Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
And THE EMANCIPATRIX
By Homer Eon Flint
"Remember, now; don't make a sound, no matter what you see!"
Mrs. Kinney eyed her caller anxiously as they came to a pause infront of the door. His glance widened at her caution, but he noddedbriefly. She turned the key in the lock.
Next second the two stepped softly into the room. Mrs. Kinneycarefully closed and locked the door behind them; and meanwhile theman, peering closely into the shadows of the place, made out a sceneof such strangeness that he nearly forgot the woman's injunction.
The room was the private study of Dr. William Kinney. In itself, itwas not at all out of the ordinary. Shelves of books, cases ofsurgical and psychological instruments, star charts, maps andastronomical apparatus—these told at once both the man's vocationand avocation. With these contents and rather severe furnishings theroom was merely interesting, not remarkable.
But its four chairs certainly were. Each of them was occupied by ahuman being; and as Mrs. Kinney and her caller entered, neither ofthe four so much as stirred. They were all asleep.
In the nearest chair was the doctor himself, half sitting and halfreclining; in fact, all four of the sleepers were in attitudes ofcomplete relaxation. The doctor's gray head was resting on oneshoulder wearily.
On his left was a man of medium height and commonplace countenance."Mr. Smith," whispered Mrs. Kinney, placing her mouth close to thecaller's ear, so that he might hear the better.
Opposite these two sat a man and a woman, their chairs placed closetogether. The one was a slender, well-dressed, boyishly good lookingyoung woman of perhaps thirty; the other a large, aggressivelyhandsome fellow possibly five years older. "Mr. and Mrs. Van Emmon,"explained Mrs. Kinney, still in a whisper.
The four sat absolutely motionless; the caller, looking veryclosely, could hardly make out the rising and falling of theirchests as they breathed. Also, he saw that they were all connected,the one with the other by means of insulated wires which ran tobrass bracelets around their wrists. At one point in this curiouscircuit, a wire ran to a small group of electrical appliances placedon a pedestal at the doctor's side; while the caller was stillfurther puzzled to note that each of the sleepers was resting his orher feet on a stool, the legs of which, like the legs of each chair,were tipped with glass.
After a minute of this the caller turned upon Mrs. Kinney in suchcomplete bewilderment that she instantly unlocked the door, andagain cautioning perfect silence, led the way into the corridor.Here she again locked the door. Upon leaving the spot, a quiet youngman with keen gray eyes stepped from a room opposite, and at a nodfrom Mrs. Kinney proceeded to do sentry duty outside the study.
Once down-stairs and safely within the living-room—
"This is rather mean of you Mrs. Kinney!" protested the man. "Tellme all about it, quick!"
The lady complacently took a chair. "Well," she remarked innocently,
"I knew you'd want to see him."
"Yes, but—"
"It serves you right," she went on blithely, "for staying away solong. Let's see—you left a year ago June, didn't you, Mr. Hill?"
He swallowed something and managed to reply, "Great guns, yes! I've