THE NORTH PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE.
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" -S--v. 5Bfv'' :3 " Copyright, 191 a , by Harry Irving Grceio "- . i"'s -. -
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3YNOP8I8.
Professor Desmond of tlio Peak observa
tory causes a great Bcnsatlon throughout
tbe.ppuntry by announcing that what up-
fieufH to be a Bfitolllto Is approaching nt
terrlllc speed. Destruction of thu earth Is
fpnrptL Panic prevails everywhere. Th
nalollltQ barely misses tho earth. The at
mospheric dltturbatico knocks pcoplo un
conscious, but does no damage. A loiif
bearing, u. cnballsllc design flutters down
among the guests at n. lawn party It Is
Identical In design with a curious orna
ment worn by Doris Fulton. A hideous
iimn-IIKc being with huge wings desconds
In tha midst of the guests, iln notice
llorls' ornament And starts toward her.
Tho men foor ha Intends somo harm to
Doris and a (lerca battle, ensues. In which
Totllvpr and March, suitors of Doris, and
f'rofcWor Desmond nro Injured. Tho Uy
n K man Is wounded by a shot from Tol
liver, but escapes by flvlng nway. A far
mer reports that tho flying man carried
off Ills you n it daughter. People every
where, nro terror-stricken nt tho possl
tillltjcs for evil possessed by tha mon
Mer. Tho governor offers a reward of
fSOQ.000 for his capture, dead or alive. Put
nam. Ii tho first of tho aviators to re
pond. CHAPTER VI. Continued.
Vi) (.award him tho machlno arose in
n long, swooping curvo until but n
fowj hundred foot separated them and
n deeply Intoned gaBp came from tho
multitude as the tragedy seemed about
to cloao beforo It had begun. And
then tho unoxpflcted happened. Clos
ing his wings at, quickly ns n woman
jmans her fnn uhut, tho Flying Man
droppod In a blnck strenk, whllo Put
nam, ciulck ns a cat In pursuit of n
mouse, plunged after him In a dlvo
no reckless, eo apparently beyond con
trol, that a shrill cry, quick and ex
plosive, burst from tho multitude and
hundreds nvorted their faces Hint they
might not witness tho sight all
thought must follow. Out when hun
dreds of those bolow had nlready start
ed for tho placo whoro he would He
at tho ond of tho fall, ho checked his
flight with Incomparable skill and
wonL skimming along on a parallel,
onco more In perfect poise. It was
.an exhibition iof nerve beyond any
thing thoy han ovor seen attempted
by an aviator before, and a honrse
roar of ndmlratlon burst from their
throats as thoy pounded each other
upon tho back In a frenzy of delight.
As for tho Flying Man, ho hud mount
ed, up nguln and was now coming
straight toward thorn with mighty
swoops. Swiftly Putnam circled about
and followed.
