Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-03-27

visited Paris, and every nook in the !
city was filed with the crowd Of visit ,
ors who came TO witness the festivities 4
attending his reception. Wentworth
was lodged in a part OF the house that /
had not been occupied before within
the memory OF any one connected with
the hostelry. His room was a small
one and wainscoted. There was no
closet in 1t and no hooks on which to
hang any clothing Every one about
the hotel was too busy to pay any ex-
cept ordinary attention to guest so
Wentworth went out and bought few
nails, with a view to driving them into
the wall to serve as hooks.
He had driven three nails and was at
work on a fourth when the panel into
which he was driving 1t began to slow
~ slide on rollers to one side. 1t stop
ped. leaving 4 gap just wide enough to
allow a person by STOPPING to pass
through. The wall had been cut away,
but, since it was dark beyond, Went
worth could not see what was there.
and for a time he was too much aston
ished to make an exploration. The
blows of the hammer had shaken the
panel. doubtless unloosening a spring
which had held the door shut. This
spring was easily found. close to the
point where Wentworth had been driv-
ing the nail.
Timidity at length gave way to curl
oslty. and. lighting a candle that stood
on a bureau, the American passed
through the opening and entered a
chamber. 1t was hung with tapestry
and furnished in a style that dated
back several centuries. A bedstead
stood against the wall, with a canopy
above, and the curtains were lowered.
/ The windows had been bricked up.
| Wentworth pulled aside the bed cur
tains. and the dim light of his candle
| fell upon figure betwixt a skeleton
and a body. a woman dressed in a
style OF the period OF Louis XIV.
Wentworth drew back. Again he
found Il necessary to give curiosity
time to overtake timidity. But the
former is a rapid mover, and in few
minutes he was examining the body.
Taking hold of the dress, 1t crumbled.
There was some jewelry on the body,
earrings and a necklace, and the gems
were large. Judging by the hair, in
which there were no gray strands, the
woman. If not young, was at least not
old, and her apparel so far as it indi-
catedyanything indicated youth.
Wentworth looked up from the grew
some sight and turned his gaze about
the chamber. There had been no eff
fort to conceal the spaces where the
windows had been, and he wondered
IL they had been left the same on the
outside. He did not believe they had
He wondered If the room had been
walled up before or after the woman
about for another egress than the
one by which be had entered and in a
corner discovered a trapdOor. Blu,
there was no means of raising il. not a
handle or even a ring. Having a
strong pocketknife with him, he put
a blade into the crack, but the traT
was not to be moved, at least with
such an instrument.
Suddenly he heard a sound like the
coming into his head that he might bt
shut up in this grewsome chamber
Looking toward the opening through
which he had entered and through
which had come q small quantum Of
light. he saw that the light had beer
shut off With o rapidly beating hear
he hurried to the place and found the
panel closed For awhile he was Toe
horror stricken to look into the mat
ter. but when he did the cause Of the
shutting of the panel was evident
When the spring that opened it wal
pressed a weight pulled it back TIT
cord by which the weight had beer
held had parted. For years. perhaps
for centuries. it had rotted. and the ia
occasiOned by its recent opening haC
I reduced it to a single strand, whicl
had just given way. Could the sprin!
be worked and the door opened frOu
the side on which he stood? 4 hast!
examination showed that it could not
Wentworth WINS appalled,. Shut up II
a chamber without a single opening
with a candle that would not burr
more than an hour. he began to fear h.
: was doomed TO the fate Of the woman
who had evidently died there. H.
might make a noise to attract atten
: ton. but why could be be heard an,
more than she? When ne gathered hi
= wits be bent his ingenuity toward get
ting out of his dilemma. He first trie,
to introduce the point of his pocket
knife into the lock that held the pane
If he could disengage the catch tina
held It he could move it back agains
the force Of the spring that closed. #
But he failed TO move the catch
He next turned his attention TO tn
trap in the floor, examining it CAREFUL
while his candle burned TO discove
! some means OF opening it. He coul
zee no way whatever. Then he mad
an examination OF the. room TO see
there might not be some other openin
that be had thus far failed tn Dotic
6 Holding bis candle first high, then .o'
. be examined the walls and the foo
There might be an exit concealed u
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