The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, December 27, 1929, Page 6

o ffi PSIS:. Mixed emotions Prescott as she con- on solving the com- mflb of mystery and in- ¢ woven nbout Yew Lodge. SHe s happy that a murder 1o longer threatens to wm btit is troubled by susplelons {hat her future huo- Pind, Lieut. Comm. Jamieson Siriclalr—who has been just Jim to het—may Have slain the man who rhined his sister. She finds the biiflet sho fired buried in ¢ panel of the wall of the rdom and an arrow. She p g8 on it and a cleverly +door in the wall fil open—she disappears ) the passageway torch in hand. Chapter 33 THE - POND'S SECRET Pegpy disappeared down the way, hed furtively from the gallery, down the staircase and the room. A jerk of the ling cord of the bridge lamp the roomh was darkened. The faint patter of the padded feet-never reached Peggy and all unpopsoious, that she was not alone, | she, pursuéd her way along the sec- | ret passage. / und a curve was a clrcular , & natrrow affair, just wide mn to pérmit a person to pass éen the brick walls. h care Peggy picked her wind- lly. fearing a fall, for some of ateps had tipped forward at a dangetous angle. When she came to. the bottom, she had ot direction. teén feet further on the phs- sage curved again; a third curve filfl beyond brought her to a door and there she hesitated. + Observing not-only that the key 6. il the lock, but that it was tly ajar, she stepped through the doorway into a room of moder- ), size. ’ Mndmg on her tiptoes Peggy *almost touch the celling. had ro idea how far under- was, whether umnder the 'lbm of Yew Lodge or nearer Pond. She thought for an instant that she caught the of water lapping against the| and ‘then concluded the noise imaglinary. Phe walls of the chamber, unlike Jbricked-in passageway she had 've d were of great stones, | e end there, the doors lost all I {had her young mistress been able, | b of ,mn vault were set in steel %uwm ceiling and the uneven Wi beggy looked ‘around. Had | L in ekcavating for the of Yew Lodge, chanted | u] & rattiral cavern and canvm- t; to: His owh uses or had fidfi pliice specially omm-ccm fl.ho\lflg the missing securi- e aps other valusble never doubted, afber e vault, lmw'ed towitd it, Her heart with anticipation, and ever-locking, the device the dodt, twisting it this way that. Neither effort budged the ufl' armpit, and holding it thus ove with both: hands to twist the ¢ elther to right or left. was no dial on the door she could see; evidently no natlon lotk barred her en- there must be some trick in Wwing the stéel bar; ah, she Jt—the wards of the block a5 they spun back in their , but that click was drowned 1 the louder nolse made by the .of her torch striking against socks as it slipped from under iredt against an obstruc- Aiss mimost at;the Eaught sight. of - lm‘fi' had no weapon, not even ith which to strike the advancing closer and closer. ? shaking Peggy sank the ground and crawled to torch had roled in she also recalled broken box and its lying near a crevice he entrance to the er first sight ot had distracted her at- from all else in the room. the man who had| Wil Completely filled the space 2\gkag course along indentations; findlly ch was not more iy No estape there, SUMMNER LINCOLN | the door, thereby insuring her es- | cape. | She must be near the torch by now. Ah, she had it! Her finger {pressed the button, but the fall had | broken the light globe. Sickened for |a minute, Peggy sat motionless; |then, as the shuffling feet came nearet, 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 ovn skin crawled », and horrified, she shrank back. ‘What she had taken for a rope was |4 snake, coiled in a figure eight. Scarcely daring to breathe, the ‘glrl squatted on the rocky ground. If she screamed the man would be |upon her, if she sat still the snake. | The shuffling steps drew nearer. Half fainting Peggy clutched the |useless torch, her arm upraised fo ward off the expected blow; in- stead a foot struck her side; a man lunged downward as the coiled shake struck—sinking its fangs deep {in human flesh. Still oufside Yew Lodge, Julla, |with courage born of desperation, picked up a small porch chair and |with all her strength heaved it thmugh one of the living room win- dows. Unfastening the inside catch, she pushed up the broken window and with the agility of a monkey