The Spokane woman. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1921-1935, 1927-08-25
Page Four

moor and the MaydOc phantom, | was
not ready to decide. My personal
Opinion-which | kept strictly to my
self-was that some gang of criminals
was capitalizing the rumOr by making
the Wattermoor place Il rendevOuz;
hence, | put little faith in the current
stories concerning phantom.
Selecting for the purpose of my in
vestigation Il moonlight night. | APP
preached the WattermOOr grounds
about eleven o'clock and began search
ing on the outside of the surrounding
wall for the big stone mentioned by
my companion of the gambling dive.
l found the stone, but no entrance
could discover. III there was Il secret
doorway, it was so cleverly concealed
that | could not find il. | gave il
up at last and turned my attention
to the wall itself. Built of moscow
cred stone, the wall was about seven
feet high, and-as | learned presently
at cost of scratched hands and torn
clOthing-was surmounted by cable
of twisted barbed wire.
Once inside the wall, | stood con-
cealed in the blacklist shadows and
surveyed the house IN the uncertain
moonlight. | noted the heavy boards
nailed over all the doors and windows
of the first floor. and regretted that
l had abandoned my search for the
secret entrance. II was too late To
turn back now, however, and | moved
cautiously around looking for an open
ing. There seemed to be none, until
discovered - hidden by thickly-grown
shrubs-a circular iron door to Il fuel
chute entering the basement wall just
above the grade line. The door hinged
upward and displayed II dark hole
about eighteen inches in diameter.
With the aid of my flashlight peared
inside, and could make out dimly II
few Jumps of coal lying on the floor.
Although | was very much disin-
clined to attempt to wriggle through
that coal hole, | realized that ii was
perhaps my only means of ingresS.
After some delay in trying to decide
whether to climb in head first or feet
first, / essayed to do the latter Lean
ing the iron door back against the
wall just above the chute, | began the
descent into the darkness of the I'M
known. My hips wedged in so tightly
that for a time | wondered whether
| was to succeed in getting through.
] struggled and twisted until shook
down the iron door, which struck me
just below the nape of the neck with
such force that | was somewhat dazed
I succeeded in raising the door again.
but relaxed a moment to recover from
the blow Immediately | slipped
through the chute and sprawled nois-
lily into pile of coal just below. The
Jumps of coal thumped loudly against
the plank walls of the sides of the bin
For a long time | sat in silence
just as | had fallen. Many persons
beyond those walls seemed to be talk
ing in excited whispers. Cursing the
luck that had thrown me so precipit-
ously into the place, waited-and
waited Still those whispers contin-
ued. When would they cease, and
when would their owners start some
thing i'm the way of an offensive
against me?
A quick flash Of my pocket light
showed me that | was in n compart-
ment about nine feet square. A solid
oak door was opposite the chute.
extricated myself from the loose coal
pile and opened that door. The wills
pers seemed to recede moment and
then grow louder. | shut off my light
and stepped out into the space beyond.
Little icy chills slipped along my spine
as I stood there straining TO catch the
meaning of thousand voices as of
departed souls discussing, perhaps, the
fate that awaited me. The whispers
oh In In ait