Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-07-20
CHAPTER XIV.
TRAPPED.

denly round tnem again DOlly gave
little gasp
Enlightened ?" asked Guthrie, and
he linked his arm in hers.
Ono, she replied but shivered none
the less. 81 M not frightened ] was a
little startled at reading the name OF
Colepepper on the door; that's all, y
ut was enough to startle any one"
said the undergraduate.
Their eyes were beginning to accus-
tom themselves once more to the gloom,
which the Suddenly extinguished match
had for the time exaggerated into dark
ness. They could see one another's
face again
Dolly drew her arm away gently.
eyes, said she; lone doesn' expect
to be confronted with ones own name
in Il place like this. OF course | had
heard Of Nicholas the First, as the doctor
calls him, before, and the finding of tho
Santa Catarina showed that he was not
quite legendary person. But for all
that, don t think that had altogether
had it brought home to me that he
must once actually have existed in the
ute ago, and then you must own that
a notice like nat tarry scroll was rather
rude reminder of my questionable
ancestry. 1t isn't so forciblv impressed
upon one every day that one has had
pirate in the family, and "A pirate, too,
who seems to have been in full and ac-
tive practice in this very island. "
She paussa.
Hes been dead a long time, though,
remarked Guthrie apologetically.
eyes, | suppose that does make a
difference, she agreed Il hope it
does, anyway.
1T does, asserted the other with
judicial fnality
Il wonder who Piper was " the girl
went on. perhaps he 5 a relation too. "
Guthrie laughed "a crowd Of an
cestors is "A great thing, Dolly" said
he, "but | shouldn't claim too many Of
these all at once, if | We're you Be
sides, a. Piper stood godfather to the
cay. perhaps he was here before Nicholas
the First Anyway we cant settle the
question standing ont here. What d you
say to going inside to see if he has left
a will among other things? You may
certainly consider yourself the old gem
tlemans heiress if he has stored any
property here.
"Oh, perhaps he has Mr.. Guthrie,
will You kindly act as executor
"Most certainly, madam, said the
young man with bow. please stand
on one side and leave the coast clear
for the engine of the law"
He went hack couple Of steps, ard
then charged the door with all hi.
weight
1t remained exactly as it was The
only tangible result of the experiment
was that the eXperimenter 5 shoulder
came into violent contact with pro-
jecting iron Sind.
"Have you hurt yourself?' inquired
Dolly anXiously
"Only trifie. But haven't opened
the door. -
"Ciive me the matches.
He handed the box across and the
girl lit seven matches in slow success
sion and made careful scrutiny Of ev-
cry part of the barricade with both eye.
and knuckles.
"The door is not really very strong, "
she said at last, land even in its early
days IA crowbar would have made short
work of it,
But we haven't the crowbar
"No, and so it is strong enough tC
stop us now for it still in good preser
yation and sos the post which hold,
the lock mortise But the outside of tn,
frame-hcre. between the hinpes-ha'
got dry rot. Look - And she split off {
crumhling splinter to prove her words.
"All right Dollyl" said the under
graduate Il see the trick. Stand on
there, on one side, away from the dust
and I'll soon have hole through.
The work did not, however prove 81
easy as it at first sight promised, fo
there were veins of the wood still soun(
as ever they had been, but the dry TO
had worked all round these sound por
tions, and after 30 minutes Of hard fin
ger work the young man at last got
hole clean through to the other side. II
enlarge that was an easier task, and il
a very few minutes space saped wide
" enough TO admit of their bodie
squeezing through.
What on the other side ?" aske'
Dolly
The undergraduate lit match ant
examined the country ahead of them
"A boarded passage, - he reported
"leading to another door .
"Openf''
Eyes | can see the end of ladde
peeping through it,
Were getting there at last " erie
the girl excitedly "See if you can re
through that hole you We made,
Guthrie squeezed through the aper
ture with some small difficulty an
then turned to help his companion
She was of slighter build, and so sh
managed it more easily. Then, givin
themselves Il shake to knock Oft the thic
\ of the oak dust, the pair set off dow
the passage toward the other door whic
lay so invitinely open before them.
They never reached it.
Suddenly they felt the wooden floor
ing yield under their feet, and, with
startled scream, Dolly clutched instin(
lively at her companion. Guthrie trie
to jerk his body backward, and hi
hands shot out wildly in search of
hold But with squeak Of triumph
as it seemed-the floor swung bodil
r,,,,, bopauth than and tbpV foil Iii,