Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-09-12
EVENING EDITION.
vivian tiptoed across the hearth
and, bending nearly double, paassad

EVENING" 614AAOAvss
vivian tiptoed across the hearth
and. bending nearly double, pAaslad
through the aperture:
a. circular chamber, ehOked With
the accumulated dust Of aGes per
haps ten feet In diameter andSswith
stone walls which narrowed up, meet
ing In a small lone
feet above his head. yia told nin1-S
self that he was In one OF n round
tow (which formed b at
the chateau. The air WIS hardy
breathableS and It was SO after
the sunshihe OF the o that VIVIAN
shivered Eightly.
He came out again almost mlnDs
diately into the diTing-room and
passed out through the French vim
:dQws into the garden. He called to
Henri and waved a farewell then
turned the corner Of the tower. There
he waited out of sight. watching until
the old man-ssrvant entered n Of
the dining-room impoverished, Flo
screwed the apple again into it's place
and slipped back to the little. cham
Der. There would be nothing now
imagining, as he would, that the pain
ter had gone, and Vivian could work
In peace. & 49,
IN his varied career many teweh
had passed through the hands Of vfy<i
ian Renton, but such priceless
gems Is these which he was uneArfhls
ing from their hiding places every
minute. Diamonds Of a size which
pointed to their being historical,
pearls matched into strings. snneralds
and rubies which threw out their
hidden glories to meet the rays ot
Vivian's tiny electric torch, - though.
overioyed at their release. There
were vessels too, Of gold and silver
richly carved and CAUTIOUSLY designed.
counterparts Of those he had found
in the chest; teweled rosaries and
manship. Pictures, too, the value Of
which Vivian could only guess At.
were stacked against the walls, and
books and. tewe4-encrusted daggers
were heaped together with other OBJ
jects in heaps which cgiittered DULY
under the thick layer OF dust which
covered everything like q pail.
Vivian sat on an old oaken chest,
spellbound. Here were riches that
envy. With this wealth at his dis
posal the freedom Of the world was
his. friendships, pleasures titles.
were at his bidding. The man could
hardly believe that within q few feet
of him the UNI was setting yer a fair
garden IN which an u~nsuspecting old
man was chopping wood, and that
even In This little chamber he was
still In the Goth century.
How long he sat there he could
not tell, and 1t was the sight of a
grating In the stone floor which called
Vivian down from the airy turrets
of his Imagination. This grating was,
perhaps, some twenty inches square,
and as the man bent down and threw
the rays Of his pocket electric torch
upon it he could make out, beyond
the rusty bars, the shadowy form OF
the topmost step Of a flight that led
down into obscurity. He took q, franc
piece from his pocket and. dropped
1t through the Iron network and list
I ened. From the re~verberations before
the coin came to rest the man Judged
the well-like opening to be Of some
considerable depth.
Vivian seized one Of the bars, and
leaning back exerted all his strength.
For a moment the cement held; then.
with q sudden rending, came away,
and the man was thrown violently
backward. He staggered in a. vain at
tempt to gain his balance; then, as he
fell, his elbow came in sharp contact
with the sliding door OF the entrance.
Vivian all but cried out at the pain.
Of masonry and IRON set IN n mo4ian'
u !.