The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1910-11-11
cHAPraa xxxI.-contInued.

The slip had said chimney. Ii
was the only clue, and house as
iafRe as aunnyside WAS full OF them
There waa m open fireplace In my
dreAHing Toom. but none ia the bed.
room. and ns | lay there. looking
around ! thought Of something that
made me III up suddenly. The trunk.
room Just over my head. had an open
fireplace and brick chimney, and
yet there was nothing or the kind In
my room got out or bed and ex.
amined the opposite vail closely.
There was apparently no flue, and /
knew there was none in the hall luat
beneath. The house was heated by
steam, ~ | have said before, la the
living room was 4 huge open fireplace.
but u was on the other aide.
Why did the trunkroom have both
radiator and an open fireplace?
Architects were not usually erratic.
u was not rs minutes before was I'M
stairs. armed with tape.measure IN
lieu Of f0at-rule. eager to Justify Mr.
JaHilaaons opinion OF my tntelliRenee
and firmly resolved not 10 tell him IF
my suspicion until | had more than
theory to 30 on. The hole In the
trnnkroom wall stiii yawned there. he.
tween the chimney and the outer wall,
y examined 4 aghin. with no new re.
suit The space between the brick
wall and the plaster and Iath one,
however, had new Significance. The
hole showed only one side of the chin.
ney. and | determined 10 investigate
what lay Ia the space ON the other
aide OF the mantel.
] had blister on my palm when
az last tho Ratchet went through ana
fellwtth whataouadsd like the report Of
a gun to my overatrained nerves, sat
on q trunk. waiting 10 hear Liddy fiy
W tho stairs, with the household be-
hind her, like the tail Of a comet. Hut
nothing happened, aud with growing
teeltnE Of uncanniness I set TO work
enlarging the opening,
The result was absolutely nil. When
! could hold lighted candle IN the
0pehfnE ! saw precisely what | had
seen on the ether side OF the chimney
"a space between the true wall and
the false ono. possibly seven feet long
and about three feet wide. 1t was In
NO SENSE OF the word a secret cham.
hcrs and Il was evident Il had not
been disturbed since the house was
built Il was supreme tlsappolnt.
ment
II had been Mr.. Jamieson's idea
that the hidden room. Ii there was
enc, would be found somewhere near
tie circular staircase. IN fact, knew
that he had once investigated tho on.
tire length of the clothes chute, hang.
inE to u rope, with this In view
vas reluctantly about to caueede that
he had been right. when my eyes fell
en- the mautel and fireplace. The lat
ted had evidently never been used.
u was closed with metal Dire front
end only when the front refused 10
move. and Investigation showed that
Il Was net Intended TO be moved ala
my SPIRITS revive,
| hursisd int the next room. Yes
sure enough, there was similar man
tel and fireplace there, similarly
closed In both roous the chimney
Gae extended weiI out from the wall
measured with the taps,,Ifne. INV
hands trembling SO that could
scarcely hold IT, They extended two
feet and a hair into each room. which
with the three feet Of space between
the two partitions, made eight feet TO
BE- accounted fer. Eight feet In one
direction and almost seven Ia the 9th,
err what chimney Il was,
But ! had only located the hidden
room, | was not IN Il. aud no amount
at pressing on the carving Of the
wooden mantass. no search Of the
floors Tor loose boards. none Of the
customary methods awaited az All
That there Was means OF entrance.
and probably simple one, 1 could bs
certain Hut what2 What would
find II ] did set In? Was the detect.
i've right and were the bonds ana
money from the Traders bank there >
or was our whole theory wrong
Would not Paul Armstrong have taken
his booty with him? II he had not.
and II nr, Walker IVES In the secret.
be would haVe known how TO enter
the chimney room rhen--who had
dug the other hole In the false parti,
tom