And now followed a chase such as
man had nvor soon hofore tho Bight
of a wingless man In a machine-driven
craft whistling through tho nlr at
wild speed In pursuit of another man
upon .whom Naturo had bestowed a
power of flight beyond that or most of
her fcathorod things with death na
tho losor'B penalty. Their evolutions
bocajno bowlldetlng. Plainly tho Fly-
log Man wbb trying the other out as
n boxor tostB an unknown ndvorsary
boforo deciding upon his course of
battle. Ho mounted straight upward
as an arrow and nt n holght of thou
nauds of foot hung stationary with a
languid boating of hlo great wings. Ho
droppod as a nlghtlmvk drops In his
hunting nt dUBk, he leaped broad
Epaccs llko a Bhootlng star, ho flow
upon his stdo ub a awlminor races,
ho circled, ho plrouettod In dizzy
whirls, Boarod llko a condor, flapped
lazily, at was an exhibition of flying
Incompnrablo, and tho concourBo be
low grow cold with apprehension ns It
mentally plcturod tho acono which
must rollow when this wizard of tho
nlr, Urlng of his oxhlbltlon, would
In Ing. It to a close, nut Putnum, reek
loss as ovor and olthor not realizing
or not oaring that ho was hopelessly
outolnsBod, stuck to his quarry with
the tenacity of a bulldog. Almost nny
other man would havo descended und
awallod tho nrrlval of reinforcements,
tut with halt a million dollars In
sight, n great crowd to watch him
nnd his reputation for fearlessness at
titako, tho aviator followed ovory
movomont of tho black-winged ono
wIUl florco determination. It waB
Catch or bo caught, kill or bo killed,
and ho had faced doath at short range
top ofton to falter now. Steady as
an Iron maucool ns Ice dCBplto hla
rngo, ho maneuvered hla machlno with
h skill nnd daBh and disregard of con
roquoncoB that proclaimed him tho
most spectacular of his spectacular
profession, ovory movq exocuted with
tho accuracy of genius, ovory polBo
ho acme of skill. Threo tlmos his
revolvor had leaped from Its holster
its his foe offered a posslblo mark,
but each tlmo tho winged one, divin
ing his Intont, dropped like n stono
nnd Putnam hnd released tho unflred
woapon to tlovoto himself onco more
to tho machlno. Ho had begun at Inst
to roallzo that tho chase was hopeless,
but his obBtlnacy was still unshnkon
"It haB got to bo you or I, my, artful
dodger," ho gritted betWoon hla act
-tcoth as ho onco more swung about
In pursuit after a futile whirlwind
danh. "It Is you or I, and by Heav
ens ono of us ltiia got to take a tumble
this day." in tho grlmuoas of his de
termination to get u fair shot ho
would huvu tried to fly to mldocenu
dad tho other led him that way.
Hut now tho tnctics of tho Flying
Man Biiddonly changed. Appearing to
havo satisfied his mind that he could
oy with tho other and harass him as
a matador does a bull, ho led him onco
more Into a blind rush, darted light-nlng-llke
aside, and holding his wings
outstretched to their fullest extent
and rigid as bars ho came swooping
down upon tho heads of tho pneked
multitude with nlmost tho spued of
a direct fall. Down, down in a long,
sharp lnclino as a wildfowl seeks tho
Burfaco of a lake, ho came, head fore
moBt, his body nearly perpendicular,
his arms outstretched nnd hla hands
clasped ns a swimmer dives from a
great height, tho whistle of his wings
shrilling over sharper nnd sharper in
their enrs. And before that majestic
dlvo those upon the ground surged
backward with tho hoarso roar of u
panic, Jamming each other against
tho surrounding walls, striking at ran
dom, trampling each other unmerci
fully. Hut when only a dozen feet
nbovo tholr bonds tho descending ono
flattened his pinions and with a cry
of such savagery that It set the hear
ers' teoth on edge, wont skimming
llko a moteor abovo them to tho rush
of wind and vanished In t,ho twinkling
of an oyo over tho buildings. Putnam,
dazzled by tho unexpectedness and
swiftness of tho other's plunge, circled
nbout rapidly as ho sought to again
sight his vanished foe.
For perhaps a minute, n long min
ute, whon men gazed silently into
each other's eyes In tho stupefnctlon
of those who havo Just witnessed a
miracle, tho flying ono remained' be
yond tholr ken whllo Putnam, tho
whiBtlo of his run faintly audlblo In
tho groat hush, pati oiled tho sky im
patiently with his koen oyos. Then
Mr above thorn in another quarter and
at leaBt flvo hundred feet higher than
tho aviator, tho winged ono again ap
peared and those below .caught their
breath with a long, sighing gasp In
tho Instinctlvo realization that tho
comedy was finished and tho grim
tragedy about to bo performed. So
suddenly had ho reappeared and so
considerable waB IiIb height that Put
nam did not locnto him until n grent
shout of warning nroso to his ears.
