Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-06-24

what do you want?" he almost
whispered
DO not raise your voice." said Far
ington In the same tone, cor you are
a dead man." He held the point of
a knife at the others throat.
ITO where are you taking me?"
asked Poltavo, CHASTITY white of face
and shaking from head to foot.
I'VE are taking you to place
where your opportunity for betraying
us will be a mighty small one" said
Fall.
There was horrible smile on his
thin lips, and Poltavo, with premo-
milton of what awaited him beyond
the tunnel, forgot the menacing knife
at his throat and screamed.
Hands gripped him and strangled
the cry as 1t escaped him. Some
thing heavy struck him behind the
ear and he lost consciousness. He
awoke to find himself travelling
smoothly along the rock gallery. He
was half lying, half reclining on Falls
knees. He did not attempt to move;
he knew now that he was in mortal
peril of his life. No word was spoken
when he was dragged roughly from
the car. placed in another elevator
and whirled upwards, emerging into a
little chamber at the end of the I'M
derground corridor which ran beneath
the Secret House.
A door was opened and he was
thrust in without word. He heard
the clang of the steel door behind
him, and the lights came on to show
him that once again he was In the
underground room where he had been
confined before.
There was the table, there was the
heavy chair, there in the far corner
OF the room was the barred entrance
to the other elevator. Anyway he was
free from the police; that was some-
thing. He was safe just as long as it
suited harrington and his friend to
keep him safe. What would they do?
What excuse could he offer? They
had overheard the conversation be-
tween himself and T. b., he knew
that and cursed his folly, He ought
to have kept away from Moor Cot
tage. He knew there was something
sinister about the place, but 7. b.
should have known that even better
than he. Why had T. b. left him.
These and a thousalA other
thoughts shot thru his mind as he
paced the vaulted apartment. They
were in no hurry to feed him. He
had almost forgotten what time 1t
was; whether it was day or night In
that underground vault into which no
ray OF sunlight ever penetrated. They
had left him with the handouts on
his wrists; they would come and re-
lieve him of these encumbrances.
What were their plans with him? He
felt his pockets carefully. T. B. had
taken away the only weapon he had
had, and for the first time in many
years Count Poltavo was unarmed.
His heart was beating with painful
rapidity and his breath came labort-
ously. He was terror stricken. He
turned to find the door thru which
he had come, and to his surprise he
could not see 1t. So far as he could
detect, the stone wall ran without a
break from one end of the apartment
to the other. Escape could not lie
that way; of that he was satisfied.
There was nothing to do but to wait,
with whatever patience he could
summon, to discover their plans. He
did not doubt that he was to suffer.
He had forfeited all right to their
fidence. but If this was to be the only
consequence of his ill.doing he was
not greatly worried. Count Poltavo.
as he had boosted before in this iden-
teal room, had been in some tight
corners and had faced death in MANY
strange and terrible guises, but the
tneyttability of doom was never SO
impressed upon his mind at Il was NJ
this moment when he lay guarded by
hundred secret forces in the tomb
OF the Secret House.
He had one hope. faint one, that
:. b. would discover the method Of
his exit from the room in Moor Cot
tase and would track him here.
Evidently the occupants Of the Sc
cret House had the same fear. for
even here, In the quietness OF his UNI
foreground prison. Poltavo could hear
strange whining noises, rumbling, and
grooming and grinding, as tho the
whole Of the house were changing it's
construction.
he mad not long to wait for news.
A corner lift came swiftly down and
Fall stepped bris.,.y towards his pris
oner.
"T. B. Smith is in the house." he
said. "and Ia making an inspection,
he will be down here in a moment.
In these circumstances shall have to
betray one of the secrets of this
mousse" He caught the other roughly
by the arm and half led, half dragged
MIN to a corner of the room Hand
cuffed as he was, Poltavo could offer
no resistance, DR.. Fall apparently
only touched one portion of the wall.
but he must have moved, either with
his foot or with his hand, some par