The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-03-27
L reaSure Of Whit

here, and had so forgotten NV fears
that l found 1t the most natural thing
IN the world TO step into tho room and
20 enjoy helping the girl in her difa
Guilty, l discovered her before an omen
door-ihe door Of "A wardrobe / Thought
IL was for moment. bur | saw al 1bc
second look that 1t gave access 10 n
tng chamoer, whereof the walls were
all drawers Margaret Klein herself
stood within this curiously fashioned
SAFE, bnilt as part OF the house, and
was still struggling with the refractory
drawer; so that | had no hesitation
nor indeed, thought suspiciously-ln go
ing 10 ner side. She laughed slyly as we
stood In the semi-dark together and my
hand falling by chance on hers. shr
pressed IT, and put her face very close
10 mine-so close that to have resisted
kissing her would nave been a crime
FOR winch man would have repented
until his last day. | cannot tell accu-
rately how long l held her in a passion
ate embrace, feeling her lips glued upon
my own. but suddenly she pushed me
from her with q surprising strength Of
arm, and before l could regain my bal
ance she had sprung into the room, and
the door OF the small chamber in which
was LEFT swung 10 with u ClauG strik-
Ing me backwards as II pressed upon
me, and coming nigh TO stunning me. so
thick was THIS door. so impenctrable. that
its closing was succeeded by the stiffness
OF vault or catacomb. | had scarce
realized the whole trick or the pTedica-
ment sheer folly had placed me in when
was plunged into the abyss OF utter
darkness, shut as II were into che coffin
that had been prepared for me. 4 fright
tql panic. hidcous terror, an indescriba-
Die anger. came upon me from the very
first moment OF that fearful trial. For
some minutes-the first minutes of i'm
prisonm mt In a room where l could stand
my height with difficulty. but whose
iron Sides my elbows touched AS / turned
i think my reason must have been par
alyZed- Rage, shame of my folly. yet.
above all. unsurpassahle fear. drove me
q mus ne a
which gave me back the touch of solid
steel: TO cry out aloud as Il man In the
throes OF painful DEATH 10 grind my
teeth until pain shot into my brain;
timo helpless, and that others alone
could give to me life.
When the first great terror had passed
and a mental struggle had left me with
some sense, l leaned against the steel
door and thought again OF my fate.
mad little science. yet l knew that the
hours of any man. shut in an alr-tight
chamber such as that room of steel was.
could be few. l had heard that asphyNia-
tion was peaceful death, and think
could have had courage TO face 1t II
little light had been given me. But I was
in utter weighty darkness: / could not
even see that dull red light as OF ones
own soul shining, which may come in the
gentler dark night. There was only upon
the grim feeling that / had come 10 my
coffin, had slept in II. and arisen to this
unspeakable terror. My whole being then
seemed To cry aloud for sight. one mo-
ment in which living light should again
shine upon me. A great craving for air;
a sense Of terrible effort in the lungs a
rushing OF blood to the head-these things
succeeded. and as ] suffered them flashes
OF thought came and passed. hope extend
ed hand To me, process of reasoning told
me that ] should be saved, only TO con-
vince me the more that | should die.
II / could have reasoned sanely / should
have seen that my best hope was all
bound up in Abel and the detective in
the house. Klein. and the invalid. and
the glrl--they had been gone long since.
unless others had put hands upon them.
My own servant, l knew. would seek for
me first but even If he came to the safe.
how would he open Il, how cut through
these inches of steel before death had
ended 1t all2 1t was even possible that the
door OF the strong room was q concealed
door-and so afterwards ] proved it to
be- In that case, how would they know
even Of my necessity? These torturing
reflections threw at last glimmer of ne
cessary activity upon my despair. raised
my voice. though l had then the. strangest
sensa tion IN my veins, and my heart was