Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1911-01-05
CHAPTER XxxI.-Continued.


was the only clue, and house as
large as Sunnyside was full of t.
There was an open fireplace j.
dressing room, but none in the
room, and as | lay there, look
around, | thought of something that
made me sit up suddenly The trunk
room, just over my head, had an open
fireplace and q 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 flue, and
knew there was none in the hall Just
beneath The house was heated by
steam, as l 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
1t was not Is minutes before | was up
stairs, armed with a tape-measure in
lieu of foot-rule, eager to justify Mr.
samieson's opinion of my intelligence,
and firmly resolved not to tell him of
my suspicion until l had more than
theory to go on. The hole in the
trunkroom wall still yawned there, be-
tween the chimney and the outer wall.
I examined it again, with no new re-
suit. The space between the brick
wall and the plaster and lath one.
however, had a new significance. The
hole showed only one side of the chin
ney and | determined to investigate
what lay in the space on the other
side of the mantel
had a blister on my palm when
at last the hatchet went through aand
llwith what sounded like the report of
. gun TO my overstrained nerves. | sat
on trunk, waiting to hear Liddy fly
up the stairs, with the household be-
hind her, like the tail of a comet. But
nothing happened and with a growing
feeling of uncanniness | set to work
enlarging the opening
The result was absolutely nil. When
l could hold a lighted candle in the
opening | saw precisely what | had
seen on the other side of the chimney
"a space between the true wall and
the false one, possibly seven feet long
and about three feet wide. 1t was in
no sense of the word a secret cham
Der, and it was evident it had not
been disturbed since the house was
built. 1t was a supreme disappoint.
ment
1t had been Mr.. Jamieson's idea
that the hidden room, if there was
one, would be found somewhere near
the circular staircase. In fact, | knew
that he had once investigated the en-
tire length of the clothes chute, hang
Ing TO a rope, with this in view.
was reluctantly about to concede that
he had been right, when my eyes fell
on the mantel and fireplace The lat
ted had evidently never been used
1t was closed with a metal fire front
and only when the front refused tc
move, and investigation showed thai
1t was not intended to be moved, did
my spirits revive.
! hurried into the next room Yes
sure enough, there was a similar man
tel and fireplace there. similarly
closed In both rooms the chimney
fue extended well out from the wall
l measured with the tape-linc, ms
hands trembling so that / coulo
scarcely hold IT, They extended tive
feet and half into each room. which
with the three feet of space between
the two partitions. made eight feet t,
be accounted for. Eight feet I'm on,
direction and almost seven IN the 9th
er-What "a chimney Il was,
But had only located the bidder
room. was not in %, and no amount
OF pressing on the carving of nh,
wooden mantels, no search of a.,
hoors for loose boards. none OF "a,
customary methods nyaurd al an
That turre was q means uI entrance
ard probably simple one, Z could bt
certain. Hut what? What would
nnd # did get in2 Was tho Getopt
I've right aud wore ta. bonds au.
money lf1m The Trader bank hrr,
or vas our whole theory HIoas