The youth and the girl, shivering with cold and ner-
vous excitement, craned their necks above the man's
shoulder.
"O-h-h!" gasped The Oskaloosa Kid. "He's gone," and,
sure enough, the dead man had vanished.
Bridge stepped quickly down the remaining steps,
entered the rear room which had served as dining room
and kitchen, inspected the two small bedrooms off this
room, and the summer kitchen beyond. All were empty;
then he turned and re-entering the front room bent his
steps toward the cellar stairs. At the foot of the stair-
way leading to the second floor lay the flash lamp that
the boy had dropped the night before. Bridge stooped,
picked it up and examined it. It was uninjured and with
it in his hand he continued toward the cellar door.
"Where are you going?" asked The Oskaloosa Kid.
"I'm going to solve the mystery of that infernal clank-
ing," he replied.
"You are not going down into that dark cellar!" It was
an appeal, a question, and a command; and it quivered
gaspingly upon the verge of hysteria.
Bridge turned and looked into the youth's face. The
man did not like cowardice and his eyes were stern as
he turned them on the lad from whom during the few
hours of their acquaintance he had received so many
evidences of cowardice; but as the clear brown eyes of
the boy met his the man's softened and he shook his
head perplexedly.
Pages:
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101