The Argosy, Vol. XI, No. 22 — page 1: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE ARGOSY Vor. XI, No. 22. BRAD MATTOON: OR, LIFE AT HOSMER HALL.,* BY WILLIAM D. MOFFAT. CHAPTER Vi. CAUGHT IN A TRAP. HILE Brad's suspi- cions had been somewhat aroused by the curious sounds from the pantry, he was by no means prepared for the scene dis- closed to .view through the chink beneath the par- tially raised win- dow. One glance convinced him of the seriousness of the sittation. Two masked men stood in the center of the pantry, one of them holding a dark lantern, while the other was fastening the neck of a sack which rested on the floor. What the sack contained, Brad, of course, did not know, though it was not difficult to guess, for the doors of the safe, set in the opposite wall, which held the silver- ware, had been forced open, and the shelves were empty. Brad had but a moment to think, for the men were work- ing quickly. He had never in all his adventurous life known amoment of absolute fear, and in the present case, when the first shock of surprise had passed away, no thought of the personal risk he incurred entered his mind. In the few seconds he stood there motionless his only idea was of de- vising some effectual means of frustrating the plans of the burglars, who were now hastily preparing to make away with their booty. In those few seconds it suddenly flashed upon Brad that he had the day before placed in Perry Landon’s locker a 22 caliber revolver which had always accompanied him on hts travels, and which he had concluded to lock up securely when he learned that the rules of the academy forbade the use of firearms. Heshared this locker with Landon, and had a duplicate key in his pocket. — ee ee *Begun in No. 436 of THE ARGosy. SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 1Sor. WHOLE No, 438. He slipped quickly and noiselessly across the room, cau- tiously opened the locker and groped about for his weapon. Just as his fingers touched the smooth, polished handle of the revolver, he heard soft footsteps in the room. Instantly he straightened up and turned around, tightly clasping the weapon in his right hand. He was just in: time, for the men, having secured their gains, had left the pantry by means of the narrow hall which led into the lavatory, and were evidently intending to make their exit through the door which Brad had unlocked, and which now stood slightly ajar. The hand of one of the men was already on the knob. ‘‘ Here drop that!” exclaimed Brad, cocking his revolver and leveling it at them. Immediately there was a quick ex- clamation of alarm—a crash as the lantern dropped to the floor—and then, before Brad had even time to fire, the men were outside in the passageway, and the door was siammed behind them. Brad rushed forward, threw open the door, and set off in hot pursuit of the thieves down the ‘passageway. For a few seconds he could hear the clatter of their footsteps on the board waik a short distance in front of him, and he was about to raise his revolver and fire into the darkness, when the sounds suddenly ceased. Brad hurried forward a few steps, then stopped and listened attentively. Not asound greeted his ear—nothing but a death-like silence as oppressive as the inky darkness that hung about him like a pall. Brad was sorely 7 uzzled. Where a few seconds before the footsteps of the men had resounded through the covered passageway with startling distinctness, now not the faintest echo indicated their whereabouts. ‘They had disappeared as suddenly as if they had sunk into the earth. So dark was it that Brad could not see a single foot ahead, and he dared not advance for fear of hidden dangers. Then he remembered the lantern which one of the men had dropped upon the lavatory floor; so, determined upon piercing the strange mystery, he made his way back for the light. The lantern lay upon the floor, still lit, although the slide had been closed. Opening this, Brad held it before him, and advanced once more along the passageway, swing- ing the beam of light to and fro across his path. For a number of steps the lantern disclosed only the parallel boards of the flooring, but when he had reached a point about sixty feet from the lavatory door, the boards sud- denly ceased, and the light shot forward through a large aperture deep into the ground, Brad stopped in amazement. There was no mistaking it. Four or five boards had been removed from the walk, dis- closing a large hole in the earth, the depth and nature of which he was at first unable to discern, Kneeling down : conniclooolks (CO)