The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1901-12-13
CopvrtgI.t 1900 BY SesOard w. Hopkins.
CHAPTER VII.
rHE coNspIRAroRs oyERHEARn.

concentrated Jury OIL the murdererS
upon himself.
Having killed one innocent, the
! thirst for blood of the scouudrels must
have been assuaged, or they were act.
| ing under orders that left them but one
course to pursue.
Or, perhaps they did not examine
Buckford closely enough to discover
| that he had not been killed.
One corpse on the refuse heap was
enough.
At any rate, Buckford, instead of be-
ing dragged from the building as Mon
roe had been, was taken to a small
room and left lying on the floor in his
awful stupor.
He did not know, and it is not our
business to say, just how long he lay
there. He awOke at first with a dull
throbbing pain in his head. He was
| conscious of a terrible thirst. Half
stupefied, yet knowing he was where
he ought not to be, he sat up and look
ed around him.
| Gradually, as his blood circulated
| more freely, the pain in his head de-
creased, and his senses became more
acute.
He found that he was in a very small
room that had evidently been formed
after the house was built, by running
partition of thin and narrow wooden
strips across the end of larger room.
The purpose of this little room-the
| original purpose-was not apparent. 1t
| may have been to provide an extra bed
or dressing room. Its present purpose
was clear-it was his prison.
The room was about six feet in
width and about ten in length. The
wooden partition ran along one of the
long sides, and in this there was a
small door.
At one of the narrow ends there
was n window.
Wallace sat for some time on the
floor before he gathered strength
enough to rise. The blow on his head
had deprived him not only of con-
sciousness, but of strength as well.
There was absolutely no furniture in
the room. 1t was, however, carpeted
with a thick, firm fabric.
After time he rose to his feet, shook
off the momentary dizziness, and be-
| gan a more extended examination of
his prison.
He was really i'll enough to be in bed,
| but excitement and the sense of i'm
| pending danger kept him up.
He did not know that Monroe was
dead. He had last seen Monroe sit
ting quietly at table drinking wine
and waiting for his supper.
He first tried the door in the wooden
partition. 1t was locked. He then
went to the window. 1t opened upon
small narrow court.
The building opposite was almost de-
void of windows. There were two or
three little openings on the court for
ventilation, but nothing to be called a
window as windows go.
But leaning from his window and
looking down he saw that there was a
similar one underneath it in the same
house. 1t opened, no doubt, from a
room similar to the one he was in, or
similar to the one that existed before
the wooden partition was put in.
i The window was there, but it con-
veyed no thought of escape to his
mind. He had not as yet begun to
form any plan Of escape. The ground
was far below him-the paved court,
from which no exit was seen, except
through the lower stories of the abut-
ting buildings.
He turned from the window and
leaned against the wall in deep and
troubled study.
Where was Monroe? That was the
first question he asked himself. 1t was
clear that the plan to rescue him from
the police station was simply to bring
him again into the hands of the ene-
mics of the prince. The plot had sue
eeeded, as far as he was concerned, but
where was Monroe?
No suspicion of the American en-
tered the head Of Wallace. He be-
ieved that Monroe had been duped by
the pretended police agent. He hoped
that Monroe had been more fortunate
than he and had made his escape.
In that case the best thing that could
share in the plot to the police and
have them come to recapture him.
Terrible as was the uncertainty OF
his fate in the hands of the police, his
situation as captive of the plotters
was worse.
But would Monroe confess? Would
he betray himself to the police and de-
stroy his position in Partisan society?
While Buckford thought out all these
perpleXing questions he became sud
denly conscious that voices could be
heard through the wooden partition.
He bent himself to bring his ear to
the keyhole of the door,
Undoubtedly both Americans are
dead" said one voice. "The poor dupe
who did our work so we'll has been dis
covered in the brewery court and tax,
en- to his home. Well, the police will