Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-01-23

over papers, only appearing at meal
times, and consequently Paul Capei
was thrown a great deal into the So
ciety of Gerard Arts, treating him al
ways in the most friendly way, and
declining to notice the barbs of the
verbal arrows the other was fond of
launching.
One of Artists favorite illusions was
to the house his companion inherited
II felt horribly jealous of you at
first" he said Seemed such a pot
of money; but with special commands
to live here with a haunted room and
mausoleum beyond it-no, thank
you"
'What shall you do with the cham
Der of horrors?" said Arts, on another
occasion.
''You heard-it is to be built up
mo, no; I mean the bedroom. Ugh"
81 shall take that as my own
what! A room haunted with the
spirits of three dead men! Bah! I'm
possible"
Then came the ninth day and Mr..
Critic announced that on the next his
instructions should be carried out pre-
cisely at twelve.
''That will give you ample time, Mr..
Capel, to visit a banker afterward;
for, after the late experience,
should not lose an hour in depositing
your great-uncle's bequest in the hands
of your banker"
The old man looked pleased, and
nodded.
"But I had reckoned upon seeing the
Jewels" said Katrine, with a smile at
the young heir which made his heart
throb and Lydia shrink.
"That pleasure must be deferred,
Miss D'Enghien," said the old lawyer,
crustily; and no more was said.
At twelve o'clock punctually the
next day, Mr.. Critic unlocked the
door of the coloners room, and full
filling Ramos duty, held it back while
the young men bore in lights; Katrine
and Lydia followed, and the old butler.
looking shrunken and depressed, came
last, to close the door and draw the
curtain.
It was midday, but it might have
been midnight. Candles were lit
again on chimney piece and dressing
table, and after the old solicitor had
seen that the door was fastened within,
he took out his key, drew the portal
curtain at the end, and then unlocked
and slowly pushed open the iron
door.
At a given order the butler solemnly
carried a couple of candles down into
the vault, and stood there in the
gloomy stone chamber where to those
who stood waiting his re-
turn, they seemed to cast a peculiarly
weird light.
Then, in utter silence, the lid was
placed over the calm sleeping features,
and the four men, taking each handle,
lifted and bore the coffin down. There
was some little difficulty in the sharp
turn of the steps, but in a few minutes
I'll was done, and the coffin lay upon
the flagstones, while the two girls
stood hand clasping hand.
Mr.. Critic walked round to the back
of the iron safe and stopped down,
when a peculiar clang was heard, as
if a spring had been set free, and a
large panel at the end where Capel
was standing dropped down.
AS the old lawyer came back, candle
in hand, it was now seen that the
panel that had fallen laid bare key
hole.
Upon the key being inserted in this,
and turned, the panel few back, and
gllded over the key-hole as soon as
the key was drawn out, displaying a
second key-hole, crossed by a row Of
letEered brass slides.
These the old lawyer manipulated
till the letters formed in row par
ticular word, when the second key
hole was laid bare, the key inserted
and turned, and one end of the iron
safe revolved on pair Of huge pi7otS,
showing the interior-plain, rectangu-
lar, and dark, with an oblong mass of
black metal in the center.
''The steel chest" said the old law
yer, in a whisper, as he stepped inside
the great safe in which he could nearly
stand upright.
Candle in hand he went to the other
end, put down the light for a moment
to set his hands free to get a second
key, curiously long thin key, with the
end of which he pushed something at
the back of the chest. Then, going to
one side, he repeated the act, went
back round to the other side, and
again repeated it, after which he came
to the front, and as he held down the
light, those who we're intently watch
ing his actions saw that there was a
small circle of Roman figures, with a
hand like that of small clock, which
he pushed round with the end of the
key till it was at the letter V. This
done, he bent over the chest, and re-
peated the action twice upon the top
Then, as he stepped out, a sharp
sound was heard, and a key-hole was
laid bare once more. In this he placed
the key, turned it, and the steel chest
seemed to split open from end to end
dividing in equal parts, which slowly