The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1911-05-25

looked at Jim, at the inadequate bar.
rel, and from them she looked at me.
Then she began to laugh, one Of her
hysterical giggles, and she turned
and went down again. AS Jim and I
stared at each other we could hear
her gurgling down the hall below.
She had violent Mysteries for an
hour, with Anne rubbing her forehead
and Aunt Selma burning a feather out
of the feather duster under her nose.
Only Jim and / understood, and we
did not tell. Luckily, the next thing
that occurred drove Bella and her
nerves from everybody's Inind.
At seven o'clock. when Bella had
dropped asleep and everybody else
was dressed for dinner, Aunt Selma
discovered that the mouse was cold,
and ordered Dial to the furnace.
1t was Dal's day at the furnace;
Flanagan had been relieved of that
part OF the work after twice setting
fire to a chimney.
In five minutes Dial came back and
spoke a few words to Max, who fol-
lowed him to the basement and In ten
minutes more Flanagan pulled up the
steps and called Mr.. HARRISON.
/ am not curious, but l knew that
something had happened. While
Aunt Selma was talking suffrage to
Anne-who said she had always been
tremendously interested in the sub
ject, and II women got the suffrage
would they be allowed to vote?I
slipped back to the dining-room.
The table vas laid for dinner, but
Flanagan was not in sight. l could
hear voices from somewhere. faint
voices that talked rapidly, and after
a while l located the sounds under
my feet. The men were all In the
basement, and something must have
happened. / flew to the basement
stairs, to meet Mr.. HARRISON at the
foot. He was grimy and dusty, with
streaks Of coal dust over his face, and
he had been examining his revolver.
IL was just in time to see him slip 1t
into his pocket.
What is the matter?" l demanded.
rs any one hurt?"
"No one," he said coolly. We've
been cleaning out the furnace"
with a revolver! How interest
ing-and unusual" I said dryly, and
slipped past him as he barred the
way. He was not pleased; l heard him
mutter something and come rapidly
after me, but / had the voices as a
guide, and l was not going to be turned
back like a child. The men had gath
cred around a low stone arch in the
furnace room, and were looking down
a short flight of steps, into a sort Of
vault, under the pavement. A faint
light came from a small grating
above, and there was a close, musty
smell in the air.
Il tell you it must have been last
night" Dallas was saying. Wilson
and | were here before we went to
bed, and I'll swear that hole was not
there then"
at was not there this morning,
SIR Flanagan insisted. ut has been
made during the day"
And it could not have been done
this afternoon" Mr.. HARRISON said.
quietly. Il was fussing with the tele-
phone wire down here. / would have
heard the noise"
Something in his voice made me
look at him, and certainly his express
sion was unusual. He was watching
us all intently while Dallas pointed
out to me the cause of the excite
ment. From the main floor Of the fur
mounted by ar arch led into the coal
cellar, beneath the street. The coal
cellar was of brick, with a cement
floor, and in the left wall there gaped
an opening about three feet by three,
leading into a cavernous void, perfect
ly black-evidently a similar vault be-
longing to the next house.
The whole place was ghostly, full of
shadows, shivery with possibilities. 1t
was Mr.. HARRISON finally who took
Jim's candle and crawled through the
aperture. We waited in dead silence,
listening to his feet crunching over
the coal beyond, watching the faint
yellow light that came through the
ragged opening in the wall. Then he
called through to us.
place is locked, over here" he
said. Heavy oak door at the head
of the steps. Whoever made that
opening has done a prodigious amount
of labor for nothing
The weapon, a crowbar. lay on the
ground beside the bricks, and he
picked 1t up and balanced it on his
hand. Dallas florid face was almost
comical In his bewilderment; as for
Jimmy-he slammed a piece of Stag
at the furnace and walked away. At
the door he turned around.
why don't you accuse me of it?"
he asked, bitterly. Maybe you could
find a lump of coal in my pockets y
you searched me-"
He stalked up the stairs then and
left us. Dallas and l went up togeth-
er, but we did not talk. There seemed
to be nothing to say. Not until l had
closed and locked the door Of my room
did I venture to look at something
that l carried in the palm Of my
hand. 1t was a watch, not running
oeptlemau'c fat pnld watch ord a.