Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-04-03


in the black darkness OF the in
clines, acted readily in this gentle
gloom. He made quick circuit Of the
walls and found door, opened 1t,
and saw street; peered up and
down that, discovered It to be empty,
and then ran out to the opposite
wall and looked upward. He saw a
big house above the COW stable, built
Of massive stone blocks, and narrow
ly windowed. None of the windows
was glazed and most were in dark
ness.
But three we're lighted. and from
one of these came voices. He thrilled
to his innermost nerve as one of the
voices reached him-and with 1t a
faint smell Of frangipani-and was
within an ace Of calling out that he
was near, and armed, and full OF
fight, and ready to upset half the
available world to bring assistance.
He had the words Miss Dubbs" on
the edge Of his lips, when common
prudence drummed into him that
there were ten thousand men within
call. and II he wanted to be useful
he must employ wit, and not COM
mon vulgar valor. He searched the
wall of the big house for its main
entrance door, found 1t, ran across,
opened and entered.
Within was a most exasperating
warren of passages and stairs. There
seemed to be no ordinary human
plan, no method, in the architecture
Of that Berber interior. There were
steep stairs and narrow stairs, pas
sages on the level and passages on
the incline, straight passages, and
others that wound in figures of
eight. Also, although the inside
partition walls were eight or ten feet
thick, the whole house seemed full
of the murmur and whisper of voices.
and warm with human occupation,
and savory with the smell of cooking.
1t was all unnerving enough to the
amateur, but Captain owen Kettle
was q man of brazen nerve. He res
olutely pushed a black rife muzzle
ahead of him, and went on with his
to his heart-beats, '.s
He turned so many times that in
spite of his sea training for courses
he was frankly lost in the maze of
alleys and arches. Three times he
thought he had hit on the right
room. and listened at a nail-studded
door, and heard only the twitter of
foreign speech. But at last he came
to narrow window which looked
on the street he had recently left,
and from that he got his bearings.
He turned sharply to his left,
burst into an ante-room-and found
1t empty. But he was on the right
track now. Miss Dubbs' full rich
contralto was giving forth strong
opinions from close at hand.
Kettle turned to the door behind
him and shut it, and finding heavy
bronze bolt. shot that into its stone
socket. Then once more he pressed
ahead. =
The next room was surprise to
him. The voices had stopped for the
moment, and he looked about him in
wonder On the walls were photo.
graphs of English cricket elevens in
Hannels, association football teams
In their quaint attire, and groups Of
self-conscious young men in straw
hats and weird ill-cut tweeds, all
framed in oak, and surmounted by
gaudy coats of arms in colors.
There were English tobacco-pipes
and Moorish sabers, yellow-backed
novels, and a yard-long British post
horn, fox's mask, and q stale copy
of the Sporting Times in this amaz'
ing room. On a side table among
ash trays was heavy .450 Hopkins
Allen revolver. Captain Kettle picked
it up, found it TO be loaded, and put
1t in one of the pockets of his jellah
for future reference. And at that
moment the voice of Miss Dubbs
crying out in terror, thrilled him In
a way he had never been thrilled
before.
There was another doorway to the
room, hidden by drapery. He
dashed through this and saw the CIR
struggling in Sidi Mahommed Ber
gash's arms.
The way that Berber kaid was
thrown to the ground surprised him
He was clutched by iron hands
shaken with a tigerish ferocity ant
strength, plucked from his feet ant
thrown sprawling as though he hat
been as inanimate as pillow.
The sailor stood over him Will
} uplifted gun butt.
"I'll teach you to lay your sacrl
legious hands on Miss Dubbs, yo'
brown-bearded son of an unqualifie'
pastry-cook, You'll apologize to he
here and now for what you've sal
and done, or I'll smash your worth
less head like a rotten egg-shell, an
glad of the chance"
81 offered to make her my queer
and that I take it is no insult. Blu
If my woong was too rough for tn
ladv'S tasta than for this / do apol(