ok on a shamed expression.

"Couldn't help it, sir," he said to the manager. "I caught him in the
act. It was the flashlight that saved us. When it struck him he looked
up and the bullet hit him fair."

"Who is it, and what was he doing?" asked Mr. Colton hoarsely.

"It's under him, sir, and he was a-lighting of it."

As he spoke, Sergeant Joe approached the form and with a shove of his
foot pushed it over. It rolled slightly, unbent, and now lay at full
length, facing them. Josie picked up the flashlight and turned it upon
the face.

"Oh!" she cried aloud, and shivered anew, but was not surprised.

"I guess," said Joe slowly, "they'll have to get another school
superintendent."

"But what's it all about? What did he do?" demanded Kauffman excitedly.

Joe took the light from Josie's hand and turned it upon a curious
object that until now had been hidden by the dead man's body.

"It's a infernal machine, sir, an' I ain't sure, even yet, that it
won't go off an' blow us all up. He was leanin' down an' bendin' over
it, twisting that dial you see, when on a sudden I spotted him. I
didn't stop to think. My Cap'n used to say 'Act first an' think
afterwards,' an' that's what I did. I didn't know till now it was the
school boss, but it wouldn't have made any difference. I done my duty
as I saw it, an' I hope I did it right, Mr. Colton."

Kauffman was already stooping over the machine, examining it with a
skilled mechanical eye.

"It's ticking!" he said, and began turning the dial backward to zero.
The ticking stopped. Then the inventor stood, up and with his
handkerchief wiped the perspiration from his face.

"Gott!" he exclaimed, "this is no joke. We've all been too near death
to feel comfortable."

"This is horrible!" said Mr. Colton, "I can't yet believe that Dyer
could be guilty of so fiendish an act."

"I can," asserted Josie grimly, "and it isn't the first time he has
planned murder, either. Dyer was responsible for the explosion at the
airplane factory."

Footsteps were heard. Out of the darkness between the group of
buildings appeared two men, Crissey and Addison.

"Are we too late, Miss O'Gorman?" asked Crissey.

"Yes," she replied. "How did you lose track of Dyer?"

"He's a slippery fellow," said Addison, "and threw us off the scent.
But finally we traced him here and--"

"And there he is," concluded Josie in a reproachful tone.

Crissey caught sight of the machine.

"Great Caesar!" he excla