THE SEALED DOOR
The stillness of the night was suddenly shattered as a booming noise
vibrated through the silent old house. There it was again. Boom! Boom! It
echoed and re-echoed through the great hall and high-ceilinged rooms.
“What was that?” whispered Peggy as she and Jo Ann sprang up in the
darkness, wide awake in an instant.
“I don’t know,” Jo Ann whispered back. “It sounded like shooting. Do you
suppose someone’s starting a revolution? You never know what to expect
next down here.”
“I knew you shouldn’t have read those old histories last night, Jo,”
murmured Florence drowsily, with a hint of amusement in her voice. “You
seem to have war on the brain.”
“Well, what in the world was that noise, then?” retorted Jo Ann. “I know
perfectly well I did hear something that sounded like a gun or a——”
Before she could finish her sentence the booming noise sounded again in
rapid succession.
“Now! I suppose I’m imagining things, am I?” she scoffed.
Florence broke into a peal of laughter as she rose and began hastily
putting on her robe and slippers. “I’m really surprised, Jo, that you
could be fooled by anything about this house—you’ve studied it so
thoroughly,” she added over her shoulder as she ran out of the room.
“Now what do you know about that!” exclaimed Peggy with a quizzical
expression on her face. “I fail to see the joke, don’t you?”
“Well—I believe—I’m beginning to see it,” replied Jo Ann slowly. “That
was only someone knocking on the door downstairs, but I can’t see why
Florence had to answer it. I don’t believe Dr. Blackwell would expect her
to go down there alone—in the middle of the night—to answer the door.”
“No, I’m sure he wouldn’t,” agreed Peggy, “but why did she rush off like
that, then?”
A few moments later Florence burst into the room, still smiling. “Well,
I’ve stopped the revolution,” she announced, her eyes twinkling. “I
assure you everything is quiet and peaceful, and you won’t be disturbed
again. Go back to sleep. You’re perfectly safe now.”
“I know I sounded silly, but I was half asleep, and it startled me,” Jo
Ann explained apologetically. “I know now it was someone knocking on the
door, but why did you have to answer it?”
“I suppose it did look funny, the way I rushed out there alone,” Florence
replied, “but I knew it was only someone coming for Daddy. I always go
downstairs with him to bolt the door after he leaves.”
“To bolt the door!” repeated Peggy. “Can’t he use a key? I never heard of
the whole family having to get up in the middle of the night to escort
someone to the door.”
“Well, I’d much rather bolt the door after him,” Florence laughed, “than
go along to carry the key for him.”
“How ridiculous!” Peggy retorted. “People usually carry their own keys,
don’t they?”
“Yes, that’s true—but this is an unusual house, you must remember. You’ve
never seen this key, have you?”
Peggy and Jo Ann shook their heads.
“Well, it’s solid brass, about that long”—she held up her hands eight
inches apart—“and weighs a pound or more. In olden days they took the
_mozo_ along just to carry the key—when it was necessary to carry it.
We’ve found that the key makes a better parlor ornament than anything
else.”
“What’s a bozo—or _mozo_, or whatever you call it?” asked Peggy.
“That’s what they call a manservant,” explained Florence.
Peggy then turned to Jo Ann and remarked teasingly, “The key—weren’t you
hunting for a mysterious key? There you are! Your wish has been granted.”
Disregarding Peggy’s remarks, Jo Ann asked eagerly, “Florence, where’s
that key? I want to see it.”
“It’ll keep till morning,” Florence returned, snuggling into bed. “Come
on—it’s ’most four o’clock, but we can get a nice little nap before time
to get up.”
“Tell me where the key is, and I’ll get it,” persisted Jo Ann. “I
couldn’t go to sleep for thinking about it—not that it’ll help me though,
as Peggy suggested. That’s not the kind of key I’m looking for.”
“I don’t know exactly where it is,” replied Florence. “I’ll have to hunt
for it, but if you’re that anxious to see it, we’ll get it.”
