He found
himself waiting for something. Deep
within him was conviction, which
grew with the moments, that some
thing was about to happen.
After an hour or two Of this he
went to bed. simultaneously the blue
circle vanished. But sleep was slow
in coming, perhaps because of that
hour of sleep before dinner. The
household must be sleeping, he re-
flected, for it was now well past mid
night. Yet he began to hear sounds
in the corridor, odd sounds, not easily
explained-probably, yes undoubtedly,
those sounds to which jerks had re-
ferred.
He stiffened and swore softly to him
self. The expectation that something
would happen, born of jerks warn
ing, was filing him with a sick fore
boding, was actually bringing out per-
SEPARATION upon his face. Yes, his face
was damp, and through his big body
ran sudden tremor. He ground his
teeth In self-disgust; but his brain,
still his alert and willing servant,
spect.
1t was not because he was afraid
of anything that might happen to him
that he sweated and trembled That,
at least, he could truthfully claim.
The worst that could happen to him
had occurred two years ago. 1t was
the possible call to action which made
him shake; the suggestion that what
was going on, whatever 1t was, might
demand initiative on his part.
He lay still and listened. The
noises in the corridor were increasing,
and If they were what jerks had
meant he had chosen the right word
for them. They were "odd" noises.
That quality in them was what had
first attracted his attention. They
were not footsteps. They were, quite
plainly by this time, such sounds as
might have been made by the drag
cling of heavy body along the floor,
and they were accompanied by what
sounded like the breathing of huge,
exhausted animal. Yet an exhausted
animal would hardly be dragging itself
along the corridors of Tawno Ker at
twenty minutes past twelve o'clock at
night.
"There's some queer things going on
in the old house, sir. If you hear odd
noises during the night, 1t is best to
That was indefinite in itself, but
definite enough as far as he, Renshaw,
was concerned. In different words,
but quite as plainly, Campbell had
said the same thing. 1t was not Rem
shaw's business to investigate odd
noises at Tawno Ker. On the con-
trary, 1t seemed plain that he was ex-
pected to ignore them. Everything
would be explained to him in due
time, and in the interval If Campbell
wished his assistance he would ask
for it. Renshaw's present cue was
discretion-which certainly did not
mean that he was expected to get out
Of bed and go chasing around In drafty
corridors at midnight.
His reflections having reached the
gratifying conclusion to which he had
directed them, he threw back the bed
clothing and set his feet on the floor.
All these things being so, the fact re-
manned that he must see what was in
that corridor.
He sprang to the door and threw
1t open. But, quick as he was, the
thing outside, which had seemed to
move so cumbrously and with such eff
fort, was quicker. His glance swept
the length of the corridor, but this
time there was not even the fiutter
If a dIsaDpoa ring garment Tn r.svord