Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-01-11

I
base of a side wall Of the gate, and
50 heaped with leaves that its lower
half was covered.
Bobby produced key. 81 broke the
paddock that was on it," he explained,
81 smashed it with a stone. But
got another. l always lock it."
Prolonged search produced the key.
Old Adelbert's face was set hard. On
what dungeon had this boy stumbled?
1t was strange,
Bobby was removing the leaf-mold
with his hands. TT was almost all
covered when 1 found it," he said, in.
Crstriously scraping.
/ The door swung in, silently, as
though the hinges had been recently
oiled; as indeed they had. but not by
| the boy.
ITS rather dirty" he explained.
"You go down steps first. Be very
careful"
He extended an earthly hand and led
the old man down. ITS dark here,
| but there's a room below; quite a good
AbOiLis anu nave CdAllGSs
Truly, ROOM Built of old brick,
and damp, but with a free circulation
| Of air. Old Adel5ert stared about him.
1t was not entirely dark. A bit of
light entered from the aperture at the
head Of the Sens. By it, even before
Bobby had lighted his candle, he saw
the broken chair, the piece Of old car
pet, and The odds and ends the child
had brought.
Old Adelbert felt curiously shaken.
"None have visited this place since you
have been hcre?" he asked.
81 don't suppose any one knows
about It. Do you?'
"rho5e who built it, perhaps. But
it is Old, very old. 1t is possible"
He stopped lost in speculation,
There had been story once of
passageway under the wall, but he
racoIected nothing clearly. A passage
way leading out beyond the wall,
through which, in a great siege, a
messenger had been sent for help. But
that was a passage; while this was a
dungeon.
The candle was at last lighted. IT
burned ltiu3ly, Illuminating only a tiny
zone in the darkness.
Il need a lantern" Bobby observed.
There's draft here. 1t comes from
the other grating Some time when
you have time, II like TO see what's
beyond it. 1 was kind of nervous
about going alone
1t was the old passage, then, of
course. Old Adelbert stared as Bobby
took the candle arl hc]1 it toward q
second grated door liz ne first, but
taller.
A close examination rev aloa to old
Adelbert two thinga: First, that a
brick-lined passage, apparently in good
repair, led beyond the grating. Sec
ond, that it had been recently put in
order. No unused passage this, but
one kept in order and repair. For
what?
That evening AGelbeTt called to see
his friend, the locksmith in the uni
versity place. He possessed, he said,
a paddock Of which he had lost the
key, and which, being fastened to
chest, he was unable to bring with him.
A large and heavy paddock, perhaps
the size Of his palm.
When he left, he carried with him
a bundle of keys, tied in a brown
paper.
But he did not back to his chest.
He went instead to the thiclIet around
the old gate, which was still termed
the Gate of the Moon" and there,
armed with a lantern, pursued his in
vestigatiOns during a portion Of the
night,
When he had finished, old Adelbert,
veteran of many wars, one-time patriot
and newly turned traitor, held in his
shaking hands the fate of the king
dome
The Countess Loschek was on her
way across the border. The arrange
ments were not Of her making. Her
plan, which had been to go afoot
+ across the mountain to the town of
] Ar-on-Ar, and there to hire Il motor,
/ had been altered by the arrival ut the
castle, shortly after the permission
! was given, Of machine.
+ "The matter Of passports fer the
border is arranged, madame" Black
/ Humbert told her.
81 have my own passports she said
proudly.
"They will not be necessary"
81 will have this interview ut my
destination alone, or not at all
Tie drew himself to his great height
ana regarded her with cold eyes LAS
you wish" he said "Bu5 it is prob
ably not necessary to reluind madame
that, whatever is discussed as .thiS