Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1907-03-15

~ bIlC CJGs
bed, and nlOurned the lack of variety
In my grandfather's library. moved
about from shelf to shelf. taking down
one9book after another, and while thus
engaged came upon a series of large
volumes extra Illustrated in water COL
ors of unusual beauty They occupied
lower shelf, and | sprawled on the
floor like a boy with a new picture
book in my absorption, piling the
great volumes about me. They we're
op related subjects pertaining to the
French chateauX.
IN the last volume | found a sheet
of white note paper no larger than
my hand, a forgotten book mark. I as
sumed and half crumpled it in my fin
gers before | noticed the lines of a
pencil.sketch on one side OF it. / car.
ried 1t to the table and spread it out
IT was not the bit of idle penciling
II had'appeared TO be. at first sight. A
scale had evidently been followed and
!. the lines drawn with a ruler. With
.such trities my grandfather had no
. doubt amused himself. There was q
long corridor indicated. but of this
could make nothing. | studied il for
several minutes. thinking it might
nave been a tentative sketch of some
part OF the house In turning it about
under the Candelabrum | saw that In
. several places the glaze had been
RUBBED from the paper by an eraser
and this piqued my curiosity. /
brought a magnifying glass to bear
upon the Sketch. The drawing had
been made with hard pencil and the
eraser had removed the lead, but a
we'll defined imprint remained.
was able to make out the letters
NJ W. Y to Ca reference clearly
enough to points of the compass and
. distance. The word rayine was
Scrawled over a rough outline of q
doorway or opening Of some sort and
then the phrase:
THE DOOR OF BEWUDERMENT
NOW am rather an imaginative
person; that is why engineering can.
tured my fancy. 1t was his efforts
10 make an architect "a person who
quarrels with women about their
Kitchen sinks!) Of d boy who wanted
70 ne an engineer that caused me to
break with my grandfather Fate was
busy with my affairs that night for
instead of lighting my pipe with the
little sketch | was strangely impelIed
% study it seriously.
! drew for myself rough outlines Of
the interior of Glenarm House as IL
mad appeared to me, and then I tried
TO reconcile the little sketch with ev. |
cry part of it.
. The Door of Bewilderment" was
the charm that held me. My curiosity
was thoroughly aroused as to the hid. |
dea corners of the queer old house
round which the wind shrieked tor. |
mentlngly. went to my room nut |
on my corduroy coat, took a candle |
ana went below. One o'clock in the
morning is not the most cheering |
nour for exploring the dark recesses |
Ola strange house, but | had resolved |
to haye a look at the ravine opening |
and determine, if possible, whether If |
bore any relation to "The Door of Be |
wildermept."
All was quiet in the great cellar.
only here and there an area window
ratified dolorously. l carried a tame. |
line with me and made measurements
OF the length and depth of the CORR. |
dor and Of the chambers that were set
Oh rom II These figures l entered in |
my notebook for further use, and sat
down on an empty nail keg to reflect |
Tne place was certainly substantial: |
the candle at my feet burned steadily
with no hipt Of draft; but saw no |
solution of my problem. was losing
sleep for nothing; my grandfather's
sketch was meaningless, and 1 rose
and picked up my candle. yawning.
Then a curious thing happened. The
candle. whose thin fame had risen un.
WAveringly, sputtered and went out a
sudden. gust swept the corridor.
lad left nothing open behind ne,
nqt some one had gained iasreas to
ths ceHar DE q oesnisg 4 wAich