The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1904-07-30
CHAPTEK x

| chimes. struck the hour of ten, Ethel,
with a pale face and trembling hand,
lighted a candle. possessed herself of the
strange looking knife, then opening the
wardrobe. and drawing back the bolt,
stepped into the passage and from thence
Tia rough the small door in the opposite
wall.
She found herself in a long. straight,
dark corridor. that led directly to what
Sir Reginald assured ner was the Haunt
ed Tower. AT the end where she stood,
however. on the left hand side. was a
iron hook. This led to the ruin, and
with a beating heart she opened it.
Close by the door she found a small
covered basket that she knew must con-
| tain what she sought. Grasping it quick
ly. she again fastened the Dor as Sir
Reginald had instructed her to do, and
passed down the corridor.
There she found the entrance to the
tower. and resolving to take some bright
sunshiny day TO visit this spot, she turn
ed, as she had been directed, to count out
the number Of panels' on the left hand
wall. and Immediately discovered the
faint crack, that she knew must be what
she sought. Inserting the point Of the
knife. she turned three times. when the
panels parted and there lay the shelves.
Opening then the basket, she found
food in small pieces, consisting Of broken
biscuits, bits of chicken, potatoes, and
quite a quantity of meat, cut in mouth
fuls. This she placed on the shelves
upon the wooden plate OH which it was
heaped. Then gently showing the shelves,
they slowly whirled around, and when
the same side returned to her, the plate
stood upon it empty, ready to be placed
again in the basket.
THAT ape must have been trained"
she thought, Ito empty the plate and re-
turn it,"
She listened for a moment. but all was
still. Showing to the panels, she found
hat they relocked themselves, so taking
mp candlestick, knife and basket, she
placed the latter again outside the door,
fastened it securely, and reached her own
room in safety.
The task required of her had been a
singularly unpleasant one. She was a
brave young girl. and had endured but
few feelings of fear, but she had trem-
bled. because the thing required so much
secrecy. She disliked mysteries of all
kinds. and her honest. open nature re-
volted from the whole work.
One thing she decided to do, she
should take some morning hour to ex-
plore the ruins. and that Haunted Tower.
so that she might become accustomed to
all the dangers and peculiarities of the
place before other offices were required
at her hands.
With this resolution still in her mind.
she sought the luxurious bed that await
ed her, and there fell at once into a
pleasant sleep. from which she never
aroused until the bright rays of another
morning sun stole into her room.
S%prInging up. she dressed as soon as
possible. and opening her door, found
by questioning a maid. that the family
did not rise until late, as their breakfast
hour was from ten TO eleven.
All being quiet in the room of the in
valid. she returned to her own apart
men,, and fastening the door securely,
resolved at once to start upon her explor-
ing expedition. as she felt that she would
be for at least an hour and a half unob-
served. and mistress of her own time and
motions. @--
With a little of the trembling nerv-
BUSINESS of the night before, the brave
girl opened the intervening doors and
stepped into the corridor. All was fold
ed in the same solemn stiffness that made
the place oppressive on the previous
night.
She resolved to explore the ruined
parts before she sought the tower. there
fore unlocked bhe door. and stepped out.
AZ she did SO. she noticed that the COW
cred basket was still there.
The loo opened directly into a small
rickety hall that led into several large
rooms. all dusty. mouldy and more or less
dilapidated. Broken windows, torn wall
papers, bare ~rafters, seen through inn
mense places where ceilings had fallen,
were everywhere visible. Some rooms
were filled with broken furniture, pieces
of old china and fragments of time-worn,
castoff clothing.
Bthel looked at these dilapidated OBJ
jects, and found herself wondering why
Sir Reginald had not had the whole pull
ed down and removed? Its destruction
certainly would heighten the value of the
property, while its presence only spoke
of neglect and untidiness.
One thing she observed in her ramble
there was al easy mode of egress and in
gress to this part into the hall, and
marks of recent footsteps on the floor
told that this formed the entrance place
DO the person who prepared and brought
the food she was nightly to place on the
iron shelves.
Another thing struck her: in all the
premises there was not the slightest APP
pearanee of the concealed room. Only a
bare, blank wall appeared upon the side
where she knew it must be.
Retracing her steps after all had been
examined, she refastened the door, and
then sought the Haunted Tower. The