The sun., 1910-02-06

Is the Thirty eighth
.-Ah. know where that is; Pratnell's
district adjoins IL, doesn't it2"
mo; Mr., John Darr's."
Again the cloud Of doubt. lifting as IL
from supreme effort. However that
may be, he said genially, Il am exces-
sively obliged to your superior for giving
me this information. IL may mean much
in our military plans.
There II one point not quite clear.
Yes, l must write him at once about that.
But no; there's the Secretary to see at
and the conference OF our board In the
other room at $50.
Il hate 10 detain Won, but IL is better
for me to trust the pers on whom MIR. Gizer
trusts. Would You mind waiting in that
an hour?"
acquiesced at once, though by no
means decided as TO whether i should
stay. At least 1t would give me the chance
for reflection apart from his overpower-
ing personality.
very good. then. Return in half an
hour He swung about in his chair; he
picked up paper from his desk. -Oh,
by the way he called, smiling grimly,
as IL at a sudden idea. Better not shut
the door and 60 to sleep in there"
l had no intention OF doing either or
both OF two such stupid things. On the
contrary, as l walked into the room across
the hall made hasty inspection OF it
against any possible wiles. A bare and
bleak room It was, with one high window
opening on the interior court, occupying
a sort of angle all by itself, without con-
Meeting doors on either side.
Il guess not / mused Indignantly.
ANY one fool enough to do that might
be locked in here and forgotten"
just then the hall door closed with a
bang. ] tried it; it was fast. ] shook it:
kicked. but the noise made was hollow
and remote, it Was hard even for me to
distinguish it from the ventilating ma
chinery jarring in the attic above.
III.
Although I was not home for supper
at the usual time my sister Laura felt no
anxiety until she came across a certain
item in the evening paper. 1t was in a
column devoted to the odds and ends Of
departmental gossip and ran as follows:
Red tape In the War and Navy Building
has made room on the top floor opposite
to the bureau of foreign scrutiny sort
OF no mans land. As In we'll known. the
Offices in this vast building are parcelled
out among the State. War and Navy Depart
ments. the authority of each Department
being supreme and exclusive over the
premises assigned to il.
Through some oversight this particular
room was overlooked ip the recent dis
tribution. This defect will doubtless be
remedied after the duly constituted &uthori-
ties have addressed elaborate minutes TO
one another on the subject. for space is at
a premium and the building Ia oyercrow wded.
But meanwhile the room stands vacant,
unused. it's door open since no one has the
right TO shut 1t or IL it should be shut to open
It again. The clerks have been amusing
themselves over the complications which
might arise from this serio-comic situati tion.
For instance. suppose a stranger should
by chance be locked in there. how would
he get out?
Laura read no more of these mildly
amusing conjectures. Her vivid intui-
ton furnished instantaneous pictures of
me. entrapped. immured. without light.
heat, food or drink, not even water ex-
cepted; with the walls Of the dungeon
perhaps, gradually contracting after a
medieval Italian invention. What had
said as 1 left What had she called
after mel True words both. though spoken
in jest.
Even while she thought she put on her
street clothes. and OF she started to get
Susanne Laphoon and with her aid fish
me out from the trouble into which had
pumped.
must say Miss Laphoon showed inter-
est and zeal, though doubtless solely on
LaurA's account. Almost as quickly she
was out Of her reception fincry and into
her street gown; and then of they put in
an auto-whither bound? Why. TO find
the Senator, OF course, who wouldn't let
party dinner prevent him from doing
whatever his daughter might ask.
Into the Melibrant House breathlessly
swarIned Miss Laphoon, leaving Laura 70
wait in the big red car with the two lights
front and rear. Up in the elevator and
into the private banquet hall she flashed
where the chiefs OF the party were hold
ing high. that is, next to the roof. reyels
In another whirl of words she ha& ex-
planned TO her father that the brother of
her dearest friend was locked up in that
absurd room in the top ~ the War and
Navy Building and that she must have
at once a joint order from mis- friends the
Secretaries to let MIN out.
why. that must be the chap who dug
you out Of the snowdrift. Susanne," said
wanted to the third Of the Cabinet thus
called upon to aid.
As a result Of this parental raillery
Miss Laphoon's cheeks were Redeemed
by sundry ally jests from the Secretary
OF State, the Secretary of War and the
Secretary OF the Navy, while they has
tened to sign a joint mandate to the
captain OF the watch Of the War and Navy
Building TO give Miss Laphoon instant
entrance into that nondescript office
on the top floor and full custody and
charge Of whomsoever there might he
confined therein.
Down again swarmed Miss Laphoon,
her brow alight with triumph yet biting
her red, red lips vexedly, out into the
street to gaze about with amazement
The big red car with it's four glaring lights
was nowhere to be seen.
"It put away like rocket the moment
the other lady decided to get in" ex-
planned the starter.
What did it mean3 What should she do2
The crackle Of the paper In her nervous
hand gave answer. In another moment
Miss Laphoon, like another rocket, was
speeding in taxicab to the War and Navy
Building.
l must say l was blue enough in the
chill and dismal dusk OF the abandoned
room when the lock turned, the door
opened and in rushed a young woman.
Confused too must have been, for almost
as quickly had her in my arms my lips
to her lips. For a second she did not
resist; she seemed to yield, perhaps also
mistaking me. Then she sprang away,
sharply crying:
~How do you dare, sir?"