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Show TEN MINUTES OF TERROR. BY MAURICE DE MAKSON. A subterrnnem ihambor shrouded In the myster ond sllenie of the nluhi This small and most private v all Hi, rooms in the bank resembles unfiling so mu-li as n nlnom) prison cill Tho steel faces of tho nll-en-ilrillnif inults seem formld iblc walls Tin small table In the iciitir, tilth riuistltiitos prnitliallj nil the furnl-tuie, furnl-tuie, Is cmeied with a dark gieen ilith whose heniy folds tomh the Hour on all sides (in the table la u inn -lain Inkstand and a solitary pen hlutitid fioni the almost endless lubi i It 1 is he, n put In during the du. This ntlhe of the head lashl.r Is the most lenlousl) Kunrded In th. whnh bank, lor In hind thus, niarstie walls, now slumhcrliiR beneath the dull glow Ihiown frnm the single lelllng light, lie gloat heaps of mono) ThroiiKhoiit the bank, deserted nt this hour, nil noise lina leased, and the niRlit vnhe of the ili nb.no leuches this Isolate 1 ihunber onlj as the murmur of n distant oiein l'res-uitl.i l'res-uitl.i the stillness Is broken b the appro KhinR footsteps of the wntih-mnn wntih-mnn l.i.i.l.rn in hand he thinws open the dour and swlftlj though inn fully M I lllltlllfei. lun . ... n. r ..f ,1.. .Hit, ...,- ,,',f lull,,! I'l III, ,1,111 KKini Bailslled, he turns his kej In tin .nuimutateur and again darkness fitths ilnnn like a pall as tho door Is .losed on well-nln.l hinges 'the l.tuatliiR steps are at last lost In the distant con Itlurs nnd on.i inure Rlomn nnd that brooding sonulhlnK whlih tin la, k of n more expresslle word must h, uilled mster, ioIrii supreme I'll.' minutes pass and then Is tin re a moiement ingue. It Is true, but still a moiinient somewhere nmoiiR those shadows' 'Jin. iloth that iuers the lunotint wilting table Is lifted from taneath a man cretps out on all fours and rls.s to his feet Pnr a moment he stands and suriejs his siurouinl-lugs, siurouinl-lugs, then with the in mm i of one who Is familiar with ery Inch of the Rioiind Roes toward the wall and h piesslng one of th. mini) bullous there, rullses the numerous . lei trie bulbs i histoid ml slimle with which the walls and celling lire stjdded, to huist lmn IlKht (lulikl leiurnlUK tn the table he plnies then on with Inflnlle caution u siril.tte dninuit. one of those innn i.irket.d rolled .nrr)alls wilh whlih the Prenih biwscr buidens lilinself 1'iom niie or the puik.ts ho draws a ollndiknl pn.kaxe whldi he handles or gltiRerly and laces on a bookshelf In n nmnle nirner of the tnnm Then from another pocket he takes nn assortment nf tools -brlllant things all resinihlltiR biubles of the theatir ptrhups but whbh nro In n il-1 il-1 1 Inf minus and powtiful Instruments After a moment's dellherntlon he i houses frnm iiiiinng them n pair nf silssnis with whkli ho cut those trnl-toious trnl-toious wires that cnnui.t Hi" doors or the i null with th. outside wnrld This nccnmpltshed, he turns his nt-linllon nt-linllon to the nenrcst safe Without hisltntlnn and with mnncllnus nccu-rncj nccu-rncj nf moiement. he turns nnd ii-ttiUin ii-ttiUin the Indlcntnrs that (nntrol the conihlnatlnn. A slight illck nnd tho wheel slnp. Kllently nnd docilely the ,i,-, ) u'mn rti.uiK i,"'u. nririiiii); UIU treasures within. Now begins the actual ac-tual tank In hand , TnkltiR from the safe the entire contents con-tents ho cnmpnsedly selects only such portions ns can be innicnleiitly carried mill) in tin. sen lotto No coin It Is too weighty nnd from tho greenbicki nnly those whose value Is wrlttin In tit least three tlRtires Hurrnunded by this almost countless wenlth one cnu nlTnrd tn he n nepleure Such bills ns Hnd fiior In his c)cs nre laid In cien lies upon the open senlftte which, ns mult nfler limit Is rllli 1 grndunlly Ik conies lilted, nnd when the man at luiRth with dlfllculty fastens tho buckle nnd breathes n