Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-05-04
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struck the house at new angle.
for l found a veranda, destitute OF
chairs and furnishings, but dry and
evidently rooted 1t was better than
the terrace, and so, by cropping along
the wall, tried to make my way to
Hotchkiss That was how found the
open window. l had passed perhaps
six, all closed, and to have my hand
grope for the next one and to find in
stead the soft drapery Of an inner
curtain was startling, to say the
least.
l found Hotchkiss at last around an
angle of the stone wall, and told him
that the horse was gone. He was
disconnected, but not abased; main
tanning that it was a new kind of knot
that couldn't slip and that the horse
must have chewed the halter through!
He was less enthusiastic than l had
expected about the window.
ct looks uncommoniy like trap"
he said. Il tell you there was some
one in the park below when we were
coming up. Man has a sixth sense
that scientists ignore-a sense of the
nearness of things. And all the time
you have been gone, some one has
been watching me-"
Couldn't see you," 1 maintained;
81 can't see you now. And your sense
of contiguity didn't tell you about that
flower crock"
In tae end, of course, he consented
to go with me. He was very lame, and
/ helped him around to the open win
dow. He was full of moral courage,
the little man; it was only the phys
ical in him that quailed. And as we
CROPPED along, he insisted on going
through the window first.
IF it is a trap" he whispered, Il
have two arms to your one, and, be-
sides, as said before, life holds much
for you. As for me, the government
would merely lose an Indifferent en-
ploye."
When he found 1 was going first
he was rather hurt, but l did not wait
for his protests. / swung my feet
over the sill and dropped. 1 made a
clutch at the window frame with my
good hand when l found no floor I'M
der my feet but l was too late.
dropped probably ten feet and landed
with a crash that seemed to split my
eardrums. was thoroughly shaken,
but in some miraculous way the band
aged arm had escaped injury.
For heavens sake" Hotchkiss was
calling from above, have you broken
your back?"
NO." 1 returned, as steadily as
could, merely driven it up through
my skull. This is a staircase, I'm COM
ing up to open another window"
1t was eerie work, but / accom-
plished it finally, discovering, not with
out mishap, a room filled with more
tables than l had ever dreamed of,
tables that seemed to waylay and
strike at me. When had got a win
dow open, Hotchkiss crawled through,
and we were at last under shelter.
Our first thought was for a light.
The same laborious investigation that
had landed us where we were, re-
Vealed that the house was lighted by
electricity, and that the plant was not
In operation. By accident 1 stumbled
across a tabouret with smoking ma
terials, and found half dozen match
es. The first one showed us the mag
nitude of the room we stood in, and
revealed also a brass candle-stick by
the open fireplace, candle-stick al
most four feet high, supporting a can
die of similar colossal proportions. 1t
was Hotchkiss who discovered that
it had been recently lighted. He held
the match to it and peered at it over
his glasses.
''Within ten minutes" he announced
impressively, this candle has been
burning Look at the wax! And the
wick! Both SOFT"
Perhaps it's the damp weather." l
ventured, moving little nearer to the
circle Of light A gust of wind came
in just then, and the flame turned over
on its side and threatened demise.
There was something almost ridicu-
lous in the haste with which we put
down the window and nursed the
flicker 20 life.
The peculiarly ghost-like appearance
of the room added to the uncannlness
of the situation. The furniture was
swathed in white covers for the win
ter; even the pictures wore shrouds.
And in a niche between two windows
a bust on a pedestal, similarly
wrapped, one arm extended under its
winding sheet, made a most life-like
ghost, if any ghost can be life-like.
In the light of the candle we sur
veyed each other, and we were OBJ
iects for mirth. Hotchkiss was taking
of his sodden shoes and preparing to
make himself comfortable, while l
hung my muddy raincOat over the
ghost in the corner. Thus habited. he
presented a rakish but distinctly more
comfortable appearance.
when these people built" Hotch-
kiss said, surveying the huge dimen-
sions of the room, they must have
bought a mountain and built all over
It. What a roomI"