The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1891-05-28

lean, corpselike face peering out at her
from an adjoining loophole. No op-
position, indeed, was made to the con.
tinuance Of her morning rides. but when.
ever she ordered out her horse two Of
the mute phantOms that guarded her in
stantly mounted their horses to bear her
company. It was plain that for any
victim once caught in these fatal tolls
there was no escape but death; and she
felt instinctively that death itself was
already lowering over her, and that its
stroke would not be long delayed.
And now came passing spell Of wet
and stormy weather that lasted for sew
eral days, during which Madeleine, un-
able to venture out, employed her en-
forced leisure in exploring the interior
Of the castle, many parts Of which were
still quite new to her. She was all the
more inclined to occupy herself in this
way because here, and here alone, she
was left unmOlested by the ceaseless
vigilance Of the spies who dogged her
every movement elsewhere.
In the course Of one Of these rambles
she came upon long, narrow, gloomy
passage, wnlch sne IolloWea Witnous
knowing why tne rooms tnas opened
OUT Oh II pore sucn markS OK neglecG ana
lain uninhabited for years; but midway
along the corridor she met with an even
more striking token Of disuse and aban-
donment-the doorway Of Q room which
had Deen actualy OulIt up a. II were
never 70 De occupied AGAIN
tnls OF Itselt would nave peen nothing
very FemArkaoie IN s1cn q pace, DuI
MAueleihe wa Seartle1 70 Percelve Dy
tne FRESHNESS OF tne work tlat TINS room
must nave Deen ciosed p"ltnln tne last
rev years,
VI what Gark ana mysterious tragedy
had tnese volceless stones oeen the mute
WitnessesE nao neI VerTl1ie husband, ~ mks
otner men Q, whom sne mao reau, Waiieo
up one Oh ms enemies aive IN TINS as
MAJ Ietreae 70 PeIlsn py inc $40" Vor1-
nre OF tmrst ana iamine' or had nef-
puS ~ t,iSt tnOusnt sne nuhg OUT net
nalius Wliuly, as II thrustlns away I.on
ner some horn6ie specter' ana was Jus!
turning 70 go pack when sue napPeneu
70 notice Inas one ., tne pos's OF tms
olocked up door mad parted shgntIy
irom the suIrouhuihg Woou"ork' ieaV'
ing . CRACK tnrougn wnlcn IL was posi-
Oie 70 see lnOo tne mysverlous cnamoer.
DrlVen Dy an impulse peyond her con-
trol sne crept up 70 +" ana peeped
tnrougn.
4here was not mucn 10 DC seen Wlthin
aiter an-0niy pare dusty, untuInisneo
room, AZ tne Iartner emo OF wmcn nung
DiacK curtain But strange horror
zen suddenly upon ner as Sne gaIed' ana
sprngihg pack as II Irom the cage OF q
preciplce' she turned and ned away
Two Gays aIter madeleine was wan
1erlng Mmlessiy along . @pestried gar
ieFy wmcn sne nad not seen netore' wnen
tler LOOt shpPe1 anu Sne teii WIN some
torce against tne wall: 10 her surprise
the wall seemed 70 yield with her. and
sne guessed that she must have accident
ally toucned the spring Oh some secret
panel Sne nIted the tapestry pusheo
pack an oaken panel which was stand
ing alar oenind IT, and found herself
with what feeling may be easily imag'
ined-n tne mysterious room with the
oiack curtain.
tor one moment she STOOD mononless'
glancing round her with secret horror
wmcn she could neither understand nor
resist
Ihe door wnich nad oeen walled up
wnen tnus seen nom the lnside' ap.
peared 70 DO massive framework Of
sona Diack OAK. ciamped and banded
with IRON; and the Hght OF It increased
Maaeleines terror as sne tnought now
t1ghtful that secret must DO Tor which
even such detenses Is tnese were ac'
counted lnsumcient - 80
tne room was covered 30 tnickiy with
dust that ner nrst step into It had stirred
up q cloud wnich almost choked her.
but on the bare, unswept hoor she saw q
line Of footprints leading up to the
black curtain and another line returning
from IL Those footnrinta could belong
To no one INIT her hushand. and bahind
49, ~, A. ,,.,'.t -. n"
1naI curtain tno SecIes uuSt ne'
WIN q neart tnfoDDlnR as II u would