The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-01-01

xGOaatinuoda.
he made note OF the. circumstance
although It did not interfere with the
plan which he had In mind. Wheel
ing the armchair up beside the bed, he
mounted upon It's two arms and once
twice, thrice crashed the knob OF the
iron bar against that part Of the wall
which concealed the trap.
Here the result was immediate. AT
every blow of the bar the trap behind
yielded. A fourth blow sent. the knob
crashing through the gauze material
I and TAR out into some dark place be-
You'd There was sound as OF q
number IL books falling
He had burst the trap.
j Up on the back OF the chair he
mounted, resting his bar against the
wall, and began In feverish haste to
tear away the gauze concealing the
rectangular opening.
Il An almost overpowering perfume OF
roses was waited into his face. In
front Of him was blackness.
Having torn away all the gauze, he
learned that the opening was some two
feet long BY one foot high. Resting
J. the bar across the ledge, he extended
his head and shoulders forward
through this opening into the rose
scented place beyond and without any
great effort drew himself up with his
hands SO that, provided he could find
some support upon the other side, 1t
would be simple matter to draw him
self through entirely.
He felt about with his fingers right
and left, and in doing 50 disturbed an
/ other row Of books, which fell upon
the vfioor beneath him. He had ap-
parently come out in the middle OF a
large book shelf. To the left Of him
projected the paper covered door OF the
trap 1T right angles; above and bdow
were book laden shelves, ana on the
right there had been other books until
his questioning fingers had disturbed
them.
II. Max despite his weight was an
agile man. Clutching the shelf be
meath, he worked his way along to the
right, gradually creeping farther and
farther into the darkened room, until
al, last he could draw his feet through
the opening and crouch sideways upon
~ shelf
He lowered his left foot, sought fol-
and found another shelf beneath and
descended as by ladder to the thick
" carpeted floor. Grasping the end Of
the bar, he pulled that weapon down
Then he twisted the button which con
sverted his timepiece into an electric
lantern and, holding the bar in one
tensely quivering hand, looked rapidly
about. him.
This was library, small library
with bowls Of roses set upon tables
shelves, in gaps between the books
and one lying overturned upon the floor
Although. 1t was almost drowned by
Their ovefpowering perfume, he detect
ID faint smell Of powder. In one
orner stood large writing table with
apers strewn carelessly upon 1t. Its
appointments were markedly Chinese
character, from the singular gold
blk well to the jade paperweight
markedly Chinese and-feminine
Eery handsome screen lay upon the
(ioor III front Of this table, and the
B rich carpet he noted to be disordered
4 as IL n struggle had taken place upor
t. But, most singular circumstance Of
III and most disturbing, there was nc
oor to this room!
For 4 moment he failed to appre-
riate the entire significance of this. A
'Becret room difficult to enter he could
comprehend, but secret room difficult
TO quit passed his comprehension COM
b1etely. Moreover, he was no better
Nf for his exploit
III Three minutes suf1ced him in which
10 examine the shelves covering the
four walls Of the room from floor to
4 ceiling None of the books were dunn
niles, and slowly the, fact began to
dawn upon his mind that what at first
be had assumed to be rather simple
device WAS In truth almost incompre-
hensible.
For how, in the name of sanity. did
The occupant Of this room-and OBJ
viously it was occupied at times-enter
and leave It?
.Ahr' he muttered. shining the light
lpon a row OF yellow bound volumes
from which he had commenced his
tour. of inspection and to which that
tour had now led him back. cit Is un-
canny-this"
He glanced back at the rectangular
patch of light which marked the trap
whereby he had entered this superior
NAL room. 1t was situated close to
one corner Of the library, and, acting
upon an idea which came to him (any
Idea was better than none). he proceed
ed to throw down the books occupying
the corresponding position at the other
end of the shelf.
A second trap was revealed, identical
with that through which he had en-
tered!
It was fastened with a neat brass
bolt, and, standing upon one of the
little Persian tables, from which he re
moved a silver bowl of roses, he open
"a this trap and looked into the lighted
room beyond. He saw an apartment
almost identical with that which he