Ho looked down, saw tho direction of
tholr pointed flngors and shot an up
ward glanco In response. Tho Flying
Man was hanging directly ovor him
llko tho Bhadow of death, and with a
quick twist of hla wheel ho circled
aside and began to ascend as one
mountB a spiral staircase. Up and up,
tho propeller screaming, tho guy wires
humming, tho light body of tho ma
chlno vibrating beneath tho power of
tho motor, up ho went straight Into
tho zenith, whllo holding his distance
almost to a foot tho hovering ono
pumped hlmBolf skyward in steady
leaps. A mile two miles would thoy
never stop? Throo miles! From tho
ground tho machine looked n toy, tho
Flying Man with his thirty feet spread
or wings, a bat hovering ovor It but
a foot abovo his pursuer. Uncanny
horror ran through tho crano necked
watchers at tho very thought of tho
awful altitude to which tho demonic
creature from nn alien world was lur
ing hla prey bororo destroying him,
whllo fifteen thousand foot up Putnnm,
gray of faco but Bteely of oyo and
Bteady of arm, coaxed his machlno
still higher with every caress his doft
hands had learned to minister. Could
ho got but onu fair shot at this mock
ing dovll till would bo well yot nnd
the half million his alone, and oven If
ho could ram htm and bring everything
and everybody down together in an
unrecognlznblo mass of wreckage and
humanity ho would In his last momont
of life make himself Immortal, win tho
prize for his widow and rid tho earth
of this hateful moiiBtcr. Quit! Ho
would follow him to tho heart of tho
zenith llrst.
Hut he got no chance to shoot. His
antagonist had learned to fear thoso
fire belching things with which thlB
man was armed und appeared to un
derstand perfectly that so long as ho
retained hlB proBent position of abovo
and slightly behind the other ho was
in a region of comparative safety.
Keenly he watched tho ascending ma
chlno as It arose slowly and mora
slowly In tho rarefied nlr until another
thousnnd foot hnd bcon mounted, then
with the quickness of thought ho ex
ecuted his plan. Dropping sheer until
ho reached tho level or tho piano ho
seized it with his poworrul hnnds nnd
with ono beat or his plnlonB tilted it
perilously. Putnam, driven to tho Mil
extent of his skill to keep from being
cnpslzed, hnd no opportunity to shoot,
and the Flying Man with another
mighty heuvo turned him fnlrly wrong
sldo up ns ono turns n turtle on a
ueucn. uown went mo piano as a
wounded bird rails, Putnam clinging
to tho frame und Btrlvlng with almost
superhuman energy to right It as thoy
roll, but it was n task beyond human
capability and whon ho had rnllon a
mile bo became bewildered, missed n
hold and roll. Whirling spinning,
nrm and logs outstrotchoii, ho diopped
ton thousand foot at horrific speud, his
upset machlno with Its propollor still
whirling shooting downward after him
In grotesquo gyrations. Tho crash of
tholr fall upon tho top of tho buildings
was hoard for a mllo, whllo far In tho
distance the sickened mob saw the
Flying Man soaring for tho distant
peaks, swinging sportively from sldo
to sldo with tho gracoful movements
of a skater in n rink.
Onco more the surcharged wires
reeked with tho news of this unprece
dented battle threo miles abovo tho
earth, nnd now tho world received It
very gravely Indeed. Tho editors of
great dalllos tho world over discussed
It as the most momentous event of the
hour, more Important than national
politics, tho alliances of nations, the
mysterious absence of tho czar or the
latest battle In Asia. Foreign cabinets
debated it seriously behind closed
doors, and the president of the United
StateB formally tendered Governor
McNeill the uso of several regiments
of regular troops, n regiment of cav
alry and such field ordnance as he
might deem of use. This tender, how
ever, McNeill courteously declined
upon tho grounds that ho had men
enough, horses onough and firearms
enough, and that all three were futile
onough that ho must place his main
reliance upon tho swarm of aviators
now headed hlB way and arriving
singly and In small parties every day.
