The Arvada enterprise., 1917-07-26

TdSSdSc.
noises, to boot-as though the ntruders
were moving furniture about Then all
sounds ceased.
OF 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
was oppressive-so imDfegnated with
smoke 1t was difficult to breathe so
warm that perspiration beaded brows
and hands.
Another five minutes: he heard a lit.
tie choking cough, and turned to Pat.
ria. She was on her feet, swaying.
eyes blank, hands plucking feebly ut
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 shoulder
with his weight behind 1t against the
vault door. 1t swung ito admit Il
sitting cloud of bitter smoke together
with blast of heated air. that might
have come from furnaces nav.
Tugging the door shut again, ha
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 crash, exposing the
inner face of stout door Of steel.
Plucking frantically ut its bars and
bolts, Pnrr succeeded In dislOdging
them. The door swung out. A gust OF
damp, cold uir 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 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 Numbered blindly
on.
Twenty PAGES through inky murk.
|. lie stubbed his toes against q
step, and gently putting down his bur.
den. found and struck IL match.
The brief-lived flame discovered .
short NI,rl,t nf ~ ct ll,,nv 80,
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, plnced his shoulders against that
fiat roof OF stone. and hcaved nightly
and heaved and heaved.
GrudgIngly, hnlf-lnch by half.inch,
the stone yielded; then more rapidly
In the end one tremendous finnl effort
overturned 1t. and Pnrr sprawled out
Of the opening into fresh mir and morn.
Ing sunlight.
He picked himself up to realize a
walled garden In the rem Of the resi-.
dcnce whose every window spouted
smoke and flame. Then he hurried
back to Pntrln, took her once ngnin In
his arms. and bore her to the upper
world.
She recovered swiftly. Two min.
u'cs more. and they stood In II quiet
news on the far side OF the walled
garden. And there. for n little. they
hcsitntcd-Intria turning Instinctively
TO Pnrr for counsel. Parr struggling
to rcgnin his polse.
AT length. consulting his witch, he
announced:
| 'The first thing to do. OF course, is to
sec about safeguarding TINT treasure.
It's safc enough for the time being;
ind l know where to find the right
men TO stand guard over Il after the
fremcn md police hive gone. Later.
We'll see about transferring it--but
there's plenty NJ time for that no bnnk
opens Its vaults before ten o'clock.
She nodded assent. and tucked a con.
fdent nrm within his mr. they turnsd
toward the nearer corner.
(ENp OF SECOND EpiSODE.l