Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-07
CHAPTER XxXIII-Continued.

CHAPTER XXXIII-ContinIed.
It must have been several hours, for
had been tired from busy day, and
wakened stiff from my awkward posi-
ton. could not remember where
was for few minutes, and my head
felt heavy and congested. Gradually
reused to my surroundings, and to
the fact that in spite of the ventilators
the air was bad and growing worse
was breathing long, gasping respira-
tons, and my face was damp and
clammy ] must have been there a
long time, and the searchers were
probably hunting outside the house
dredging the creek. or beating the
woodland knew that another hour
or two would find nre unconscious
and with my inability to cry out would
go my only chance of rescue. 1t was
the combination of bad air and heat
probably. for some inadequate venti-
lation was coming through the pipes
tried to retain my consciousness by
walking the length Of the room and
back, over and over, but had not the
strength to keep H. up. SO I sat down
on the table again, my back against
the wall.
The house was very still. Once my
straininE ears seemed to catch q foot
fall beneath me, possibly in my own
room. I CROPPED for the chair from the
table, and pounded with it frantically
on the floor. But nothing happened;
realized bitterly that if the sound
was heard at all, no doubt it was
classed with the other rappings that
had so alarmed us recently.
It was impossible to Judge the flight
of time. l measured five minutes by
counting my pulse, allowing seventy
two beats to the minute But il tool
eternities. and toward the last foune
1t hard to count; my head was con
fused.
And them heard sound from below
me, in the house There was q
peculiar throbbing, vibrating noise
that felt rather than heard. much
like the pulsing beat of fire engines
in the city. For one awful moment
thought the house was on fire. and
every drop of blood in my body
gathered around my heart; then
knew. 1t was the engine of the auto
mobile, and Helsey had come back
Hone sprang up afresh. Halsey's clear
head and Gertrude's intuition might dc
what Liddy's hysteria and three deficit
Ives had failed in.
After time | thought had beer
right. There was certainly something
going on down below doors were
slamming, people were hurryins
through the halls. and certain higt
notes of excited voices penetrated to
me shrilly. l hoped they were com
ing closer, but after a time the sounds
died away below, and / was left to the
silence and heat, to the weight Of the
darkness. to the oppression of wall:
that seemed to close in on me ant
stifle me.
The first warning l had was a steal
thy fumbling at the lock OF the mantle
door. With my mouth open to scream
stopped. Perhaps the situation has
rendered me acute, perhaps it wa
instructive. Whatever it was, | sa
without moving. and some one outside
in absolute stiffness, ran his finger
over the carving of the mantel and
found the panel
Now the sounds below redoubled
from the clatter and Earring | knew
that several people were running III
the stairs, and as the sounds approach
ed. could even hear what they said
Watch the end staircases.,' Jamie
son was shouting. 'Damnation-there'
no light here." And then a secon,
later. "All together now One-two-
three
The door into the trunk room ha
been locked from the inside, At tn
second that it gave, opening agains
the wall with crash and evidentl
tlmbling somebody into the room, tn
stealthy fingers beyond the mante
door gave the knob the proper impetu
and--the door swung open. and close
again. Only--and Liddy Away
screams and puts her fingers in he
ears at this point-only now | was nc
alone In the chimney room Their
was some one else in the darkness,
some one who breathed hard, and VIII
was so close could have touched hir
with my hand.
was in paralysis of terror. Gu
side there were excited voices an
incredulous oaths. The trunks wer
being jerked around in a franti
search, the windows We're thrown opel
only to show. a sheer drop of fort
feet And the man in the room wit
me leaned against the mantel DOC
and listened. His pursuers were plaii
ly baffied; l heard him draw a Ion
breath, and turn to grope his wa
through the blackness. Them
touched my hand, cold, clammy, deaf
like.
A hand in an empty room! H
drew in his breath. the sharp inta
ing of horror that fills lungs sudden
collapsed. Beyond Jerking his han