However, as n matter of precaution a
dozon mortars capable of shooting up
ward nt acute angles were distributed
about tho city and heavily loaded with
grapo shot. And In order that there
might be enough monoy to divide
among a consldorablo number of avia
tors in case a largo number of them
were In at tho death tho reward was
Increased to a million. And as though
In reply to thlB tho Flying Man
promptly Issued another chnllengo.
Aptah .maliciousness sqcrned to have
come over him and sheer wantonness
characterized many or his acts. In
tho few following nlghtB not less than
a dozen country dwellers were nwak
onod by boulders crashing through
their roofs, Injuring no one through
Bheor good luck, and often the creak
ing of porches nnd tho soft falling of
feet upon thin roofs and tho frenzied
yelping of dogs proclulmed to tho resi
dents of Isolated houses that tho un
canny ono wbb prowling In tho dark
ness without. That with his enormous
eyes ho could seo as well by night as
by day was soon proven, for oven
stray cats nnd chickens did not escape
his potty malice. This additional ad
vantage of night seeing which ho pos
sessed over his foes rendered all their
efforts, against him futile, for whllo
now a small swarm of aerial craft
patrolled tho skies and scoured tho
mountains by day, whon night camo
thoy wore compelled again to seek the
earth, and It was during tho darkest
hours that ho Issued forth upon his
maraudings. Hut owing to tholr cau
tion In traveling In small parties after
nightfall If indeed thoy traveled ,at
all no human being fell Into his
clutches. For miles nround tho city
each country door was strongly barred
nt tho hour or dusk, and from that mo
ment until broad daylight none but the
reckless ventured rorth. Even In tho
city and Its neighboring well-lighted
towns, those who went abroad by
street light hold a furtive clutch upon
"He Seized It With His Powerful
Hands and Tilted It Perilously."
the handlo of somo weapon. Women
wore forbidden by tho police to ap
pear upon tho strootB after dnrk with
out tho escort of some man, and tho
children woro sent' scarrylng homo
ward at tovou o'clock nt tho ringing
or tho curfow upon the church bells.
From lnok of patronago tho theaters
closed their doors, tho night restau
rants followed suit, and upon all rest
ed heavily n fooling of oppression ns
of somo great, unspeakable horror yot
to coma mid bonoath which they ull
walked dispiritedly. Even tho loud
mouthed talked subduedly and tho
most collected laughed nervously as
they denied all nervousness. Sus
pense, deep, brooding, ominous,
charged tho nlr and pervaded nil bo
soms nnd business sickened alarming
ly. And then ono day there came tho
nows of another assault committed in
the broad light and almost under their
very noses. This tlmo through fortu
nate circumstances there were no vic
tims but rather two heroes, a boy and
a dog.
Jimmy Collins, a ten-year-old coun
try youngster, was fishing in a stream
a quarter of a mile from his homo at
mid-forenoon. Accompanying him
was his dog, a largo brute, strong,
agile nnd full of courage and affection
for Jimmy. The boy described what
happened nbout as follows:
"Well, you see I was aettin' on tho
bank and a-flshln' with grasshoppers
and not thlnkln' nbout nuthln' when I
heard old Scout growl. Well, you bet
old Scout waB somo pup and I never
seen nuthln' what could lick htm, and
ho would light a Bteam enjlne If I
sie'd him onto it. First I thought an
other dog had come nosln' around and
I looked over my shoulder. Bet I
Jumped n rod. There, close behind mo
and sneakin' up llko an Injun with
wings stlckin out 'bout halt way llko
n chicken holds his when he Is scrap
pin', I seen this here Flyln Man what
everybody Is so scalrt about. GobIi,
you otter seen his Taco! Mado me
think or ajack landern. Scaltt! You
bet. But I didn't lose my head not
by a pipeful. There was an old cabin
closo by, so 1 Just let out n holler for
Scout to sic him and then, lit out for
that shack. I reckon I run faster'n
a Jack rabbit and went under it llko
a prairie dog inter a hole and crawled
under it where nobody who wasn't a
little Teller could rollow. There was
an nwrul racket goln on outside, with
Scout a-snarlln' and yellin' and the
other feller kind or croakln' llko a
rrog, and blmeby I peeked out. They
was a-fltin' to beat all thundor, him
and tho pup. First Scout would make
a run and Jump for him, but tho Flyln'
Man was always too quick and Scout's
teeth would click like a trap when he
missed him. Then old Flyor'd make
n grab Tor tho pup and Scout would
dodgo him and they would circle
around and start all over again. I
reckon It,, lasted about flvo nilnnlts,
with me a-watchin' and yellin' 'sic '1m,
tear him up, old dog' as fast as I could
holler to Scout. Then all at once
that old dovll got Scout by the tall
and gave a flop with his wings. Up
nnd up they went with tho dog not
beln' able to do nuthln' because of the
way ho was held, until they must havo
been about a million rcet high. Then
old rip lets go of the pup and down
comes Scout to beat tho band and
lands kcr-plunk, with that old cuss
soarln down closo behind htm. 'Course
It killed Scout all at once. He never
moved a leg alter ho landed.
