The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-10-22
. SERIAL STORY
NEW YORK JUNGLE
az WRAY WADE sEVERN

II thought 1 heard q dog whim-
per- Marta. Was that what It
sounded like to your"
Exactly. But who could have
brought a dog up here, at day
break?"
Daybreak. Yes, another day
was breaking; a day which Adam
Langdon would not know, and no
one In the house had slept.
Fighting down his emotion, Sid
ney told Marta Of the paw prints
Plowman had found near the
StorerooIn.
The only unoccupied room on the
third floor was a billiard room
at the end Of the hall. There had
been no dog there earlier in the
evening when Sidney and Hugh had
searched the house for fire; there
had been no dog In the house at
all. But the billiard room seemed
the more likely place for one to be
hidden, had it been brought in later.
AS Brentwood stood explaining to
Marta, second feeble whine came
from that room.
go back to your room, Marta:
I'll take care of this" SIDNEY
commanded.
I'm going to see who has
brought dog here, myself" Marta
replied, and before he could prevent
it she had run lightly down the
hall.
He followed, reached the room
first. Motioning her to stand aside,
he quietly opened the door. The
light had been extinguished, but
a faint grazing at the window
brought the room and its long,
baize-covered table into shadowy
relief. A faint, sickening odor of
cloroform permeated the air. The
room was empty.
Someone went through that
open window" Sidney whispered.
"It was closed when Hugh and I
were here a few hours ago, and
there was no odor of chloroforin."
There is fire escape outside
the window" Marta reminded
him. Anyone could leave this
room and re-enter the house on
the floor below, through the win
dow of the vacant room at the
end of the hall"
Sidney looked out, searching the
fire escape. In the lifting dark
ness outside he could see the ga
rage and its gay weather vane,
and behind it, the trees of grove.
Marta, win you please go back
to your ROOM" Sidney begged.
God knows what may happen
next"
mo, Sidney, I will not. I'm as
keen to see this through as you
are. A bullet holds no terrors for
me. Not now"
"All right. Stay close, then"
On the floor below, they picked
up a trail. Damp prints of a mans
feet led from the fire escape in the
vacant room to the door of Adam
Langdon's chamber.
IF it hadn't been pure inven-
ton in Craig Gundrum's mind,
I'd believe that wild story of
map hidden in Adams bedroom"
Sidney said.
For the third time since the
murder he crossed the threshold
of his dead friends sleeping quar-
tiers.
Here the footprints ceased.
Either the maker of them had
taken off his wet shoes or the
soles had been wiped dry by his
walking.
Wishing with all his heart that
Marta had remained in the safety
of her room, Sidney looked eau
tiously about. The intruder had
vanished. Noiselessly, Brentwood
tried the door leading into Pats
room. It was locked. He looked
In the closets. They were empty
of all save clothes.
HE must have come in here"
Marta said.
Hugh told me there is a way
of getting into a passage that leads
op w VIC 1OoA dlO OOWu 10 Tie
jungle, through this fireplace.
Have you ever heard of it?"
She shook her head. On the
table was reading lamp with
long cord. She lighted it and,
kneeling, held it up to the flue.
There is an opening here, Sid
ney," she said. cit looks like a
sliding door. It's about the size
of the entrance to a dumb waiter"
EAGERLY, Sidney pushed himself
into the wide chimney.
Take the stairs, Sidney. You
may be going into a death trap"
Marta begged.
IF I go by the stairs, I can't
see what the fellow is up to. He
must have gone into the Jungle
for reasons of his own. and he'll
have no idea that anyone but
himself knows of this passage.
I'm taking the chance"
a
He reached the opening with little
difficulty. The door had evidently
been left open so that whoever had
descended could return, but no per-