Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-01-23

Ing that they had been BETRAYED had
driven short distance away. and had
then returned to the shed to be re-
Venged upon the betrayer This the
DRY was supported by the circumstance
that the dead bodies of a person whom
the police apparently took to be the
ihlormer, as well as of the constable
In whose charge he had been left, were
found lying together within the shed.
NO mention was made in any newspa
per report of the fact that. though
dressed as man, the dead informer
was IN reality woman; so it is to be
presumed that the police had some rea-
son for wishing the secret of the in
formers sex to be suppressed.
Mr.. Hall, though a scoundrel. was.
am bound to confess, a hospitable
scoundrel, and made the three of us
Number Four, Number Six and myself
(the so-called Number Seven). who
with himself now constituted the conn.
cli--very comfortable during our en-
lorced stay at Heath Cottage. as his
nome was named. 1t was a two-storied
mouse, but Hall had transformed the
space Immediately under the roof into
an eccentric, but by no means uncosy.
apartment, which reminded me of a
cross between barn loft and a bill
hard-room.
OF the existence of this room no ono
put Hall and his man lubbock had
any suspicion, the entrance to it being
very cunnlngly contrived In most
houses OF the sort, where the space
under the roof has been utilized as a
lott for the storage of lumber-or pos
sloIy Tor the placing of cistern-ac-
cess to this loft is generally betokened
by small trap-dOor in the ceiling
either of the landing or of an upper
apartment. In Halls house there was
no such trap-door, and the unbroken
stretch OF whitewashed, but evidently
ancient, plaster on the ceilings of the
upper rooms and the landing, was the
pest possible answer to an inquiry
whether the house had an additional
chamber, or even a lath and plaster
noored loft under the roof
But had any one opened the very
ordinary-looling cupboard in Halls
bedroom. and pressed in a particular
way one of the pegs upon which clothes
were hanging, pushing one hand at the
same time against the top of the cup
BOARD, that person would have been
surprised to ind that the cupboard
top opened upwards on hinges. and
that by lettir < down rope ladder that
had been tossed backward ready for
use he could Chamber easily into
chamber. the existence OF which hs
would never otherwise have suspected.
The rooms of Heath Cottage we're all
small, but by pulling down the central
partition in the space under the roof
Hall had improvised one apartment
that stretched the entire length and
width of the house. Around the sides,
where, owing to the slope of the roof,
1T was not possible to stand upright,
low and luxurious lounges, resembling
eastern divans, were arranged; and in
the center of the room was a billiard
table, upon Wilhelm spite of the fact
that 1T had been brought thither in
parts, and put together by Hall and
his man-one could play surprisingly
good and true game. The sides of tho
apartment were draped with lengths of
gorgeously colored and superbly
worked Indian fabric, which, following
the line of the roof, were caught to-
Sether, tentwise, overhead, whence
hung several exquisitely wrought
eastern lamps, that threw soft but
sufficient light upon the table below.
n more bizarre, but at the same time
more cosy, apartment | have never
seen in all my wanderings. Curious
and out of place as the billiard table
looked amid it's oriental surroundings,
ii served TO vile away agreeably many
an hour which might otherwise have
hung heavily on our hands; for TO the
prophets upper chamber" as our host
styled the room, my colleagues and
myself were confined during our stay
with him
well, gentlemen" he said. when he
came up TO apprise us of the constables
visit, will YOU be surprised to hear
that that polite man the superintend-
ent OF the Marlborough police has SEM
round specially TO inquire about your
health?"
Number Six, who was in The act OF
playing a ball and had not noticed
Number Two's entrance, missed the
stroke badly and let the cue fall rat
Ting upon tho floor as he turned round |
to face the newcomer.
God forgive us!" he gasped you
don't mean to say we're found out?"
God may forgive you, but / won't, |
if you cut the cloth of my table," was
the answer. Found out? No, and
never will be, if you'll only refrain
from throwing cues about in that silly
way. The constable merely called to
know whether / had seen any suspi- |
cious characters about You are safe
enough here. 1t would take cleverer
man than any one they've got in the
Marlborough force to find out this
room"
You seem to have a poor opinion of
the local constabulary," / said.
Poor opinion! Why, man alive, I've
got no opinion OF them. Nor would
you if you'd seen the way they mud |
died the burglary at my friend Pauls
not long ago"
Tell us about it, said. "a yarn
viii be a change after so much bill
lizards"