The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-05-28
A Game Of Chance.
By DR.. w. H. Winslow.

shot at me; Spinoza's description of the
auto rascal; one empty twelve calibre
shell, and little suspicious talk by Ham
bright"
wealthy lover; it isn't the man you
want, but the money"
II want the man and the bonds; be-
lieve know who was the thief, but it is
q mystery where he has hidden the
bonds
.'There is a branch on the left side of
the tunnel which think / will 60 and ex-
plore. Would any of you fellows like to
20 with mel" said Wendell rising.
All the men volunteered and Fink said
they could 90, but he was tired and would
remain by the cheerful fire and do some
thinking.
Fink listened until the party had gone
out of hearing; then he looked at his re-
volver to see it was ready for business,
and reclined upon the bedding and dozed.
An hour or more passed; the fire was a
bed of Goals; the candles had mostly
burned out; when Fink awoke with a
start, sat up. rubbed his eyes and head,
and stared into the darkest corner, where
he saw the dim outlines of man. He
drew his revolver and said, who are you
and what are you doing bere?''
No response was made to this peremp-
tory challenge and he sprang erect and
shouted, ''Speak, or l will shoot -
Still no sound except the sputter of
candle and flutter of bat at the mouth
of the cave. Fink was not a coward, but
he trembled with excitement, and ner-
vous thrills ran up his back and tingled
in his brain. To shoot was to kill, to
murder. He was not attacked, in no
danger of his life, and was not justified
yet; and he held his pistol pointed and
tried to penetrate the gloom and to rec
ognize his mysterious visitor.
Suddenly the figure turned slowly, pre-
sented a CHASTITY face and lack lustre eyes
to Fink's horrified gaze, fioated without
apparent effort or sound past him out of
the cave and melted into the darkness;
leaving him nervous and shaking, with
his will so completely paralyzed that he
could not shoot nor follow the apparition.
Then fear came upon him; the cave
seemed like tomb, and he shook like a
poplar leaf in gale.
He lighted more candles to Danish the
uncanny glamour OF the cavern; piled
wood on the Goals to make bright blaze,
and pinched and pounded his body to re-
store its normal action, and to convince
session of unimpaired senses.
Recovering, after time from his ter
ror, he took candle and examined mi
had tarried. Roof and walls were ada
mant, unmarked by tool or crevice. The
floor, foot from the corner, was un-
oh hn
of the other nart. He pressed his knife
into the angie of the slab-like elevation
and the floor and dislodged particles re-
and al Ratchet and, after considerable
labor, broke the bond between the floor
and the slab, and opened into small,
excavated cell.
Several carefully wrapped packets lay
therein, which he quickly transferred to
his inside pockets. He replaced the slab
carefully; filled the crack with dust and
ashes, and, lighting a cigar, threw him
self upon the bed, as Wendell and his
men staggerde in, wet and dirty from
their toilsome exploration.
"Here you are, at last! thought you
were lost in the mountain" was Fink 5
calm greeting, as he blew cloud of
smoke towards the roof.
'No, not as bad as that. 1t was
tough proposition, though. We found
passage similar to the main one and fol-
lowed it probably two hundred yards
until it ended at solid wall of granite,
with lovely spring of blue, cold water
at its base," reported Wendell.
''And we found this gun, sir, and moth
ing else of any significance, said Jack
son, presenting rusty double-barrelled
gun, which he had kept behind him as he
entered the cave.
Eyes; it was hidden beneath shelly
ing ledge and is a twelve guage, with one
barrel empty and one loaded added
Wendell, handing the weapon to Fink.
Fink looked it over carefully and re-
marked, "This loaded shell is similar to
the empty one l have, and these initials
on the butt plate are H, A. H. l think
it would not be difficult to find the !
owner"
"Ratber difficult to return it to him,
though" said Wendell quietly, as the
two men exchanged significant glances.
Fink did not tell Wendell or his men of
his strange experience during their alb
sence, nor of his important discovery.
He kept his facts for himself and his SUI
periors.
AS there was nothing to be gained by
further tarrying, and he was anxious to
examine his find, he hurried their depart
ure, and the auto carried them back to
the city, where he reported at once to
the chief at headquarters.
TO BE CONTINUED.