The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-12-14

horror at suddenly confronting that mysterious woman, but I expected every instant to hear the noise of ad- vancing men. We could make fair defense in that narrow space, 1t is true. yet even here, and amid dark ness, numbers would possess an ad- vantage. while any attempt at re- treat up that ladder would mean al- most certain death. By the time O'Brien reached me I had determined on exploring the tunnel to it's end
 I held the lantern in my left hand, throwing the rays of light as far in advance as possible. With the other I drew a revolver from my belt, hold ing it cooked and ready. It was a perfectly straight passage. walls and roof of stone, smoothly matched, evil dently thus arranged so any one could pass that way in the dark with no danger of injury.
 The floor was earth, but leveled as if by transit, sufficiently hard to leave no impression of feet passing over it. It seemed to me the tunnel must run directly beneath the ell kitchen, and I doub- d if the roof was two feet below the surface of the ground. This directness gave us confidence, as it permitted the rays of the lantern to penetrate consid- erable distance, and, although alert and watchful, my thought drifted to the girl I had left locked in the room above. wondered if it was possible for her to escape.y to sound an alarm without or even to close the open ing fireplace and thus securely trap us in this black hole underground. felt no doubt as to her doing so if opportunity came, and she was not one to yield weakly and make no ef- fort. I began questioning my judg- ment in not leaving O'Brien on guard in the hall, when the fellow sud denly gripped my arm, advancing the black barrel of his carbine until it pointed straight down the tunnel.
 Be all the saints, sor," he whis- pered hoarsely, "ain't that the body of a man?"
 It assuredly was or my eyes de-
 
 us against the side wall, with limbs extended half across the passage. The face was turned away, a wide brimmed soft hat still on the head, helping to render the entire shadow shapeless. The light barely revealed the outlines, yet there could be no doubt as to it's being the figure of human being.
 Two hours before Donald had passed through this tunnel on his way into the house and had found the path unobstructed. An hour later he had gone out again. The first trip had been made without a light, and yet he never could have passed the body without touching it.
 Already from the massive figure l suspected the truth; now my eyes confirmed 1.-the man lying there was Colonel Donald. I saw the wound in his throat, the blood stains on the stones. He had been stricken exactly as those others-pounced upon in the dark without the slightest warning, the deadly knife driven home by a cunning hand.
 O'Brien was the first to recover him. self, for he had experienced less of the nights mystery, and the inert body lying before us was to him mere ly that of a strange man. He dropped upon his knees, turned the ghastly face up to the light and pressed his ear against the gray jacket.
 He's not clane dead yit, sor," he declared. There's a bate to his heart"
 I caught up the limp. hand, feeling eagerly for the pulse. It was throb- ping weakly. and the very touch of it afforded me hope. l liked this Don- aid. Whatever he might be to Jean Denslow he had won my respect, and I would save his life if possible-save 1t even though he stood between me and the one woman. 1 tore the neck erchief from about my throat.
 I bathed the white face, washing away the blood upon his throat, thus disclosing the nature of the wound. Evidently the knife had slipped, in ficting a jagged scratch, yet missing the vital point aimed at. O'Brien lift ed the head on his arm. his hand pressing back the thick hair, streaked with gray.
 He's got humpin' crack here, sor," he said. "an' it's bled lot"
 "Yes," decided. ''he was struck in the dark suddenly, and the force of the blow or else the impact of some body knocked him backward. His head hit the stone, rendering him un- conscious. and the party attacking. supposing his knife thrust had reach ed vital part. believed the man had fallen dead, as probably he never moved. That water is reviving him."
 I had swallow or two of brandy remaining. and this l succeeded in forcing between Donald's teeth. He gulped it down unconsciously, O'Brien bracing his bod up with supporting