"Then the Flyln' Man comes Tor me
and I backed up like a squirrel in a
holo until I was under the middle or
tho floor. It was too low for him to
crawl In under mo and so ho found a
stick and laid down on his stummlk
and tried to poko me out. Gee, what
eyes ho had! They was as big as my
fist and ahono like lanterns. But the
stick wasn't long enough and pretty
booh ho give up nnd walked away. I
could see whoro he was goln' by his
feet, and ho went straight up to tho
pup, picked him up and smelt of him.
Then ho took him by the leg and
hopped up In tho air. I crawled to
the edge of the cabin and watcliea
him. Ho headed straight . for the
mountalna and never stopped as long
as he was In sight. Then I lit out
Tor homo good nnd plenty. I hopo
you'll got that old devil, for ho killed
my pup. Scout was a good dog, all
right."
Trivial as tho Incident was In Us
consequences, It nevertheless cast a
deopor pall ovor tho country. The
bearing away of the dog sottlod be
yond nil doubt that the murderous
minded creature was strongly carnlv
orous, und tho name or tho lost daugh
ter or Firmer Jones waa no longer
apokon oven In whispers. And deeper
and still more deep there settled Into
tho hearts or nil mankind a horror,
loathing nnd hatred or this unnatural
thing thnt words wore Impotent to ex
press. Had he fallen Into their hands
thoy would havo become bnrbarlans
thomsolves In the ferocity ot their re
venge. CHAPTER VII.
The Face at the Pane.
March, passing down the street, waa
deep In thought and his face looked
as though ho were somowhnt worried,
and in truth ho wiib, for to have a
Flying Man, nnd a woman with whom
ono Is very much in lovo, upon tho
mind nt one and tho satno time, and
both behaving unsatisfactorily, Is
troublo onough for nny man. Not a
word had ho heard from Doris since
tho night ho had left her at tho door
with the words In his ears, "If I really
need you I will lot you know," and
his obstinacy and Jealouay hod pre
vented him from communicating with
her in any manner as long as his rival
remained bonenth her roor. Ho had
not expected that she would really
need him In tho physical sense, of
course, yet ono may need another In
mnny different ways, and It piqued
him that she, knowing how eager ho
would bo to come, had not made somo
excuse for needing him that ho might
go and see her, or at least talk with
her ovor tho 'phone. Perhaps she had
been in lovo with Tolllver all along.
He hnd hair suspected at times that
sho was, and now that sho was help
ing to nurse htm, was seeing him
many times daily, was reading to him
and being read to by him and having
long and confidential talks with him
under propitious circumstances, it
would not be at all startling if tho
tender passion bud woro awirtly bloom
ing into full flower. Confound Tolll
ver, anyway. Was ho going to Btay
there forever? Why didn't ho Bend
for his trunk and bo done with it? Ho
ought to be ashamed of himself for his
Insolent abuse of common hospitality.
