The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1909-08-12
| THE SECRET CHAMBER
GOOD heavens what was thatY-


Good heavens What was thats-
Three OF the men AZ the green-baizt
eard-table dropped their cards and
Ieaped TO their feet with blanched
faces.
A wild screech. the screech OF a man
In the last extremity Of terror. still
echoed through the passages Of the Old
Cornish mansion, and made the very
marrow shrink In their boDesl
The shrek ended suddenly, as
though the throat from whence II bad
sprung had been suddenly cienched-
And almost as suddenly the three
men dropped Imply back into their
chairs. and gazed open-mouthed at
their host
He had paied somewhat. but had not
moved. and returned the stare Of his
guests with somewhat cynical. but
obviously forced. smile.
For a few moments only the nutfer-
ing OF a moth against the lampshade
broke the silence. then. laying his cards
upon the table with affected nonchal-
ance. be spoke.
you're three nIcefeIlows TO ask here
10 keep me company. must say. Why.
II nearly startled me as wei 10 see
you jump and he laughed uneasily.
Il must say I expected more from
you. Robert be added In a playfuily
reprimanding tone. inclining bis head
and shaking a finger towards his part
Der. huge. broad-shouldered giant OF
q man
I'm awfully sorry, Trerelyan." an
swered Robert. with a laugh. now
somewhat ashamed OF his fears: but
Il was so sudden and unexpected. you
know. And when you asked Kerr and
Huntley and myself TO stay with you
IN this old place. you didn't give us
20 understand that we were going to
hear anything Ike that We thought
your PIT family ghost was fairly
harmless. respectable sort OF customer.
but I shouldn't ike TO meet the thing.
whatever Il was. that made that
noise
That was not the ghost.- answered
seriously; there may be no
ghost, as you choose TO call II, for all
I know. Nobody has ever seen It. any
how. during all the generations my
family have lived here. All I know
is that no one who passes night IN
the room. the door or which pointed
out 10 you last night. ever lives to see
On Wight. And I have heard. II one
can Judge by the expression on the
faces OF those who have attempted It
that the death is not a pleasant ere.
By any means"
Then whose cry was thatf" asked
Robert. noddins his head in the direc-
lion OF the room referred TO. from
which the cry had proceeded
Il do not wish TO Brighten you" an
.wcred Trevelyan; ''in fact. II Is most
that Il should have hap
,ened at ell tonight. considering that
often Il Is not heard for months to-
ysther: but that was the cry OF the last |
nan who attempted to stay In the
-oom.~
~It was during my grandfather's
fine. when my father was young fel- |
ow, that he came TO grief.
Father had a little party Of bis
'riends here These fellows had heard |
bout the haunted room and were rath-
Y sceptical. as you probably were un-
n just now; 30 on their way 10 their
BEDROOMS one night father took them
asst the door. which was always
ocked.
ITO fathers boundless establishment.
here stood the door wide open.
1T IL inexplicable. as none OF the
srvsnts would dare cross the thresh-
ia.
sThen one OF the guests. big Cor
sshman from a bit farther west than
his, namd Tregasgis, man with a
erve OF iron. said: We'll. an open door
,eans welcome, 80 I'm going TO pay
he ghost visit and. with his lighted
andie IN the hand. In he walked
hen one OF the others for q joke.
ullsd the door behind him, and be wus
hut In. But when they tried to open
! they were In blue funk. can tell
on. The door would not bulge Meth
r OF them had locked It either.
They kicked and pushed and bang
a, but II was all OF no use. An this
me Tregasgis had been talking 70
,em quietly from within. Then sud-
emily they heard cry OF horror, then
hat shrlek that you have Just heard
hat was all Then they got hatchet