The Washington times., 1912-06-04

and the little group unconsci- |
ously drew close together, listen |
ing intently. As they stood so, Anna
bel stepped through the broken window
and Joined them. followed by Mrs. CHS
leigh.
After a moment Of intense silence the
constable took the lamp from the table
ana, holding 1t high above his head,
others.
In the room where Annabel and her
mother had made their first call there
were signs of recent occupancy. 4
piece OF sewing with the needle still in
1t lay on the table, a newspaper was on
one OF the spindle-legged chairs. and
lay on the table. In the dining room
beyond, a table was spread for two,
and in the kitchen a partially prepared
ana evidently hastily abandoned meal
stood on the stove.
The house was as still as death, and
as they passed from one room to an
other Annabel could not keep her
woman who had so suddenly arrived
and so strangely disappeared and her
nesh crawled and her heart beat heav-
Slowly and cautiously the party
worked its way from room to room
upstairs, into the great old-fa shioned
CHAMBERS CHAMBERS where, the plastering was
was filled with the odor of mold and
decay; downstairs. where it was evil
cent that the family had lived.
lhey found on the first floor one large
and comfortably furnished bedroom, In
which the clothes. in the closets, the
trlnkets on the bureau, convinced the
seekers that 1t was the room used by
pr, and Mrs. Jennings as their own
Seyond this. and having no exit except
through IT, was a small room that had
eVldently been designed as a dressing
ha
looked searchingly about. The room
was evidently the one that had been
used by the child, Lizzie.
Its only furniture consisted of a rude
couch bed. unmade and covered with
coarse, dirty bedclothes. Beside 1t lay
q pair of child's well-worn shoes. The
policeman picked them up and examined
them attentively
HIM" he calculated, as he slipped
one of them in his pocket, French kid,
had-made. trademark Of q swell Lon
don don bootmaker Pretty nifty footwear
for youngster."
AS they left the bedroom and turned
toward the back of the house Annabel
stopped suddenly with a sharp, indrawn
breath and caught. her mothers arm.
hear something"
Instantly they all stood still. From
somewhere in the cavernous gloom of
inarticulate, scarcely distinguishable. AS
! they stood, every faculty alert, every
sense intent, 1t came again, and their
nerves tingled.
Where does it come FROM? whis-
pered the constable.
From the cellar" replied the police
man designated as Bill, in the same
tone.
TITS upstairs somewhere" said the
other policeman.
NO" whispered Annabel at comes
from somewhere on this floor. Wait
hark-there It Is again"
AS they stood with bated breath the
sound again reached them-a mumbled,
agonized. moaning sound.
Mrs. Chisleigh sprang forW ard with
low. shaken cry.
''It is some one in pain-some one in
distress-oh! mother-mother-hurr
what is 1t? Where can IT be-"
Suddenly Annabel leaped ahead of the
Il know, know" she cried: II had
forgotten-there Is another room some
where herc-off the kitchen-that we
have not been in yet. I saw Mrs. Jen-
nings run into 1t the day that her sister
with the constable holding the lamp
high above his head the others follow
ed. Barber lighted every lamp he could
find AS the party entered the kitchen
they all stood still. Shaking like an
aspen, the girl rushed to the back of
the room and began searching wildly.
The other followed her. and presently
the constable gave a shout.
"Yes. here is door" he cried, Say,
links, but that is funny thing. It's
fitted right into the paper, has TO knob
or lock, and you'd never guess, it was
there II you weren't looking for it"
With a push of his knee he forced the
door open and entered.
y The light OF the smoky lamp disclosed
a small. dark chamber. In the farthPst
corner OF 1t stood a cot bed, and upCal
this bed lay what appeared at first
elance to be a bundle OF old clothes.
AS the light fell on this object Mrs.
!Chisleigh rushed toward it with a
4 louder and sharper cry as she fell
on her knees beside the bed, shr1eking:
Mother. mother mother!'
The constable rushed forward with the
lamp.
Upon the dirty, tumbled covers, her
gray hair strewn wildly over the pillow,
her arms stiff and straight at her sides
her face convulsed horribly. lay Mis-
Paign.
At the first glance they thought that
she was dead But as Mrs. Chisleigh
bent in agony over her she saw that
filed with unutterable pain AS she call.
ed her mothers name the eyes moved
and from between the stiff, set lips
came the mumbling, inhuman sounI
they had before heard.
With n cry of unutterable relief, Mrs
Chislcigh sprang to ner feet.
She Is alive, she is elVe:' she cried
thank heaven! We must get hei
scme OF You. see II those people have
taken away their vehicles and horscs!'
Annabel was already gone from the
room. She returned a moment later
painting.
None Of the horses are gone" sh'
erred. The gray team is there, still
harnessed. We can put a mattress il
the bottom Of the light wagon and la!
her upon 1t. viii you put the hOrsei
10 that wagon you will find in the shed
Mr.. Barber? And, OH hurry, hurry
will run on over home and telephon,
for the doctor"
Half an hour later the unconsciou
woman lay in her own bed. with th
family physician bending over her.
"Paralysis!" he announced when h
had examined her. She must have hat
q terrible shock. There lie cut on he
head, a bad bruise on her Iight arm
and two OF her fingers are dislocated
This could hardly have happened from
a fall. There are the signs of a grea
struggle here. What has happened 4
her."
Mrs. Chisleish was unable to speak
but Annabel answered sobbingly:
1--WE don't know-have no idea" The
che told the doctor about their terribl
ordeal.
The doctor looked grave and shook hi
Mysterious and Ehastly," he NUT