The Portland daily press., 1900-05-02

the nuuuluM k9etneu also uuAuMahtAcus
We explored the next hoor and the next
and found nothing Of Importance except
old lumber stored and abandoned.
Much breathcd, we finally arrived at
the top goor and turned to the right, ex-
pecting TO End a door corresponding TO
that on the other floors, but there was no
door. Perhaps we miscalculated. That
must be Il there. We went In the next
door. There was a small window above
aud much rubbish aud no end Of rats,
but. strange to say. no skyllght. Much
perplexed, we roamed about the arcade,
entering foul smelling rooms, whence
bats few in our faces, causing us to fall
backward upon each others toes.
Finally at one corner a small archway
attracted our attention, and, brushing
aside the cobwcbs, we saw n narrow
stairway, which we climbed up and. al
most stiHed. stepped out upon the Eat
asphalt roof.
There's the skylight," said Busac. and
we hurried over there.
"Now, look here" said I; "go to the
other side and tx a point just opposite
across the courtyard SO we can locate this
thing"
Busac did so.
"It's opposite the sixth column OF the
arcade below" he said. at the same time
lying down and stretching his neck far
out trying to peer into the skylight,
which was an upright one.
Suddenly he started to his feet with an
exclamation:
"The facet Oh, my God. the facew
The moon had risen high in the heav-
ems and was streaming half way down
the sides Of the building. The little win
dow was in full light.
| threw myself down and looked over
and dimly through the cobwebby panes l
saw n pallid and wondrously beautiful
face. As in dream arose, and, grasp
ing Busac's shoulder, we stumbled down
the little staircase into the arcade and
Immediately made our way to a point
just opposite the sixth column on the
other side of the court.
A blank walli
STAY" | snid, and, passing the Ian
tern up and down the dirty wall, exam
ined it carefully. My pains were re-
warded. Scarcely discernlble was line.
ats one of those sliding panels and"
(going on down TO the floor) here Is q
minute secret spring" (scraping away the
dirt.
Busac had a cane and pried It open by
inches. 1t was clogged with dust and
rusted badly.
Finally 1t went back with a rush, and
we found ourselves in the old studio of
the Italian sculptor. The floor was a
chaotic mass Of broken plaster castings
and Jumps of hardened clay.
Our staring eyes eagerly sought for the
little window beneath the skylight. There
was none.
We looked at each other bewildered;
we gazed about the room, expecting ey-
cry moment to behold the CHASTITY face,
figure and all.
Then we examined the walls. Acct
dentally stumbling over a clay box, fell
with my shoulder against the wall under
the skylight. II gave forth a hollow
sound. ! Immediately kicked 1t hard.
and. 10! a patch Of plastering fell of,
disclosing bare boards.
"There is a false wall herew shouted.
fancicd | heard groan echo through
the room, and. turning suddenly, was
sure l saw a haunt of garments and
heard retreating footsteps.
Away we sped down the arcade, down
the stairway TO the landing. No one was
to be found but our gondolier, whose
eyes seemed to be glued to the little win
dow up there. where dimly could be per-
ceived still the white face.
ITO the cafe at once" said /.
Away he rowed with trembling stroke.
Fortified with a mezzagran and cognac.
we pulled ourselves together and discuss
ed plan for solving this mystery. The
upshot was that in half an hour we had
notified the captain of the precinct and
were at the false wall hewing away with
AK and pick. We soon had a great breach
in 1t and, pol,ing the lantern through, be-
held a sight to shake the stoutest heart.
On the floor. clad in leopard skin, with
timbrcl still in hand, lay the skeleton of a
woman. Between the ribs was jeweled
poignard. Hanging about the walls were
casts of beautiful limbs and torsos.
But where was the face?
A high oaken cabinet rose against the
wall, and piled on top Of 1t was a mass Of
old cartoons, portfolios and Greek dra-
speries so high as TO obscure the little
window, the frame of which could just be
detected Putting Busac upon my shout
ders, babe him tear away the mass. He
did so amid a cloud of dust and scurrying
spiders and an avalanche of rotting
cloths. There fell, dragging with it a
Greek mantle, among the folds of which
it lay unbroken, a beautiful death mask.
II had slid down from its place on top Of
the heap behind and lay pressed against
the window panes.
There was a scuffling and shouting on
the stairs, and we leaped out into the
room just In time to see our gondoier
struggling with a ragged fellow, who
seemed from his costume to be also a
gondoler. Our man said the fellow had
stopped his boat at the landing stairs and
attacked him with stiletto, but he had
dragged the would be murderer out Of his
gondola and up the stairs. The man
seemed to be insane. Through the open
ing in the false wall he stared fixedly at
the white mask, and froth gathered on
his lips.
mia carissima francesca" he whis-
pered.
Busac, who had been gazing hard at
the man. suddenly shouted:
"'Tis Baratazzir'
We all drew back and left him mouth
ing In the corner. He was fumbling in
HE pocLat for SomcfhinP which dc drew