Evening star., 1927-09-27

She undressed her, after q few
futile efforts to recall the seemingly
wandering mind, and bandaged the
torn, aching feet. then brought broth
and medicine which Janet decided to
take docilely. Afterward. the woman
settled herself in the rocker beside
the candle with a book, as thoush
prepared to read the night through.
Her presence was intolerable and
Janet lay quietly, breathing with deep
regularly as though she were asleep.
Perhaps Mrs. Carlin would CO. per-
hapS
But the continued strain had been
too severe and, before she could COM
bat it. the feigned slumber became
real, When she opened her eyes once
more. the sun was high and the dis.
tant church clock she had heard
before was striking eleven, Wnlie MRS.
Carlin had disappeared
The sky. She must watch the SKY!
Janet sprang from bed, wincing at
every tortured footstep. and hurried
to the window. Stout wire netting
had been nailed over its opened lower
sash, but through it she peered
anxiously upward. Was she too late!
She did not know what to expect ana
nothing met her gaze in the vast ex'
panse of blue but an oddly shaped
cloud of grayish white, drifting laZily
downward.
There was a faint. faraway huz2ing
In her ears like the distant hum or
bees. Could 1t be an airplane? She
could discern no floating speck In
the higher air, but the little cloud
caught her eye once more. IL
was changing, streaking down
like an uncoiled, lace-edged ribbon be-
low a short horizontal line reaching
out to the left of it. 1t looked Ike
gigantic. blurred figure a.
Seven. 1t was the signal. the mes
sage from the skies! Janet held her
breath, for more faint puffs of smoke
were coming into view from some
unknown source Could 1t be an air.
plane at an altitude SO high as to be
invisible, or We're bombs like daylight
fireworks being sent up from some
where below? The puffs of smoke
were resolving themselves as before
but with maddening slowness and In
curving lines like written letters haz-
lily outlined in the infinite,
Janet pressed her face hard against
the screen. Surely the letter 1T" was
forming itself and the streak flowed
onward, making an upward loop. but
smaller than the first. "T-e'' A word
was forming!
What stupendous mysterious power
was this at the disposal of Afford and
his comrades, the men who knew the
meaning of the watch hands that
pointed to seven! What did it mean,
that they would risk their lives for an
unknown girl who displayed 1t in ex-
tremity? But then, Daddy knew it. too,
and had given 1t into her keeping! He
was one of them and this marvel Of
the air was at his command also!
''T-e-n," and that was all! The first
part had already disintegrated and
fioated away in mist. The figure
seven" and written word ten" Why
had they been so differentiated? The
figure was surely the signal to call
her attention, but the word
What was it's message? The clock
had struck eleven. Janet reflected;
could it mean to be ready If some
thing happened at ten that night?
But footsteps and the rustic of
skirt sounded along the hall. and
Janet had only time to reach the side
of her bed and seat herself upon 1t
when Mrs. Carlin entered. She read
recognition in the girls eyes and ex.
claimed:
You're better now? That's good:
There's some one waiting downstairs
for little talk with your
Continued in Tomorrow Starr
Glaciers that creep down the sides
of Mount Rainier are slowly grinding
the mountain away.