The Man Who Fell Through the Earth

“I remember everything – everything, – and it is not all pleasant remembrance! But it must be told, and then I must go at once and report to my superiors.

“I am Amory Manning, a special agent in the Secret Service. I was detailed by the Government to hunt down a certain branch of the enemy spy system in New York City, and in pursuance of my duty, I learned that Amos Gately was the man I sought.”

Manning still kept his glance averted from Olive, indeed, he looked almost constantly at Zizi, whose dark little face, lovely in its sympathy, seemed to drink in his every word.

“I knew all about Rodman, I was on the trail of Sadie, ‘The Link,’ and I came here, that afternoon, primarily to get an incriminating paper, which would have been positive evidence against Gately, and I had orders to arrest him if he was unable to clear himself.

“We had a stormy interview, and I found the man was guilty of the blackest treason. He had been a receiver of the stolen information sold by ‘The Link,’ and had transmitted it, by secret channels of his own, to the enemy government. I charged him with this, and he put up a fight. I tried to overcome him, and take him peaceably, but he was desperate and evaded my grasp. He ran toward that map in the other room, and I stood just here, where I am now sitting. I had overturned the chair in our struggle and as I suddenly saw him push aside the map and enter what was beyond all doubt a secret mode of exit, I fired at him. Of course, I meant merely to wing him, – merely to prevent his escape, – but as I fired he turned and received the bullet in his heart. Of course, I didn’t know this at the time, nor did I know where he had gone. But I heard the car descend, and knew that it must be a private elevator.

“I ran into that room, and finding the elevator entrance, behind the map, fastened, I flew out to the hall and downstairs. In my haste, there being no car waiting, I thought I could get down faster by the stairs. But after running down two flights, I saw a waiting elevator and got in. I had dropped my pistol somewhere when trying to stuff it into my overcoat pocket as I ran downstairs. But I gave no thought to anything save preventing the escape of my prisoner. Of course, I didn’t then know how seriously he was hurt.

“I failed to find the exit from the private elevator, and never dreaming it was in the building next door, I hunted this building for quite a time. I investigated the ground floor, the basement and sub-basement, but couldn’t find it. Greatly puzzled, I began the search all over again, and then, Olive, – Miss Raynor, came, and – later, I found that others had discovered the dead body of the man I had shot.

“I waited only to be sure of this, and then started at once to report to the Federal Bureau.”

“I know it,” I interrupted, unable to keep quiet, as the recollection surged over me, “and you went down Third Avenue on the street-car – ”

“I did,” Manning’s face showed only an intense effort at reconstructing the scene, “I was going to stop at my rooms on the way, for something I needed, and – ”

“Wait a minute,” Wise said, “I’m interested in the Case Rivers phase of your existence. Don’t forget you’re the Man Who Fell Through the Earth.”

A strange smile passed over Manning’s face.

“I’m just coming to that,” he said; “I am that man, and I can tell you right now, how, where, and why I made the trip!”

All eyes were upon him. This strange talk, – and he had been so sensible up to now. Was the hallucination of falling through the earth destined to mar his newly returned sanity?

“Go on,” repeated Zizi, and the calmness of her voice restored Manning’s poise, and also raised my hopes of a plausible explanation.

“You were with me, Brice,” Manning looked at me, as if for corroboration.

“Yes; I was in the car with you, but we were not near enough to speak. There was a big crowd, – and I was standing at the rear end, while you were well forward. But I say, Rivers, it’s hard to believe that man in the car was you! Why, you’re not the same type – ”

“Wait a minute,” the speaker waved his hand as if to check interruption, “I am Manning, – I’ll explain later, – but now I want to get that occasion well in hand. I got off the front end of the car, – I don’t know what you did, – and as I stepped off, a sudden fierce blast of wind nearly took me off my feet. I was right in the middle of the street but it seemed the middle of a howling blizzard, and as I took a step, – I went down an open manhole into the sewer.

“This I distinctly remember, – the street cleaners were working there, shoveling the snow into the sewer. They had no business to leave the manhole open and unguarded, but that black squall was so sudden and terrific, no one could see or know anything for the time being.

