Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-06-19

walton. Tearing away the valance. he
stamped on it, But the curtains had
caught fire, and he tore down these
also. exposing the bones that foretold
his own probable fate. In this way he
succeeded in putting out the fire.
But a new terror was in store for.
him. One-half an inch OF the candle
remained, and when it burned away he
would be in darkness-in darkness with
that horrible thing on the bed! He re-
newed his search. but was so agitated
that he would not have been likely 70
detect concealed opening if one we're
before him. Round and round the room
he went, the candle ever burning lower.
Thinking there might be an opening in
the wall behind the bed. he endeavored
to move it. but it was so heavy that it
resisted his efforts. Then despair gave
him strength for one concentrated push,
and he moved it far enough to thrust
the now Pickering candle behind it.
Alas, there was nothing but a bare
wall!
His only hope now lay between the
panel by which he had entered and the
trap in the corner. He kicked upon
the former, but it was solid oak. He
turned from it to the trap, remember
ing that if all else failed he could
keep up continued hammering on
the panel, so that in case a servant
entered his room she would hear him.
Once more he scrutinized every point
in the outline of the trap, but as be-
fore he failed to see any indication of
the fastening.
And now the candle began to flare in
its socket. An irresistible fascination
jeweled corpse on the bed. Hideous as
it was, it was the last connecting link
between him and humanity. Then he
covered his eyes with his hands, that
he should not see the candles last
flicker, and when he removed them
he was in total darkness.
The horror of that moment was
never to be forgotten. But hope never
dies. and hope inspires action. Feel
ing the way to the panel. he sat down
beside it and began a rapping. which
he resolved to renew every few min
utes. Hours went by and no response.
He did not expect responsible only
hoped for one. Unfortunately his
room would not be put in order by the
servant till the following morning, and
&c hIIC
might not be put in order at all. un-
less he reported the matter at the Of
ice of the hotel Remembering his
watch. he remembered as well that he
could not see it. All, but he could
feel Having wound it. he removed
the glass from it's face and felt, light
ly as possible. for the hands.
1t had been about o'clock in the
evening when he entered the room,
and the hands now indicated 6. He
had been there an hour. 1t seemed
twenty-four hours. After all, there
would be no use keeping up the rap
ping. since no one would be likely to
enter the adjoining room till the next
morning.
He resolved that he would spend
some time while waiting in tapping
all about the trapdoor in the floor in
the hope that he might strike a spring
that would open it. He had nothing to
tap with, but thought of the heel Of
his boot and. taking it off, held it by
the toe and began his work. pursuing
1t systematically in order that he
might not go over the same ground
more than once. He first tapped all
around the edge of the trap for dis
tance of three feet. as nearly as he
could tell in the dark. This occupied
an hour. Then he began work on the
wall beside the trap. He was tapping
at point as high as his head, his back
turned to the trap, when he heard
something behind him drop. Turning
he felt a current of cold air coming up
through the floor and saw a square
place a tri6e lighter than the rest
where the trap had been. 1t had
opened, swinging downward
Kneeling beside the opening. Went
WOTLu eADiOTeu VIII lib uduuS dhu
feet narrow winding steps. Without
needing where they led to he descend
ed. The fight was a long one and as
dark at one point as another. Finally
when he reached the bottom he found
himself standing on wood. but there
were rotted parts. and, stamping on 1t,
he easily broke it away.
He believed he was over sewer.
and he was. Indeed, he could see into 1t
and that 1t was nearly empty. Drop
ping down on to the stones which
formed the tube. he went toward a
light some distance from him. The
light also came toward him. 1t was a
lantern in the hands of sewer tender.
That is the end of the story SO far as
Wentworth's escape is concerned. but
not the explanation of the cause Of his
Imprisonment He reported his expe-
rience to the authorities. and the his
torical society had the room examined
and the record of the building looked
up. All they could find out about 1t
was that II had been built in the thir-
teenth century and during the reign Of
Louis XIV. when private revenge occu-
pied the place Of law, had gained the
reputation of being a place where GER