The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-01-24
C0lXN9YT

IN 10 snare goo ukerI Not u =.
Joining his companion he departed.
leaving behind him trail OF sulphur
tainted air. The news quieted grad
ua1ly
Indoors Kirkwood faced unhappily
the enigma Of fortuity. wondering: Was
this by any possibility number 81
The key had fitted: the bolts had
oeen drawn on the inside; and while
the Key had been one OF ordinary
pattern and would no doubt have
proven enectual with any OF hundred
common locks, the finger OF probability
seemed to indicate that his luck had
brought him back to number g.
In spite Of all this. he was sensible
or little confidence; though this were
truly No. 9, his freedom still lay
on the knees OF the gods. his very life.
belize. was poised. tottering, on pin
nacle OF chance
In the end. taking heart OF despera-
ton, he stopped and removed his shoes:
precautfon which later appealed to
MS sense OF the ridiculous, in view OF
the racket he had raised In entering.
out which at the moment seemed most
natural and in accordance with COM
mon sense. Then rising. he held his
breath staring and listening. About
MIN the pitch darkness was punctuated
with fading points OF fire, and In his
ears was noise OF strange whisper
teern, he controlled his nerves and
gradually realized that he was alone.
the. silence undisturbed
= he went forward gingerly feeling his
way like a blind man on strange
ground Ere long he stumbled over a
door Sill and found that the walls OF
the passage had fallen away: he had
entered a room, a black cavern Of In
determinate dimensions. Across this
ne struck at random, walked himself
nat against a wall felt his way along
10 an open door, and passed through
10 another. apartment as dark as the
first. Here, endeavoring to make a
circuit OF the walls, he succeeded in
throwing himself bodily across a bed,
Wnich creaked horribly; and for full
minute lay as he had fallen, scarce
daring to think But nothing followed.
and he got up and found a shut door
which let him into yet third room,
wherein he barked both shins on a
chalr; and escaped to a fourth whose
atmosphere was highly Favored with
reluctant doors OF bygone cookery,
stale water and damp plumbing-pfob-
ably the kitchen. Thence progressing
over complaining floors through what
may have been the servants hall, a
large room with a table in the middle
and number OF promiscuous chairs
(wttness his tortured shinsD, he finally
blundered into the basement hallway.
BY now little calmer, he felt as
sured that this was really No.
Frognall street. and a little happier
about 1t all. though not even momen-
tarily forgetful OF the potential police
and night Waterman However he
mounted the steps TO the ground floor
without adventure and found himself
at last In the same dim and ghOstly
hall which he had entered some six
hours before; the mockery OF dusk
admitted by the fan light was Just
strong enough to enable him to identify
the general lay of the land and ar
rangement Of furniture.
More confidently with each uncon-
tested step, he continued his quest.
Elation was stirring his spirit when he
gained the first floor and moved
toward the foot OF the second flight.
approaching the spot whereat he was
to begin the search for the missing
purse. The knowledge that he lacked
means OF obtaining illumination de-
TERED him nothing; he had some hope
or finding matches in one of the adj
tacent rooms, but, falling that was
prepared to ascend the stairs on all
tours, feeling every inch OF their sur
face. If 1t took hours. Ever an Op-
tin1fstic soul. instinctfvely inclined to
father faith with hope. he felt SUI
premely confident that his search would
not prove fruitless. that he would win
early release from his temporary
straits.
And thus it fell out that. at the
instant he was thinking IL time to be-
gin to crawl and hunt. his stockinged
feet came into conflict with something
heavy, yielding, warm-something that
moved, mOaned, and caused his hair to
bristle and hts flesh TO creep.
We will make allowances for himi
all along he had gone on the assump-
lon, fh.k ~
stairway would have recovered and
made off with all expedition. In the
course Of 10 or 20 minutes. at most.
from the time of his accident. To find
him still there was something entirely
outside of Kirkwood's reckoning: he
would as soon have thought to encoun-
ter say, Calendar-wOuld have pre-
ferred the latter. indeed. But this fellow
whose disability was due to his own
interference. who was reasonably to
be counted upon to raise the very deuce
and all OF a row.
The initial shock, however shatter-
ing to his eQuanimity soon lost effect
The man evidently remained uncOn-
scious, in fact had barely moved; willis
+ the moan that KirkwoOd heard had
been distressingly faint
Poor devil" murmured the young
man. He must be in pretty bad way
for suret" He knelt. compassion gem
Ting his heart. and put one hand to the
insentient face. A warm sweat mOis-
tened his fingers; his palm was famed
by steady respiration.
UNNECESSARILY perplexed. the Amer
lean rose. slipped on his shoes and
buttoned them, thinking hard the
while. What ought he to do? OBJ
vtously flight suggested itself-incon-
tinent flight. anticipating the mans re-
covery. On the other hand, Individually
the latter had sustained such injury
that consciousness, when it came to
him, would hardly be reinforced by
much aggressive power. Moreover. Il
was TO be remembered that the one
was In that house with quite as much
warrant as the other. unless Kirkwood
had drawn a rash inference from the
incident OF the ragged sentry. The two
OF them were mutual. II antagonistfc.
trespassers; neither would dare bring
about the arrest OF the other And
then-and this was not the least con-
sideratton to influence Kirkwood-per-
haps the fellow would die II he got no
attention.
Kirkwood shut his teeth Erfmly.