The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-01-15
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. BY MEDORA FIELD

an ordinary knob that turned in
my hand and opened inward.
Pausing, with the door only
few inches ajar, l stood listening.
Like Mr.. Dodson, | was learning
to rely more on my ears. But
EstilIhad to listen consciously, just
as some of US have to look con-
sciously If we are to see details.
What l heard did not help my
morale any.
Someone, or something, alive
was in that room, for / heard
breathing. But such breathing.
Loud and labored as though some
giant were recovering from a
hangover. Or perhaps it was
some great watchdog, sleeping
now by fortuitous good, luck, but
ready to spring to life at sound.
My impulse was to pull shut
that door and get away from
k,their. Then ! realized Plutarch
had already pushed his way in
side. I waited breathlessly for a
moment, but there was no growl-
ing, no splitting, no sounds of NOR
tai combat between ancient en-
emies
There, were only four matches
now. I must open the door wider
before lighting the next one, lest
the slightest movement blow out
its feeble fame. This / did and
the sound of that heavy breath
ing almost 'unneverved me again,
but | forced my feet across the
threshold. H-tt
I found myself in a room about
nine feet wide and twelve feet
long, and almost the first thing
my eyes fell upon was small
table on which was a stub of can
die in a pewter holder. If before
this time anyone had told me
that l would squeal with delight
at the sight of a mere stub of
candle, / would have sworn he
was crazy. Too late | remembered
and stifled the cry in my throat,
lest waken that dreadful sleeper.
Exploration
TOUCHING the dying match
L to the wick, / picked up the
candle and moved about, cauti-
ously exporting. There was a fire.
place, with ashes on the hearth
but no fire. Even as my gaze took
in this fact, also noticed that
| part of the small room was cut off
by big screen and it was from
behind this screen that the sounds
of heavy breathing emerged.
| With my heart doing all sorts
OF violent gymnastics, tiptoed
around to take a look behind the
screen. The first thing to arrest
my gaze was my own rose taffeta
puff. Only secondarily did | no.
tice that the puff was spread over
a prone figure on a low cot.
Moving fearfully' nearer, 4 saw
that the eyes of the sleeper were
covered with tape, and | guessed
that he was probably bound to
the cot or that his hands and feet
were tied. He was lying on one
side in an obviously uncomfort-
able position and now and then
moaned little in his sleep.
Dragging my eyes away to
inspect more thoroughly the
screened-off section of the small
room, / understood why the
screen was there, a strange place
for such piece of furniture. Built
into the wall Just above the cot
was a safe. Obviously this was
where my ancestor stored his val
tables. / decided that the room
was probably under the back
yard, rather than the house, and
that its ventilation came through
the chimney or perhaps by way
of some other arrangement as in
genious as the trap-door entrance.
It was dumb of me not to have
realized at the very first that the
sleeping figure on the cot was the
core and center of all that had
happened recently at Wisteria
Hall. Now / ventured forward
timidly, pausing every moment to
listen for footsteps on the stair
way; Then, as | stood still at the
head of the cot, its occupant
stirred and groaned loudly, so that
i practically jumped out of my
skin and came near dropping the
candle.
As the helpless figure struggled
and half turned, / cried out in
horror. For | recognized the man.
Even with his eyes bandaged I
knew that he was Hugh Brannen.
It was all simple enough. That
story Bill had told last night at
dinner about Mr.. Brannen having
been kidnapped Obviously his
abductors had used our place as
a hide-out and, when we arrived
unexpectedly, their plans had
been upset.
Bill had said Mr.. Brannen was
to be released Saturday morning.
but evidently the schedule could
not be carried out. No doubt, that
telephone call to Andrew had
been an effort to clear the way.
But who
All, of course. One of the work
men who had remodeled a part
of the basement as a game room
had somehow discovered the hid
den room. Yes, that must be the
answer. But how would he have
known of our sudden plans 20
open the housed That would be
easy, l realized, If he happened
upon the station wagon Friday.
No doubt, he would have 4 look
out. &c
I examined the rose puff more
carefully. Yes there with the
down splitting out was the place
where it had been snagged on the
stairway.
To be continued
fS-tyrsxas, 1855. ass--s Fssss Ps~x-rsev,