The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-03

on its surface with a myriad lights, white
and golden and many-colored, in the play
Of radiating fire, was one that compelled
the silence Of amazed admiration for many
minutes Margaret Klein first spoke. her
face bent to the diamond so that it's
waves. of color seemed to float up to her
ravished eyes, and with little cry wrung
from her satisfaction she said:
oh, : Mr.. Sutton, it's too beautiful to
look at!''
IT am glad that it does not disappoint,"
said l.
lit could disappoint no one" the in
valid said, stretching out a hand which
trembled to draw the treasure closer to
his eyes.
TITS the whitest stone I've seen for
three years." the colonel remarked coolly,
and then, as If with a new thought,
he added:
II believe it's whittier that the Brazilian
stone In my old ring. I should like to
compare them, if you'll let me? The
other stuff is in my dressingroom there;
Margaret. will you get it?''
He gave her his keys, and taking a
lamp from the Shelf she passed into the
chamber which was behind me. In the
same moment Rudisic asked his host to
prop him up higher upon the couch, and
the colonel had just begun to place the
pillows when I heard Margaret's voice cry
Ing: ,. .
stuck; do come and help
It was an act of consummate folly
that concede you; but I was so
completely unaware of any signs
OF trickery here, and had so forgotten
my fears, that found it the most natural
thing In the world to step into the room,
and to enjoy helping the girl in her diff
iculty. discovered her before an open
door-the door Of a wardrobe I thought it
was for a moment, but saw at the Sec
tond look that it gave access to a tiny
1Nc1@ 1Of I,,D~1
ers.. Margaret Klein herself stood within
this curiously fashioned safe, built part
of the house, and was still struggling with
the refractory drawer; SO that I had no
hesitation-nor, indeed, thought SUSPECT
ously-in going to her side She laughed
slyly as we stood in the semidark to-
gether, and my hand falling by chance on
hers, she pressed it, and put her face very
close to m1ne-so close, that to have re-
sisted kissing her would have been a
crime for which man would have re-
pented until his last day. I cannot tell
accurately how long I held her in pas
sionate embrace, feeling her, lips glued
upon my own; but suddenly and quickly
she pushed me from her with a surpris-
ing strength of arm, and before I could
regain my balance she had sprung into
the room, and the door of the small cham
Der in which I was left swung to with a
clang, striking me backwards as it pressed
upon me, and coming nigh to stunning me-.
So thick was this door, SO impenetrable,
that it's closing was succeeded by the
stiffness Of vault or Catacomb. had
scarce realized the whole trick, or the ter
, rible predica9nent sheer folly had placed
me in, when I was plunged into the abyss
of utter darkness, shut it were into the
coffin that had been prepared for me. A
} frlghtful panic, a hideOus terror, in
describable anger, came upon me from the
! very first moment Of that fearful trial.
!. For some minutes-the first minutes of
imprisonment in a room where I could
| stand my height with difficulty, but whose
iron sides my elbows touched as I turned
} III think my reason must have been paral-
| yzed. Rage; shame of my folly, yet, above
! all, indispensable fear, drove me to beat
, with MY fists upon the door, which gave
me back the touch of solid steel; to cry
Y out aloud as a man in the throes of pain
. full death; to grind my teeth until pair
1 shot into my brain; to forget, In fact, thai
Il T. was from that time helpless, and tina
, others alone could give to me life.
i When the first great terror had passed
e and a mental struggle had left me will
o some sense, I leant against the steel door
e. and thought again of my fate. I had lit
d tie SCIENCE yet I knew that the hours O
It any man.. shut in an alright chambe
g such as that room Of steel was, could b.
: few. I had heard that asphyXiation was
It peaceful death, and think I could hav
g had courage to face it if a little light ha.
been given to me. But 1 was in ute
l. weighty darkness; I could not even Sc
5, that dull red light as of ones own sou
I-fshining, which may come in the gentle
dark of night. There was only upon m
l. that sense of impenetrable blackness, til
q grim feeling that had come to my coffin
had slept in it, and arisen to this unspeak
IS able terror. My whole being then SCENE
(; to cry aloud for sight, one moment i
;" which living light should agai
shine upon me. A great crav
g ing for air; a. sense of terribl
l. effort in the lungs, a rushing of bloc
i'd to the head-these things succeeded, an
At as I suffered them flashes of though
at camc and passed, hope extended a han
i'd to me, processes of reasoning told m
s. that I should be saved. only to convinc
to ME the more that I should die.
If could have reasoned sanely I Shout
ed have seen that my hope was all boun
at up in Abel and the detective in the house
Klein, and the invalid, and the girl-the
a had been gone long since, unless other
had put hands upon them. My own sci
We want, I knew, would seek for me frs
ed but even if he came to the safe, no
ad would he open it, how cut thru thes
It. inches of steel before death had ended
r all? It was even possible that the doc
n of the strong room was a concealed doc
TO and SO afterWard I proved it to me-
m, that case, how would they know eve
a of my necessity? These torturing ref1et
az lions threw at last a glimmer Of nece
Oh sary activity upon my despair. raise
a my voice., tho I had then the strange
on sensation in my veins, and my heart W;
ne pumping audibly; and for many minut
'ss I shouted with all my strength. On
as as I thought that I heard even thru tt
10 door, some sound from the other roor
lis yet when I cried louder. and beat aga
a. upon the steel, there was no signal
10y. ~ remained unheeded; my voice gradual
,s,t failed me; I could cry no longer, but b
49, gan to sink almost into a coma.
re How long this coma lasted cam
a. tell. I was reused from it. after hi
,aa cous dream Of waiting, by sounds
it1, knocking upon some wall near me, a.
oor with new strength shouted again, a
~ beat again upon the door Of steel. Y
~ / knew that I was not heard, for
re- sound of the blows grew fainter and we
1av passing away, and life, which had col
he near again, seemed to pass with the
,ic- Then was my supreme moment of m
ion cry, yet one giving an inspiration viii
n1v brought me here to write this reco
the lRecoiling from the door as the ~knoc
the without grew fainter I struck my ba
n a against the iron wall, and my pist
ok which I had forgotten, pressed into
but flesh. Regardless of all thought of CT
ties sequences, of the path Of the bullet,
the the effect upon me of the sitting smo
and fired three rounds from the revo1
of into the room-and instantly was brea
able ing the densest smoke. Then a sud-