Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-01-24
CHAPTER XII (Continued.)


 the castle rooms and investigated all the corridors, pcering into the dark corners. It was an ardlous business, for l hardly realized the uumbcr of passages and erannieS to be explored. Presently we both came to q stop on I simultaneous thought.
 "This is really no use" I said "It's quite impossible to exhaust all the possibilities of this house And 1 still adhere to my previous notion that Mrs. Main was hardly in sufficiently pa cifc state to judge between shadows" I'm with you there,' said Sheppard cheerfuly.
 'Eery well, then; bed said l, and to bed We went admirably tired with our excitement and our Iabors.
 l must have been asleep for some hours when l awoke from dead uncon- sciousness with the presence of some one ill the room expressing me. Al most as sat up heard Montgomery's voice.
 "Are you awake, Greatorex? There's some one about the house.
 sat still, striving to disspate the confusion of my brain. Somewhere, far off, 1 remembered that 1 had heard this before. But with q strenuous effort of the will l threw off the dWindling hands of sleep and got out of bed. well go and see," said I. What time is it:''
 Il don't know," said Montgomery aS 1 lit a candle with fumbling fingers. But my watch is over. l think it's about 12 or l.
 NOW, young man" said, having pulled on some clothes, what about this alarm of yours!'
 It was noise-it woke me up,' ex- plained Montgomery. Sheppard re- lieved me at II, and I turned in, feel ing very sleepy. thought I slept like log, but something got on my nerves, I suppose. At any rate. it woke me up"
 Ny dear lad, what was it?' asked impatiently.
 Tt came from the back of the bed, he answered. Tt was a sound of feet" Something within the walls," ar gued; mice, beetles."
 Montgomery shook his head. "Come and lsten.' he pleaded.
 1 followed him. Certainly he was the least ina ginative young man i'll the world. and it puzzled me that he should have taken this whin. Perhaps It was not fancy. Suddenly Mrs. Man's statement, which had doubted aud ridiculed, returned to my mind in d flow of memory.
 ontgomeryS room stood upon the back of tbe castle and, lii.e all the rooms which were in use, faced the park. IL was a small, square cham Der, lined. as had been practical throughout the castle, with oak Mont golnery pointed to the pillow. My head was there." he explained. Lis ten
 lay down upon the bed and rested. There's nothing to be heard" said l,
 Wait" said Montgomery eagerly
 A silence ensued. Don't you hear anything:n he asked.
 l shook my head. My dear boy. it was fancy" said and was raising my head from the pillow when suddenly q slight sound struck upon my ears, and 1 paused in the act and ill the center of my speech. Il hear something now said But it's only the batter of rain.
 Montgomery set his ear 10 the wall. That's not rain." he whispered. He was right il was not rain; # was the noise of feet falling lightly upon stone. At once l took fire.
 What is behind this oak:N asked. There mustbe some passage here. 1 sounded with my knuckles on the board. It's hollow"
 A careful Inspection with the candle revealed 2 scam in the oak. which might mark tne site of hinges and to gethel We pushed firmly on the panel. It fell back slowly. being, aS l found afterWarG, without lock or spring and merely held .n it's place bJ disuse and dirt Within, the light shone upon Il black hole and a dark flight of stairs leading downward.
 We must see the end of this said Montgomery, and hopped Into the dark ness like frog. ] followed. Below there was now silence; the footsteps had died away. The narrow flight in the wall continued for some thirty steps and brought us, as l reckoned. to the foundations of the castle. Here We were fetched up promptly by q blank wall of woOd-no doubt similar sncasement of oak as that in which the panel above was set. Gropng about, We fumbed upon a latch and opened the door quietly. The candle Jared on the walls opposite We were in the dark corridor leading to the treasure.
 As this discovery flashed on me l heard once more the sound that had letecJeo In Montgomery rooD-tu- sound ot delicate footballs on the stone flags. Blowing out the candle and putting a detaining hand on Montgom-