With flashlights blinking, the three pajama-clad figures crept across the
hall and into the parlor, a room that was seldom used. After searching
among several other old relics in a cabinet, Florence finally unearthed
the huge key, tarnished and black from disuse.
“Here you are,” she said, handing it to Jo Ann. “You can look at it the
rest of the night if you want to, but I’m going to bed. Come on, put it
under your pillow or anywhere you wish.”
She led the way back to their room, and she and Peggy quickly crawled
into bed. But Jo Ann sat under the light, turning the key over and over
in her hand, musing. “What a key! Who ever heard of a key so large you
needed a servant to carry it—but how typical of the time when this house
was built. Everything—the walls, the windows, the doors—practically
impenetrable. What a place of refuge in times of war and strife!”
“Turn out that light,” growled Peggy, startling Jo Ann out of her
reverie. “Can’t you dream as well in the dark? We want to go to sleep, if
you don’t.”
“Oh, I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to disturb you,” Jo Ann answered, and,
turning out the light, crawled into bed.
It seemed to Jo Ann that she had scarcely closed her eyes before there
was a knock on the door, and she heard Florence talking to someone. “What
is it this time?” she thought drowsily. “Such a night—just one thing
after another.”
She turned over and dozed off again, but again a voice broke into her
slumbers: “Jo, come on.”
“Why couldn’t they leave her alone—or was she dreaming?”
“It’s time to get up, Jo,” the voice urged. “Hurry! Juana’s not coming
today, and we’ve got to do the cooking.”
Forcing one eye open, she saw the room filled with sunlight, and Florence
and Peggy already almost dressed.
“O-oh, I’m so sleepy!” she mumbled between yawns. “I’ll get up in a
minute.”
“That’s what you get for keeping us awake half the night,” scolded Peggy.
“Now hurry up. We’ve got to get breakfast.”
“What d’you say?” she asked lazily.
“Come on, Florence, let’s pull her out,” put in Peggy. “We’ll get even
with her for last night.”
Without another word Peggy made a grab for Jo Ann’s feet. But Jo Ann was
wide awake in an instant. Like a flash she reached out, and catching
Peggy around the neck, pulled her down on the bed beside her. Laughing
and shrieking, the tussle continued while Florence dropped in a chair,
convulsed with laughter. Over and over the two rolled, first this way,
then that, till they finally landed on the floor, panting for breath.
“Well—you’re awake—now!” gasped Peggy.
“Did I dream it or did I hear you say something about Juana not coming
today?” Jo Ann asked when she could get her breath.
“I’m sorry to inform you that you were not dreaming,” replied Florence.
“No, she’s not coming, and if we eat today we’ll have to cook. Her
husband’s sister’s child died, and she went over there till after the
funeral. Juana’s so good I hate to say anything when she misses a day now
and then. The Mexicans have such large families, someone is always dying.
That’s why black is almost a uniform with the peon women. They’re always
in mourning for someone.”
“Gracious! I’d hate to wear black all the time,” shuddered Peggy.
“Well, this won’t get breakfast or clean up the house,” said Jo Ann,
dressing rapidly. “Come on, let’s get busy. This is just the opportunity
I’ve been waiting for.”
“Why the sudden ambition?” inquired Peggy quizzically. “It’s strange I
have no recollection of your having demonstrated your talent for
housework before.”
“Oh, I don’t mind cooking,” returned Jo Ann. “But that’s not what I’m
talking about. I’ve been trying to get in that kitchen without Juana
there so I could poke around in all the corners to my heart’s content.”
“Oh, I see!” laughed Peggy. “While we work, you search out the mysteries
of——”
“Girls! Girls! Whatever shall I do with you?” put in Florence, laughing.
“Which would you rather do?” she added as the trio trooped gaily to the
kitchen. “Go to market or have breakfast first? Since Daddy’s already had
his breakfast, it makes no difference which we do.”
“It’s all the same to me,” replied Peggy. “I’m not the least bit hungry,
and I’d rather enjoy the walk.”
