The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1936-07-13

of the cellar, where she had heard
the tapping sounds. Dead silence:
She put her ear against it and
thought she heard something, but
could not be sure. Experimentally
she struck the wall with the crow
bar. Almost at once there was a
response, like a big pulse beating
with horrible regularity back
there in the darkness.
Awkwardly she began digging,
and after several minutes had
quite a sizeable hole. Painfully
she flexed her cramped muscles.
On the floor at her feet lay a pile
of dirt half as high as the huge
barrel of salt pork nearby.
Mercy, what a mess" she
gasped aloud. eff / don't find
anything, whatever will Susie
say?" But Claire could not feel
very penitent. After all, the
House of Long Shadows belonged
to her, not Susie.
At last she was forced to stop,
and once more she p luther ear
against the wall Certainly some
thing was stirring behind there;
She must go on. If only she dared
to ask Dan Dallas to help her!
These thoughts raced through
! her mind as she worked. When
she was forced to stop for breath,
she fancied the sounds were grow
ing louder. Could she be nearing
the solution of the mystery? And
what would she find? Suppose
she should suddenly break through
a retaining wall and encounter
some horror better left buried.
! Claire's nervousness by this
time was beginning to get the
best of her, though she still
worked on steadily. When next
/ she stopped for breath, she be-
lieved she could hear new sound
against the wall. Like someone
breathing heavily-or was it only
her own laboring lungs and
pounding heart? She sat down on
| the pile of earth to rest, then
moved the lamp to the top of the
pork barrel so that its rays fell
directly over her shoulder. She
examined the hole closely, but, so
| far as she could see, all sides of
it were firm enough. Apparently
there was no sign of anything
falling from above.
YEARLY she started in again,
and the very next stroke thudded
with a different sound. Claire
stopped in fright and listened.
Dead silence. If there had ever
been any movement or noise be-
yond that darkness, it certainly
was not there now. Half-timidly
she dug farther.
Now the crowbar was cutting
through an opening. There could
be no doubt about that. Breath
lessly she brought the lamp and
held it close to the small place
where the sharp point of the in
strument had gone through. What
was her astouishment to see-not
darkness, as she expected-but a
dim, wavering radiance. She
blinked her eyes and looked again.
1t was gone. Then it had been
only her imagination. She car
ried the lamp back and started
making the hole larger.
After much effort she again
brought the lamp, for now the
opening was large enough to put
her own head through. Carefully
she moved the light so that she
could see for quite a radius IN
the gaping darkness.
Apparently she had cut into an
other small tunnel. The air SEEM
ed fresh and cool. Piles of fresh
dirt Law before her, and at one
side a piece of wood. Then she
gave a start. Something black
was crumpled close to the wall
just below her. She turned the
lamp so she could see, then gave
a little cry.
A man! Though he was so
covered with dirt he looked hard
] ly Lyman. He was lying face
down in the soft earth, quite mo-
tionless. Claire watched for. a
terrified moment, then spoke to
him, though her voice sounded
strangely cracked and unnatural.
He did not move, so she reached
her hand through and touched
hi mon the shoulder. Was it a
corpse or had he just dropped
unconscious? She must go for
help. Quickly Claire started to
back out of the hole, when her
attention was caught by another
sound before her.
She stopped, listening and hold
| ing the lamp ahead of her to
throw as long a light ray as pos
sible. Something or somebody was
certainly stirring on the other
side of the opening. Maybe the
man ON the ground
Without warning and for the
second time since she came to the
House of Long Shadows, the lamp
| in her hand shattered into bits.
There was a sudden rumbling,
and then darkness closed about
her.
But not for long. Almost i'm
mediately from behind her an
| other circle of light swept the
| opening and there was a deafer-
| ing report. Claire collapsed in a
frightened heap, Then, finding
| she was not hurt, she turned to
see Dan Dallas, flashlight in one
hand and still smoking revolver
in the other.
He leaped to her and drew her
back into the cellar, being careful
to keep out of range of the hole.
''Hurt, Miss Fosdick?"
'N-no. l guess not. But
what-?n Claire began.
0Another close call. You aren't