The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1916-08-04

Sne uSLeneQ as Lney passed through /
the parlor and slammed the door be- !
hind them. Then, very cautiously, !
Peg opened the closet door and /,
stealthily proceeded to the parlor.
Quickly glancing around the room,
to discover the nature of its furnish
| ings and an avenue Of possible escape.
Pegs eyes fell upon Mrs. Luad's hand
bag as 1t rested on the table where
I the boss counterfeiter" had placed
/ it after paying OF her gang.
/ Peg picked up the purse, opened 1t
and took out a letter. On the envelope
she read the superscription: Mrs. F,
c. Lund, sr.. No. 1910 Wiltshire Street,
City" Before the astonished girl
could open the letter she heard Mrs.
Lund's footsteps approaching.
The girl lodged behind the piano,
having first stuffed the letter into her
blouse, and hid herself from view by
crouching low against the wall. Mrs.
Lund entered the room, picked up her
handbag and passed through a door,
which Peg observed slid open instead
of working on hinges, as doors most
frequently operate.
Peg hell her breath, frightened at
her narrow escape from discovery. In
moment she heard an automobile
start up and by the decreasing sound
she surmised that Mrs. Lund had
driven away from the house.
Then Peg read the contents Of the
letter she had taken from Mrs. Lund's
purse: Dear Madam: The secret serv-
ice is wise to our money. Almost
impossible to get rid OF any more.
You had better come at once.
Jaques"
Mystery deepened mystery in Pegs
mind. She listened for some sound;
but the house seemed empty and ut
terly deserted.
Surely this was mysterious place;
and the more Peg pondered the more
was she perplexed.
Finally she flung herself into q
chair in the middle Of the floor. The
poor girls nerves were becoming IN
strung, and she felt strange nerv-
Gus tremor She bit her lips nervous
ly; she stamped her feet upon the
floor petulantly-and in an instant she
felt the chair upon which she sat
move downward. almost as though the
floor had been dropped, slowly, be-
meath it.
And such, indeed, was the case.
When Peg stamped her feet upon the
floor her chair was resting in the cen
ter OF secret trap. The noise Peg
made with her feet upon the boards
attracted the attention OF the fore
man OF Mrs. Lund's counterfeiting ex-
perts, who were working in the ma
chine shop underneath.
The foreman pressed an electric
button, the trapdoor upon which
Pegs chair rested was electrically
lowered and Peg soon realized that
she was descending into some IN
known depths. Reaching out, franJical-
IL, with her arms extended, Peg
caught the edge OF the opening and
held on with her fingers as the trap
continued TO descend, leaving her
dangling in the air with her chin
held even with the parlor floor through
main strength of her wrists and
hands.
When young Doctor Lund opened
his eyes. he was. for q moment. dazed,
trying to figure things out
Then, in a fash. il all came back 70
him; how he had heard someone
pounding and kicking within the
chest, how he realized that life was
at stake-but he knew not who il
was. The last thing he recalled was
struggling with the heavy box, drag
ging it across the ground.
His returning strength and aroused
vitality asserted itself Lund grabbed
his coat and cap. Just then the door
opened and a hospital attendant en-
tered. Lund flung him aside. dashed
through the door and was out of the
hospital running up the street in g
twinkling.
His brain was clear now; he nc
longer felt the effect OF his fall. under
Chockro's sudden blow. or the strair
OF the struggle in sitting smoke thai
: had so quickly overcome him.
Lund surmised that the glare
against the sky was the burning cir
Gus. and as he ran along his suspi
cions were confirmed by others whC
= joined him in his wild flight
J He ran toward the fire, using tbs
i street that led between the show 10
r. and the lumber yard He turned in a
tie gate. which he now recalled, ans
h Was soon mingling with the excited
i crowd that was rescuing the show
\ property as best it could.
It Lund dashed around. kickins
B. against the sides OF all sorts OF boxe:
in the vain hope of getting some re
a Spouse. The fact thag he did not know
= who was in danger made him none tbs
h less anxious to release the prisoner
: if someone else had not already dons
q so.
n Finally Lund gave up the scared