clam- bered over the sill and into the house. Its stillness and darkness caused her fresh fears, half con- quered, however, in her frantic anx- iety to locate Peggy Prescott. doors to let her in? Therefore, it must be that Peggy had met with an accident or have been taken suddenly and seriously ill. Julia fumbled elumsily with the electric light switeh, turning it oft and. then on before realizing that she had it lighted. In the first brilliant flash she saw Aquila Chase coming through the opened window and his unex- pected arrival in that manner was tated switching off the light. When it next came on, Julla was stag- geted to see him on her right; then her hair rose upright at beholding Aquila Chase apparently shaking hands with himself! “Mistah Quiler! Mistah Quiler!” Julie stumbled from behind -the large wing chair which has effec- tually screened her presence. “What's Miss Peggy at? Whar's she dore gone? What done hap- peried to het?” Under the barrage of questions Chase faced Julia in petrified si- |lence for several minutes. “Be qulet,” he ordered, as Julia, recelving no reply, raised her voice, and he came a step nearer. Hlis growing alarm communicated its8}t to the already territied girl and shé yelled at the top of her lutigs, swinging toward the stair- cale ‘Miss Peggy, Miss Peggy, oh, Miss Peggy!” Julla dodged Chase's ex- tended hand. To shake her, to reduce her forc- lbly to silence seemed the only course to bring back her reason- ing powers. Spinning like a top, Julla evaded his efforts to clutch her, all the while screaming Peggy's name. Heavy pounding on the froht door reached Julla, even above the din she herself was creating, and she flew to open it, admitting Sheriff Beach. “What's going on here?” he de- manded. “Sounds like bedlam had broke loose.” “Whar's Miss Peggy? Ain't yo’ dene got her wif yo'?” % Beach shook his head, staring first at Chase and then around the living room. From where he stood the ‘opén section in the paneled wall was visible, and his stare grew in- tensifled 88 Peggy Prescott recled side’ down, and the umnhrbm the opening and sank to the tlodr. Julla was by her slde like a {he [8n6t; Jifting her to & sitting po- sition. Peggy’s ashen lips moved, but the men were forced to bend their Heads to oatch what she sald. “Snake down there,” she panted, mmum for breath, and pointed to the opening of the secret pas- sage. “Man t0o.” She made a su- preme effort and her voice carried to Obadiah Evans as, all unnoticed, he approached the little group. “My gun—loaded—in table drawer—take it—kill snake—in secret room—be- low.” Her head sank forward and she lost consclousness. Chapter 34 THE SNAKE'S VICTIM When Peggy awoke she found herself lying on the couch and Julia holding a bottle of smelling salts under her nose. 8o far =s the only other person in the living room. “Feeling better,” he asked solic- jltously. “I'm thinking you'd best g0 upstairs and let Julia put you Peggy demurred with a negative shake of her head and swallowed a stimulant Julia handed her. Her sense of exhaustion from her She had been at least 20 minutes | striving to gain admittance; surely' she would have unlocked one of the ! a conttibutory cause to her agi-| New American Ven Uncle Sam has found his ideal girl. the “Standard Lady” worked out Standards. The accompanying dia; figures as compiled by Unele Sam Stamp of Commerce Secretary THE "STANDARD 1 ADMIT YO us Bears Official T 36" ML—AQURED, BUST - 36° VAIST- 31° HPS - 39" She isn’t anyone in particular, but by the United States Bureau of gram compares “Standard Lady’s” and the figures which rake up a “perfect 36” made famous by Venus (leh). ing off, but she craved the soclety of others. The very thought of being alone struck terror to her soul. Thep her thoughts turned to her ghastly experience when she had mistaken the snake for a rope. “Did you get there in time?” she asked. “Is the snake dead?” Her question carried to Sheriff Beach and he crossed the room Jjust as the key turned in the front door and Jim stepped inside. All the electfi¢ lights the room boast- ed were turned on and in their full glare Jim approached the couch in a dozen strides. The look in Peg- gy's eyes arrested the words upon his lips. With ever-whitening face he stared down at her as Beach stopped at his elbow. “You called out just now, Miss Prescott,” began the sheriff, paying no