Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1912-11-08
CHAPTER XVI.
The Remains Of TRAGEDY.

1t must have been the shock of thus
realizing suddenly how short a time
remained in which should have light
which restored my senses. l know
stared at the dim yellow flicker DULY
at first, and then with a swift return
ing consciousness which spurred my
brain into activity. In that instant
hated, despised myself, rebelled at nay
weakness. Faith in Claire Mortimer
| came back TO me in a flood of regret
| II she had failed, it was through no
| fault of hers, and l was no coward to
| lie there and rot without making a
stern fight for life. When I was found,
those who came upon my body would
know that died struggling. died as a
man should, facing fate with smile,
with hands gripped in the contest.
The resolution seryed-it was spur
to my pride, instantly driving away
every haunting shadow of evil Yet
where should / turn? To what end
should ! devote my energies? 1t was
useless to climb those stairs again.
But there must be a way out.
/ gripped the old musket as the only
instrument at hand, and began testing
the walls. Three sides | raped re-
ceiving the same dead, dull response.
! was In the darkest corner now, be-
yond the stairs, still hopelessly beat
ing the gun barrel against the stone.
The dim light revealed no change in
the wall formation, the same irregu-
lar expanse Of rubble set in solid NOR
tar, hardened by century of exposure
to the dry atmosphere. Then to an
idle, listless blow there came hollow,
wooden sound, that caused the heart
to leap into the throat. | tried again,
foot to the left, confident my ears
had played me false, but this timo
there could be no dcubt-there was an
opening here back of a wooden bar
rier.
Half crazed by this good fortune, l
caught up the inch CT candle, and held
1t before the wall The dim light
scarcely served as an aid, so inge-
niously had the door been painted in
| resemblance to the mortared stone. I
was compelled to sound again, inch by
inch, with the gun barrel before I
could determine the exact dimensions
of the opening. Then could trace the
slight crack where the wood was fit
ted, nor could have done this but for
the warping of board. Wild with APP
prehension lest my light fail before
the necessary work could be accom-
plished, | drew out the single-nladed
knife from my pocket. and began wild
ening this crack. Feverishly as I
worked, this was slow Of accomplish
ment, yet silver by silver the slight
aperture grew, until wedged in the
gun barrel, and pried out the plank.
The rush Of air extinguished the
candle, yet ! cared nothing, for the air
was fresh and pure, promising clear
passage.
God this was luck! With new cour-
age throbbing through my veins ]
CROPPED my way back to the table after
flint and steel, and relit the candle
fragment, shadowing the fame with
both palms as retu ned to where the
plank had been pressed aside. How
ever, found such precaution unnec
essary, as there was no perceptible
draft through the passage now the
/ opening was clear II the circulation
Of air. There had baen two planks-
thick and Of hard wood-composing
the entrance to the funnel, but found
it impossible to disjodge the second
and was compelled 10 squeeze my
I ~, al
opening This was difficult task, as
/ was man of som weight, but once
accomplished ! foun.l myself in con
| tracted passagewa, not to exceed
three feet in width. and perhaps five
from floor to roof. IIere it was appar
emily as we'll preserved as when frs
| constructed, probab'y q hundred years
or more ago, the Size walls faced with
stone, the roof SUI ported by roughly
hewn oak beams. was convinced
there was no great weight of eartt
resting upon these and the tunnel
which l followed without difficulty. OF
the discovery of az serious abstruc
ton, for fifty fee inclined steadily
upward, until. in m Judgment, it mus
have come within Il very few feet o
the surface. Here here occurred
sharp turn to the , at, and the exca
} walton advanced q est upon level
Knowing rothini IF the conforma
J ton above. or of II location of build
; ings, was obligeG 70 press forwar,
blindly, conserving the faint light o
. the candle, and pra, ag for free pas
sage. 1t was an exr erience to test tn
] nerves. the intense stiffness, the bare
: gray walls, cold II the touch. tn
? beams grazing my head, and uphold
3 ing that mass Of eat,h above, the II
tense darkness before and behind. wit
+ only the pickering radius of yello,
e light barely Illuminating where l troS
= Occasionally the wood creaked ON