Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-04

of height, and advanced boldly al
most to the edge of the roof.
1t was half past six by that time,
and growing dusk.
you boy, down there" | called.
The paper boy turned and looked
around. Then, seeing nobody, he rails
ed his eyes. 1t was moment before
he located me, when he did, he stood
for one moment as If paralyzed, then
he gave a horrible yell, and dropping
his papers, bolted across the lawn to
the road without stopping to look
around. Once he fell and his impetus
was so great that he turned an in
voluntary somersault. He was ZIP and
OFF again without any perceptible
pause, and he leaped the hedge-which
! am sure under ordinary stress would
have been a feat for a man.
l am glad In this way to settle the
Gray Lady story which is still choice
morsel in Casanova. l believe the
moral deduced by the village was that
it is always unlucky to throw stone
at black cat.
With Johnny Sweeny a cloud OF
dust down the road. and the dinner
hour approaching, ! hurried on with
my Investigations. Luckily, the roof
was fat, and | was able TO go over
every inch of it. But the result was
disappointing; no trap door revealed
itself, no glass window; nothing but a
couple of pipes two inches across, and
standing perhaps eighteen inches high
and three feet apart. with cap to pre-
vent rain from entering and raised to
permit the passage of air. ] picked up
a pebble from the roof and dropped it
down. listening with my ear at one OF
the pipes. ] could hear it strike on
something with sharp, metallic sound
but it was impossible for me to tell
how far it had gone.
I gave up finally and went down the
ladder again, getting in through the
BAH room window without being OBJ
served. | went back at once to the
trunk room, and, sitting down on a
box. I gave my mind, as consistently
as I could, to the problem before me.
II the pipes in the roof were ventila-
tors to the secret room, and there was
no trap door above, the entrance was
probably in one of the two rooms be-
tween which 1t lay-unless, indeed. the
room had been built, and the opening
then closed with a brick and mortar
wall
The mantel fascinated me. Made OF
wood and carved. the more I looked
the more wondered that I had not
noticed before the absurdity of such a
mantel IN such a place. 1t was cover
ed with scrolls and panels, and finally
by the nerest accident. pushed one
OF the panels to the side. 1t moved
easily. revealing a small brass knob
IT is not necessary to detail the
| f1uctua tons OF hope and despair, and
not little fear Of what lay beyond
but nothing seemed TO happen, and
then discovered the trouble. pushed
the knob vigorously 10 one side, and
the whole mantel swing loose from
| the wall almost foot revealing s
cavernous space beyond.
| took a long breath. closed the
door from the trunk room into the
hall-thank heaven. ] did not lock it
and pulling the mantel door wide open
stepped into the chimney room.
had time to get a hazy view of q small
portable safe. a common wooden table
and chair-then the mantel door
swung to. and clicked behind me.
stood quite still for moment. in the
darkness. unable to comprehend wha
had happened Then I turned ant
| beat furiously at the door with m.
fists 1t was closed and locked again
and my fingers in the darkness slit
over a smooth wooden surface with
Cut a sign Of a knob.
| was furiously angry-at myself
| at the mantel door. al everything.
did not fear suffocation: before th'
thought had come to me had alread,
seen a CLEAN of light from the tw'
small ventilating pipes in the root
! They supplied air. but nothing else
1 The room itself was shrouded In black
4 ness.
l sat down in the stiff backed chat
and tried to remember how many day
one could live without food and water
When that grew mont0nous and rathe
painful, | got up and, according to tn
time honored rule FOR people shut j
/ unknown and ink black prisons. | fel
my way around-it was small enough
goodness knows | felt nothing but
splintery surface Of boards, and in 81
deavoring TO get back to the chail
something slfuCk me 1ull IN lHe Idce
and fell with the noise of thonsan
explosions to the ground When | ha
gathered up my nerves again. l foun
it had been the bulb Of swingin
electric light, and that had it not bee
for the accident. might have starve
to death in an illuminated seDulcher.
i, | must have dozed off. am sure
did not faint. ! was never more con
J posed in my life. I remember pla,
ming, if | were not discovered, VIII
: would have my things, | knew Lidd
would want my heliotrope poplin, an
: she's g, fright in lavender. Once {
, twice | heard mice in the partition
and so sat on the table. with my fec
, on the chair. imagined | could hes
the search going on through the ,hous
and once some one came into Ii
! trunk room; could distinctly hes
footsteps.
I'm the chimney. In the chimney
| called with all my might. and we
7 rewarded by piercing shrek frol
Liddy and the slam Of the trunk roo
door.
| felt easier after that although Il
rom wac onnraSsiya1y hot and enc