Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-29

yard strewn with heavy boxes. Seeing q
nearby door. he opened 1t. audaciousiy,
and found himself in a noisy auction room ,.,
through them. he stepped out into the street.
unnotlced.
When the wounded woman had made sure
that she was aione-she had been afraid to
move where she lay fearing a second shot
with u little groan two she tried to rise
to her knees. She felt that there might
still be time. IL she could only crawl to the
phone, But this she found was beyond her
strength. The left sleeve Of her waist. she
also saw, was wet and sodden with blood.
She looked at 1T languidly, wondering II
the wound would leave a scar. Already she
could hear footsteps below. and again and
still again she struggled to shake OF her
languor. and told herself that she must
be ready when Durkin came. that he, at
least. must not be trapped. She, as q mere
pool-room stenographer. had little to fear
from the law. But as she tried. with her
teeth and her free arm, to tear a strip
from her white underskirt. the movement
for all her tfght-lipped determination. was
of hearing footsteps swarminE about her,
and then of ebblng and pulsing down
through endless depths of what seemed to
her like efder-downed emptiness.
When she came to one of Doogan's men
was leaning over her. with a pocket-flask
of brandy in his hand. She could feel some
of it still wet on her chin and waist COLI
lar. She looked up at him. bewildered, and
stood about her. And then the events of
the afternoon came back to her. .
She closed her eyes again. vaguely won
dering If some teasing indeterminate mis-
hap. which she could not quite remember.
had yet come about. At first she could
not grasp 1t as she lay there moaning with
pain. the breeze from the open window
blowing on her face. Then the truth came
to her In a FASH
It was Durkin He was coming back; and
thew watching there waiting to tran
him. Again she told herself that she must
keep her head, and be cool.
Without moving her head, she let her row.
ing eyes take in the five men about her In
the room; three Of them, she knew, were
plain-clothes men from the central office.
the other two were Doogan's agents If
Durkin came while they were still there
and now he could not be long!-they would
let him in, and Of course say nothing. and
there they would have him, like a rat In a
trap. =.
She grew hysterical, and cried out to them
that she was dying. yet waiting all the
ing to think how she might save him. At
last, to her sudden joy. she remembered
that he was to bring from her rooms her
own handbag, filled with q few things
her He would surely carry that bag In
with him when he came; that was her sal
walton.
She fell to shrieking again that she was
dying, demanding shrilly why her doctor
had not come. Through her cries, her alert
ears heard the sound Of voices at the street
door. 1t was Durkin, at last; he had
spoken q word or two with the two plain
clothes men, who. she knew, would readily
enough let him pass.
Doctor she screamed. as she heard his
steps on the stair. Doctor! I'm dying.
doctor! Are you never coming"
She wondered, in her agony of mind and
body, If he would be fool enough not to
understand. Would he be fool enough? :
Doogans agents and the three plain
clothes men gathered about her silently
as they saw the intruder hurry in and
drop on his knee beside the woman Ii
it you, doctor? she walled, with chattering
teeth. shaking with an On-coming chill.
Durkin, in his dilemma, did not dare to
look away from her face. He was blindly
trying to grope his way toward what 1t all
meant. The others stood above him, listen