“Someone has to stay here to look after the house and answer the door,”
Florence went on. “Since you girls can’t very well do the marketing, I’ll
go with you, and we’ll leave Felipe here. This will be one morning you
won’t have to be bothered with him, Jo.”
“Wait a minute,” cut in Jo Ann. “I have a better plan than that. Let’s
have breakfast right now; then, while you and Felipe go to market, Peg
and I’ll stay here and wash the dishes.”
“I can’t let you do that!” exclaimed Florence in dismay. “And, anyway,
what’d you do if someone came to see Dad?”
“Oh, I’d say _en un momento_ [in a minute] and sit them down in the
office till you got back,” Jo Ann answered lightly. “You see, what I
really want is to get rid of the watchdog for a little while, and that
seems to be the only way of doing it.”
“Well—under—one condition,” said Florence hesitantly. “If you’ll promise
not to do anything daring or dangerous in any way, then I’ll let you stay
here.”
“I’ll do my best to keep her straight,” promised Peggy.
“You do have a time with me, don’t you?” laughed Jo Ann. “I’ll promise to
be good this time.”
As soon as breakfast was over, Florence started off to market, with the
faithful Felipe trailing along behind. At last Peggy and Jo Ann had the
house to themselves. They stacked and carried the dishes to the kitchen,
and then Jo Ann quickly placed her stack on the table and walked to the
door. From there she started across the room in front of the huge
fireplace.
“One—two—three,” she counted, pacing the distance to the wall across the
room, “four—five.” Then, turning, she measured the distance back again.
“I guess that’s right,” she mumbled to herself.
“What in the world are you doing now?” asked Peggy disgustedly from
across the room. “Have you lost your mind?”
“Don’t bother me. Seventeen—eighteen——”
“Josephine Annette Cutrer, are you going to help with these dishes?”
insisted Peggy.
There was no response from Jo Ann. By that time she had gone out the door
and was pacing the length of the hall.
“Peg! Oh, Peg! Come here quick!” she called excitedly in another moment.
“I knew I was on the right track. Look!” Again she paced the length of
the hall from the door, back. “You see,” she explained, “there’s about
eight feet difference in the distance on this side of the wall and that
in the kitchen.”
“What do you mean?” asked Peggy in surprise. “It’s bound to be the same.”
“But it isn’t. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Now, if the wall
measures less on this side, wouldn’t you figure there was some reason for
it?”
“Why—yes, I suppose so.”
“Well, then! What would you call a space eight feet deep—and with a
window in it?”
Peggy stared, wide-eyed. “Why, Jo! You mean—there’s a room back there?”
“Exactly! It couldn’t be anything else,” Jo Ann replied, taking the shade
off the light. “Here, hold this light at this angle so it’ll shine on the
middle of this wall.”
“Is that right?” asked Peggy, trying to do as she was told.
“No, shine it over a little to your left.” The next moment Jo Ann
exclaimed in disgust, “Oh, gee! It’s so dark in this corner, even that
doesn’t do much good. Wish I had a light ’way back here.”
“Wait a minute. I’ll get my flashlight,” called Peggy, running quickly to
her room.
“Now, is that better?” she asked a moment later.
“Yes, but—here, hand me the flashlight.” Jo Ann reached over for the
flashlight. “Now you hold the other one. Two lights ought to be better
than one,” she added, gazing intently at the wall from first one angle
then another. “Peg, am I seeing things, or is there a shadow across the
wall?” she asked a few minutes later, holding the light close.
Peggy shook her head. “I can’t see a thing.”
“Put that light down and come here! Now, look—right here!” Jo Ann
pointed, running her hand across the wall. “And over here! I can feel a
sort of dent in the wall. Don’t you see it?”
“Oh—I—believe—I do,” Peggy answered slowly, then, “Yes, I do see it now.
I’m sure I do!”
“There used to be a narrow door right here!” cried Jo Ann excitedly. “I
knew it! I knew it! I told you the key to the mystery lay behind that
window.” Grabbing Peggy, she danced her hilariously around the hall.