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all stone arch。 His nose wrinkled at the smell of rotting paper。
Behind him the boiler kicked on with a thundering whoosh； making him jump。
He flickered the light around； whistling tunelessly between his teeth。 There was a scale…model Andes range down here： dozens of boxes and crates stuffed with papers； most of them white and shapeless with age and damp。 Others had broken open and spilled yellowed sheaves of paper onto the stone floor。 There were bales of newspaper tied up with hayrope。 Some boxes contained what looked like ledgers； and others contained invoices bound with rubber bands。 Jack pulled one out and put the flashlight beam on it。
ROCKY MOUNTAIN EXPRESS； INC。
To： OVERLOOK HOTEL From： SIDEY'S WAREHOUSE； 1210 16th Street； Denver； CO。
Via： CANDIAN PACIFIC RR Contents： 400 CASES DELSEY TOILET TISSUE； 1 GROSS/CASE Signed D E F Date August 24； 1954
Smiling； Jack let the paper drop back into the box。
He flashed the light above it and it speared a hanging lightbulb； almost buried in cobwebs。 There was no chain pull。
He stood on tiptoe and tried screwing the bulb in。 It lit weakly。 He picked up the toilet…paper invoice again and used it to wipe off some of the cobwebs。 The glow didn't brighten much。
Still using the flashlight； he wandered through the boxes and bales of paper； looking for rat spoor。 They had been here； but not for quite a long time 。 。 。
maybe years。 He found some droppings that were powdery with age； and several nests of neatly shredded paper that were old and unused。
Jack pulled a newspaper from one of the bundles and glanced down at the headline。
JOHNSON PROMISES ORDERLY TRANSITION Says Work Begun by JFK Will Go Forward in ing Year
The paper was the Rocky Mountain News； dated December 19； 1963。 He dropped it back onto its pile。
He supposed he was fascinated by that monplace sense of history that anyone can feel glancing through the fresh news of ten or twenty years ago。 He found gaps in the piled newspapers and records； nothing from 1937 to 1945； from 1957 to 1960； from 1962 to 1963。 Periods when the hotel had been closed； he guessed。
When it had been between suckers grabbing for the brass ring。
Ullman's explanations of the Overlook's checkered career still didn't ring quite true to him。 It seemed that the Overlooks spectacular location alone should have guaranteed its continuing success。 There had always been an American jetset； even before jets were invented； and it seemed to Jack that the Overlook should have been one of the bases they touched in their migrations。 It even sounded right。 The Waldorf in May； the Bar Harbor House in June and July； the Overlook in August and early September； before moving on to Bermuda； Havana； Rio； wherever。 He found a pile of old desk registers and they bore him out。
Nelson Rockefeller in 1950。 Henry Ford & Fam。 in 1927。 Jean Harlow in 1930。
Clark Gable and Carole Lombard。 In 1956 the whole top floor had been taken for a week by 〃Darryl F。 Zanuck & Party。〃 The money must have rolled down the corridors and into the cash registers like a twentieth…century stock Lode。
The management must have been spectacularly bad。
There was history here； all right； and not just in newspaper headlines。 It was buried between the entries in these ledgers and account books and room…service chits where you couldn't quite see it。 In 1922 Warren G。 Harding had ordered a whole salmon at ten o'clock in the evening； and a case of Coors beer。 But whom had he been eating and drinking with？ Had it been a poker game？ A strategy session？ What？
Jack glanced at his watch and was surprised to see that forty…five minutes had somehow slipped by since he had e down here。 His hands and arms were grimy； and he probably smelled bad。 He decided to go up and take a shower before Wendy and Danny got back。
He walked slowly between the mountains of paper； his mind alive and ticking over possibilities in a speedy way that was exhilarating。 He hadn't felt this way in years。 It suddenly seemed that the book he had semijokingly promised himself might really happen。 It might even be right here； buried in these untidy heaps of paper。 It could be a work of fiction； or history； or both…a long book exploding out of this central place in a hundred directions。
He stood beneath the cobwebby light； took his handkerchief from his back pocket without thinking； and scrubbed at his lips with it。 And that was when he saw the scrapbook。
A pile of five boxes stood on his left like some tottering Pisa。 The one on top was stuffed with more invoices and ledgers。 Balanced on top of those； keeping its angle of repose for who knew how many years； was a thick scrapbook with white leather covers； its pages bound with two hanks of gold string that bad been tied along the binding in gaudy bows。
Curious； he went over and took it down。 The top cover was thick with dust。 He held it on a plane at lip level； blew the dust off in a cloud； and opened it。 As he did so a card fluttered out and he grabbed it in mid…air before it could fall to the stone floor。 It was rich and creamy； dominated by a raised engraving of the Overlook with every window alight。 The lawn and playground were decorated with glowing Japanese lanterns。 It looked almost as though you could step right into it； an Overlook Hotel that had existed thirty years ago。
Horace M。 Derwent Requests The Pleasure of Your pany At a Masked Ball to Celebrate The Grand Opening of
THE OVERLOOK HOTEL
Dinner Will Be Served At 8 P。M。
Unmasking And Dancing At Midnight August 29； 1945 RSVP
Dinner at eight！ Unmasking at midnight！
He could almost see them in the dining room； the richest men in America and their women。 Tuxedos and glimmering starched shirts； evening gowns； the band playing； gleaming high…heeled pumps。 The clink of glasses； the jocund pop of champagne corks。 The war was over； or almost over。 The future lay ahead； clean and shining。 America was the colossus of the world and at last she knew it and accepted it。
And later； at midnight； Derwent himself crying： 〃Unmask！ Unmask！〃 The masks ing off and 。 。 。
（The Red Death held sway over all！） He frowned。 What left field had that e out of？ That was Poe； the Great American Hack。 And surely the Overlook…this shining； glowing Overlook on the invitation he held in his hands…was the farthest cry from E。 A。 Poe imaginable。
He put the invitation back and turned to the next page。 A paste…up from one of the Denver papers； and scratched beneath it the date： May 15； 1947。
POSH MOUNTAIN RESORT REOPENS WITH STELLAR GUEST REGISTER Derwent Says Overlook Will Be 〃Showplace of the World〃
By David Felton； Features Editor The Overlook Hotel has been opened and reopened in its thirty…eight…year history； but rarely with such style and dash as that promised by Horace Derwent； the mysterious California millionaire who is the latest owner of the hostelry。
Derwent； who makes no secret of having sunk more than one million dollars into his newest venture…and some say the figure is closer to three million…says that 〃The new Overlook will be o