The pioneer express., 1910-12-16

lII ]
lmantel and-found the panel. y
Now tho sounds below redoubled; /;
from the clatter and jarring / knew
that several people were running up
the stairs, and as the sounds ap.
preached, could even hear what they
said. III. Va ,..y4 !.
Watch the end stairoases!" jamie.
son shouted. Damnation-there's no
light hefe!" And then second later.
"All together now. One -- two -
three"
The door into the trunkroom had
been locked from the. inside. At the
second that it gave. opening against
the wall with a crash and evidently
tumbling somebody into the room, the
stealthy fingers beyond, the mantel-
door gave the knob the proper i'm.
petus. and-the door swung open, and
closed again. Only-and Liddy al:
ways screams and puts her fingers in
her ears at this point-only now I
was not alone In the chimney room.
There was some one else in the dark
ness, some one who breathed hard,
and who was SO close could have
touched him with my hand.
I was tn paralysis of terror. Out
side there were excited voices and in.
credulous oaths. The trunks were
being jerked around in a frantic
search, the windows were thrown
open, only to show a sheer drop of 40
feet. And the man in the room with
me leaned against the manteldoor
and listened. His pursuers were plain
ly bafaed; I heard him draw long
breath, and turn to grope his way.
through the blackness. Then-he
touched my hand, cold, clammy, death.
like.
A hand in an empty room! He drew
in his breath, the sharp intaking of
horror that fills lungs suddenly col
lapsed. Beyond jerking his hand away
instantly, he made no movement. I
think absolute terror had him by the
throat Then he stepped back, with
out turning, retreating 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, ear-splittingly,
madly, and they heard me outside.
'In the chimney" I shrieked. "Be.
hind the mantel! The mantel!"
With on 10th En,,ro heel 3
across the room at me, and I
screamed again. In his blind fury he
had missed me; I heard him strike
the wall. That one time I eluded
him; was across the room, and had
got the chair. He stood for a second,
listening, then-he made another rush
and I struck out with my weapon. I
think it stunned him, for had q Sec
ond's respite when I could hear him
breathing, and some one shouted out.
side:
"We-can't-get-in. How-does-it
open?
But the man in the room had
changed his tactics. I knew he was
creeping on me, inch by inch, and I
could not tell from where. And then
he caught me. He held his hand
over my mouth, and bit him. I was
helpless, strangling-and some one
was trying to break in the mantel
from outside. It began to yield some.
where, for thin wedge of yellowish
light was reflected on the opposite
wall. When he saw that, my assailant
dropped me with curse; then-the
opposite wall swung open noiselessly,
closed again without a sound, and I
was alone. The intruder was gone.
I'm the next room!" 1 called wildly
"The next room!" But the sound OF
blows on the mantel drowned my
voice. BY the time had made. them
understand, a couple of minutes had
elapsed. The pursuit was taken up
then, by all except Alex, who was de-
termined to liberate me. When 1
stepped out into the trunkroom a free
woman again could hear the chase
far below.
I must say, for all Alexis anxiety to
set me free, he paid little enough at
tention to my plight. He jumped
through the opening into the secret
room and picked up the portable safe.
Il am going to put this in Mr.. Hal
sey's room. Miss Innes,'' he said, "and
shall send one of the detectives to
guard it."
I hardly heard him. wanted to
laugh and cry in the same breath
to crawl into bed and have cup Of
tea, and scold Liddy, and do any of
the thousand natural things that had
never expected to do again. And the
air! The touch Of the cool night air
on my face!
cTo BE coNT1NuED)