Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-02-18

series OF measurements so searching
and intricate that half an hour passed
without a word being spoken. Then
he pulled Cp another chair and sat
down beside me.
Il seem to be pretty much up against
/ e." be said. mo doubt Just as the de-
| signer of the cabinet would wish me TO
/ be. The whole bottom OF the desk IS
/ inclosed. and those three little drawers
! take up only "a small part OF the space.
! Then the back or the cabinet seems to
| be double-at least. there's a space Of
/ three inches l can't account for. So
/ there's room for a dozen secret draw
ers. II the Montespan required so many.
And now to find the combination"
He adjusted the steel gauntlet care
I fully to his right hand and sat down
on the door before tile cabinet
"I'I begin mt the bottom" he said.
IF there is any spot l miss. tell me
Of it."
He ran his fingers up and down the
graceful legs. carefully feeling every
inequality OF the elaborate bronze or
namentation. Then he examined the
bottom Of the table minutely. using his
torch TO flumine every crevicc. 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 I look at It the more wonderful 1t
seems"
I'D point out one thing to you. God
frey" 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
on 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 It care
fully. Then, inch by inch. he ran his
fingers over the bosses and arabesques
with which the sides and top Of the
table were incrusted- 1t seemed to me
that II the secret drawer were any
where II 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 n 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 1
center and covered with a most intri- |
cate design OF arabesqued incrusta |
lions.
IF there is a secret drawer here" /
said Godfrey, 1t is somewhere in the 1
back. where there seems to be n 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
soiidly in place.
There's one thing sure" he said
the combination. whatever it is. is OF
such n nature that il could not be dis
covered accidentally. 1t is probably a
question OF releasing a series Of lev
ers. which must be worked in a GER
tain order or the drawer won't open.
I'm afraid we are up against it"
Il can't pretend I'm sorry" 1 said
with sigh OF relief. AS far as 1 am
I'm perfectly willing that
the drawer should go undiscovered"
I don't know what # was. for / was
OF no noise. but some mystic
rious attraction drew my eyes to the
window, NJ the farther side OF the
room. Near the top of the wooden
shutter, which Parks and had put in
place. was small semicircular open
ing. to allow the passage OF n little
light. perhaps. and peering through ,
this opening were two eyos-two burn
nG eyes.
They were fixed upon Godfrey, who