The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1908-03-17
lopyrlsht 100 ~ Bobbs-Aerrill 20.
CHAPTER X.
n Affair with the caretaker.

mo the howl OF the vino OUTSIDE Win
satisgaction in the warmth and com
sort of the great room. Bates brought
q some sandwiches and bottle Of
ale at midnight
III there's nothing more, sir"
nTbat is all, Bates" And he went
oH sedately to his own quarters.
I was restless and in no mood for
he'd. and mourned the lack Of variety
IN ms grandfather's library. / moved
obout from shelf to shelf, taking down
one hook after another, and while thus
engaged came upon a series OF large /
voIumes extra illustrated in water col
ors of unusual beauty. They occupied
: lower shelf, and ! sprawled on the
eoor like a boy with a new picture
hook in my absorption, piling the
great volumes about me. They We're
on related subjects pertaining to the
French chateaux.
In the last volume l found a sheet
Of white note paper no larger than
NV hand a forgotten book mark, | as
sumed. and half crumpled it in my fin
gers before | noticed the lines of a
mcneil sketch on one side Of it. 1 car
ried it to the table and spread it out.
1t 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 trihes my grandfather had no
doubt amused himself. There was a
long corridor indicated, but of this
could make nothing. ] studied it for
several minutes, thinking it might
have been a tentative sketch Of some
part of the house. In turning it about
under the candelabrum l 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
well defined imprint remained
was able to make out the letters,
N w. q to ca reference clearly
enough to points of the compass and
a distance. The word ravine was
scrawled over a rough outline Of a
doorway or opening of some sort, and
then the phrase:
THE DOOR OF BEWILDERMENT.
Now I am rather an imaginative
person; that is why engineering cap
tured my fancy 1t was his efforts
TO make an architect Ia person who
quarrels with women about their
kitchen sinks!) of boy who wanted
to be 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 I was strangely impelled
TO study it seriously.
l drew for myself rough outlines OF
the interior of Glenarm House as II
had appeared TO me, and then I tried
TO reconcile the little sketch with ey
cry part of it,
The Door of Bewilderment' was
the charm that held ne. My curiosity
was thoroughly aroused as to the hid
den corners of the queer old house
round which the wind shrieked tor
mentingly. I went to my room. put
on my corduroy coat, took a candle
ana went below. One o'clock in the
morning is not the most cheering
hour for exploring the dark recesses
oil strange house, but l had resolved
to have a look at the ravine opening
and determine. if possible, whether it
bore any relation to The Door OF BE
wtlderment."
All was quiet in the great cellar
only here and there an area window
ratified dolorOusly l carried a tape
Ane with me and made measurement:
OF the length and depth of the CORR
DOR and of the chambers that We're Sc
on from it. These figures 1 entered il
my notebook for further use, and sa
uoWn on an empty nail key TO reflect
Inc place was certainly substantial
the candle at my feet burned steadily
with no hint of a draft; but l saw n'
solution of my problem. l was losins
sleep for nothing; my grandfather
sketch was meaningless, and | rost
ana picked up my candle, yawning.
Then curious thing happened. The
candle, whose thin flame had risen uu
"averingly, sputtered and went out a
sudden gust swept the corridor.
A-eAu ASAN ubllAliS open ntAllAtu AA1N
out some one had gained ingress Il
me cellar by an opening of which
Knew nothing.
faced the stairway that led up Il
the back hall of the house when, t
my establishment, steps sounded be
nlnd me, and, turning, l saw a MAJ
carrying a lantern coming toward me
marked his careless step; he wa
undoubtedly on familiar ground. As
watched him he paused, lifted the Ian
tern to a level with his eyes and be
gan sounding the outer corridor wal
with hammer
Here, undoubtedly, was my frient
Morgan-again! There was the sam
periodicity in the beat on the wal
mat had heard in my own rooms
lie began at the ton and went method