River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1917-06-14
Just That One erewsome Cry.


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
and far out into some dark place be-,
yond. There was a sound as or a
number of books falling.
He had burst the trap.
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.
An almost overpoWering perfume OF
roses was waited into his face. In
front Of him was blackness.
Having torn away all the gauze, ne
learned that the opening was some two
feet long by one foot high. Resting
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, It
would be a simple matter to draw nlm-
self through entirely.
He felt about with his fingers right
and left and in doing so disturbed an
other row Of books, which fell upon
the floor 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 or the
trap at right angles; above and below
were book laden shelves, @And on the
right there had been other books until
his questioning fingers had disturbed
them.
NJ. Max despite his weight was az
agile man. Clutching the shelf be-
meath, he worked his way along to the
right, gradually creeping farther and
farther into the darkened room, unt1l
at last he could draw his feet through
the opening and crouch sideways upon
the shelf.
He lowered his left foot, sought fol
and found another shelf Beneath anG
descended as by ladder to the thick
w carpeted floor. Grasping the end OF
the bar, he pulled that weapon down.
Then he twisted the button which con
verified his timepiece into an electric
lantern and, holding the. bar in one
tensely quivering hand, looked rapidly
about him.
This was a library, a small library.
with bowls of roses set upon tables.
shelves. in gaps between the books
and one lying overturned upon the floor
Although it was almost drowned by
their overpowering perfume, he detect.
ed a faint smell of powder. In one
corner stood a large writing table with
papers strewn carelessly upon it. It's
appointments were markedly Chinese
in character, from the singular gold
ink we'll to the jade paperWeight,
markedly Chinese and-feminine.
very handsome screen lay upon the
floor in front of this table, and the
rich carpet he noted to be diSOrdereds
as if a struggle had taken place upon
it. But, most singular circumstance of
all and most disturbing, there was no
door to this room!
For a moment he failed to appre-
ciate the entire significance Of this. A
secret room difficult to enter he could
comprehend, but a secret room difficult
to quit passed his comprehension COM
pletely. Moreover, he was no better
off for his exploit.
Three minutes suficed him in which
to examine the shelves covering the
four walls of the room from floor to
ceiling. None of the books were dunn
mics, and slowly the fact began to
dawn upon his mind that what at first
he had assumed to be a rather simple
device was in truth almost incompre
| henSible.
For how, in the name of sanity, did
/ the occupant of this room-and OBJ
vtously it was occupied at times-enter
and leave it?
Abr he muttered. shining the light
upon row of yellow bound volumes
!. from which he had commenced his
tour of inspection and to which that
/ tour had now led him back. TT is I'M
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-
teredi
It was fastened with a neat brass
bolt, and, standing upon one of the
| little Persian tables, from which he re