“However, I knew perfectly well, as I fell in, what had happened, but then, – and I remember this, too, – I fell and fell, – down, down, – it seemed for miles; I was whirled dizzily about, – but still I fell – on and on, – interminably. I felt my consciousness going, – at first, abnormally acute, my senses became dulled, and I had only a sensation of falling – ever falling – through the earth!

“There my memory ceases. And as I next remember finding myself in a bed in Bellevue Hospital, and as I have had detailed to me the full account of my being found floating, nearly dead, in the East River, I can only accept the inevitable conclusion that I was carried by the rush of the sewer, straight out to the river, and picked up for dead.

“That a sign of life was found, after I was taken to the morgue, was of the nature of a miracle, and only the most desperate efforts fanned that little spark into resuscitation. The rest you know. The shock, the exposure, the cold, and perhaps a blow or two on my head, all combined, resulted in a total loss of memory as to my identity or to the events of my former life.

“I had only remaining the positive recollection of that fall – ” Manning shuddered, – “that interminable, that never-ending fall through the earth.”

“But you fell through water,” said Wise, his eyes staring at the narrator of all this.

“Not to my knowledge. My realization of falling only lasted until I struck the water in the sewer. That, doubtless, knocked me out for good and all, – mentally, I mean. I have to thank my wonderful vitality and strong constitution for the fact that I really lived through the catastrophe. Think what it means! Hurtled through that rushing torrent of a sewer half filled with melted snow and water, – flung out into the river, dashed about among the floating cakes of ice, and all with sufficient force to tear off my clothing, – and yet to live through it!”

“Going some!” cried Zizi, and the sparkle of her dancing eyes and the delight on her small, smiling face, made the rude phrase seem quite fit for the occasion.

“And so,” Manning went on, quietly, “I have accomplished my quests. I have been working hard to discover three things, – my own identity, the whereabouts of Amory Manning, and – the slayer of Amos Gately. I, myself, am the answer to all three questions.”

A silence fell; and then Olive spoke.

“You are no slayer, – you are no murderer. You shot Mr. Gately by accident, in the pursuance of your duty. You are not only exonerated, but you did a deed, in freeing the world of a traitor, that entitles you to a Distinguished Service Cross! I respected my guardian, – I was fond of him, – but now I know what he was. I have only contempt and hatred of him! You, Amory, are a hero! – my hero.”

Olive held out her hands with a beautiful gesture of affection, and Manning strode across the room to her side.

“Now I have the only forgiveness I care for,” he said, and his face was radiant. “Now, I must go at once, and report. My duty lies to my country, – to my government! Oh, there are so many things yet to think of! They, – the Government, – offered a reward for me!”

“Which you have won yourself!” exclaimed Penny Wise.

“Yes,” chuckled Zizi, “and you’ve won the reward offered for Mr. Gately’s – ” she hesitated, – “for the man who freed the world of one more traitorous viper!”

“And, incidentally,” I added, “you’ve cleared up the puzzle of the man who fell through the earth!”

“It is well that Gately is no more,” Manning said, musingly; “he was especially dangerous because he was in such a high position and so trusted by everybody. Rodman was an equal scoundrel, but he worked inconspicuously. Gately banked on his reputation for honor and probity, – used his own well-earned fame to further the meanest cause on earth!

“Whatever happens, I’m glad he is unable to do further harm. I didn’t mean to kill him – it was an accident, – but the world is well rid of him.”

“Amen,” said Olive, softly.

“Well, the end justifies the means,” said Mrs. Vail, a little hysterically. “Why, once I heard of – ”

Ruthlessly, I shut her off.

“Accept my greetings, Mr. Manning,” I said, offering my hand to our new-found friend. “I’m proud to know you!”

And then there was a scene of handshaking and smiling welcome such as any hero might be proud to receive.

“Wait a minute,” Manning said, at last, “that day, I was hunting a paper, you know. If it was sent off, there will yet be trouble from it. Has it been found, do you know, Mr. Wise?”

