The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-07-19


He refused to commit himself further
All inquiry for Oliver Dixie was fruit
less. We found no one to whom the
! name was familiar
| In our room that night we planne;
the campaign. Dudley, with the ardoi
of lover, was for going directly to
the sanitarium and demanding of its
proprietor what knowledge he pos
sessed OF Evelyn Mason. Clarke vetoed
this off-hand. After much discussion
he gently reminded us that he was the
leader and laid out our plans of ac-
ton.
In the morning we would leave the
town, ostensibly on a sightseeing tour,
and by roundabout way reach the
sanitarium where Clarke, under an as
sumed name and accompanied by us
as two friends. would seek an interview
with DIR. Withersbee on the pretense' OF
wishing to place a consumptive sister
I'm his institution.
If by any twist of the conversation
can get his mind running on either
Evelyn Mason or Oliver Dixie he con-
tinued, you know my methods well
enough, Sexton. to know that | will
get the information we are after. Our
future course can then be determined -
1t was with trepidation on my part
admit, that We started next morning
TO put our plans into effect. There may
have been roadway reaching to the
sanitarium. but we failed to find one
After AN hours mountain climbing
through underbrush that tore our
clothes and scratched our faces. we
reached the plateau on which stood the
three-story gray stone building look
ing upon view of peaceful grandeur
which satiated the eye with its immen-
sity.. Through grounds like a garden
"a q he he f-a1 % 81
building, to which the barred windows
gave the aspect of a prison. Not a
soul was visible, and the place was
ShrOuded in death-like silence 1t was
uncanny. The feeling of dread within
me increased. but l said no word of if
to my companions. The door opened
silently to Clarke's ring and we were
ushered into a handsomely furnished
office by young man. so black of
countenance and so mechanical of
movement that / Immediately took him
to be a patient. He left US alone and
the door clicked behind him. Instinct
lively ! knew that it was locked. Dud-
dey started TO say something, but
Clarke's eyes enjOined silence.
What ! have next to relate has been
pieced together out of blur of hazy
memories l am not aware just when
/ lost consciousness My first sensa-
intently at the back of my head
Through no volition of my own / turned
and found myself looking into a huge
pair of eyes framed in a mass OF black
hair and beard. Those who have seen
Wilton Lackeye's eyes i'm the death
scene of Trilby may realize portion
of the impression / carry of them.
Then soft, purring voice said:
MIR. Carlton Clarke. Mr. Richard
Dudley and Mr.. Paul Sexton. / be-
lieve: DR.. Withersbee is at your serv-
Ice
When | awOke to consciousness some
one was alternately swapping his fingers
in my face and roughly shaking me- I
was I'm pitchy darkness, and the air
was chill and clammy.
Sexton, I'm ashamed of you" said
Clarke's voice through the gloom. you
are particularly easy subject. l
should have given you some lessons in
resistance"
pened? Where is Dudley" l asked in
a breath.
Dudley is here. He recovered be-
fore you did" answered Clarke. a fact
which Dudleys voice confirmed. I'VE
seem to be in some sort of an oubli-
cite. which that dear DR.. Withersbee
has prepared in the center OF the hill
under his charitable institution for the
reception of his friends. Nothing has
happened except that it has been our
lot to meet a particularly crafty viii
lain, who has at his command not only
an unusually fertile brain but all the
a gencies of modern mental science. I
am afraid l have met my equal, but
think I should have held my own with
him if he had not taken an unfair adj
We were having a battle roy
al of wits. and I felt that | was grad
ually besting him when one of his myr-
mdons felled me from behind. and
awoke i'm this darkness laid out side by
side with you fellows. My head still
aches from the blow. BY the way have
you match?'
1 felt in all my pockets and found
none.
"Ah. that is bad" said Clarke. How
about you. Dudley"
Dudley reported that he had one lone
match. and though we searched care
fully, this was all the three of us could
find
Much as ! would like to see our pris-
on, we will save il for an emergency"
said Clarke. handing the precious match
to me. The fact that our host robbed
US of all our matches but left us our
arms seems to be a gentle hint that
we will go crazy and put ourselves out
IF the way to save him the trouble
What do YOU suppose he will do with
us?" asked Dudley in a voice so steady
hat. with Clarke's apparent cheerful
ness. it restored my fast ebbing cour-
Age.
He will just forget us, or else he
will remember us, either of which con-
ingencies will be equally disastrous.
A third possibility. though a slight one.
S that we will get out"
Have you any plan?" 7 asked.
Yes, learned some things before /
vas knocked out that may or may not |
prove of value to us. We must wait |
hough. Give me your watch, Sexton |
md let's see what time it is. Mine has |
stopped"
] felt for Clarkes outstretched hand |
guided by the swapping of his fingers. |
he forced off the crystal and ran his
sensitive finger over the dial
Five o'clock" he said. That's in |
he afternoon, unless we have been I'M |
conscious for twelve hours longer than |
think. which is unlikely. Now there
5 nothing for us to do for at least six
lours. except to find out what sort of
place we are in and how we were
,rought here
In single file we made the round of /
ur dungeon. We found it to be about |
welve feet square, walled with mason
y which dripped dampness. and floored Il
With cement. On one side we came up
n a door the height of my head. 1 be-
ng the tallest of the party. From the
ivet heads we judged it to be of plate
teel, and 1t closed into a steel frame