New Britain herald., 1929-12-26

secret chamber. Her first sight of the vault had distracted her atten- tion from all else in the room.
 Peggy looked to the right. Tn" man, his figure but an outlined shadow fading into the darkness, was a step closer; his eyes, set deep in his ashy- white face, peered iN her direction and then swung to- ward the vault, in indecison.
 Scarcely daring to breathe, she crept further to the left. If she could locate tho tcrch. she could find the entrance and once in the passage way could close and lock the door, thereby insuring her es- cape.
 She must be near the torch by now. An. she had it. Her finger pressed the button, but the fall had broken the light globe. Sickoned for q minute. Peggy sat motionless' then. as the shuffling feet camo nearer, it occurred to her to trip the man with the coil of rope, and she reached forward to grasp it.
 Her fingers closed on smooth clammy skin that wriggled under her touch Peggy's own skin crawled, and mortified, she shrank hack. What she had taken for q rope was a snake, coiled in a figure | eight,
 Scarcely daring to breathe, the i girl squatted on the rocky ground, l r. she screamed the man would be 1 upon her, ii she sat still, the snake. | The shuflling steps drew nearer.
 Half fainting, Peggy clutched the useless torch. her arm upraiscd to ward off the expected blow; instead q foot struck her side: a mIn 1 lunEcd downward as the coilcl snake struck - sinking it's fangs deep in human flesh.
 still outside Ycw Lodge, Julil, with courage born of desperation, i picked up a small porch chair and with all her strength heavcd it through one Of the livng-room win dows
 TnfastcninG tho inside catch, she pushed up the broken window and
 with the agility Of q monkey clam
 hcred over tho sill and into the
 house Its stiffness and darkness
 combined caused her fresh fears
 half conquered, however, in her
 frantic anxiety to locate Peggy
 Prescott.
 She had been at least 20 minutes
 striving to gain admittance; surely
 had her young mistress been able
 she would have unlocked one of tho
 doors to let her in? Therefore, il
 must be that Peggy had met witf
 ar accident or have been takey
 suddenly and seriously ill.
 Julia fumblad clumsily with tn,
 electric light switch, turning it of
 and then on before realizing tha
 she had if lighted.
 In the first brilliant flash she saw
 Aquila Chase coming through th'
 opened window and his uneXpecte, , arrival in that manner was con tributory cause to her agitata'
 switching off of the light. Whei
 1t next came on. Julia was stag gered 10 sec him on her right: the , her hair rose upright at beholdin v Aquila Chase apparently shakin , hands with himcelf.
 "Mistah Cutler. Mistah Cutler.
 Julia stumbled from behind tn , large wing chair which had cffec { tuallY screened her presenc, , "Whar's Miss Peggy at? Whar' i. she done gone? Whats done hap
 pcucd to her."
 v Under the barragc of question Q Chase faced Julia in petrificd si - lcnce for several minutes. k Be quiet,' he ordered, as Juli; Q receiving no reply, raised her yoic, |, and he came step nearer. r. His growing alarm communicate l itsolt to the already terrified gi, c and she yelled at the top of he ;t lungs. swinging toward the stail r case:
 Miss Peggy. Miss Peggy. ol | Miss Peggy Julia lodged Chase s extended hand.
 z To shake her, to reduce her for, V ibly to silence seemed the on ,- course to bring back her Ieasonir It powers. Spinning around like a to
 Julia evaded his efforts to Clutt d her. all the while screaming Peggy .a name.
 )t Heavy poun ling on the front do' $ reached Julia, even above the q Is she herself was creating, and sl ,e flew to open it, admitting Sheri S. Beach,
 la Whats going on hero?" he q y handed. Sounds like bcdlam h. e. broke loose.'
 n "Whar's Miss Peggy? Ain , tc Gonc got her wifi yo'"' r. Beach shook his head, starl1
 first at Chase and then around | lk living room. From where he sto T the open section in the paneled w ad 1"as visible. and his stare grew .d trn=ificd as Peggy Prescott reel l- through the opening and sank ce th" floor.
 he Julia was by her side like a sh