sigh nf snlls-faitlnn snlls-faitlnn his pockets ns well ns full to bursting On,, nfler nnnthor he places the tiny tools of stctl In their rase and mnkts nil Into n bundle A Rhtnce at his wntrh Hnd ho goes townrd that liook-rlulf liook-rlulf where some time since, ho hid so c trefoil) pla.ed a package This ho brings frnm Its resting place, and, handling It with een grinlor precaution precau-tion !n)s It nn the tnhlo (Hie strnppel henletto Is now on the lluor) l'rom this oddly shaped ppper bundle ho tikes n brass cjllnder. It contnlna a powerful explnslio Oontly he reli)s It on the Rreen inier, feirful lest some Jnr nn Ininluutiny inniemont, will start Intn action the clnikwork thnt inntrols It The moment tins not et nrrlicd In a Tew nilnut.n, when tho witehmnn will h.ue left fnr his eien-Ing eien-Ing meal, when tho bmk will bo m-tlrely m-tlrely deserted, ho will unlock tho door nnd, threading tho lnl rfnth or pas-piiros pas-piiros with which ho Is so familiar us to er) nenily ho nhlo to traierfco them blindfolded gain the courello Onco there he la absolutely certain of getting own) without nttrnitlng ultentloi'. Hut he must wilt Ho (nils to mind tho Insti unions of his nccompllces th liiuhliier) Is nut tn be stnrled until llio moment when his rttient Is as unci 'Ion minutes will elapse between be-tween the first dirk of thn ilockwork und the exploslon-lmund tn be n ca-tuntiopho ca-tuntiopho so terrlllo thnt all trace of inhlHM) will bo obliterated ills share of thi i hinder will be a fortune In Itself He haa ictuemhi rod llio small-ist small-ist detulls nf Ihe directions glien nnd will idlieie tn them strlitlv Tn himself him-self he s,i)s that tho most dllllcult pnrt Is done 'I lie essential feature wob In pcnetinte the place I'mored by clr-(iimsttMi, clr-(iimsttMi, o that wns necompllsheil nnd his optimistic mind (an now conjecture conjec-ture nothing to preionl llm bnlnmo of 111,, wcll-lnll plans lielng (urlieil nut Ills eye falls on tin brnsi. c) Under llng so Inoffensliely nn the table It will mil) ! nicessar) to de, bitoh the small spring that prntrulos ubove the lid ni ' mlhliig short of n mliiule .nn lieiei n blind ineihinlsni fiom fin-lhlnh fin-lhlnh nn fill woik The fart has bun essod upon bis mind There will h (rushing of a ghss tube and th in a smile lights up his fnce, fnieseeltig tho ensuing exdtement tho let rnt -stricken inoli-iind he? Ah' he will be nlready fir awn) with tho fnrti ne In tho sen lelte beside him Instlnitlrely his hinl seeks his 1 ocket tn nssure himself nnco more of the presence of tho ke), thnt Inslg-nllliimt Inslg-nllliimt but nnly ihiimiel between this subterranean chamber nnd the outside wnrld luigaKlle but It, nnd it nlnno will npen the hvy door n fiat of which nnno of his many Inols Is enp-ahle enp-ahle Hut the key Is thete snfily riiiiugli wlihln his reach, h" feds It under his lingers thin, almost fi agile but linw powerful' lly imuns of this ho will npo the millions Hint lie (Oiend hi torn him the beiutlfiil mil lions that are tn make him ilrh and testnw happiness an I pleasure upon liliu. causing Ihe Jealousy of some, tho oide.in and regard nf nthtrs, that are to make a realtly tnmnriow, tonight, now of n thousand drenms Ho consults his ninth Tho mo-mint mo-mint of action linn nirlied It Is per-linps, per-linps, wilh mnre than a little nonuus-iiess nonuus-iiess Hint he takes from his po kft the key of freedom, Ills It Into tho kej-hole kej-hole nnd then returns to the Inble A mere loin h s iflleos to unfasten tho Hiring ih it controls the Infernal machine ma-chine An Irregular clipping sound, whl h soon irinliis itself Intn the cm tiniious gintlne nf Ihe cog wheel The nctloti of tho thing reminds lilm of n un hint il l ) th it h li 1 1 on, whm a i hill Now h. mikes hist , es npi titnnding befoie the door, the hoaiy s, nlette within his renih, he turns the ke) In the link, but