Part 16 (1/2)
”How should we know?” asked Mike ”We was coo o' the stuff e hear it”
”Mistuh Higginbotharo ”Leastways, he done went up to see 'bout deht, George,” said Ryan ”I'd forgotten Listen to that
There they go again Coe, Pete and Mike at his heels The crowd of ave 'way before hione The room was deserted
”Now is our chance,” said Captain Folso beside hiet downstairs and out of the house before they return, for return they will as soon as they understand what the fellows on the roof have to tell of our mysterious disappearance”
He darted down the stairs, two at a time, with the four others close behind hi rooroaned:
”Too late They're co hi
”Quick, fellows, through this door It's a chance”
Jack had observed a closed door, near the piano, and the others followed pell-mell behind him and Captain Folso his hand encounter a key, turned it in the lock
None too soon They could hear shouts and curses, as the ed up the stairway
Jack,To a wall switch, had pressed a button At once an electric light in the ceiling flashed on, revealing that they were in a large pantry
Bottles of liquor stood about and, on a tray, were a nu to feed his boss,” surmised Frank
”Well, those chicken sandwiches look all right I'ry”
And without
”Great stuff,” he said
”Say, you, co a little, nevertheless, despite his anxiety ”Think of eating at a ti off the first sandwich and taking another ”Well, lead on, Macduff Where you going?”
”There's no way out of this except by the cellar,” Jack replied, already having opened the other door of the pantry and shot the rays of his searchlight down the stairway ”Shall we try it?”
”We can't stay here,” answered Captain Folsoht now, by the sound of it Soon they'll be down here And we can't go out through the living rooh the keyhole in the door and can see two uard at the foot of the stairway”
Tom Barnum up to this moment had had little to say Noever, he came forith a remark that caused the others to stare in ae from the cellar to Starfish Cove or thereabouts,” he said ”I don't know nothin' about it, but that's what folks say They say as how old Pirate Brownell was afraid his sins would catch up with hie when the avengers cah”
”A secret passage?” said Jack ”Come on Last man closes the cellar door and locks it fro the pantry, he stuffed the re sandwiches into his trousers pockets, seized on a tre on the butler's cabinet, and switched off the light Then he locked the cellar stairway door, and descended to where the others awaited him at the foot
They stood, as well as they could discern, in the h with cases upon cases of bottles and barrels, too
”Whew,” said Captain Folsom, ”this looks like a bonded liquor warehouse If we could only raid this place right now, it would be the richest haul in the history of the country since the nation went dry”
”Is all this liquor?” asked Frank, incredulously