The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-08-08
CHAPTER XXlII
Coming.

vase was weltering in its own ooze
Part way down Betty stepped on
something sharp, that proved to
be the japanese paper knife from
the den. / left her on the stairs
examining her foot, and hurried
to the lower floor.
Here everything was in the ut
most confusion. Aunt Selma had
tainted, and was sitting in a hall
chair with her head rolled over
sidewise and the poker from the
library fireplace across her knees.
No one was paying any attention
front door open, while three of the
guards hesitated in the vestibule.
The noises continued from the
back of the house, and as l stood
on the lowest stair Bella came out
from the dining-room, with her
face streaked with SCOT, and car
rying a kettle of hot water.
Jim" she called wildly. while
Max and Dial are below, you can
pour this down from the top. It's
boiling"
Jim glanced back over his
shoulder. Garry out your own
murderous designs" he said. And
then, us she started back with it,
Bella, for Heavens sake" he
called, have you gone stark mad?
Put that kettle down"
She did it sulkily and Jim turn
ed to the policeman.
Eyes, | know it was a false
alarm before" he explained pa
tiently, but this is genuine. 1t
is just as l tell you. Yes, Flanni-
gan is in the house somewhere,
but he's hiding, ! guess. We could
manage the thing very well our
selves, but we have no cartridges
for our revolvers." Then as the
noise from the rear redoubled,
IF you don't come in and help, |
will telephone for the fire depart
ment," he concluded emphatically.
/ ran to Aunt Selma and tried
to straighten her head. In mo-
ment she opened her eyes, sat up
and stared around her. She saw
the kettle at once.
What are you doing with boil
ing water on the floor" she said
to me, with her returning voice.
Don't you know you will spoil
the floor" The ruling passion
was strong with Aunt Selma, as
usual.
l could not find out the trouble
from anyone: people appeared and
disappeared, carrying strange arti-
Giles. Anne with a rope, Dial with
his Ratchet, Bella and the kettle,
but could get a coherent explana-
ton from no one. When the
guards finally decided that Jim
was in earnest, and that the rest
of us were not crawling out a rear
window while he held them at the
door, they came in, three of them
and two reporters, and Jim led
them 20 the buffers pantry.
Here we. found Anne, very
white and shaky, with the pantry
table and two chairs piled against
the door of the kitchen slide, and
clutching the chamois-skin bag
that held her jewels. She had a
bottle of Burgundy open beside
her, and was pouring herself a
glass with shaking hands when
we appeared. She was furious at
Jim.
81 very nearly tainted" she said
Historically. Il might have been
murdered, and no one would
have cared. l wish they would
stop that chopping. I'm SO nerv-
Gus l could scream"
Jim took the Burgundy from
her with one hand and pointed
the police to the barricaded door
with the other.
"That is the door to the dumb.
waiter shaft" he said. THE low
er one is fastened on the inside
in some manner. The noises com
menced about eleven O'Clock
while MIR. Brown was on guard
There we're scraping sounds first
and later the sound of a falling
body. He reused Mr.. Reed and
myself, but when we examined the
shaft everything was quiet, and
dark. We tried lowering a candle
on string, butt was extfn-
guished from below"
The reporters we're busily re-
moving the table and chairs from
the door.
"If you have rope handy
one of them said, II will go down
the shaft"
(Dal says that all reporters
should have been policemen, an6
that all policemen are natural
news gatherers.)
line cage appears 10 be STUCK
halfway between the floors" jim
are cutting through the door in
the kitchen below"
They opened the dor then and
cautiously peered down, but there
was nothing to be seen. touched
Jim gingerly ON the arm.
sis it's 1t Flanagan" ask
ed, shut in there?"
"No-yes-I don't know" he
returned absently. "Run atens
and don't bother, Kit. He may
take to shooting any minute"
Anne and went out then ane
shut the door, and went into the
dining-room and sat on our feet,
for Of course the bullets might
come up through the floor. Aunt