The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-01-26

By MRS. c. N. WILLIAMSON.
Copyright 1909 by the National Press Agency.
MYSTERY S
CAN Rights Reserved.

discovered It had struck him that, i'll
such a secret place existed on board sthesE
xenia it might be in the cabin OF the OWN F
err. Now that he began to think Of that +
owner as subtle and remarkable person, I
this theory seemed to him more reason
able than before. He went back to tine
handsome yet simply furnished stateroom
of the owner, which he had only pust be-
gun to search with this special end IN
view, and commenced minute examina-
ton of the walls, tapping them lightly
with his knuckles. in the hope of hearing
a suggestive. hollow sound. He missed
scarcely an inch Of the panellng, but all
his painstaking efforts were fru1tless. lie
discovered no secret spring, no spot where
| the panels did not join quite closely, no
hollow place under the polished wood, and
was about to transfer his operations else
where when it struck him that the frame
| of the mirror, set into the wall over the
dressing table, might really be the door OF
| a cabinet 1t was the only elaborate thlng
| In The ROOM and was Of sandalwood;
carved and inlaid with pearl and silver. All
round the edge were small silver knobs,
like nai-heads, and Dick began pressing
| these with his fingers, one by One as a
| child touches the keys of a piano. Having
reached knob, precisely In the middle on
the left side of the mirror as he faced 1t,
his push sent the silver nail-head back
into the frame, while at the same instant
something clicked family, like a yielding
latch The mirror, frame and all, moved
slightly, justifying Dicks expectations by
opening out from the wall, after the FASH
ion Of a door that falls ajar.
Since the morning all the jewelry and
toilet articles of value had been removed
from the two adjoining state-rooms; and
there was nothing on the dressing table
which must be pushed aside to admit OF
= the newly discovered door being fully
opened. Dick pulled it out and saW-as
he had hoped to sea- CABINET. IL was
, lined with crimson velvet and had two
Shelves on one of which lay three bun
dies of letters, kept together by twists Of
thing gold cord, and on the other, were
: two volumes Of uniform size, bound In
black russia leather. Dick took down
, from the upper shelf one OF the oundle'
of letters. They had no envelopes, and on
being counted proved to be thirteen in
; number. All were in English, had evil
: IDENTIFY been written by the same hand
. that hand a woman's-and the paper was
Z yellow with age. The next parcel con-
, tanned six letters, two at the bottom haV,
ing been written by a woman. the four al
the TOP by a man; and all six were II
5 Italian The third packet held only three
d letters, daintily and prettily written bs
= a woman's hand on thick. cream-la1d pa
per, with 'Mabel in gilded imitation o.
: the same handwriting scrawled across tht
i top.
"
e idea of reading these letters, but Dick de
= cided that the disagreable task was neces
IT sary, therefore justified, and he laid tn
three packets on the dressing table to at
g tend to later, meanwhile transferring hi
a attention to the remaining contents OF IN
= cabinet the two small, russia leathe
"a bound books. They proved to be exacti
* alike perfectly plain, without monogram
e, or initial, and each kept such secrets a
IN it might contain secured by means OF
X tiny gold paddock. 49,. ,',
Dick did not remember seeing a Ike
TX on the dressing table; and the most like
OF " conclusion was that it had disappeare
with the master Of the yacht. If tn
70 books, which Dick did not doubt wei
ly diaries, had to be opened, violence mus
IS. be done to the little gold locks.
tn Dick opened the twin volumes with II
of tense curiosity. mingled with the san
i'd repugnance he had for the task Of readir
es a. dead mans letters. It might be tht
d. neither letters nor books would solve tt
mt mystery Of the derelict; yet some thlnt
ut written there might indirectly bear upc
as it: and if the books we're diaries, settir
r. forth frankly in black and white the sto
iss of the writer's life, the chances were
Of favor of important discoveries cOncernil
d. Eve Desmond.
&c, into the midst of Dicks thoughts brol
Dr. sounds from outside which came to nj
lso through the open portfolio. Another 90
at has come out to u.s. he said to himse
oly pray Heaven it's a telegram from
7as Peter and Eve" He could not walt qC
zip city for news to be brought to him, b
on. hurriedly tossing back the letters and t
ler two little black books into the secret ca
met. end swapping shut the mirror do'
it, he ran out Of the stateroom and up to
an deck. There he arrived just In time
lad receive, not telegram, but Sir Pet
not Markham himself. Close by lay the
ght Maid. glimm erlng "h1te III ne uei ~. -.
vas Of the stormy nlSnt' any III M
up. prise, fear ana nope DlcN selHeu InS 80 ~
hat man by the hano anu e,aiilt!i 49,
ose no more; his voice raised in eager Int.
m rogation. He could not have uttered
nen coherent sehtellce'
tia ha tinned to- mOrrOW.