River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1917-05-03
"You shall Irvine your fingers in my
hair.V

haIrs"
He examined more closely a lower
part of the wall which did not fall
within the shadow of the purple lamp
shade. for he was thinking of the
draft which had followed the opening
Of the trap. BY this examination he
learned two things-the explanation
of the draft and that of a peculiar
property possessed by the mural dec
orations. These (as Soames had OBJ
served before him. assumed a new
form if one stared at them closely.
Other figures. figures human and ami
NAL, seemed to take shape and to peer
out from behind the more obvious de-
signs which were perceptible at
glance The longer and the closer one
studied these singular walls the more
evident the under design became un-
til it usurped the field of vision en-
tirely. 1t was a bewildering delusion,
but NJ. Max had solved the mystery.
There were two designs. The first.
an intricate Chinese pattern. was
painted or printed upon material like
the finest gauze. This was attached
over second and wildly colored pat
tern upon thick. parchment-like paper,
as he learned by the application OF
the point Of his pocketknife.
The observation trap was covered
with this paper and fitted so nicely in
the opening that his fingers had fail
ed to detect through the superimposed
gauze the slightest irregularity there.
But. the trap opened. perfectly clear
view Of the room could be obtained
through the gauZe, which, by reason
of its texture, also admitted a current
of air.
This matter settled. NJ. Max pro-
ceeded carefully to examine the entire
room foot by foot Opening the door
in one corner he entered the bath
room. in which. as in the outer apart
ment. an electric light was burning.
No window was discOverable and not
even an opening for ventilation pur-
poses. The latter fact he might have
deduced from the stagnatiOn OF the
atmosphere.
Half an hour or more he spent In this
fashion without having discovered any
thing beyond the secret of the obser-
walton trap. Again he took out his
pocketknife. which was large one
with handsome mother of-pearl han
die. Although Mr.. Ho Pin had exam
ined this carefully. he had solved only
half of it's secrets NJ. Max extracted
a little pair of tweezers from the slot
in which they were lodged, as HO Pin
had not neglected to do. But HO Pin,
having looked at the tweezers, had re-
turned them to their place. M Max
did not do so. He opened the entire
knife as though 1t had been box and
revealed within 1t tiny set Of appH-
ances designed principally for the
dissertation Of locks.
Selecting one of these, he took up his
watch from the table upon which 1t
lay and approached the door. 1t pos
sessed a lever handle Of the CONT
mental pattern, and M. Max silently
prayed that this might not be snare
and a delusion, but that the lock be-
low might be Of the same manufac-
ture
In order to settle the point he held
the face of his watch close to the key
hole. wound it's knob in the wrong di-
rection, and. 10. it became an electric
lamp!
One glance he cast into the tiny cav
ity, then dropped back upon the BUNK,
twisting his mobile mouth in that half
smile at once humorous and despair
full
CONTINUED next week.