CHAPTER II

THE SARDIS WORKS


At the little station of Sardis, in the hill country of New
Jersey, Roland Clewe alighted from the train, and almost
instantly his hand was grasped by an elderly man, plainly and
even roughly dressed, who appeared wonderfully glad to see him.
Clewe also was greatly pleased at the meeting.

"Tell me, Samuel, how goes everything?" said Clewe, as they
walked off. "Have you anything to say that you did not
telegraph? How is your wife?"

"She's all right," was the answer. "And there's nothin'
happened, except, night before last, a man tried to look into
your lens-house."

"How did he do that?" exclaimed Clewe, suddenly turning upon his
companion. "I am amazed! Did he use a ladder?"

Old Samuel grinned. "He couldn't do that, you know, for the
flexible fence would keep him off. No; he sailed over the place
in one of those air-screw machines, with a fan workin' under the
car to keep it up."