, followed by the five men who had
entered the house with him. But their anticipations were groundless.
Not a sign of human life did they find in the large, square, deep
basement, or cellar, more properly.

Some of the men looked puzzled, Mr. Stanlock was evidently laboring
under increasing distress, but Lieut Larkin's curiosity seemed to
grow.

"Some queer stories have been told about this place," he said; "and
I'm wondering if now is not the time to put them to a test. They are
pretty wild stories, almost as wild as haunted house yarns, but there
may be thing to them."

"I've heard something about them myself," said Mr. Stanlock. "You
refer to the stories about the building of this house over an old
mine, I suppose? This cellar was said to have been the mouth of the
shaft of the mine enlarged."

"That's it," the lieutenant replied. "Now, let's look about and see if
there is anything to it."

He began to flash his light over the floor, walls, and contents of the
cellar. The latter consisted principally of barrels, boxes and a
nondescript pile of scrap lumber. Most of this was heaped against the
south wall.

Presently something in the pile of lumber held the attention of the
lieutenant, who began to examine it more closely.

"Look here," he said, addressing Mr. Stanlock. "Do you see any
difference between this pile of lumber and that dry goods box over
there?"

"I was just noticing that there was a heavy covering of dust on the
box and little or none on the top pieces of lumber," the mine owner
answered.

"That's just it," continued Lieut. Larkin, "and it can mean only one
thing, that this pile of lumber has been moved recently. Now, the
question, in view of the fact that the missing girls were seen
entering this place today and in view of the shoe prints on the cellar
stairway and the fact that they are not in the basement now is, Why?"

"The best way to find out is to move it again," suggested Sergeant
Higgins.

"Exactly," agreed his superior officer. "Now, Johnson, you go upstairs
and inform the other men what we are doing. We don't want them down
here, for there's nothing they can do. Moreover, we don't want any
more traveling up and down those steps than is absolutely necessary.
Be careful, Johnson, on your way up."

"Excuse me, lieutenant," interposed Mr. Stanlock in a weak voice that
bespoke the distress under which he was laboring. "I think I won't
remain down here just now. I'll go up and carr