Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-08-27

| smiled somewhat grimly as l
walked. The whole thing was so OK.
tremcly simple in way. yet so unex-
pected
looked back over the day. saw
how Dual had led these people 10
think him inactive, baiilod. beaten. by
their counter stroke. He had led them
to think only of their own success.
He had thrown them a second cap
tive and used their Selling OF the bait
TO expose a secret they still believed
to be- safe He had yielded as II
seemed TO their demands and used the
ones they demanded to lay the trail
which should lead to their absolute
undoing
Whom tn gods destroy they first
make mad" | muttered as I walked.
Semi heard me. He turned his head
and smiled with a quick fash of I'M
Outstanding in the half light of tho
tunnel.
''Or overconfident at least" said he.
We went on. We twisted and
turned. We took cross tunnels, ant
turned again into longer, and at last
We came to a door.
II was set in the side Of what seem
ed to me to be a wall of concrete. II
was made of steel like the door OF
vault, and in its censor it held the bu;-
ton Of bell.
Above the button was small circle
OF glass, to judge by the fact that it
showed light. 1t was a peep-hole be-
yond any doubt.
| wondered how We were to pass
this barrier to our progress. Surely.
If we rang and they looked forth, they
would never admit us
Dual settled the matter. He reached
up and partly unscrewed the bulb OF
an incandescent so that its filament
ceased to glow.
The dimness Of the tunnel increased
II was as though this light had burned
out and left only its more distant fel.
low to tighten the gloom of The place.
On soft feet We advanced, and at
a sign from Dual | knelt down. c'c,n
to the steel leaf of the door, 50 tb2,
the line Of vision from the bceph0ie
passed above my head.
l drew out my weapon add held II
ready. | found my heart beating
quickly SO that the little pistol Quiy.
e'sd and jumped in my hand.
On the other sida Semi sank down
also. He whispered to the man of the
tongs, who, in turn, addressed his
captive briefly.
At the end he showed him up to the
door. and then sank slowly behind
him. using his body as q blind In
the faint glow of the distant light he
was no more than shadowy outline.
He muttered hoarsely The hand
of our guide went up and rang the
bell paused, and rang again.
The light from the peephole fell on
his face. | saw it liyid and drawn
with a double fear He was caught
between two fates, as he saw it, with
smGI cape from either
Yet he dared the one in the near
future to be spared the present men
ace of the man who had driven him
here.
The light in the peephoe died. l
knew now that those within were
seeking Identification of the one who
rang.
Evidently they could not see dis
tinctly in the absence of light in the
tunnel There was a chick as of some.
thing falling into socket, and some
one spoke abruptly.
| sensed that the glass had been
turned back, and left space for voice.
The man we had captured Kissed
sharply, as against his volition. l
knew that once more the claw-like
hand was biting into his flesh. He
spoke quickly Immediately after.
The voice from the inside answered.
Again the glass clicked into place, and
a light streamed through it,
Then, while | listened to my pulses
hammering loudly, while | strained
forward waiting, | saw the steel door
move slightly and swing partly ajar.
"Now" barked Dual.
We three hurled ourselves against
it, the shopkeeper showed before us
and adding his weight to ours.
For a second a surprised resistance
met us, and then the door yielded.
We plunged into a room brilliant
with the soft light Of modern cleo
trics the same room which Miss
Foote has described.
saw its equipment OF office fix
lures in the first glance Of entry. and
then my eyes flashed to the occupants
OF that strange underground place of
business
In a way II was strangely in keep.
ing with the business transacted, that
It was done underground, away from
the light Of day.
A smothered oath struck my ears,
and | whlrled.