American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-06-29

Stumbled Out Into the Underground
Passage.
noises. to boot-as though the intruders
We're 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
We're seeping into the chamber.
They have fired the house ~
The strained. frightened whisper al
Patria's. Mechanically Parr nodded.
Already the atmosphere in the vault
was oppressive-so im%pregnated with
smoke it was difficult to breathe, so
warm that perspiration beaded brows
and hands.
Another five minutes he heard a Ito
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 a shoulder
with mis- weight behind it against tho
vault door. It swung QUITO admit q
sitting cloud of bitter smoke together
with a blast of heated air that might
have come from a 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 a crash, exposing the
inner face of a stout IGOR Of steel
Plucking frantically at its bars and
bolts, Parr succeeded in d~isl0dging
them. The door swung out. A gust OF
damp, cold air invaded the vault. Be
You'd 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 and stum-
bled out into the underground passage.
Once beyond the threshold he put his
back against the door and swung IL
into place. Then he Numbered blindly
on.
Twenty PAGES through inky murk.
He stubbed his toes against a
step. and gently putting down his bur
den, found and struck a match.
The brief-lived fame discovered a
short flight of stone steps ascending "a
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 OF the top
most, placed his shoulders against that
fat roof of stone. and heaved mightily
and heaved and heaved-
Grudgingly. half-inch by half-inch
the stone yielded; then more rapidly
In the end one tremendous final effort
overturned it, and Parr sprawIed out
Of the opening into fresh air and norm
ing sunlight.
He picked himself up to realize {
walled garden in the rear OF the resi-
dence whose every window spouteC
smoke and flame. Then he hurried
back to Patria, took her once again II
his arms, and bore her to the uppei
world.
She recovered swiftly. Two min
utes more, and they stood in q Quis
news on the far side OF the xsIle,
garden. And there. for a little. the.
Observation-Disclosures turning ~instnctiVel,
to Parr for counsel. Parr struggling
to regain his poise.
At length, consulting his watch. b
announced:
THE first thing to do, of course. is T.
see about safeguarding that treasurs
It's safe enough for the time being
and 1 know where to find the RICH
men to stand guard over 1t after tn
I fremen and police have gone. Later
Wen see about transferring it-bu
there's plenty of time for that no ban
: opens its vaults before ten o'clock.
} She nodded assent, and tucked a cor
} ndent arm within his as they turne
toward the nearer T
(END OF SECOND EPISODEl