The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1912-06-29
A pfatieah Anniversary WAR Story
BIZ RANDALL PARRISH
COPYRIGHT. 1903. BY A. c. mcclure & Co.

In the hall she avoided looking at
me. apparently merely eager to finish
us soon as possible a disagreeable task.
Il feel quite ashamed of thus intrud-
ing ! began. conscious of the grow
ing restraint in her manner.
Il have long since learned this part
OF the iDcivility OF war. My W home
las been searched often enough by
your soldiery. II Is TO save this house
from such outrage that ! have asked
you To act in person"
And l 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 opened the
door nearest my hand
As | emerged from the dining room
she pointed 10 a small door farthest to
tue left.
This Is being utilized ms a store
room. and the key is kept IN the Eitch-
en-" She was back in n moment. The
room was dark. and ! ioOk Al single
step within. The door crashed behind
me, and / heard the sharp click of the
key in the lock.
For the first moment | doubted ev-
erything. II be some mistake. a
sudden gust or wind had slammed the
door shut. 1 could not conceive this
ms the deliberate act of Jean Dens-
low. | even called her nane believ-
ing she would hasten 10 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. ! was merely I'm inquisitive
Yankee officer searching for one she
felt obligated 10 protect. The man
might even be concealed within the
| house. or. II not. some clew lending TO
his whereabouts was TO be discovered
there. For q long time l smoked my
pipe aud made no effort 10 escape.
| Then l struck many matches. examin-
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 suS-
| gested an unusual thickness of walls.
There was o much to encourage
a single strip of flooring. slightly warp
ed nj the joint. Scarcely hoping for
any practical result | began digging
out the dirt that had became packed
hard in The narrow space and even
succeeded In splitting of a silver from
the plank itself. | got a broken chair
leg wedged into the orifce in such a
manner us 10 utilize 1t us d lever.
! was bending owe this crude con-
trivance when the door was opened
hastily u 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 a glance at my watch.
Eight thirty; / had been imprisoned
for hours. rs#s
| ate like a famished wolf. There
was no sound without. no evidence
that | was under any special guard.
With heart rapidly beating l crept
across to where ! had 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 b nails.
by moving my apparatus thus sue
ceeded in releasing the entire length OF
the plank. Except for the 1oists
could feel nothing below. yet 1t was
necessary TO dislodge a second board
before l could succeed in squeezing my
body through the narrow opening.
swung down through the opening thus
made and LEI 90 my hold. The fall
could not have bee more than a few
feet. yet my knees doubled under as
struck. and | pitched forward upon my
hands
was in a cellar. the floor paved With
irregular blocks OF stone. the side walls
of solid plaster. felt my way eau
tously around the three sides OF the
Mace before discovering the door. which
stood ajar, opening forth into a Sec
ond apartment not greatly dlssimilar.