Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-06
CHAPTER XVIII-Continued.

The place was damp and narrow at first
and SO low in places that they had TO bend
almost double. but all at once they emery
I'd Into a chamber as broad and high. judg-
ing from what they could see in the dim
light, as q barn. The roof seemed to be
made up of iunumerable points Ike iCicles.
wet and cleaning, some a brilliant yellow,
others dull and lusterless. The floor was
Jagged and irregular. made up Of blunted
s,alagmites and broken fragments from
the roof. The walls near them glistened
under the light Of the lanterns as If fresh
y smeared with paint. Amos was the first
to break the silence:
"Wal-IIL-De -dum5uzzled,"
Iona took US to this room" explained
Jim, gesticuiatiug with his head. See.
there's the remains of our lantern: she
found it at the entrance and took it in.
We sat on those rocks right there and she
seemed nervous and excited. She made Us
keep as sim as death. and every little
while she would say. Hank" and listen as
Il she expected TO hear something awful.
She went out 10 the entrance two or three
times and she same back saying we couIdn t
60 out just yet, but that We must go the
very first minute We could. After long
while We heard noise way Of in that di-
Tection. She jumped up as If the roof was
coming down, and told Us 20 run out for
our lives. We started. and Tom smashed
the lantern against that rock there. We
tried to get out. bat lost the direction. and
while We were trying 20 md it two men
with lantern came right round tnat rock
there"
Was there two OF them asked the
sheriff.
Yes; the one up there in the barn and
little black haired one. Tom stood right
there. and Iona stood there The minute
the big one saw them he stopped short a
minute and started as II ne was going TO
run. then he began to swear He pulled
out his revolver and SAID he would shoot
Tom like snake and me too. Then Iona
made a dart for him and tried to get the
revolver and Il went OFF I made a lear
Tor him and landed him right there on that
hat place. The little feller stopped over
Iona a minute and then run
He's IN here now. then2' exclaimed the
saerin getting excited. Let's see whats
IN beyond there"
Ho cooked mis- revolver and they pushed
on cautiously, pausing and then &c
listen There was no sound save the slow
dripping OF water somewhere of in the
darkness, eChong In the hollow void like
blows on tun. The passage grew larger.
~ length they came out into another cham.
Fer somewhat broader than the other. a
one side OF IT there seemed TO be a door
f. The solid rock
They Investigated closely A branch OF
ti-e cave had been walled up at some time
with stones and mortar. and "a narrow dool
ntee OF TWO solid oak logs hewn smooth
was ntted into the wall as II part OF IT.
y was evidently locked. for there was 8
large keyhoIe. They kicked on 1t and
pounded on II with stones. but IL was Ike
pounding on the side Of the rock
Wen let this go for q WHILE said the
f.efn decistvely- Let's see what else
there is Again they pressed on and on
through tho narrow passages. Then they
came apparently to the end Another door
way II was, but this one yielded easily and
'Hry FOUND themselves in a spacious room
win boarded walls aud floor and confu-
sion or roughly made furniture. A ladder
AT one end disappeared into the darkness oil
the roof There were cupboards and closets
Il bed aud tables and chairs.
The nature of the place was evident at a
glance. They were in the home OF the rob
ttrs, there could be no doubt OF II. Blan-
sets, clothes. shoes canned goods-eyery-
thing that had been taken during the win
yer lay scattered about the room Amos
hustled here and there feverishly opening
cupboard and box and dragging out their
contents, while the sheriff identified them.
1essuh; there's the very blanket they
look down TO Snyders. and there's the fur
overcoat they got at Hesler's" 1t was
Impossible to identify the canned goods
but canned goods had been taken at nearly
every place entered. Amos at length pulled