The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1907-09-27
or Dead?'
The Strange Disappearance OF
} Gerald RathbOne.
CHAPTER XII.
The Man.
~ GUY THoRN8.

The Tomb-Bound Man.
Mr.. Guest had visited his victim and
had gone.
Supper was over-beef tea and phos-
phorus!-and Mr.. Guest had said in
mocking words of good night. sleep
we'll, Mr.. Rathbone! I shall not be
compelled to ask you to wear the pref
~ metal cap until tomorrow, SO I
won't turn out the light. You have a
book to read, you've had your supper,
and I wish you a pleasant time alone.
No doubt you will occupy your leisure
IN thinking of Miss Marjorie Poole.
You'll recall that occasion in a certain
hung with pink, when you kissed
her by the side Of the piano in the
white and gold case! know you
Dften recall that happy Incident"
He had closed the heavy steel door
with a last chuckle Of malice and pow
o.. leaving the prisoner white and
shaking with fear. How did this sin.
lister and fendish jailer know his init
mate thoughts?
He groaned deeply. and then. as he
had done a thousand times before,
gased round the place in which he
was in terror-struck amazement.
Where was he? What was this hor-
rible prison with all its strange con.
Tivances. Its inexplicable mysteries?
He was In u large stone cell, bril-
dantly lit at this moment by two in
c~andescent electric bulbs In the vault
ID ceiling far above his head. A long
time ago now-how long he could not
have said-he was Gerald Rathbone, a
man living in the world, setting the
sunlight and breathing the air of day.
He had been Gerald Rathbone, moving
hOnorably among his fellow men, see-
lng human faces, hearing the music Of
human voices, an accepted lover, and
. happy man.
That was long ago-a dream, a WIS.,
lon which was fading away. 1t SEEM
I'd years since he had heard any voice
but that Of the pink, hairless man who
Ted him and whose slave he had be-.
some.
Once more the prisoned thing that
had been Gerald Rathbone gazed
round the cell, striving, with terrible
intensity Of thought, to understand 1t
and penetrate it's mysteries. Here he
had been put, and here he had re.
manned ever since that .~sickening
moment when he had been talking to
Dir William Gouldesbrough. He had
been standing In front of the baronet
when his arms had beeI gripped from
behind and unseen fingers held q
damp cloth, with q faint, sickly, and
aromatic smell, over his face. A noise
IKE the rushing Of great waters
sounded In his ears, there was a sense
of falling into q gulf Of enveloping
blackness.
He had awakened In the place
which he was nov surveying again
with frightful and fascinated curios-
w.
In the brilliant light Of the electric
bulbs every object in the cell was
clearly Tho place was not
small. It was oblong in shape, some
10 feet by IL feet. The walls were
built Of heavy slabs of Portland stone
cemented together with extreme
nicety and care. The door OF the cell
~ obviously new. It was 4 heavy
steel ndoor with . complicated
system Of locks, very much like the
door Of q safe. The whole place. in
deed, suggested that 1t had been used
- . strong room at some time Or 9th
There was no window of any kind In
the cell. In the center Of the arched
roof there was Z barred ~ventilator
ana close by m electric fan whirred
and whispered increasingly. The sound
made by the purring thing AZ It re
volved six thousand times a minute
was almost the only sound Gerald
Hathbone heard now.
The floor Of tho cell was covered
With cork carpet Of an ordinary pat
tern. The victim cast his glance or
IN this without interest. Then, as hi
"a 30 unwillingly. but by the force o.
~ attraction he could not resist. hi
stared. with lively doubt and horror
rippling over his face, ut something
which stood against the opposite wall
Ho saw q long, narrow couch Of some
black wood, slanting upward towart
~ head. The couch stood upon fou'
thick pedestals Of red rubber, which
II their turn rested upon four squares
" thick porcelain. Tho whole thin,
Ma the appearance Of Q shallow BIO,
|. no trestles. and at the head was
ourious pillow Of i~ndiarubber. At tn
o1de AZ this thick pad was a collar
shaped circlst Of ~vulcanite clampe'
botween two arms Of aluminium. whicl
loved n any direction on b~all-pivots
10 stared At this mysterious couch
ekymg 70 understand It. to realize Il
~ rec from the narrow bed o.
Whlch Is sat and advanced to the cen
~ cf the celtic the center. but NJ
ekher th4n that.
eDunA IN waist ! circle Of steel wa
1890 "a from e thin steel chain'
1hfoufh light handcuf6s upon hil