Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1918-02-21
By Jane. Knelland Shawvan

and skating on one foot, as the sole of
one shoe struck fiat piece of banana
peel, and | went sliding irresistbly to-
ward wooden crate cover set over a
manhole in the sidewalk.
Bang Ny feet met it, sending it
spinning halfway around on the I'M
fastened pivot and down l shot through
the half-moon aperture.
Thumpl / landed ten feet down
amid utter darkness across an up
turned tub knocking out its bottom,
and bringing hoops and slaves about
me in flying sections.
The shock was brief. my bruises tri-
vial. Then l congratulated myself
II the under-sidewalk space into
which had been precipitated connect
ed with the main cellar of the struc-
ture abutting upon ii | would hail my
miSadyenture as a stroke of genuine
good luck. That grim old time-Shat-
tered three-story building had been a
center of considerable interest to me
during the past week. | had haunted
its vicinity persistently. II was to lit
tie purpose, however. Its rear was "A
blank brick wall. It's sides were
guar, ! by heavy iron shutters. The
front had but one entrance, a double
doorway, and beyond 1t was n store
space shallow and narrow, more Of "A
hall entrance than a room. barred
closely nights, and in the daytime,
seated behind bench hammering
away at various pieces of metal, was
a low-browed, keen-eyed man, evident
~ the guardian Of the place.
/ was on a still hunt for missing
friend, and had been for over a month.
That was how / came to be interested
in what had vertically become to me a
house of mystery.
Acton Meserve had been fellow
worker and close friend for something
like two years. We were both of us
expert eugravers and earned good
wages in the service of Il leading bank
uor engraving concern. Ii was just
after he had married and was gone
on his honeymoon that trouble began.
You must know that the working
economy of q confidential and impor-
tant business such as we were engaged
in calls for strict integrity on the part
OF those employed. 1t was about
week after my friend Mescrye had left
on his memorable vacation when dis
covery was made that some govern
ment paper, some denomination dies
and a kit OF fine engraving tools were
missing from the vault. When
search was made In the office there
was found in Meserve's desk some of
the paper. The company awaited the
return of Meserve to charge him with
irregularities, possibly theft. But
neither he nor his wife returned to the
city at the end of two weeks, nor four,
nor six. In fact, although a detective
was employed to seek to gain a trace
of their whereabouts, Acton Meserve
and his wife had disappeared as effec-
tually as though the earth had swal-
lowed them up.
One day was summoned to the pri-
vate Office of the president of the COM
pany. | knew that my close compan-
picion in the mind of the detective as
to a possible knowledge on my part as
to what had become of Meserve. The
disappearance of the well-guarded
property of the company pointed to a
probable scheme to do some outside
plate work. This surmise was empha-
sized by the strange absence of Me-
serve.
Eve shall require your services no
longer, Mr.. Illsley," spoke my superior,
definitely and with sternness.
81 am sorry" said simply. 81 will
not ask you the reason of this unwar-
rantable discharge, for l can guess.
You are wrong in attributing what you.
imagine to as good a man as Acton
Meserve. I shall make 1t my business
TO prove it to you soon"
Il hope So" coldly remarked the Of
fetal. and l further hope you will
take care of yourself"
There was significance, almost in
suit, in this last remark, and l did not
resent il in words. had made up my
mind that would find Acton Meserve
If II took all l had saved up and a
year of my life to accomplish it. There
was something wrong, not only at the
engraving plant, but as regarded Ne
serve.
There was a dense mystery sur
rounding the abstraction Of the prop
erty Of the company and the inexplica-
bic vanlshment of Meserve and his
wife | started to solve the enigma,
firm in my faith in my tried and true
comrade
found his relatives and friends anx-
ious and grieyed over his absence.
None Of them had seen or heard from
him since the day they had seen him
started on his wedding journey. I
went over his presumahle honeymoon
trip, TO lose all trace OF him utterly. /
returned to the city. more In the dark
than ever, gloomily disappointed, al
most hopeless.
One day ! struck a clew, or fancied
! had. II was when, for the first time
in many months, saw walking ahead
OF me on the street a man named
BARLEY Webb. This person had been
a printer ut the engraving plant who
had left work about q week before Ne.