Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-07-26


tory, look at your legs"
Il don't mean to offend you," he said
sulkily. "Only I'm tired of having you
choked down my throat every time
open my mouth, Kit. And don't go just
yet. Flanagan is going for my clothes
as soon as he lights the-the lamp, and
somebody ought to watch the stairs"
That was all there was to it. l said
l would guard the steps. and Flanni-
gan, having ignited the combination,
whatever it was, went down stairs.
How was / to know that Bella would
come up when she did? Was it my
fault that the lamp got too high and
that Flanagan couldn't hear Jim call
ing? or that just as Bella reached the
top of the steps Jim should come to
the door of the tent, wearing the bar
rel part of his hot-air cabinet, and
yelling for a doctor?
Bella came to dead stop on the
upper step, with her mouth open. She
| looked at Jim. at the inadequate bar
rel, and from them she looked at me.
Then she began to laugh, one of her
hysterical giggles, and she turned and
went down again. AS Jim and stared
| at each other we could hear her gurg-
ling down the hall below.
She had violent Mysteries for an
hour, with Anne rubbing her forehead
and Aunt Selma burning a feather out
of the feather duster under her nose.
Only Jim and / understood, and we
did not tell. Luckily, the next thing
that occurred drove Bella and her
nerves from everybodys mind.
At seven o'clock, when Bella had
| dropped asleep and everybody else
was dressed for dinner, Aunt Selma dis
| covered that the house was cold, and
ordered Dal to the furnace.
1t was Dars day at the furnace;
| Flanagan had been relieved of that
part of the work after twice setting
fire to a chimney.
In five minutes Dal came back and
spoke a few words to Max, who fol-
lowed him to the basement, and in ten
minutes more Flanagan puffed up the
steps and called Mr.. HARRISON.
| l am not curious, but l knew that
something had happened. While Aunt
Selma was talking suffrage to Anne
who said she had always been tremen-
dously interested in the subject, and if
women got the suffrage would they be
| n 7 ,1i a
dining room.
The table was laid for dinner, but
| Flanagan was not i'm sight. l could
hear voices from somewhere, faint
voices that talked rapidly, and after a
while | located the sounds under my
feet. The men were all in the base
ment, and something must have hap
pened. | flew back to the basement
stairs, To meet Mr.. HARRISON at the
! foot. He was grimy and dusty, with
streaks of coal dust over his face, and
he had been examining his revolver. /
was just i'm time to see him slip it in
To his pocket.
What is the natter" | demanded.
rs any one hurt
No one" he said coolly. We've
| been cleaning out the furnace
| with a revolver! How interesting
and unusual!" said dryly. and slip
ped past him as he barred the way. He
was not pleased; | heard him mutter
something and come rapidly after me.
but | had the voices as guide. and
| was not going to he turned back like
child. The men had gathered around
low stone arch in the furnace room.
and were looking down a short flight of
steps, into n sort of vault, evidently
under the pavement. A faint light
came from small grating above. and
there was a close, musty smell in the
air.
Il tell YOU it must have been last
night" Dallas was saying. Wilson
and | were here before we went to
| bed, and I'll swear that hole was not
there then"
(To be Concluded.)