Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-03-30
CHAPTER Xxx.
Off With the Old.


With a sensation Of being crushed
and suffocated by the encompassing
| dark mystery, she nerved herself
against a protracted vigil. The obscur-
| ity on every hand seemed alive with
! stealthy footsteps, whisperings, muir
murings, the passage of shrouded
! shapes of silence and of menace. Her
| eyes ached, her throat and temples
| throbbed, her skin crept, her scalp
tingled. She seemed to hear thousand
| different noises of alarm.
The only sounds she did not seem to
! hear were those-if any--that accom-
panied Lanyard's departure and fe-
| turn. Had he not been thoughtful
| enough, when few feet distant, to
| give warning with the light she might
we'll have greeted with cry Of fright
the consciousness of a presence near
her, so silently he moved about. AS
| it was, she was startled, apprehensive
of some misadventure, to find him
back so soon, for he hadn't gone three
minutes, long though her nervousness
had made that period seem.
Its quite all right" he announced
in hushed accents-no longer whisper
ing. There are just five people in
the house aside from ourselves-all
servants, asleep in the rear wing.
We've a clear field-if no excuse for
taking foolish chances! However,
we'll be finished and off again within
ten minutes. This way"
Their destination proved to be
huge and gloomy library at one ex-
IRENE of a chain of magnificent salons
that formed a veritable treasure gal
lery of exquisite furnishings and au-
thentic old masters. AS they moved
slowly through these chambers Lam
yard kept his flash-lamp busy; snvO1un-
tarily, now and again, he would check
the girl before some splendid canvas Of
extraordinary antique.
I've always meant to happen in
some day with a moving-yan and loot
this place properly" he confessed
! with little sigh. considered from
the viewpoint of an expert practitioner
in my-ah-late profession, it's sin
and a shame to let all this go neglect
ed when it's so ill-guarded. The old
lady-Madam Omber, you know-has
1 all the money there is, approximately,
and when she dies all these beautiful
things go to the Louvre, for she's with
out kith or kin"
But how did she manage to accumu-
late them all?" the girl wondered.
It's the accretion of generations Of
passionate collectors" he informed
her. THE late M. Omber was the last
of his dynasty; he and his forbears
brought together the paintings and the
furniture; madame added the Orien-
tails gathered by her first husband and
her own collection of antique jeWelry
and precious stones. That's her par
ticular fad. Here we are!"
AS he spoke the light of the flash
lamp was blotted out. An instant later
4 the girl heard a little clashing noise of
curtain rings sliding along pole, and
this was thrice repeated. Then, follow
ing another brief pause, a switch
clicked, and streaming froa the hood
of a portable electric desk lamp, a pool
of light flooded the heart Of a vast
place of shadows.
Reviewing it swiftly, the girl found
herself in an apartment whose doors
and windows alike were cloaked with
heavy draperies hanging from floor to
ceiling in long, shining folds. Immense
black bookcases lined the walls, their
shelves crowded with volumes in rich
bindings; from their tops pallid, sculp-
tured masks peered down inquisitively,
leering and scowling at the intruders.
A huge mantelpiece Of carved mar
BILE, supporting a great, dark mirror,
occupied the best of one wall; beneath
it a wide, deep fireplace yawned, insult
fciently shielded by screen Of
wrought brass and crystal. In the mid
die Of the room stood a library table
Of mahogany; huge leather chairs and
couches encountered the remainder Of
it's space. And one corner, that to the
right Of the fireplace, was shut off by
q high Japanese screen of cinnabar
and gold
To this Lanyard moved confidently,
carrying the lamp. Placing it on the
floor, he grasped one wing Of the
screen with both hands, and at cost of
considerable effort swung it aside, I'M
covering the face of huge, old-style
safe, of which the body was buried in
the wall
For several seconds-but not for
many-Lanyard studied this problem
lntently, standing quite motionless,
head lowered and thrust forward,
hands resting on his hips. Then, turn
ing, he nodded an invitation to come
nearer.
my last job" he said, with smil-
ing countenance oddly lighted by the
lamp at his feet-"and my easiest, |
fancy. Sorry, too, for I'd rather have
liked to show off bit! But this old
fashioned tin bank gives no excuse for
spectacular methods"
But" the girl objected, you've
brought no tools!"
"Oh, but I have!" And fumbling in
a pocket, Lanyard produced pencil.
! Behold" he laughed, brandishing it.
She knitted thoughtful brows. Il
don't understand
"All | need-except this"
Crossing to the desk, he found
sheet of note paper and, folding it. re-
turned.
now" he said, give me FIVE min
| utes."