Page:Arthur Stringer - The Door of Dread.djvu/269

 "It's a pound tobacco-box packed with something to put him asleep. It's packed with a damned sight stronger brand o' guncotton than ever came off Iona Island. And this neat little alarm-clock works, you see, has a piece of picture-wire tied to a wheel-shaft here, so that as it winds up it pulls the cork out of a bottle of sulphuric acid inside the box. That does the trick. And if you get inquisitive, and try to open the box, that also does the trick!"

Sadie was leaning somnolently back in her chair. "What trick?" she demanded with vacuous eyes.

Shindler emitted a small sigh of satisfaction. Then he lifted the tin box carefully back into his hand-bag. Then he turned and faced the woman again.

"Aren't you feelin' all right?" he innocently inquired.

"I'm—I'm queer!" she murmured, as she made an effort to grope ineffectually for the table-edge. "I guess yuh'd—yuh'd better get me outta here!"

Shindler, however, made no immediate move to get her out of there. He did not even deign to answer her. He stared for a moment down at her inert figure. Then he crossed to the shabby oak dresser at the far side of the room and took up the