Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-07-27

MT Hall, though a Scoundrel, was, I am bound to confess, 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 coun- cil-very comfortable during our en- forced stay at Heath Cottage, as his home was named. It was two-storied house, but Hall had transformed the space immediately under the roof into an eccentric, but by no means uncosy, apartment, which reminded me of cross between barn loft and a bil- liard-room.
 Of the existence of this room no one but Hall and his man lubbock had any suspicion, the entrance to it being very cunningly contrived. In most houses of the sort, where the space under the roof has been utilized as loft for the storage of lumber-or pos- sibly for 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. Tn 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 best possible answer to an inquiry whether the house had an additional chamber, or even a Hath and plaster doored loft under the roof.
 But had any one opened the very ordinary-l looking cupboard in Halls bedroom, and pressed in 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 find that the cupboard top opened upwards on hinges, and that by letting down a rope ladder that had been tossed backward ready for use he could chamber easily into , chamber. the existence of which he would never otherwise have suspected The rooms of Heath Cottage were 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, it was not possible to stand upright, low and luxurious lounges, resembling eastern divans, were arranged; and in the center of the room was billiard table, upon wilhelm spite of the fact that it had been brought thither in l parts, and put together by Hall and his man-one could play surprisingly good and true game. The sides of the apartment were draped with lengths of gorgeously colored and superbly i worked Indian fabric, which, following the line of the roof, were caught to- gether, tentwise, overhead, whence hung several exquisitely wrought eastern lamps, that threw soft but sufficient light upon the table below.
 A more bizarre, but at the same time more cosy, apartment I have never seen in all my wanderings. Curious and out of place as the billiard table looked amid it's oriental surroundings, it 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, twill you be surprised to hear that that polite man the superintend- ent of the Tarborough police has sent round specially to inquire about your I 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 the 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 l way. The constable merely called to know whether I had seen any suspi- cious characters about You are safe ! enough here. It would take 3 cleverer i man than any one they've got in the Tarborough force to find out this room
 .'You seem to have poor opinion of the local constabulary," I said. Poor opinion! Why, man alive, I've got no opinion of them Nor would you if you'd seen the way they mud dled the burglary at my friend Paurs not long ago"
 s'Tell us about it, I said. "A yarn < will be a change after so much bil- l liards.' 7
 "Oh, there isn't much to tell" re- 2 Dlied Ollr host: tsbut if you'd like to hear it I'll tell you, if only to give 1 you an idea of the way the Tarborough Sherlock Holmes goes to work.
 Paul is scientific friend of mine,
 a bachelor and good fellow, but the
 most nervous of men. There's a big
 orchid-growing establishment here l and as Paul is writing a book about ! orchids, he has taken rooms in the
 town for month of two, while he's
 pursuing his studies As said, he's
 the most nervous man I ever knew
 and one of his special nightmares is