The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1913-02-20

ly lighted cavern beneath it.. The
place held for me the inexpressible,
unfathomable charm Of the mysteri-
Gus, beside which the h%eatherish
racket of the theater across the way,
the sinister aspect Of the dismal laun.
dry and its pair of pipe-smoking guar
dams, even the constantly changing
procession of varied types in roadway
and on sidewalks, exerted but meager
allure.
From time to time dark, silent fig.
ures glided vaguely into view only to
disappear within this nav of mystery.
Once, while I watched, I had seen a
figure issue forth to be lost again in
stantly in the distant gloom of the
curving street. Now, reverting once
more to this magnet, after a moments
truancy, my eyes were rewarded by
sight of another slowly emerging
form, silhouetted nebulously against
the dusk.
At the head of the steps it paused,
uncertainty, and then, instead of glid.
Ing swiftly. away in the direction of
Pell street as did the other. it turned
in my direction, passing almost at
once into the comparatively glowing
radius of the street lamp opposite.
l saw then that it was a man, thin
to emaciation, round-shouldered, and
crooked limbed. Whether some one
jostled him, or a voice from the road.
way startled him, I don't know. But
for some reason he turned his head
suddenly, and the light from the lamp
fell full upon a face, stubble.bearded,
deep-lined, and repellent, the face not
of a Chinaman but Of a white man;
a face into which I had looked but
twice, and then but for a brief mo
ment; yet a face as indelibly fixed in
my memory as were the grim fronts
of the buildings nov behind 1.-THE
face of Peter Johnson, the pretended
castaway.
l think l must have had it in mind
to pick him up bodily Wand carry him
away with me that l might by inquisi,
torial torture wiring from him a con.
.fession. Otherwise I should have
adopted a less eager and more subtle
method of bringing the miscreant. to
book than that which I rashly at.
tempted. Before l considered the sit.
uation l was across the street and at
his heels. MY finger tips. indeed.
We're at his shoulder. In the fraction
of a second I should have had him
gripped and have been hustling him
through the crowd as my prisoner.
But at the instant of seeming success,
he eluded me. In some strange way
he caught alarm and, shrinking be.
meath my hanS, larted s%inuously off,
between this pedestrian and that, with
the flashing speed Of a lizard.
But, though he escaped my clutch,
my eyes were more nimble. With
them I followed him until l saw him
drop between the cellar doors which
gaped beneath the white bulk window
of the quick lunch room. And where
my eyes went, I went after. Another
brief moment and, without thought or
heed, l was plunging in pursuit down
that short, steep flight of steps-plung.
ing from a lighted, peopled. noisy pub.
lie street into the collied gloom and
grim silence of a low underground
basement.
And, as misfortune would have it, ]
must needs catch my heel on the edge
Of II Of the treads, and go sprawling
on my hands and knees; while a
poignant pain shooting cruelty
through my ankle told me that a
sprain was added to my mishap.
For a minute I lay as I had fallen
prone and ~motionless; and in that
space | realized the foolhardiness of
my whole course of action. My very
%intrepidity had contributed to disaster.
Instead of accomplishing a capture
had cast myself, disabled, into the
mesh of the enemy.
The inky darkness and profound 81.
lence of the place augmented, OF
course, my apprehension. In vain ]
strained my eyes to distinguish an OBJ,
ject, my ears to detect a sound, yet ]
knew that the uncanny creature l had
followed must be close to me; lurking,
possibly, with raised or pointed
weapon to mete out my fate once he
made sure of my position. T..
The minute-it could hardly have
been more, though, as l think Of it, 1t
seemed infinitely prolonged-en&ed in
a sound above and behind me. Very
softly, carefully, some n was closing
the cellar doors. Stealthily muf1ed
though it was, the faint creaking of
the hinges shattered the spell which
held me, and In spite of my tortured
ankle, l managed to gain my feet. But
by now the silence reigned once again
and in the enguling blackness l lost
all sense of direction.
The suspense of the moment was
uncomfortable. To stand there waiting,
not knowing when or from what quar-.
ter should be set upon, was nervous
torment so hideous that in sheer des.
peration l plucked my match box from
my pocket, drew forth a match and
struck it to a blaze. AS it f1ared forth,
routing the shadows in disorderly, If
but temporary. retreat. l made quick
searching survey Of my dungeon. To
my amazement I was apparently quite
alone.
Relieved, in a measure at least, I
employed another match and still an.
other. hobblings painfully about the
uriry 1ou-ooi1od bocoroon% T., 541S.2,A