Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1912-06-29
A TifaSeGh Anniversary WAR Story
By RANlDALL PARRISH
COPYRIGHT. 1909. BY A. c. mcclure & co.

In the hall she avoided looking at
me. apparently merely eager to finish
as soon as possible disagreeable task
Il feel quite ashamed of thus intrud-
ing l began. conscious of the grow
ing restraint in her manner
Il have long since learned this part
of the incivility of war My own home
has been searched often enough by
your soldiery. 1t is to save this house
from such outrage that / have asked
you to act in person"
And 1 shall perform my duty with
all respect"
/ felt the swift glance of her yelled
eyes was full of thanks, but the long
lashes dropped quickly Yet even this
set my heart throbbing as 1 opened the
door nearest my hand.
AS l emerged from the dining room
she pointed to a small door farthest to
the left.
This is being utilized as a store
room. and the key is kept in the kitch-
en-. She was back in moment The
room was dark. and l took Il single
step within. The door crashed behind
me. and | heard the sharp click of the
key in the lock.
For the first moment l doubted ey-
sudden gust of wind had slammed the
door shut 1 could not conceive this
as the deliberate act of Jean Dens-
low. l even called her name. believ-
ing she would hasten to release me.
But there was no response, no sound
of any kind from without The
knowledge of the girls deceit hurt me
more at first than my own physical
condition. l was merely an inquisitive
Yankee officer searching for one she
felt obligated to protect The man
might even be concealed within the
house. or. if not. some clew leading to
his whereabouts was TO be discovered
there. For a long time j smoked my
pipe and made no effort to escape
Then 1 struck many matches. examinN
ing everything carefully. yet this was
the sum total of my discoveries. There
was no way out. and the fact that not
the slightest sound reached me sug-
geSted an unusual thickness of walls.
There was not much to encourage
a single strip of flooring, slightly warp
ed at the joint Scarcely hoping for
any practical result. l began digging
out the dirt that had became packed
hard in the narrow space and even
succeeded in splitting off a silver from
the plank itself. | got Il broken chair
leg wedged into the orifice in such a
manner as to utilize it as n lever.
l was bending over this crude con-
trivance when the door was opened
hastily a foot or two and something
slid forward along the floor. l locat-
ed a plate heaped with food and a
small pot of smoking hot coffee on the
floor and took u glance at my watch
Eight-thirty; l had been imprisoned
for hours,
ate like far1ished- wolf There
was no sound without. no evidence
that | was under any special guard.
With heart rapidly beating l crept
across to where ] bad previously been
at work. fully determined now TO test
the efficiency of my improvised lever.
The board came up slowly. the only
sound a slight rasping of the nails
By moving my apparatus | thus sue
ceeded in releasing the entire length OF
the plank Except for the joists I
could feel nothing below. yet il was
necessary TO diSIodge q second board
before could succeed in squeezing my
body through the narrow opening. I
swung down through the opening thus
made and let go my hold. The fall
could not have been more than few
feet. yet my knees doubled under az I
struck. and pitched forward upon my
hands
I was in a cellar fte floor paved With
Irregular blocks OF stone the side waits
Of solid plaster. I felt my way cau-
dously around the three sides of the
place before discovering. the door. which
stood ajar. opening forth into sec
ond apartment not greatly dtssimilar.
although ulvre Uttered up with various