
There was nothing about the shack that particularly attracted the dapper lawyer’s scrutiny. It just
happened that the moon, rising in the distance over a ridge of tall trees, offered an impressive picture
from that spot. Ham paused, leaned on his shiny cane as he gazed at it.
It was at that moment that a young man came along.
At first, Ham thought the oddly pale countenance of the man was merely the reflection of the white
moonlight. Then he noticed the stark expression of the eyes. Ham moved toward the young man,
intending to ask him if he were ill. But before he could open his mouth, the pale man was gone.
He headed straight for the shack. Then he slowed. Stealth was evident in his sudden crouch. In another
half a dozen seconds the man blended into the shadows cast by shrubbery in front of the building. Ham
turned to follow. The soft, slurring tones of a Virginian came from behind him, made him pause.
"Maybe Mr. Jan is workin’ late tonight. Guess Ah’ll jes’ check up on it, though."
Ham turned his head. A Washington policeman swung down the street, twirling his nightstick. Ham
moved into the shadows. There seemed no point in identifying himself in something that might be a quite
ordinary and innocent situation. He shrugged, as the patrolman strode toward the shack. The lawyer then
turned to go on his way.
But in that moment, the terror that was to sweep the land made its first appearance!
Ham froze where he was. At first, an eerie rustling noise seemed to come from all directions at once.
There was an ominous, threatening note to it, as if some giant virago of vengeance had stepped from
history’s pages with an enraged swirl of skirts that were silk and crinoline.
Then a scream of pure terror welled up from the flat-roofed shack!
The lights of the shack flickered strangely, then went out. Ham leaped to swift motion; he began to race
toward the shack. He whipped up the shiny black cane he carried, pressed a hidden button. The black
case dropped away, fell to the ground. It left a long, slender blade of spring steel that was tipped with a
sticky substance. This was a sleep-inducing drug, instantaneous in its action.
Ham’s sword cane was a celebrated weapon that had won a lot of scraps. The dapper lawyer had
complete confidence in his ability to come out on top, even against great odds. It could have been
expected that he would plunge right into whatever enemy might be lurking in the darkness.
That made his sudden hesitation quite peculiar. The rustling sound grew louder, a weird, omnipresent
thing. Ham shuddered. An expression of amazed uncertainty spread over his features. He gave the
impression of a man awakening from a nightmare, still certain that it is real and terrible.
And, in fact, a queer overpowering feeling of apprehension was gripping Ham. His flesh was suddenly
damp with perspiration—dripping with the sweat of a terror that he could neither understand nor admit to
himself was really there!
The rustle of silk and crinoline ceased. In its place there came a hum that was not a hum. It was a sound
that the ear did not record; something sensed and felt rather than heard. Ham Brooks staggered. His
brain grew fuzzy. Meaningless words jumbled from his lips. His eyes stared with a lack of comprehension
that seemed to indicate approaching idiocy.
He slowed to a grotesque, exaggerated pace, somewhat like a slow-motion movie.
Time lost all meaning for Ham Brooks. He sank slowly and wearily to the ground. How long he lay there,