The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-11-07
THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE
ROBERTS RINEHAR

crcduous oaths. The trunks were be-
ing jerked about In frantic search,
the windows were thrown open, only
to show sheer drop of forty feet.
And the man in the room with me
| leaned against the mantel door and
listened. His pursners were pl1'nly baf-
| fled; | heard him draw a long breath.
and turn TO grope his way through the
blackncss. Then-he touched my hand,
cold, clammy, death-like.
a hand in an empty room. He drew
! in his breath the sharp intaEing Of
horror that fills lungs suddenly col
! lapscd. | think absolute terror had
him by The throat. Then he stepped
| back, without turning, rctrcatiug foot
by foot from The Dread in the corner,
and | do not think he breathed.
Then, with the relief of space be.
tween us, ] screamed, r-splittingly,
madly, and they heard me outside,
In the chimney j shriekcd. BE.
hind the mantel The mantelip
With an oath the figure hurled Itself
across the room at me, and ! screamed
again In his blind fury he had missed
me; heard him strike the wall That
one time | cludcd him; ] was across
| the room, and had got the chair, He
stood for second listening, then-hc
made another rush, and ] struck ont
with my weapon. ! think il stunned
hiP, for | had a second IS respite when
could hear him breathing and some
one shouted outside:
We-can 't-get-in. How-docs-
it-open?'
But the man ia the room had
changed his tactics. ] knew he was
creeping on me, inch by inch, aud ]
! could not tell from where And then
he caught me, lie held his hand over
my mouth, and | bit him. | was help.
less, stranglng-and some one was try.
ing TO break in the mantel from out
side. 1t began to yield somewhere, for
thin wedge of yellowish light was
reflected on the opposite wall When
he saw that. my assailant dropped me
with curse; thcn-the opposite man
tel swung open noiselessly closed again
without 4 sound, and | was alone. The
intruder was gone,
I'm the next room!' called wild
ly. "The next rooml'' But the sound
of blows on the mantcl drowned my
voice. BY the time ! had made them
understand, couple of minutes had
elapsed. The pursuit was taken up
then by all except Alex, who was de
termined 10 liberatc me. When ] step
ped out into the trunk ROOM a free
woman again. / could hear the chase
far below.
must say, for Alexis anxiety TO set
me free, he paid little enough attention
to my plight. He Jumped through the
opening into the secret room, and
picked up the portable safe.
g am going to put this in Mr.. Hal.
sey room. Miss Innes,' he said. "and
I shall send one OF the detectives to
guard it,
| hardly heard him. | wanted 20
laugh and cry IN the same breath
TO crawl into bed and have cup Of
tea. aud scold Liddy, and do any of
the thousand natural things that ! had
never expected 10 do again. And the
air! The touch of the cool night air
on my face,
As Alex and I reached the second
floor, Mr.. Jameson met us. He was
grave and quiet, and he nodded com
prehcndingiy when he saw the safe.
''Will you come with me for mo-
mcnt, Miss JnncS?" he asked sober
ly, and on my asserting, he led the way
to the east wing. There were lights
moving around below, and some of the
maids were standing gaping down.
They screamed when they saw me, and
drew back TO let me pass There was
u sort of hush over The scene; Alex, be.
hind me, muttcrcd something I could
not hear, and brushed past me without
ceremony. Then ] realized that man
was lying doubled up az tho foot Of
the staircase, and that Alex was stoop.
ing over him
As | came slowly down Winters step
ped bauk. and Alex Straightencd him
self, looking at me across the body
with inpcnctrabIc eyes. In his hand
he held shaggy gray wig, aud before
me on the floor lay the man whose
hcadstonc stood in Casanova church.
yard-Paul Armstrong
Winters told the story i'm u dozen
words In his headIong flight down
the circular staircase. with Winters lust
behind, Paul Armstrong had pitched
forward violently, struck his head
against the door TO the cast ycranda,
and probably broken his mock He had
died as Winters reached him.
AS the detective finished, | saw Hal
sci, pale and shaken, in the card room
doorway, aud for the FIRST time that
night ! lost my sclf.control | put my
arms around my boy, and for n mo
mcnt he had 10 support me sec
ond later. over lIalScy s shoulder, |
saw something that turned my emo
ton INTO other channels. for. behind
him, in the shadowy card room. were
Gertrude and Alex, the gardener. and
there IS no use mIucing mattcrs-hc
was kissing her.
was unable 10 speak. Twice 7
opened my mouth. thcu [ turned Hal.
Scy around aud Uoiutcd. They were
IH'tN NHl'N0l lNuN on us. nrr DpJd WAS
on his shoulder. his face against her
hair. As IL happened, it was Mr.. Jam.
icsou who broke up the tabIcm.
He stepped over TO Alex and touched
him on the arm,
And now, he said quietly. Chow
long are You and 70 play our little
comedy, Mr.. Bailey?'
CHAPTER XXXIV.
fr1,n OIL