a resistance seems to nrrest the moiement of the bolt He presses more hesill) on the key-It key-It Is ileldlnp, but the key bends. A loll sweat on his forohend he gcntl). slowly tries to disengage the ke), A loarse ci) strangles lilm -It has bro-Ken bro-Ken In the link' He does nnt nice, hut stands facing the impassable door stunned unable to think to understand And In the stleni e two distlnci sounls nre per-, per-, enable the beating of his heart within with-in Ills hreust and nesrb, on the table Ihe iinlntirruptid tliklrO of the dock-work dock-work The man turns his ejes large with fear He sees the brass ihndet from whence (mute that irgular sound and the full comprehension of his fnte dawns upon him A look of terror passes tlitniigh his eies The attempt to stop the moienienl nr the engine Is out of (iiieetlnn The lensi Jar would simply hasten the isplnslon cf this hi Is absolutely i.ltuln The door re-mnlns re-mnlns hut Impenetrable and. by pro-firelon pro-firelon ho knows that nil) attempt In thit direitlon Is futile He woull . r aloud tnlt n stupor psrnl)Xts blin liisldis It would in ill him nothing No he Is lOlldimnel to die Ihen to dh nn atroi lous denth Hint he his htm felf pi (pans! No one mull lunr his mil mid ir b) an) dMlue th film eiho should nltrait some imsseih, it w.uill Is- Imposslhle for nii n n em h him In a tew minutes all will be oer Ills ejes lest upon the serilette w lutein he has wrappta Hut foitune henceforth useless He notices the simp nnd temaiks upon the brlght-n, brlght-n, ss of the Imekle He obsen.s nil the surrounding di tails Ills attention Is tlid upon the dislril nf the inrp.t He wishes to innii but cannot nn inilslble fun.- nails him igilnst the Willi Ills ins, nun iin.iiik ,,mi- , dtred, fills lipnn the Innss of the i)-llnder i)-llnder from whence Issues the terrlf) -l"g oietpowi ring Hiking nnd he Is limbic tn look dsewhere Now he waits tin m, ment nf 111' explosion I'nconsdousl), be his taken out his wntrh l'lie minutes haie nlr, tidy passed 'ihe seiond hind turns wilh a mad lnpldlt) ... and )et the sei -oiiils seem Intermlnal le. ... Ho lifts his e)es the brnsi ) Under seems lo hne grown It his lengthened hiondened-ll iniois now Ihe entltc tible. Sllll It glows, the table nn no longer buir II It llilndcs the loom, reuclies the iclllpg ... lx nilnutes the ticking beiomes n fnrml lnhle sotin 1 which nirel) the) inn heir In the street It Is ns a loi'iiiiiiitlio thundering h) "I be innn shrieks but In him It seems tint Ills lolie ennnot doinl-nate doinl-nate the uproir of those reMdvliu; w heels. Heien minutes ... ihcrnnro now scleral c)llnders, powerful in, I enormous, they pr.es themsehes against lilm, nnd baflle eiery nt-tempted nt-tempted repulse Prom nil come tho same m Middling roar ... I light minutes He fancies that ho henrs the click tint presages the crushing nf the gliss tube See' the ollndets nn bursting and pouring nut nn nvalinehe of hills -hills nf nil kinds nnl allies They heap themselves up They (111 the loom They nre stilling lilm under their mnss ... Nine minutes ... His c)cs lioier between his wntch and the monstrous mon-strous niRlnes thnt nie crushing lilm ngnlnst the door ... The f.ue of the witch nnd the hands dance In a cnnfus.il mnss berore his e)es Ilo falls to his knees, his e)is cloud, his hands ngnlnst his enrs, thnt he may nnt henr tho terrllh explosion. that ho ma) not sic The next diy tlvy foun 1 the body of n man stretchei on a pile of green-licks green-licks close to the door-whldi wns not locked! Nenr the body, nn a small table, la) nn i nnl no, which was subjected sub-jected to a careful examlnitlnu nt tho inunlclpil hihonitor) The result shnweil conoltteliel) Hint tho midline cnuld not, under any ilrcumstances, ciwlng tn n Haw In Its construction, linie exploded Translated ftnm tho Trench for the New York Commerclul Advertiser by I, V Kcndrkk, |