“’Twarn’t no shootin’ star at all. Nothin’ but some friend of the boss
shootin’ a letter to him out of one of these here long-range guns.”
“Maybe so,” said I to myself.
But Mrs. Farley was quivering with excitement.
“You must tell me all about it, Ralph,” said she. “Who _can_ be sending
you a message inside a meteor, I wonder?”
My reply was merely: “I think that there is a clipping in one of my
scrapbooks up in the attic which will answer that question.”
There was! I found the scrapbook in a chest under the eaves, but did not
open it until after chores and supper, during which meal I kept a
provoking silence on the subject of our discovery.
When the dishes were finally all cleared away, I opened the book on the
table and read to the assembled household the following four-year-old
clipping from the _Boston Post_.
CITIZEN DISAPPEARS
Prominent Clubman Vanishes from Beacon Street Home
Myles S. Cabot of 162 Beacon Street, disappeared from his bachelor
quarters late yesterday afternoon, under very mysterious
circumstances.
He had been working all day in his radio laboratory on the top floor
of his house, and had refused to come down for lunch. When called to
dinner, he made no reply: so his butler finally decided to break down
the door, which was locked.
The laboratory was found to be empty. All the windows were closed and
locked, and the key was on the inside of the door. In a heap on the
floor lay a peculiar collection of objects, consisting of Mr. Cabot’s
watch and chain, pocket knife, signet ring, cuff links and tie pin,
some coins, a metal belt buckle, two sets of garter snaps, some safety
pins, a gold pen point, a pen clip, a silver pencil, some steel
buttons, and several miscellaneous bits of metal. There was a smell in
the air like one notices in electric power houses. The fuses on the
laboratory power line were all blown out.
The butler immediately phoned to police headquarters, and Detective
Flynn was dispatched to the scene. He questioned all the servants
thoroughly, and confirmed the foregoing facts.
The police are working on the case.