Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1914-03-12

| the c".da ana uat hjm in it and moved
/ him over to tA.' drawing room this aft
eruooa. sir"
| I'm lIad ot that. want all the
| lights iil, Parks. just us they were last
| night"
| Parks reached inside the door and
/ switched ON the clertrjrS Then he
went away, came back in 4 moment
| with taier and proceeded to light
the gas lights moment later the
lights in the inner room were also bla--
/ ing
/ There YOU are. sir" said Parks and
1 retrcatcd TO the door viii Won need
me?"
Not now, But wait in the hall out
/ side. We may need YOU"
| led the way into the inner room,
well, there it is" | said and nod
dcd toward the Boule cabinet. lit isn't
too late to give it up Godfrey"
"Oh. yes, ii is" he said coolly. re-
moving his coat. 1T was too late the
moment YOU told me that story Why.
! Lester. if save it up should never
sleep again! Draw up chair and
watch me"
| He pulled back his shirt sleeves and
j placed his electric torch on the door
beside the cabinet Then he paused
With folded arms to contemplate this
masterpiece of NJ. Boulc
| ut is Il beauty" he said at last, and
/ then drew out the little drawers. one
after another looked them over and
/ placed them carefully on chair
Now" he added, "let us see If there
is any space that isn't accounted for"
He took from his pocket Il folding
rule of ivory, opened it and began Il
series of measurements so searching
and intricate that half an hour passed
without word being spoken Then
he pulled up another chair and sat
down beside me.
Il seem to be pretty much up against
it," he said, mo doubt just rs the de
Signer of tho cabinet would wish me to
be The whole bottom of the desk is
inclosed. and those three little drawers
take up only Il small part of the space
Then the back or the cabinet seems to
be double-at least, there's space of
three inches | can't account for So
there's room for a dozen secret draw
ers, if the Montespan required so many.
And now to find the combination"
He adjusted the steel gauntlet care
fully to his right hand and sat down
on the floor before the cabinet
G1I'n hnCin OF l1,, 4. n
IF there is any spot 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 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 1t Il beauty. Lester? The
more | look ut it the more wonderful it
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
If 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 If the secret drawer were any
where it 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. nov We'll try the upper part
The upper part Of the cabinet con
sisted of series of drawers. rising
one above the other and terminated by
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 a most intri-
cate design OF arabesqued incrusta-
lions.
"If there is a secret drawer here"
said Godfrey, 1t is somewhere in the
back. whore there seems to be hollow
space. But to discover the combina,
tom
IIn rnn his Hnunrc o..nr 4h1 irln..