Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-05-12
The Pauper of Park Lane
BY WILLIAM QuEux.
Copyright. 1908 by William Queux.
Entered Stationers rights reserved
BY WILLIAM LIE QuEUx,
CHAPTER XIV.
49,

Euston on their return to London to
make investigation.
Next morning Rolfe went as usual
to Park Lane, and spent some hours
attending to the old mans cores
pondence The excuse Charlie made
for his absence was that he had been
away in an endeavor to find his sister
whereat the millionaire merely grunt-
ed in dissatisfaction. Both Charlie
and Max were full of sorrow and anx-
iety on Marion's behalf. What had be-
fallen her they dreaded to guess. She
had left Oxford street, and from that
moment had been swallowed in the
bustling vortex of our great cruel Lon
don, the city where money alone is
power and where gold can purchase
everything, even to the death of ones
enemy. Perhaps the poor girl had met
with some charitable woman who had
taken her in and given her shelter;
but more probable alas! she was wan
dering hungry and homeless, afraid
to face the shame of the dastardly
charge against her-the charge that
to neither her brother nor her lover
none would name.
That morning Charlie wrote on me-
chemically, speaking little, with the
old man seated near him sucking the
stump of cheap cigar. His mind was
too full of the action he was about to
execute-an action, which in other
circumstan would have indeed
been culpable.
Both he and his friend had careful
which they might enter those prem
fcno M IN, ho
Levi bolted the heavy front door each
night at eleven, and then retired to
his room in the basement, where he
slept with one ear and his door open
to catch the slightest sound
And even though they obtained &C.
cess to the hall and study, there was
the locked iron door at the head Of
the staircase-the door through which
they must pass If their investigation
of the house was to be made.
That morning he made excuse to
leave the old man seated in his study,
saying that he wanted to speak to
Levi and give him a message for one
of the clerks from Old Broad Street.
Outside in the hall he sprang noise
lessly up the stairs, and, pulling open
the baize covered door, swiftly exam
ined the great iron fire-proof door so
carefully concealed and secured. His
heart failed when he recognized the
impossibility of passing beyond. The
door was enamelled white like the
Danelltng up the stairs, only over the
small keyhole was flap of shining
brass bearing the name of a well
know safe maker AT imminent peril
OF discovery by Levi, who often shut
fled in noiseless slippers Of felt, he
lifted the flap and peered eagerly be-
yond. He could, however, see nothing.
The hole did not penetrate the door.
Then, fearing that he might be
discovered, he slipped downstairs
again, and went to examine the front
door. The bolts were long and heavy
and the chain was evidently in use
every night
In the kitchen he found Levi prepar-
Ing his masters frugal meal, which
usually consisted of small chop, a
piece of stale bread and one glass of
light claret. His visit below gave him
an opportunity of examining the fas-
Jennings of the windows. They were
all patent ones, and, besides, the
whole were protected from burglars
by iron bars.
Patent faStenings were also upon
the windows of the study, looking
forth upon Park Lane, while often at
night the heavy oaken shutters were
closed and barred He had never be-
fore noticed how every precaution had
been taken to exclude the unwelcome
intruder.
Through the whole morning his
brain was actively at work to discov-
er some means by which an entry
might be effected, but there seemed
none.
The secret, whatever it might be,
was certainly well guarded.
He went across to the club for
lunch, and returned again at three
o'clock. About four he arose, asking
old Sam, who was seated writing, for
a document from the safe, the key
of which was upon his watch guard
The millionaire took out his watch
and chain and handed them to his
secretary, as he SO often did, while
the latter, crossing the room, opened
the safe and fumbled about among
some papers in one of the drawers
Then he relocked the safe, handed
back the. watch and chain, and re-
SedGSu ululSell dI the CdDle. 1nOSe
few brief moments had been all-suf-
Hcient, for upon the bunch was the
latch key to the front door, an i'm
preston of which he had taken with
the wax he had already prepared
The duplicate key could, he knew, be
filed out Of the handle of an old
spoon, and such was his intention.
He had hoped to find upon the
bunch the key to the door on the
stairs, but it was not among them.
He knew each key by sight. The old
man evidently kept it in safer
place-some place where the hand of
none other might be placed upon it.
Where did he keep it?
Its hiding place must be some
where handy, Charlie reflected, for at
least half a dozen times a day the old
man passed that iron barrier which
shut off the upper part of the man.
sion. He wondered where he could
find that key, but remained wonder,
Ing.
That evening he took the impress
sion of the latch key to Dover street
and with MaX's help tried to fashion
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