Head down nnd frowning, he ran
abruptly Into a man at a corner and
with' a muttered apology looked up.
Clay, a half amllo on his handsomlah
fnce, wbb regarding him with small
attempt to conceal his amusement.
"This Is a poor time for ono to go
about with his bend down In that
fashion when everybody elso haB got
a crick in his neck from looking up.
You had beat tako care. Tho Flying
Man will get you it you don't watch
out," ho said In IiIb oven and rather
musical voice. Quickly Allen swept
him with hla eyes. He had never ap
peared in fetter health, stronger or
better satisfied with things In general.
March thrust out his hand and Clay
taking it with a mechanical motion
released It Instantly.
"Glad to seo you out again," ex
claimed the former fervently. Once
again an amused smilo flitted about
the other's lips.
."Thanks," he returned drily.
"You are looking very well Indeed."
Tolllver bowed.
"It would be 'strange If I did not
after the nursing and treatment I re
ceived. Tako my word for It, man. If
you ever become Injured prevail upon
MIsb Fulton to look after you. If she
will do so you will not have suffered
In vain." Tho faint look of displeas
ure that ran across March's face did
not escape the convalescent one's eyes,
and again he baited him out of pure
enjoyment. ,
"Nothing will put a sick man on his
feet so quickly as to have an Intcr
oated and Interesting woman minister
ing to him. Do you know I almost
regretted that I was not laid up
longer? But as it was I got out even
beforo they wanted me to. Didn't
want oven to appear to be taking ad
vantage of their kindness, you see."
Although tho spoaker'a manner was
open enough, there was nevertheless
a subtle maliciousness in his tones
that March Instantly detected and In
wardly resented. "Let's see ten
days," ho returned reflectively. "That
la a pretty long while to bo laid up
with a cracked rib, ian't it?" Tolllver
agreed with him at onco.
"I should imagine ao. But you seo I
have been away from there for the last
four days was there less than a week.
What? Is it posslblo that you did not
know?" He opened his eyes In a look
or mock surprlso at tho other's evi
dent lack or Information. March felt
like a fool.
"No, I know nothing about It," ho
was forced to admit. "I havo been
vory busy with my own affairs. But
I must be on my way. Seo you again,
Tolllver."
"Indeed you will, March," was tho
slow retort. With a farowell nod each
went his separate way.
So Clay had beon gone from the Ful
ton home for several days and ho had
not known It! Ho became angrier
than over.' True, ho had told DorlB
that ho would leavo the field to her
and Clay as long ns tho latter re
mained In their house as her patient,
but how in the name of common sense
was ho to know when the patient left
unless he received wqrd? ir Doris
and himself had beon short tlmo ac
quaintances things would havo been
different and ho would not have ex
pected her to lot him know, but as It
was thoy had known each other for
yenrs, had beon tho best of friends
during all that time and In a way con
fidants long beforo ho had begun to
make lovo to her. Therefore, elimi
nating tho lovo elemont, sho might at
loast havo lot him know as a friend
that hor pntlont had recovered and
taken hla departure. Ho felt ag
grieved. Should ho cull her up now
nnd aak permission to call? His first
Inclination was to do so, then remem
bering Clay's sly Insinuations of her
tender caro ho grew resentful again
and crawled back Into his shell. Per
haps sho did not want him to call any
more. Perhaps sho and Clay had it
all arranged between them, and that
was tho cause of the other's subtle
mockery. He would tako a day or
two and think It ovor. ir ho was out
of the running it wub now too late to
do anything about It anyway, and If ho
wns not another day or ho would make
no difference sho might bo gladder to
boo him then.
It was Sunday and ho would do no
work that day, but it was hla custom
to go to his deak between cloven nnd
twelve on Sabbath forcnoona to look
over his mall and get It ready for Mon
day's dictation. Ho pursued his way
ofilceward, therefore, opened the door
and sat himself down in the quiet
room. Five minutes later the tele
phono bell rang and he got up to an
swer it, wondering whom tho caller
might be. It was Doris.
