Anthony Melville Rud

“ What you wish to do with the manuals is strictly up to you. The tong is after them, and will keep after them until either the manuals are secured, they are published in translation and therefore worthless except as relics, or all the tong members are dead. I believe in all there are only some two hundred members, most of whom probably will keep after you while you have the manuals. ”

“ Frankly enough, you made me angry for a few moments, but a dying man can’t afford to cherish animosity long. I’ve followed your attempts at making a living, and while I don’t care much for your election of profession, still I presume you have as much right to choice as I had. ”

“ That green slime over there in the tank is almost a pure culture of the organisms. The dampness keeps them from being much of a menace, however. The murderer of Mr. Lacey took a quantity of the fungi, dried it out, and then blew some of the spores from this bellows— probably over Lacey’s bed while the victim lay asleep. The reason why I asked concerning the snoring was that, if these had been drawn through the nostrils, many of them never would have reached the lungs and the blood stream. Of course only a few spores actually had to be inhaled.”
“Good night!” exclaimed Harris. ”

“ Search of the corpse revealed nothing of the sort, but from an inside pocket Harris drew forth a small rubber bellows. He was in the act of squeezing this when Krahn caught his hands.
“Don’t,” cried the chemist sharply. “Here, drop that thing a minute. It’s deadly! Take a look at it, McKenzie. Don’t you think—?”
The botanist nodded slowly, staring down at the bellows in fascination. “Probably so!” he agreed. “Mr. Lacey, did your uncle snore?”
Cube looked blank. “Heavens, I don’t know,” he answered.
“Sa-ay!” broke in Harris, frowning in exasperation. “What are you three trying to do ”