Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1903-03-07
quiring glance at me.


gun restfully. had slept but little the |
night before.
Nothing about the arrangements
have made for your comfort to prevent
it, is there?" he asked.
mo. You have done well. want to
ask you, before forget 1t, why did you
have the cellar off of the old store
room walled up?'
look OF perplexity came over his
face, and, as he did not seem to COM
prehend my question, went on more
explicitly:
There were two doorways, one lead
ing to Che storeroom and the other
leading to the outside. Both these door
ways have been built up with solid
masonry TO correspond with the foupda-
ton walls. simply ask out Of curios-
ity what your reasons were for having
it done-not that have any objection"
Ny question was simple enough
one. Mr.. SoRntag seemed 60 think 10
necessary to ponder over It. however.
Let me see. Tho cellar you have
reference to In directly under the room
you proposed In your letter of instruc-
ton to me TO occupy" he finally said.
~Yes, and there used to be two doors
to-
'.And they have been built upa' he
broke In.
Eyes. Do you not know about It Y''
asked, In surprise.
"No," he replied, shortly.
Then you did not have 1t done7"
Certainly not. I had nothing to do
with IL. Know nothing about It." he
answered. decidedly. "If they are
built UP, II has been done within six
weeks. For when received your letter
announcing your intention to occupy
the house for time, I went all through
the place, and those doorweys were not
built up then. I even went into that
cellar. It was a damp, musty hole, and
I intended to call your attention to II
and ask what youwished done aboutit
well, that's strangel Who could
have done It'll" exclaimed, thoroughly
perplexed. "How did you get into the
storeroom? L had to kick open the door"
"Oh, had key to the outside door,
and got in that way. Hmi tits, as you
say, very strange, indeed. But resume
your seat, Mr.. Conway"
Again the thought occurred to me
that had met Mr.. Sonntag, or at least
seen him, somewhere before.
did 1 ever meet youP" asked, voic-
ing my thought
He glanced quickly at me, and then
! smiled as he said: Look like some one
you know, do L? One often meets peo-
pie who put them In mind of some one
else. Now, regarding this cellar affair.
is there anyone you know who is in
terested in your property" he asked,
, In a brisk, business-like manner.
mo one" / replied. az am the last
of my race-a lonely man, and one
who is sick at heart, i was about to
! add"
Mr.. Sonntag's face became serious,
: and thought there was a touch of pity
! on It.
Cheer up. Mr.. Conway. The tables
will turn some day, and you will for
get the time of trouble and desponden-
cy," the old lawyer said, cheerily and
hopefully; perhaps sooner than you
have any idea of. Now, then" he con-
! tinued. returning to his brisk. business
like manner, "some one has walled up
those doorwsys. Who was it, and for
what purpose2 If it was done with the
idea of hiding-place, what was the
thing 70 be hidden? Something which
VIVA never again to be reproduced, evi-
| IDENTIFY, or the room would not have
been wholly sealed. Perhaps there was
. secret entrance provided. But then,
why should your property have been
selected? Were you alone when the
discovery was nader"
mo, SIR. A woman who used to act
as nurse girl when was a young one
was with me, and also Mrs. Snyder, the
widow who takes care of the house,
eyes, know. believe the old
widow can be relied upon to say moth
ing about the circumstances IL she is
told not to. How about the other, your
old nurse?"
she would do anything possible for
me- 1 was her idol when a child, and
| now devotion for me seems to have
Been augmented in proportion to my
stature. Sarah is wholly trustworthy,
and II requested her not to mention
the matter she would have her tongue
cut out rather than breathe a word
of it,
That's good. The discovery had best
| be kept secret" the old lawyer said, re-
: fectively.
THERE'S another thing Iwish to men
ton, though perhaps it is hardly worth
dwelling upon. Mrs. Snyder thinks
there is something strange about the
house. And she has so succeeded in
impressing my old nurse with the idea
! that Sarah is quite concerned about my
staying. She seems to be imbued with
| an inexplicable fear that something
harmful threatens me-"
"Indeedl What do you mean when
you say there is something strange?
You mean mysterious?" the old lawyer
asked, in the manner he would have
used In cross-examining witness.
eyes; Mrs. Snyder claims to have
seen mysterious lights at night and
heard strange noises"
| Mr.. Sonntag's eyes lost their shrewd
expression for few moments; he re-
lapsed into deep thought.
Have these mysteries any relation