"Knowing your custom of opening
fyour mall on Sundays nt about Oils
hour I was in hopes of catching you
in your workshop," she began. "And
how havo you been during these awful
dayB?" Ho most untruthfully assured
her that he had never been bettor or
happier. Sho seemed pleased to hear It
"And you?" ho asked.
"Quite well until this morning. But
today I am dreadrully worried and
nervous, and that is tho reason I
called you up."
"I see. Something haB gone wrong
and you really need mo."
"You have guessed It exactly. You
remember I promised you I should let
you know in enso or euch an event.
Well, I am keeping my promise."
"And you wish to see mo whon?"
"Today. You may come out to din
ner at two o'clock It you will and
spend tho afternoon with mo."
"Dollghtful. By the way, I saw Clay
a few moments ago and ho looked
wondrously well and happy. Said you
were the queen of nurses or something
to that effect so thoughtful, so ten
dor, so sympathetic here, here Dor
s!" But Doris had hung up the re
ceiver without waiting to hear moro
and he waa compelled, much against
his wishes, to return to his mail.
Sho met him at tho door with her
usual friendliness, smiling and sweet,
altogether desirable, yet knowing her
as well as ho did his first glanco told
him that she was indeed troubled. Her
eyes wore a hunted look and there was
a certain nervousness In hor manner
that was in distinct contrast to her
usual calm. Ho held her hand tightly
despite her effort to withdraw it.
"What is it, Doris?" he inquired so
licitously. She shook her head.
"Please don't speak about It now.
Father has to leave tho house after
dinner, which Is the principal reason
I called you. I will tell you later." Ho
let her hand escape and followed her
down the hall. Impatient though ho
wbb to hear the news, he knew ho
would bo compelled- to await her
pleasure.
They finished their dlnnor nmongst
the commonplaces of an ordinary Sun
day midday meal and then sho and ho
took their afcats in the comfortnblo
chairs upon tho shady veranda. Judgo
Fulton had Just departed, also looking
somwhat worried, as Allen thought,
and tho girl and himself wero nlono.
".And now?" ho questioned.
Again the hunted look filled hor
troubled eyes to tho brim, sho Bhlv-C
ered as from a cold draft and glanced
about quickly. "I hate to talk about
It, it was too hideous yet I want you
to know. And as f other had to bo ab
sent this nftornoon he suggested that
I send for you to keep me company.
It happened last night."
"Yos, Doris. I am listening."
"And It was midnight and very dark
nnd I was asleop."
"Go on."
"I was awakened by a sound, a very
small sound. I am a light sleeper, you
know, especially these nights."
"I understand. Possibly wo all arc."
"And I listened through tho dark
ness and presently I heard it again,
a peculiar Bound a scratchy sound I
called It to myself and It seemed to
come from my window. Of course I
thought of burglars, but tho window
is high up, nnd besides why on earth
would a burglar bo trying to get In
there when ho could ontor bo much
more easily from tho ground floor? So
I listened and listened, and sometimes
I thought I could hoar something nnd
sometimes I thought I was mistaken,
and after a whllo I turned my head
very dlowly and looked towards tho
window. I Imagined I could boo two
very faint, lumlnoua balls through the
darkness, so I reached for tho button
nt tho head or tho bed and switched
on. the electric light. Horrors!" Sho
covered her race with hor hands, shak
ing like an aspen. Mnrch's hair was
beginning to bristle nnd his hand?
turned in knobbed fists.
(TO BH CONTINUED.)
Motor Cars at Church.
"Where did you go Sunday morn
ing?" "I went to church."
"You did? Was tho sorvlco well at
tended?" "It must hnve been."
"Why do you say It must havo
beon? Don't you know?"
"Well, there were fourteen different
mnkes of motor cars standing outside."
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