THE TURN OF A SCREW.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 5802, 20 January 1906, Page 11

THE TURN OF A SCREW.

The little town of Havering was proud of Bertram Stone. As a boy ho had dirtinguislicd himself by a turn for mechanical science; ns n young man be had cultivated the hobby; and now, thanks to a substantial legacy left him bv a distant relative, ho was able to give up his time to practical experiments. The conquest of the air was the dream of his life. Hitherto the air. apparently holding opinions of its own on tho subject, refused to be conquered by so insignificant a unit ns Bertram Stone. But. though wearied by failure, ho was still undaunted. Tho inventor had not studied tho fruitless efforts of his contemporaries for nothing, and could seo clearly wherein tho point of each failure lay. To find the path to success was a different matter, and this path was hidden from his eyes until the coming of John Hartley. Hartley was a man without imagination or originality, but ho possessed in the highest degree the power of turning other men’s talents to account. Associated with Bertram Stone, he supplemented tho latter’s fantastic imagination with the necessary amount of hard-headed practicality and common sense. when Stone produces! an idea from his fertile brain Hartley seized upon it and show, ed how it might bo turned to account. It was in this way that the final touch, the one thing which had hitherto been lacking in the now airship, was attained, ami now the mysterious structure which the villagers regarded with respectful awe was ready to show to the world the results of years of patient thought and toil. But there was another factor in the ease. Havering had become accustomed to the idea that when the airship had been pronounced a success tho marriage of Bertram Stone and Mildred Stratton would speedily follow. How the idea became rooted no one could explain, hut it was as firmly rooted as their faith in the young inventor’s powers. With tho arrival of John Hartley, however, a slow, but unquestionable, change had come over the situation. Though Mildred’s interest in the airship never waned, her attitude towards the inventor. without apparent reason, graduallycooled. She had the air of one watching, in a careless and impartial manner. the players in a game. It was evident that new developments were about to take place. Stone went about looking grim and self-centred, while Hartley boro himself with n calm assurance in tho presence of Mildred Stratton, which pointed to some definite intention on his part. The air grew thick with conjecture. It was generally agreed that tho day appointed for tho trial trip of tho new invention would see some readjustment of the troubled situation. To a certain extent tho people of Havering were right. Bertram Stone was desperately unhappy. Tho seeds of jealousy, slowly sown hy Hartley's undoubted powers, grew and flourished ns tho dnv.s went by. Ho saw. or fancied that ho saw, a man possessed of all the social graces somewhat lacking in himself was. under tha guise of friendship, slowlv. but nono tho less surely, robbing him of the reward of his years of labonr. Mildred's attitude, too. troubled him. Stone’s fondest dream had been the successful earn plot ion of tho airship anti his marriage with Mildred. Somehow the one had seemed dependent on the other. To her ho tad confided

