The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-15
BOOK +.
The Forbidden Room.
CHAPTER lil.-Continued.
| Remain.


more .Ilan once This could hardly
avoid, since in and about it lay the heart
of the mystery for which the room was
remarkable. But tho I have thus freely
spoken of it, and tho it was not absent
from thoughts for a moment, I had not
ventured to approach it beyond a certain
safe radius Now, in looking to see If l
might not lessen this radius, experienced
that sudden and overwhelming interest IN
its every feature which attaches to all
objects peculiarly associated with dan
ger.
even took a step toward it, holding
up my lamp so that stray ray struck
the faded surface of an old engraving
hanging over the fireplace. 1t was the
well-known one-in Washington at least
of Benjamin Franklin at the court Of
France; interesting, no doubt, In gen
eral way but scarcely calculated to mold
the eye at so critical an instant. Neither
did the shelf below call for more than mo-
mentary attention for it was absolutely
bare. SO was the timeworn, II not blood
stained hearth save for the impenetrable
shadow cast over it by the huge bulk
Of the great settle standing at it's edge.
I have already described the impression
made on me at my first entrance by this
ancient and characteristic article Of fur
niture
1t was intensified now as my eye ran
over the clumsy carving which added to
and as smelt the smell Of its moldy and
possibly mouse haunted cushions. A
crawling sense Of dread took the place OF
my first instructive repugnance; not be-
cause superstition had as yet laid it's
grip upon me, altho the place, the hour
and the near and veritable presence OF
death were enough to rouse the imagin-
alton past the bounds of the actual, but
because Of q discovery had made-a
discovery which emphasized the tradition
that all who had been found dead under
the mantel had fallen as If from the end OF
this monstrous and patriarchal bench. DO
you ask what this discovery was? 1T can
be told ina word This one end and only
this end had been made comfortable for
the sitter. For a space scarcely wide
enough for one, the seat and back at this
special point had been upholstered with
leather, fastened to the wood with heavy
wrought nails. The remaining portion
stretched out bare. hard and inexpressi-
bly, forbidding to one who sought ease
there or even a moment of casual rest.
The natural inference was that the owner
of this quaint piece Of furniture had
been a very selfish man who thought only
of his own comfort. But might he not
have had some other reason for his ap-
parent niggardliness AS I asked myself
this question and noticed how the long
embracing arm which guarded this cush-
Toned retreat was flattened on top for
the convenient holding of decanter and
glass, feelings to which + can give no
name and which had fondly believed my
self proof against, began to take the place
of judgment and reason. Before realized
the nature Of my own impulse or to what
it was driving me, found myself moving
slowly and steadily toward this formid-
able seat under an irresistible desire to
fling myself down upon these old cush-
ions and 49,. '.....
But here the creaking of some far-off
no IoI
swaying from the opposite side of the
street-recalled me to the duties Of the
hour, and, remembering that my investi-
cations were but half completed and that
might be interrupted any moment by
detectives from headquarters, broke from
the accused charm, which Mortified me
the moment escaped it, and quitting the
room by door at the farther end, sought
to find In some of the adjacent rooms the
definite traces had failed to discover on
this, the actual scene of the crime
1t was dismal search, revealing at
every turn the almost maddened haste
with which the house had been abandoned
Inc dining room especially reused feel
1ngs which were far from pleasant The
table, evidently set for the wedding
breakfast, had been denuded in such
breathless hurry that the food had beer,
tossed from the dishes and now lay In
moider1ng heaps on the floor. The we'd
ding cake, which some one had dropped
possibly IN the EFFORT to save 1t, had been
stepped on; and broken glass, crumpled
napery and withered flowers made all
the corners unsightly and rendered step
ping over the unwholesome floors at once
disgusting and dangerous The pantries
opening out Of the room were in no bet
ter case Shrinking from the sights
and smells I found there !
passed out into the kitchen and
SO on by close and mar
row passage to the negro Quarters cl,,s-
tered in the rear. -.
Here made a discovery. One of the
windows in this long disused portion OF
the house was not only unlocked but part
ly open. AS came upon no marks show
ing that this outlet had been used by
the escaping murderer, made my way
back to the front Of the house and thus
to the stairs communicating with the up
per floor.
It was on the rug lying at the foot OF
these stairs that I came upon the first
OF a dozen or more burned matches which
lay in a distant trail up the staircase anf
along the floors of the upper halls As
these matches were all burned as short as
fingers could hold them, it was eviden,
that they had been used to light the steps
Of some one seeking refuge above, pos
sbly in the very room where we had seer
the light which had first drawn us to this
house. How then? Should proceed
or await the coming Of the "boys'' be
fore pushing in upon possible murderer.
] decided to proceed fascinated, think
by the nicely of the trail which lay before
me.