The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1912-07-04

I
the iron bars to convince me no one
had lately climbed them. and | de-
termined to explore below.
"You see what this IL. O'Brien. a
secret passage" ! said. glancing back
at him THAT IL human enough: the
devil doesn't need such things to
help him get about. whomsoever we
saw peering ont OF here came up
these steps. and whether II was
woman or man. we can travel the
same route. I'm going down. and l
want you TO follow me. bur don't
touch that andiron as you come in"
He moved briskly enough. evidently
convinced at fast that merely flesh
and blood fronted US. and asha med
OF his hrst terror.
dangled the lantern down the
well. leaning forward and peering
anIiously at what the yellow glare
revealed. I could see to the bottom.
but the shadows there might have
concealed a dozen men. Evidently
the shaft did not 90 To the basement.
AID there was a black opening at the
ladders foor. which would likely
prove the entrance to a tunnel
went down swiftly.
| was at the bottom. finding myself
In small. rock walled room some sir
feet square. a tunnel leading OF from
1t Of barely sufficient height TO per
NIT me to enter its mouth without
stopping. before O'Brien ventured
upon the ladder. | hardly knew what
to expect. what danger 10 guard
against. I not only felt a strange
horror at suddenly confronting that
mysterious woman. but ! expected
every instant TO hear the noise of adj
vancing men. We could make fair
defense in that narrow space. II is
true. yet even here. and amid dark
ness. numbers would possess an adj
vantage. while any attempt at re-
treat up that ladder would mean al
most certain death. BY the time
O'Brien reached me | had determined
on exploring the tunnel to it's end.
held the lantern in my left hand.
throwing the rays Of light as far in
advance as possible With the other
I drew revolver from my belt. hold
Ing 1t cooked and ready. IL was a
perfectly straight passage. walls and
roof OF stone. smoothly matched. eYi-
IDENTIFY thus arranged so any one
could pass that way In the dark with
no danger Of injury.
The door was earth. but leveled as
IL by a transit. sufficiently hard to
leave no impression Of feet passing
over il. 1t seemed to me the tunnel
must run directly beneath the ell
kitchen. and doubted IL the roof
was two feet below the surface OF
the ground. This directness gave US
confidence. as it permitted the rays
OF the lantern to penetrate consid-
erable distance. and. although alert
and watchful. my thought drifted 10
the girl had left locked in the room
above. | wondered If il was possible
for her to escape. TO sound an alarm
without or even 10 close the open
ing fireplace and thus securely trap
US in this black hole underground
felt no doubt as TO her doing so IL
opportunity came. and she was not
one to yield weakly and make no eff
fort ! began questioning my judg-
ment in not leaving 0Brien on guard
in the hall when the fellow sad
denly gripped my arm. advancing the
black barrel OF his carbine until it
pointed straight down the tunnel.
BE all the saints. sOr." he whis-
pered hoarsely. "ain't that the body
of Il MANI"
Ii assuredly was or my eyes de-
ceived me. 1t was lying head toward
US against the side wall. with limbs
extended half across the passage.
The fdce was turned away. a wide
brimmed soft hat still on the head,
helping to render the entire shadow
shapeIess. The light barely revealed
the outlines. yet there could be no
doubt as to its being the figure OF
human being.
Two hours before Donald had
passed through this tunnel on his
way into the house and had found
the path unobstructed. An hour
later he had gone out again. The
first trip had been made without a
light. and yet he never could have
passed the body without touching it.
Already from the massive figure l
suspected the truth; now my eyes
confirmed 1.-THE man lying there was
Colonel Donald. l saw the wound in
his throat. the blood stains on the
stones. He had been stricken exactly
as those otherS-pOunced upon in the
dark without the slightest warning,
the deadly knife driven home by a
cunning hand.
O'Brien was the irst 70 recover him
self. for he had experienced less OF
the nights mystery. and the inert
body lying before us was to him mere
ly that of strange man. He dropped |
upon his knees, turned the CHASTITY |
face up TO the light and pressed his |
ear against the gray jacket.
Hes not clane dead yit, sor," he
declared. There's IA bate 10 his |
heart"
| caught up the limp hand. feeling |
eagerly for the pulse. II was throb- |
bling weakly. and the very touch Of it /