The Nevada County picayune., 1910-10-14
CHAPTER xxxI.-Continued.

The slip had said chimney" It vas the only clue, and house as large as Sunnyside was full of them. There was an open fireplace in my dressing room, but none in the bed room. and as l lay there, looking around, l thought of something that made me sit up suddenly. The trunk room. just over my head, had an open fireplace and a brick chimney, and yet there was nothing of the kind in my room. got out of bed and ex- amined the opposite wall closely. There was apparently no fiue, and knew there was none in the hall just beneath The house was heated by steam, as have said before In the living room was huge open fireplace, but it was on the other side.
 Why did the trunkroom have both . radiator and an open fireplace? ? Architects were not usually cratic It was not 15 minutes before l was up stairs, armed with tape-measure in lieu of foot-rule. eager to justify Mir Jamieson's opinion of my intelligence, and firmly resolved not to tell him of my suspicion until I had more than theory to go on. The hole in the runkroom wall still yawned there, be tween the chimney and the outer wall. examined 1t again, with no new re- suit. The space between the brick m hn y.1a however, had new significance. The hole showed only one side of the chim- ney and l determined to investigate what lay in the space on the other side of the mantel.
 had blister on my palm when at last the hatchet went through and slel With what sounded like the report of gun to my overstrained nerves 1 sat on trunk, waiting to hear Iiddy fly up the stairs. with the household be- hlnd her, like the tail of comet. But nothing happened. and with a growing feeling of uncanniness l set to work enlargng the opening.
 The result was absolutely nil When could hold a lighted candle in the openlng l saw precisely what I had seen on the other side of the chimney
 space between the true wall and tue iaise one. possibly seven feet long ana about three feet wide. It was in no sense of the word a secret cham oer' and 1t was evident it had not oeeh disturbed since the house was ouii'' It was supreme disappoint- ment.
 h mad been Mir. Jamieson's idea uat the hidden room, if there was one' would be found somewhere near M ."e circular staircase. In fact, l knew uat he had once investigated the ,en- .ie length of the clothes chute, hang 'ns to rope, with this in view was reiuetantly about to concede that He nad been right. when my eyes fell on 'he mantel and fireplace. The lat eu mad evidently never been used . " was closed with metal fire front. aAu only when the front refused to ,ao'e' and investigation showed that was not intended to be moved, did "y spirits revive.
 hurried into the next room. Yes. pure enough there was a similar man .i and fireplace there. similarly sosea' In both rooms the chimney I'e extended we'll out from the wall. measured with the tape-line, my trembling so that l could ss sssafceiy hold it. They extended two w. and a half into each room. which .. i'h the three feet of space between sue two partitions. made eight feet to s, accounted for. Eight feet in one aHecuon and almost seven in the oth-
 what a chimney it wasl
 put had only located the hidden .soii' was not in it. and no amount
 pressing on the carving of the soouen mantels. no search of the .oois TOT loose boards. none of the ,Trr,''ohary TT, methods availed at all anat there was a means of entrance, au probably simple one. l could be ea'h' But what? What would l ... o did get in? Was the detect o rlSht, and were the bonds and n. rom the Traders bank there?
 "ss our whele theory wrong?