New-York tribune., 1922-11-13

|
Thus it happened that Dartit
Dunn was assigned to cover the
Great Gland Mystery,
/ He was among the reporters
whom we have already seen in the
apartment of Millionaire Fair
weather.
He was the reporter who had
asked the Chief Detective the sig,
| nlficant question: Upon what
theory are you working?"
When the explosion wrecked the
front of the house Dartie Dunn alone
noticed that the butler turned pale
What could this mean?
He slipped quietly from the room
alone, and Investigated the buffers
quarters.
He sounded the walls.
AS he suspected, one wall rang
hollow.
He pushed the panel aside and
discovered a secret staircase.
1t led downward.
Net up.
He descended.
Down, down, down he went
It was dark.
It grew darkertas he descended.
Suddenly he paused.
He was being followed.
But it did not sound like a hui
man football.
1t did not sound like football
at all
1t was a rustling, gliding noise.
Something brushed by him, touch
ing his ankle as it went past.
The air grew colder.
Something else went by him.
1t grew damp and clammy.
Putting his hand out, he felt damp
stone walls.
There was an evil gleam of phos-
phorescence upon the walls.
Suddenly his foot struck level
Place.
The stairs had ceased.
He was in a suhterranean vault.
The phosphorescence seemed to be
gathered into strange points.
These points glittered.
They moved.
The rustling increased.
Suddenly a hiss ran round the
chamber.
Fifty more Kisses followed.
BY what or whom was he sur
rounded?
And why were they Kissing him?
The rustling and gliding grew
louder.
1t grew into hum.
The thousand points Of fire began
to go round and round him in q
circle.
Suddenly the truth burst upon
him.
He was surrounded by hundreds
OF cobras.
The snakes were circling him in
a strange Oriental dance.
Quick as a flash the thought came
to him that this dance was reptilian
in its nature.
These snakes cared little for God
on man.
Their eyes as they circled him
were cleaning with hatred and
mockery.
They waited only the word of
their master, the butler, to strike.
Dartie now realized why the
butler had turned pale.
The butler had thought that per-
haps the explosion would wreck the
house and the snakes could come out
and his secret would be discovered.
Dartie was not frightened.
But after time he began to feel
uncomfortable.
He stood very still. For he knew
that if he made a sudden motion
some young and excitable cobra
Right strike without waiting for it's
masters voice.
And then if he struck bach, the
whole clan would be upon him in an
instant.
Suddenly a thought struck him.
He stopped. Gradually he stopped
'ver and lower until he was on his
hands and knees.
Round and round went the cobras
in their strange dance.
Dartie, now Kissing like cobra
Himself, Joined the dance. He fell
into the rhythm of it.
1t was his plan to circle the room
a few times with the cobras, and
then, when he reached the foot of
the stair, crawl up it.
But he lost his sense Of direction.
In the darkness he could no longer
find the stair.
Going round and round the room.
n,eshed with cobras, tangled with
cobras, q part of the stranya Orien-
tai cobra dance. he was now in worse
predlcament than before. If he.
Strengthened up again they might
take it as an affront and attack him,
Round and round went the cobras,
Round and round went Dartie, in
the midst, kissing.
Suddenly a light was switched on.
The Woman in Purple stood on the
stairway. She was beautiful. She
tsughed. Dartie and the cobras
stopped. She tossed a package onto
the floor. Dartie picked it IN.
Written on it was: mot TO Be
Opened Until Christmas
ITO Be Continued.