“No; what sort of a paper?”

“One of the stolen telegrams. It was concealed, I had reason to think, somewhere in Gately’s desk – ”

“Do you know that?”

“I think so – wait, – I had just thought I knew where to look for it, when Gately said something that made me telephone for assistance in his arrest. I was waiting for an answer to my call – ”

“When you drew the snow crystal!” Zizi cried.

“Yes,” he smiled. “And then, I saw something that hinted a possible hiding-place – ah, here it is!”

He stepped to the desk and picked up the heavy, ornate gold penholder. He fussed with it a moment, and then, unscrewing it in the middle, showed that it was a cleverly constructed place to hide a tiny roll of thin paper.

There was such a roll in it, and pulling it out, Manning grinned with glee. “All right,” he cried, joyfully; “this is the paper, a Government secret! See, you read it by that carriage-call check, and it’s safe now!”

It was a paper filled with rows of letters, such a paper as had been found in Sadie’s possession and also in Rodman’s.

“Now, I am satisfied,” Manning declared; “and now I must go straight down to the Federal Bureau. But first – ”

“Sure!” said Zizi, reading his thoughts; “we’re excused!”

And with a saucy smile, she flew over and kissed Olive heartily. Then, with an imperious air, she took command, and almost before we knew it she had herded every last one of us, except Olive and Manning, across the hall to my office.

I was the last to go, and Manning smiled broadly as he called after me, “I want Miss Raynor to say once more that she exonerates me, and then I’ll report to my other Superior!”

Laughing happily, I entered my office, and found it a scene of hilarious gayety. Mrs. Vail was positively cavorting about, as Norah waltzed her up and down the room; Pennington Wise was sitting on the corner of my desk whistling dance music for them, and Zizi, her arms waving, executed a sort of glory dance of her own making-up.

After a time, the door of the Gately room opened, and Olive’s blushing face appeared, followed by that of the Man Who Fell Through the Earth.

“I want to correct a misstatement of mine,” she said; “I told you I wasn’t engaged to Amory Manning – but, – I am!”

The two came over to my office, and the ovation we gave them was second only to our reception of Manning himself a few moments before.

“Are you sure it is Manning?” Wise teased her.

“Yes,” said Olive, most seriously. “You see he was in disguise when he was himself, and so – ”

Her voice was lost in the shout that went up at her remark, and she looked around in bewilderment.

“She’s right,” said Manning, smiling; “I was. You see, when I became a Secret Service man, I had certain peculiar duties assigned me and it was important that I shouldn’t be known. So I adopted a permanent disguise, – oh, nothing much, – merely a mild dye for my hair and beard, which washed off easily, and a pair of big, horn-rimmed specs, which were really rather becoming than otherwise. But Olive, and many of my acquaintances knew me only in this way. I wore a Vandyke beard, and a small mustache of the Charles I type.

“Then you see, when I was taken in at the hospital, and shaved, I continued to adopt a clean-shaven face. Also, the dye was thoroughly washed out in the sewer, and as my memory was washed out with it, I experienced no surprise at finding a light-haired man in my mirror.

“Olive tells me, too, that my voice was of a totally different caliber, due, no doubt, to a certain vacuity made in my brain by the loss of my memory. Oh, well, that’s the story. And but for my peculiarity of drawing snow crystals, – a thing I’ve done just about all my life, – and but for Zizi’s quick-witted realization of this habit of mine, I might never have regained consciousness of my true personality!”

“Probably something else would have brought it about,” said Wise, “but your drawing of the snow crystals began with Brice’s first interview with you. I ought to have found that drawing on Gately’s desk long ago! Stoo-pid!” and he beat his head in mock self-abasement.

“Yes,” said Zizi, giving Wise a smile that was both impudent and affectionate, “you should have, oh, Wise Guy! You ought to have found that snowflake drawing for yourself.”

“Oh, that’s what I have you for, Ziz, to look up clews for me.”

“Of course you do, Penny Wise. I’m only your Pound Foolish, but at least, I can see through a clew that is as clear as crystal!”