Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-07-20

Nancy" I whispered again, and
again got no answer.
felt for my matches with shaking
fingers, broke the first, and in the
brilliant flare of the next saw that
was all alone. Either had mistaken
the room, or Nancy had been moved.
The match burned to my fingers
and went out, SO that I CROPPED for the
door in the darkness. AS my hand
fell on the knob. there came heavy
rush of feet along the hall, and as
stood tensely waiting for the door to
open, l heard the sudden rattle of the
bolt as It was shot into its place.
CHAPTER XIV.
With the surprise, wave Of sheer
and utter disgust swept over me. l
had come very sure of myself, quite
certain that before an hour had passed
l should have Nancy free again, and
that she and Mrs. Lathrop and would
be we'll on our way back toward the
village I meant to do all this, as l
have said, by stealth; but had quite
realized the possibility, or even prob
ability, of some sharp personal en-
counter, and in my heart Of hearts I
had secretly looked forward to 1t. But
suddenly to find myself trapped and
bolted in had not for moment en-
tered into my reckoning. / had been
caught and locked UP like a school
boy and for while sickening sense
of humiliation triumphed even over my
anger, sense that Slapped at my
strength like very fever. Even now
l hate to recall the moment, to bring
back again to memory the petulant
and weakened force with which I put
my shoulder to the door, only to hear
little groan Of it's double bolted oak,
and the rough-voiced, unfeminine gig
gle that answered my effort from the
other side..
I tried the door again and again with
out success, but whether 1t was indeed
beyond my strength, still languorous
with disgrace, do not know. But, at
any rate although made the oak cry
aloud and again, bolt and panel still
held and all got for my effort was a
bruised shoulder.
Nor, when had tried the window,
did I have any better success with the
bars. l could bend them little, to be
sure, bend them with what seemed to
me great effort, about as much as
they had moved under my hand from
my insecure purchase among the Ivy
the night before. So that 1t almost
seemed to me that the bars must have
been changed, that my coming had
been planned for and expected; and I
sickened still more at the thought. So
certain did this idea become to me,
that took no comfort from the fact
that these bars. too, were rusty, that
their heavy surfaces were so channel
ed and SCARED by corrosion, that my
gloves, and even the palms OF my
hands, were cut and torn. Because now
I could not tear them away felt that
they were other than those which l
had bent so easily the evening before,
which certainly added by implication
the certainty that I had fallen into q
well-laid trap. I felt that when / at
last found Nancy again could scarcely
look her in the eyes, but must stand
with bowed head before her like some
birched BOBBY
After an eternity of this sort Of thing
I felt in my pocket for my matches,
only to find that had lost them. Sud
|lenly I thought back until I remem-
bered had struck one match when l
first found the room in darkness, but,
in my surprise at the barrenness it's
flare revealed. must have dropped
the box which held the others So
now / went down on my hands and
ilnees, and becoming the creeping thing
] already felt myself fumbled the floor
lin search of them At last near the
door recovered them, and by the light
ha nvfl
lit the jet
This really was the room which had
been Nancy's. That my first glance in
jumping, pickering light showed me.
Every trace Of her occupancy had
gone, except the great chair with its
tattered covering. which had disting-
uished her room from the others. But
ieven in my cropping in the dark had
had known it to be Nancy's room.
Humanity. in spite of the materialists.
lis a strangely spiritual thing, which
LEAVES, even in passing certain in
visible radiance, an intangible. nebul-
ious train Of personal aura, faint and
mystical. but still softly vibrant and
|perceptibe, at least to one other hui
man being. whose receptive senses are
attuned BY love. To limit mankind
to five senses is as obviously super
fetal as are most Of the dogmatic die
tums of science really knew before
I lit my first match that Nancy was
gone, and as certainly knew now
that this had once been her room.
For while I was so selfshly abb
sorbed in the thought Of my coming
shame when / should find her. that
even my curiosity was deadened; but
with the bare little room so lately
hers, and now so plainly before me in
the jumping gas light, began to won
der, at first in a faint. subconscious
sort of way and then with, sudden
leaping apprehension, where they had
taken her. suppose that | had felt,
even without a full realization. that
she was only somewhere else in the
building. that in moving her from this