attention to Obadiah’s signal to him to remain silent, “to get your gun in the desk drawer. I've done so"—he held up her uncle’s auto- matic pistol that all in the little group might see it. “How many guns did you have when you came to Yew Lodge?” “None,” was her low response. “How many did you find here?" Peggy averted her gaze; it fell for an instant on the front door key in Jim's hand. The latter caught her eyes as she glanced up. “How many guns did you find here?” demanded Sheriff Beach for the second time. “Answer, Miss Prescott, and tell the truth.” “One.” In the stillness her whisper reached them all, and Julia, at the head of the couch, capsized into the nearest chair. “And that one"—Beach took from his pocket the .35 caliber auto- matic and held both pistols ex- tended toward her—'was which, Miss Prescott? The .35 caliber or the .45 caliber?” An interminable moment passed with silence un- |broken, and the sheriff spoke again, with stern emphasis. these guns did you fire at Edgar Stanton?” Desperately Peggy strove to col- lect her wits—if Jim would only look at some one else! “I fired the 45 caliber,” she ad- “Which of |—' shaklng off Jim's hand, crossed the room. “Did the snake kill him?’ | “Yes” It was Dr. Eastman who |replied, but Peggy failed to regop- nize him; her eyes were fm:ugegon the dead man as the sheef Swas pulled down. “My brother.” The words were barely breathed and turning slight- |ly Peggy found Chase at her el- bow. He bit his lips to keep them rrmm quivering. “Philander went |down the secret passage to _Took for you.” Peggy reached out an unstudy hand and clutched the person nearest her. ? “He saved me,” she exclaimed, her eyés big with awe and gratitude. “As Mr. Chase tripped over me I managed to get to my feet and !dashed blindly ahead, instinctively toward the door, and so on up the passage. What became of the man with the horrible face?” Sheriff Beach leaned over and jerked a recumbent figure to its feet. “He ain't pretty at any time,” he remarked succinctly, “but with sulphur an’ warpaint mixed, Sun- down is some handsome bird. Get up and face the lady.” Slowly the bent figure rose and under his makeup, grotesque in the brilliant lights, but horrible in the darkness, 'Peggy recognized the man whom she had seen upon her arrival at Yew Lodge. “You put the pistol in the soup tureen!” she exclaimed incoher- ently. “And scuttled our canoe.” Sundown grinned down at her. “Yes,” he admitted, “I did.” He stepped back to avoid Jim's clenched fist and Obadiah got be- tween the two men. “But why?” demanded Peggy, gazing at the half-breed in utter bewilderment. “I have never done anything to you.” “Lieutenant Stanton's orders,” re- sponded Sundown stolidly. “He wanted to terrify you into leaving | “For what purpose?” broke" in Beach. “So the house would be vacant and he could search for the se- cret chamber.” The half-breed Indian, realizing the game was up, received his defeat with the stoic- AW LISTEN, MAW, JOBS HARDERN MINE.! WOT S4Y she could see, Obadiah Evans was| experiences underground was wm-l mitted, her fingers twining in and around the edges of the blanket Julia had tossed over her. looked at the sheriff. “You picked up the other one that morning.” “And to whom did this other au- tomatic pistol belong?” quickly. foreigners She had kept faith with Jim—to the last Obadiah and Jim looked at each other and then away. A sudden stir in the other part of the room, jman had shakily and stared over the back I tried—so of the intervening chairs at am| men carrying an improvised stretehs er, on which lay a figure covered ,“S0 with a sheet. I1e out s “Oh!" she gasped, horritied, and in this ism of the red man She |that he could hope for was leni- ency—it he talked. “pl. “bet YMI dia,” bréaking his long silence. you and the head devil| The most “I watched the Mr. Prescott used to build the passage and the chamber underground and I confided what Peggy moistened her dry lips.|I knew to Lleu_t‘enan: Stanton.” |“That's for you to find out,” she| “Then what?” prompted the said simply and closed her eyes.