The Washington times., 1910-09-18
PLUMBER ISLAND By LOUIS us. joseph VANCE.
Copyright ue Frank A Muy
By LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE.

the door and turned the knob and II
opened II had not been locked
The dusly vastness OF the entry hail
confronted him, and the soul OF the hour
i9reathed out its heavy, cold breatG
Cadosan almost wished he had brought
CreSg h with him Then, inhaling deeply
the clear outer air ne overcame has
hesitation and entered, his footsteps
ringing uncannily on floors so long
soUndlessI aWaking curious echoes out
Of their year-lOng slumbess.
Inc gloom was undeniabiy depressing
de went quickly 10 the windows that
thanked the doors, unlatched and swung
them open, thrusIing the shutters wide
Sunlight and hot air swept into the
room n a tWinkling, and CadOSan seem
ed TO breathe more freely. He survey
ed with less emotion the huge hall, with
It's paneled walls and its great central
staircase leading 10 the upper floor,
furnished in the stiff and Cismally form
er manner Of the first half Of the last
century
The Uncarpeted floor vas gray with
DUST. Dust lay, Shroud-liSe upon horse
hair chairs and sofas, uUon the mantel-
piece above the caverncus fireplace, up
on the paneling, even the smooth faces
OF the long French mirrors in furnished
frames that faced each other across the
room We're dimmed with dust
His hasty glances showed him so
much and little more. he was eager TO
throw wide open this cold, dreaTy house,
altogether too suggestive Of the tomb
TO prove agreeable in his mood. He
passed quickly through the rear door
into broad corridor communicating
Cccuuled the entire back Of the build
i1g'S = ain body, and in this dining
Toornr IS IN front. CadOgan made haste
10 open the windows.
As he did so he looked out and down
upon a little collection Of detached frame
lectures which had served as kitchen
and servants quarters, all less substan-
italy constructed than the big house"
- dos
influence Of time and weather
Reservi1g the examination Of these for
later hour, he turned back, and in the
east wing opened 70 the air and the sun
library and smoking room. and in the
western one two huge bed chambers.
wherein great bedsteads doomed gloom
ny under spreading canopies.
Upstairs, on the second floor. he found
conditions much the same as below. A
rapid estimate, at the conclusion Of his
Tounds-that is 10 say, when the last
WINGED him that no less than twenty
five living rooms ana bed chambers all
of good and not few. q imposing d.
mansions. were comprise d under the
roof Of the building
It's a hotell' he summoned up in &C
cents which indicated no great degree
OF pleasure in the discovery. begin
10 sympathize with the fellow IN the
And as he assembled the staircase TO
the attic and cupOla he hummed remi-
''Oh, pity the plight Of the Iuckless
wight with an elephant on his hands
The attic failed TO interest him partc-
ularly. It was one huge room half the
height OF those downstairs cluttered
with a miscellany OF chests and de-
crepIt articles Of furniture, such as at
tics are universally constructed 20 hold
Il was dull and shadowy, nOtW1IhStard-
Ing the fact that of all the rooms IN the
house fl was the only one that had not
been suffered tightly, but the panes IN
the window sashes were crusted thick
with dust and CRIME, and CadoSan did
not bother 70 open them
He reached the CupOla through a
trapdoor and found himself in an Octa-
gonaI surerstructure OF good size,
panes having either fallen out or been
beaten in by forgotten storuS-several
generations Of birds had made their
homes and reared large and prosperous
families CadOgan lingered mercy long
enough 10 be blinded by the reflected
sun glare from the great lens in the
lighthouse and TO observe that Creagh
was making what seemeI 20 be a fnal
trip shOreward IN the Colleeu's dOry-
Then he turned and descended the stairs
again to the second story
At the top OF the mainstaircaSe he
stopped. brought up with a round turn
by discovery which he could. not con
slider anything but momentoJs-
Until that moment he had confined his
observations TO superficial indications
His Inspection Of the house had been
a ouic ktone, he had paused in no one
room longer than TO glance over II hur-
riedly, but nevertheless he had received
a strong impression that his visit 70 the
within, ay, fortnight. Signs were
plain TO be read on every hand that
others rad found something TO attract