il.n of the idea; t-he bad shared M! Ids hopet- ami di-a ppot tit meats ; I hut cl.. -h-uid also "liar.. the final triumph . .111.-.1 the nr. •■■it.iti!.- mill proper con- < i.iiii.il ol till' whole matter. Than HartI. v hml si.:,«iio.| on 1 In- t-fi-no. At li:-t ili.. undoubted lieli. h- afforded to I),I- proies: (MV.. It ini :: lift il ions, importance, but Stone's cviw soon became ..pemd to the mil character of Ins new ft i <ll.i. Uhl I. MiTdrail am! Hartley net i.M-pirions became certainties. This t’l,.!!. !;.. was corn trie.-,I would slick at not.'.ino to -Mi., |,|, anile. Probably ha. 1.1 ...01- to Havering to take the (1 ‘ l.t I r the invention, should it prove a mu'i‘iss. The idea loused all the angry (.a-daiie dwa! hue to lit.- bn-rcst of an ii. van lor who ew htm-elf robbed 01 the • l.ild of his hrmn hv an unset itp.tlorpr am:,IV Stone rcgt.-M-d that he aonld not "at rid of Harley with d-cericy ,m. til after the trial of tine airship; hut then he would find son,a reasonable ex- < o e for tai doing. Hartley was not blind to the feeling he had aroused, hut it was always h:s ntdiey to ignore things which wore tirccnvcrrient. 11,. had eonia to Material; wilhont, any definite ideas for his own advancement and belonged to the category of villains made l.y opportunity. I'niuilimatalv. the oppoirnriiry lay ready 1.1 his hand. To clear the ground for action he had already suggested to i.rHuentint minds in the seicntilic world the idea that Stone wan notliinif hnt a fanatical enthusiast. and that if anything did conic ol his fancies it was because there was at his cl how that eminent!- aide and practical individual John Hartley. Ah the whole village wan devoted to llcrtratn Slone it had not been considered ncccssarv to keep a very strict watch upon the building containing tho trea..ur,.. (in the everting lieforc the trial, however, Mildred .Stratton stated tier views on the subject with such emphasis that .Stone began to think that his easy confidence in his fallow creatines was a t riHe misplaced. “If I were yon." she said, with determination. “1 i-honld watch the whole night. 1 would leave nothin); to chance. Von know how much depends on it. Von an- too trustful, llcrtratn.” ■'You would not have me mistrust you 1" he asked. "Oil, that's what yon have been doing. is it r” She smiled an enigmatic smile, and left him. " Heniemhcr!” she called back, as aim disappeared. Stone, worn out by the excitement of (be final preparations, slept heavily, regardless of Mildred's warning. Suddenly. awaking w.th a sense of oppression, he remembered her words, and resolved. though late, to act upon them. In a few minutes, key in hand, he wont swiftly towards the lingo shed which sheltered from curious eyes tho cherished product of his brain. Stone walked warily, but. sostrong was the conviction that: possessed him that then; was no surprise when, turning the key. w-ith a dexterous twist, he found himself face to iuce with John Hartley. “Ah! that yon. Stone!- You quite startled me. I was just taking a look round to mnke sure that all was rigid for to-morrow.” Hartley's face was pale, hut that might have been the cfTeet of the moonlight shining through the open doorway. '“lt's leaving rather too much (n chance, having no watchman here?” "So I thought. I have come to watch.” Stone answered quietly. "Don't bother any more: I shall he here till the trial trip begins. \Ve can't run any risks now. There is too much involve!.” “I suppose you would be wofnlly disappointed if ' nnvlhing went wrong.” Hartley recovered himself quickly. ‘■Good-night, if you’re going to he here 1 mav as well be getting a ,decp.” “Just as well.” echoed Hertram quietly. He watched the departing figure of his partner along the moonlit road. When the sun rose Stone made a careful examination of the airship, nnd found everything apparently in order. "Was he speaking the truth, by any chance r" he muttered, angrily, to himself. Then he went over the machinery again, and found what lie had been so anxiously seeking—a simple screw so artfully loosened that il would take sonic little time to fall from its place. His expression was not pleasant to see as he bent to examine it. “So he would not slot) short of murder I" ho muttered. “Well, for once his plans have failed.” He thought anxiously for a moment. “No; he shall not know that I have discovered it." He left the screw ns ho had found it, and waited. All Mavcring turned out in force to witnesH the trial of the oimltip and tho consequent triumph of Hertram Stone. Some little curiosity was expressed ns to who would make the ascent. It was speedily satisfied. "You will come with me, of course. Hart ley?” asked Stone, when tho time arrived.

Hartlcv’s face paled. lie had not expected this, ami ho disliked tho expression on Stone's face. Melico gleamed front his brilliant eyes, and an ironical smilo curved his lips ns he asked tho question. “No, 1 don’t think so," he answered, carelessly enough. ’’lt would be better for ono of us to be hero to see the start.” "Oh. that’s all arranged for!” Slone smiled again. "You will surely come." ho repeated. "It will give a very had impression if you appear afraid." 110 throw sufficient scorn into his tone to make liar tic- wince. "Afraid 1” he said, lightly. "I was merely suggesting a commonscnae plan. I will juat take a look round the other side to see that all is right.” _ His desperate hope was that ho might have timo to put tho screw right. "Quite unnecessary," said Stone, sharply. "I went over every detail ycetorday. Como! Time is up. Your seat is this side." Hartley took his seat without a word. Though he made no further protest, he felt that his doom was scaled. The loosened screw represented destruction to them both. There was small comfort in the thought that Stone would share his fate. Ho had intended tho experiment to end otherwise. It would have been easy afterward, with tho experience he had gained in Stono’o workshop to reconstruct the airship nnd gain the credit of tho invention. The mcro fart of tho accident to Stone would prove his unpractical nature, and with this obstacle removed there was little doubt that in time Mildred Stratton would become reconciled to the inevitable and share his life. But the best-laid plans have their weak point. The tinlooked for obstinacy of bis partner had wrecked tho neatest Jiicce of villainy ever concocted by man. Ho ground his teeth in impotent fury ho looked at the calm face of the inventor beside him. Then the word was given to let go. and. amid the cheers of the enthusiastic crowd, the airship rose in steady, stately fashion into tho air and floated onward. Hartley held his breath and waited for the effect of his work, hut nothing happened. After minutes, which seem, ed years, of intolerable anguish—anguish heightened by the easy chatter of Bertram Stone, who seemed utterly unconcerned—the latter steered tho vessel homeward. 'T didn't know you wore so nervous. Hartley," he said, as they dropped to earth. "Perhaps it will he ns well for you to leave Mavcring. I can't work with a man who has lost his nerve.” "Very well. I’m not generally nervous," retorted Hartley, with temper, for the strain had tieeii great. "Today X fancied there might ho a screw loose somewhere. You wouldn’t let me look round before we started. There’s no sense in being dashed to pieces just to please another man." "Quito so,” said Bertram, lightly, looking calmly into tho other’s ryes. "That’s why I tightened the screw."