, 1923-03-13

Robert hxed tho button on his
pocket lamp to keep the light
steady, and laid 1t on the center table
to illumine his work. Lifting the
stand OF which the aquarium rested
he placed 1t near the middle of the
room and pulled aside the heavy rug.
Directly beneath the spot where
h aquarium stood was n square
trapdoor in the floor.
Forester lifted the section of care.
fully fitted flooring and set It to one
side. y ladder led into n cellar be-
meath the cottage. Swiftly he dropped
his legs through the hole ana
descended.
The underground room in which
he found himself was smaller than
h space covered by the cottage.
Along the front walls was piled lit.
ter of a varied nature-old barrels,
boxes. broken furniture. Against
the front wall stood n dilapidated
s~ideboard. He could not conceive
how such a large object had been
brought into the cellar through the
small trap. 1t was the only thing
in the cellar that could be readily
moved. and Forester had an inspira-
ton to look behind it.
Moving the sideboard disclosed a
small rough-board door In the wall.
This Forester opened and flashed
his light into the space beyond. 1t
seemed to be n narrow passage, the
floor a little below the level of the
cellar. Forester dropped into the
passage and started along It, throw
Ing his light about hin and study
ing its formation. The floor was
sandy. the walls of solid rock, and
the roo appeared to have been
formed by a multitude of interlacinE
tree and plant roots. It was the
work. of Nature. not OF man. At
some remote period a cleft had been
riven in the solid rock and the in
tertwined roots above prevented the
caving in of the surface soil.
A momentary sparkle on the cell
ing caught Forrester's eye. Electric
lights were hung from the roof at
regular intervals. There was no
switch In sight and he concluded
that the lights could be operated only
from some point inside the cottage.
Presently Forester came to an in
dentation IN the wall on his right.
form a sort OF shelf. On this rested
two bright steel cylinders about h
size Of the small lire extinguisher he
carried in his car. To one Of the
cylinders was attached n 1--WE foot
length OF a slender rubber tubing
which connected It with one OF the
rubber death masks he knew only too
well.
Here at last was evidence beyond
dispute.
Continuing along the passage For
roster finally came to the end. At
this point 81 widened out slightly
into n small chamber. At one side
a ladder led up into n mass OF
tangled tree roots. He climbed the
ladder. ascending into a space that
had been followed put Of the heart OF
n tree.
Above his head was n small slide
or bolt. Releasing the bolt allowed
the door 20 drop silently downward
on hinges formed OF stiff leather. a
package fell into his hands. followed
by a draft of air laden with the scent
OF summer woods. Pushing up his
light Forester recognized the hol'
low in the oak tree. He saw also
hat the upper side Of the trapdoor
was SO prepared that II would seem
like part OF the tree to anyone In
vestigatinE from above,
At last the most vital secret OF the
"Friends of the Poor" was in his
hands.
He examined the email. nat pack,
age in his hand. Someone had placed
a contribution in the tree that very
night.
Then Forester shivered' me
would come to collect at
any moment
He was shut in nt the far end OF
escape leading back through h
cottage where they would enter, IL
they met him here his end would be
sure and his disappearance n mys
terry forever.
Hastily he climbed down the lad
der. noting that all the parnpher-
malta that had maze possible tho
Ehostiy illusions. on the wall huns