The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-03-12

graceful legs. carefully reenng every
| inequality OF the elaborate bronze or
| namentation- Then he examined the
| bottom of the table infinitely. using his
/ torch to illumine every crevice, but
again without result
Another half hour passed so, and
when at last he came out from under
the table his face was dripping with
| sweat
ITS trying work." he said, sitting
| down again and hopping his face.
| But isn't It beauty. Lester? The
more look at it the more wonderful It
/ seems"
I'D point out one thing to you, God
frey" I said IF you go on poking
about with the fingers of both hands.
as you've been doing. you are just as
apt to get struck on the left hand as
Ion the right"
That's true" he agreed. "Stop me
| IL forget"
| There were three little drawers In
| the front of the table and these God
| frey had removed He inserted his
| hand into the space from which he
| had taken them and examined 1t care
IuIlYs L uGH lACh Wy AAOAp 1C t0A LIS
| fingers over the bosses and arabesques
with which the sides and top Of the
table were incrusted- 1t seemed to me
that IL the secret drawer were any
where 1t must be somewhere in this
part of the cabinet, and watched him
with breathless interest But no hid
den spring was touched; no drawer
sprang open; no poisoned fangs de-
scended.
WELL" said Godfrey. sitting back In
his chair at last and wiping his face
again, "now We'll try the upper part"
The upper part of the cabinet con-
sisted of a series OF drawers. rising
one above the other and terminated by
a triangular pediment its tympanum
ornamented with some beautiful little
bronzes. The drawers themselves were
concealed by two doors. opening in the
center and covered with most intri-
cate design of arabesqued incrusta-
lions.
"If there is a secret drawer here"
said Godfrey, lit is somewhere in the
back, where there seems to be hollow
space. But to discover the combina-
tom
He ran his fingers over the Inlay,
and then. struck by a sudden thought,
tested each of the little figures along
the tympanum, but they were all set
solidly in place.
There's one thing sure" he said,
1.-THE com bina ton. whatever it is. Is Of
such q nature that it could not be dis
covered accidentally. Ii is probably
question OF releasing a series OF lev
ers, which must be worked in a GER
tain order or the draw won't open.
I'm afraid we are up against it."
II can't pretend I'm sorry" said
with a sigh OF relief. "As far as am
concerned. I'm perfectly willing that
the ORA wer should go undiscovered"
I don't know what it was, for | was
conscious OF no noise. but some mystic
rious attraction drew my eyes to the
window at the farther side of the
room. Near the top of the wooden
shutter. which Parks and | had put In
place. was a small senlicircular open
ing. to allow the passage of little
light, perhaps, and peering through
this opening were two eyes-two burn
ing eyes. !
They were fixed upon Godfrey. who
was now examining the back OF the
cabinet, with such feverish intentness
that they did not see my glance. and
| lowered my head Instantly.
Godfrey" said in shaking voice. |
don't look up. don't move your head. !
but there is some one peering through |
the hole in the shutter opposite u.s."
Godfrey did not answer for quite a !
minute.
Did he see you look at him?' he /
asked at last
mo; he was looking at you. with his
eyes almost starting out of his head /
/ never saw such eyesr'
did you see anything Of his faceT
mo; the hole Is too small"
How high is the hole?"
''Near the top of the window"
Godfrey came back TO his chair
moment later, sat down in 1t and pass