Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-26
4 j. i i 4 i j. Il y i. i i
! THE BLACK BAG +
BY LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE, +
+ tCopyright-By Bobbs Merrill Co. =
By LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE.
Copyright--By Bobbs, Merrill Co.
lruApTFR vIr-continued.)

he Iurched, caught himself up III llil'e
to save q fall, lost his hat, recovered IL,
and was discovered A voice, maudi!p
with drink, hailed and called upon nun
to stand and give an account OF NM
self, "like a goo Teller" Another
tempted him with offers of drink ara
sociable Capitalization. He yielded not;
adamantine to the seductive lure, nc
picked up his heels and ran. THOSE
behind him, remarking with resent
ment the amazing fact that an lntl'
mate of the news should run away
from liquor, cursed and made after
him. veering, staggering, bowling like
yavening animals
For all their burden of intoXication,
they knew the ground by instinct and
from long association. They gained
on him. Across the way window
sash went up with a bang, and Wom-
an screamed. Through the only other
entrance to the news a belated cab
was homing; its driver, getting wind OF
the unusual, pulled up, blocking the
way, and added his advice to the up
roar.
Caught thus between two fires, and
with his prosecutors hard upon him,
Kirkwood dived into the nearest black
hole of passageway and in sheer des-
perat.on flung himself, key in hand,
against the door at the end. Mark
how his luck served him who had for
sworn her! He found keyhole and
inserted the key 1t turned. So did
the knob. The door gave inward. He
fell in with it, slammed it, shot the
bolts, and, painting, leaned against its
panels, in a pit of everlasting night
but-saved!-f the time being, at
all events.
Outside somebody brushed against
one wall, cannoned to the other,
brought up with a crash against the
door, and, perforce at q standstill,
swore from his heart.
"Gorblimy." he declared feelingly.
s'I'd "a took my oath sore m run in
'ere!" And then, In answer to an in
audible question: "No, e amt Corn
an let the fool go to ell. 90 wants
i'm to share goo liker Not I! .
Joining his companion he departed
leaving behind him a trail of sulphur
tainted air. The news quoted grad
ually.
Indoors Kirkwood faced unhappily
the enigma Of fortunity, wondering;
Was this, by any possibility Number
81
The key had fitted; the bolts had
been drawn on the inside; and while
the key had been one of ordinary pat
tern and would no doubt have provev
effectual with any one of a hundred
common locks, the finger of probable
ity seemed to indicate that his luck
had brought him back to Number 8.
In spite Of all this, he was sensible
of little confidence; though this were
truly Number 8, his freedom still lay
on the knees of the gods, his very life,
belize, was poised, lettering, on a pin.
nacle of chance.
In the end, taking heart of despera-
ton, he stopped and removed his
shoes; a. precaution; in view of the
racket he had raised in entering, but
which at the moment seemed most
natural and in accordance with com
mon sense Then rising, he held his
breath, staring and listening About
him the pitch darkness was punctuat.
ed with fading points of fire, and in his
ears was noise of strange whisper.
ings, very creepy-until; gritting his
teeth, he controlled his nerves and
gradually realized that he was alone
the silence undisturbed.
He went forward gingerly, feeling
his way like 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 room, black cavern of in,
determinate dimensions Across this
he struck at random, walked himsel!
fiat against a wall, felt his way alone
to an open door, and passed through
to another apartment as dark as the
first. Here, endeavoring to make cir
cult of the walls, he succeeded il
throwing himself bodily across a bed
which 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 dool
which let him into yet third room
wherein he barked both shins on {
chair; and escaped to fourth whose
atmosphere was highly favored will
reluctant odors of bygone cookery
stale water and damp plumbing-prob
ably the kitchen Thence progressing
over complaining floors through wha
. Ildy IldN6 USGH the SSIVdulS nall,
large room with a table in the middle
and number of promis2uous chair
(witness his tortured shinsD he fin
ally blundered into the basement hall
way
By now little calmer, he felt as
sured that this was really Number 9
Frognall street and little happie
about 1t all, though not even momen
tarily forgetful of the potential polio
and night Waterman However, h
mounted the steps to the ground foo
without adventure and found himsel
at last in the same dim and ghostl
hall which he had entered some 81
hours before; the mockery of dusk at
mitted by the fan light was just stron
enough to enable him to identify tn
general lay of the land and arrange
ment of furniture:
More confidently with each uncor
tested step, he continued his ques
Elation was stirring his spirit when
gained the first floor and moved t.
ward the foot of the second flight, al
preaching the spot whereat he was
begin the search for the missing purs'
The knowledge that he lacked mean