|sheriff. «The lieutenant wormed some in- formation from Mr. Prescott; 'I don't know,” Sundown shrugged his shoulders. “He told me the old what, money, much money, in the tramping of feet and subdued the secret room and he promised voices growing louder caused the me half of all we found. men to turn about and Peggy rose not learned how to get it although I had commented you murdered Stanton By CI IFF SThRRETT WE NO TIME FER PLEASANTRIES : AW M DUE ¥ 8\ AT THE OFFICE' LR “I did not!” Sundown stood erect his eyes flashing. “Lieutenant Stan- ton sent the snake in a box that |killed Mr. Prescott—" | “What!” roared Beach. Sundown nodded vigorously. “The bex came to me through a trusty | messenger,” he said, “but I did inot know what was in it.” He hesitated before continuing. ~3 think much over it after we find the old man dying and I learn it was snakebite. The broken box is down in the secret room.” one spoke. “I'm thinking Mr. Pres- cott may have told Stanton to scnd wished to lock up in his vault be- {low. ‘The old gentleman unsus- poctingly opened the box there and | was bitten; contrived to get up here again, close the opening of the secret passage,” and stagger out- ide where I was the first to reach | him.” He stopped and cleared his throat: “Well, Sundown, you aveng. red the old man’s death by kulingr | Stanton.” | “I did not,” Sundown proclaimed his innocence for the second time. unswervingly. “When I kill, T kill (in fair fight.” “Even though you stoop to fright- jen women and attempt to drown chvm jecred Jim. “You dirty ‘coward' Sundown flinched. “T did what T ldid as a jest,” he protested. % swam near and would have saved | Miss Prescott had you not come.” |He looked appealingly at Peggy. “Truly I do not lie to you, though I did steal your canoe from the water and let mine, like it, float on the lake.” Straightening up he |faced the others, his tone soft and winning. “That last night I over- heard Mr. Prescott talking to him- self. He said: ‘I dare not take the risk—I dare not; Philander Chase will kill me'if he can.” “That’s a damn le,” shouted Chase, his eyes blazing with fury. “You shan’t stand there and slan- der my brother!” “Wait!" And Obadiah laid a re- straining hand on the botanist’s oulder. “We'll clear your broth- ér, never #dir. Go on, Sundown; get the lMes out of your system.” From inside his shirt Sundown took & leather wallet and handed it to the sheriff. “Mr. Prescott give mé that before he dle” he ex- plained. “The money I keep as he said, but the paper is for Miss Prescott.” {him something of value that he| WOM 1 EW YORK, Dec. 27.—Business of Judge Justin W. Harding, the 'n of Sweden and Germany pmsem term of court here will not | bly will be organized into na- | » me until Janua: 2, John H.| k: al federations as a result of Clerk of Co nounced | [l if you want it—reliable sesvicd zo0d will tour of the American |t The petit ju ported | fsce oud jonal Federation of Business ‘ elways. We always place out / HEY UNK, AR YGONNA HAWS THE BATHRC ALL DAY? Gt SOMEBUDDY ELSE CHANCE ! ) /A G \ afrzrzfi W 20- 8 | COURT CONVENES JAN, 2 EN'S TRIP SPURS | FOREIGN FEDERATIONS Owing to the continued iliness of and was excused until Janu- | | guarantee of satisfaction back of Professional Women's Clubs. Under the leadership of Mmi el A eige every tmgjob we do. We |Lena Madesin Phillips of New | ’ | pmn | York, the American women are| Atlanta s to have a combina- | [l are good printers—know it— ... visiting 12 countries of Europe with | tion office building and cold stor- | g and are ‘"“mg to back our B Sure u is, and the snake, too— a view to the early formation ofvagc warehouse cosiing between 52- dead now,” went on Obadiah, as no|an international federamm |5ooooo and. §3,000,000. pxdgmemmd:mgm | (Copyright, D. Appleton and Co) | Sheriff Beach reads the note with startling revelations in to- morrow’s instaliment. ., 1930 CALENDARS The Northern Pacific Railway's 1930 calendars are now being dis- tributed at the City Office of the Alaska Steamship Co. Please call and get yours. —adv. ——el e ATTENTIUN Painting, Papérhanging and Dec- orating. Gauaranteed First Class work only. Max H. Mieike, Phone 1101, Have you tried the Five o'Clock Dinner Specials at Mabry’s Cafe? You wouldn't find it Easy to French-fry whole potatoes Bur what a difference when you fry a few slices at a time. That's fee—a few pounds at a time— never in bulk. And what a dif- ference their continuous process of Controlled Roasting makes in flavor! No bulk-roasting method can produce such rich, uniform goodness. HILLS BROS COFFEE the way Hills Bros. roast cof- | —adv. 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