Gilpin observer., 1917-08-23

Stumbled Out Into the Underground
Passage.
noises, to boot-as though the intruderJ
We're moving furniture about. Then all
sounds ceased.
OF n sudden, simultaneously, Patria
and Parr turned startled faces toward
the vault door.
Round its edges thin wells of smoke
We're seeping into the chamber.
"They have fired the house!"
The strained, frightened whisper was
Patria's. Mechanically Parr nodded.
Already the atmosphere in the vault
was oppressive-so imp:egnated with
smoke it was difficult to breathe. SO
warm that perspiration beaded brOws
and hands. =.
Another five minutes he heard lit.
tie choking cough, and turned to Pat.
ria. She was on her feet, swaying.
eyes blank, hands plucking feebly at
the throat of her waist. AS she turned.
the light died out from her face and
she slipped slackly forward upon the
table.
Half-maddened, Parr put n shoulder
with his weight behind ii against the
vault door. 1t swung Quito admit
sitting cloud of bitter smoke together
with IL blast of heated air that might
have come from furnaces nav.
Tugging the door shut again, he
turned and began rapidly to circle the
walls, hoping against hope to discover
somewhere another exit.
In his haste he tripped over the
broken box of coin and fell against the
framed portrait of the first John Chan
Ming Its aged cord parted and the
portrait fell with IA crash, exposing tho
inner face of stout door of steel.
Plucking frantically mt Its bars and
bolts, Parr succeeded In dislodgins
them. The door swung out. A gust OF
damp, cold air invaded the vault Be
yond the opening little was visible--a
Shiny h".ck flooring between arched
i! walls of brick fading into bIackness--
nothing more.
Stepping back, Parr gathered the In.
sensible girl up in his arms and stun
bled out into the underground passage.
Once beyond the threshold he put his
back against the door and swung II
into place. Then he blundered blindly
on.
Twenty PAGES through inky murk.
| g. He stubbed his toes against
step, and gently putting down his bur
den, found and struck Il match.
The brief-lived flame discovered Q
ISt itr1,t nf Stn or Iiy,t "a,
n fiat roof. AT the top was no sign of
any doorway or fastening. Yet some
way of escape must be there He ran
| UP the steps, crouched on the top.
most, placed his shoulders against that
| flat roof of stone, and heaved nightly
and heaved and heaved.
Grudgingly, half-incb by half-inch,
the stone yielded; then more rapidly:
in the end one tremendous final effort
overturned IL, and Parr sprawled out
of the opening into fresh air and morn.
ing sunlight.
He picked himself up to realize
walled garden in the rear of the resi-
dence whose every window spouted
smoke and flame. Then he hurried
back To Patria, took her once again In
his arms and bore her to the upper
world.
She recovered swiftly. Two min.
utes more, and they stood in quiet
news on the far side of the walled
garden. And there, for little they
hesitated-Patria turning instinctively
to Parr for counsel, Parr struggling
to regain his poise.
At length. consulting his watch, he
announced:
"The first thing to do. of course, Is to
see about safeguarding that treasure.
It's safe enough for the time being;
and ] know where to find the right
men to stand guard over 1t after the
firemen and police have gone. Later.
Wen see about transferring it-but
there's plenty of time for that no bank
opens its vaults before ten o'clock.
She nodded assent, and tucked con-
fident arm within his as they turned
toward the nearer corner.
(END OF SECOND EPISODE)