Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-04-16

noises, to boot-as though the Intruders
were moving furniture about. Then all
sounds ceased.
OF a sudden. simultaneously, Patria
and Parr turned startled faces toward
the vault door.
Round Its edges thin wells OF smoke
were 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
vas oppressive-so i~mpregnated with
smoke IL was difficult TO lreathe. so
warm that perspiration beaded brows
and hands.
Another five minutes: he heard n 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 1t against the
vault door. II swung QUITO admit a
sitting cloud of bitter smoke together
with Ii blast Of heated air that might
have come from a furnaces nav.
Tugging the door shut again. he
turned and began rapidly 10 circle the
walls. hoping against hope to discover
somewhere another exit.
In his haste he trlpped Over the
broken box of coia and fell against the
framed portrait Of tie first John Chan
ming. Its aged cord parted and the
portrait fell with a crash. exposing the
inner face Of a stout door OF steel.
Plucking frnntically at Its bars and
bolts. Parr succeeded In dlslodging
them. The door swung Out. A gust OF
damp. cold air invaded the vault. Be
yond the opening little was visible-a
Shiny brick flooring between arched
walls Of brick fading into blackness-
nothing more.
Stepping back. Parr gathered the in
sensible girl up In his arms ana STUN
bled out into the underground passage.
Once beyond the threshold he put mis-
back against the door and swung II
into place. Then he blundered blindly
on.
Twenty PAGES through inky murk.
He stubbei his toes against a
step, and gently putting down his bur-
den. found AID struck a matcl.
M. l.g~F I...l s1... l.~.~ 90
short flight of stone steps ascending TO
a 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
fiat roof Of stone, and heaved nightly
and heaved and heaved. 80.
G~rudgingly. half-inch by half-lnch.
the stone yielded; then more rapidly;
In the end one tremendous final effort
overturned II, and Parr sprawled out
Of the opening into fresh air and norm
ing sunlight.
He picked himself up to realize a
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 10 the upper
world. ...
She recovered swiftly. Two min
utes more, and they stood In u quiet
news oil the far side OF the walled
garden. And there, for a little, they
Observation-Disclosures turning instinctively
to Parr for counsel, Parr struggling
to regain his poise.
At length, consulting his watch, he
announced:
1.-The first thing to do, Of course Is to
see about safeguarding that treasure.
It's safe enough for the time being
and l know where to find the right
men TO stand guard over Ii after the
firemen and police have gone. Later.
well 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 a con-
fident arm within his as they turned
toward the nearer corner.