The San Francisco call., 1909-01-10

at the darkness with eager hands.
Miss Calendar he. cried guardedIy.
Miss. Calendar. it is Phillip Kirk
wood"
There was second sob, of another
caliber than the first; timid fingers
brushed his. and hand. warm and
fragile. closed upon his own in a pas
sion of relief and gratitude
"Oh. am so g-gladi" 1t was Dorothy
Calendars voice. beyond mistake. Z
1 didn't know what ito t-think- :
When the light struck your face I was
sure 1t was you. but when / called
you answered in a voice so strange
not like yours at all, Tell me-,
she pleaded. with palpable effort to
steady herself what has happenedT'
II think, perhaps" said Kirkwood un-
easily, again troubled by his racing
pulses, perhaps you can do that bet
ter, than II
"Oh,' said the voice guiltily; her in-
gers trembled on his and were gently
withdrawn. II was so frightened" she
confessed after little pause. $50
frightened that / hardly understand
-. But you? How did your
Il worried about YOU" he replied.
in tone absurdedly apologetfc- Some
how 1t didn't seem right II was none
Of my business. of course. but -
couldn't help coming back This fel-
low, whoever he is-don't worry; he's
nconscious-slipped into the house in
4 manner that seemed to me sus-
,icious. 1 hardly know why I fol-
owed, except that he left the door
open Invitation to interference
II can't be thankful enough she
old him warmly, that you did inter-
ere. You have indeed saved me
~om
''Yes?"
II don't know what. II 4 knew the
IAN
You don't know him?'
Il can't even guess. The light
She paused inquiringly. Kirkwood
Imbled- with the lamp. but. whether
is rude handling had impaired some
tai part of the mechanism or whether
se batteries through much use Were
arn out he was able to elicit only one
ebIe glow, which was instantly
,nothered by the darkness
'.Ifs no use" he confessed. The
Aing's gone wrong.
Have you matchT
Il used my last before I got hold
f this
oh she commented. discouraged.
lSe?"
Kirkwood thought briefly. "Raffies. :
replied with a chuckle. He looks
tSe an amateurish and very calow
affies- He's in dress clothes. you
aow.''
Il wonder,- There was a nuance of
profound bewilderment in her exela-
nation Then: He knocked against
omething IN the halI-a chair. l pre-
lme; at all' events, I heard that and
put out the light l was In
the room above the drawing room, you
see l stole down TO this fioOr-was
there. in the corner by the stairs when
he passed within six inches, and never
guessed il. Then. when he got on the
next floor / started on; but you came
in slipped into the drawing room
and crouched behind a chair. You
went on, bat I dared not move un-
til And then I heard some
one cry out. and you fell down the
stairs together. I hope you were not
hurt"
Nothing worth mention. but he must
have got a pretty stiff knock. to lay
him out so completely" Kirkwood
stirred the body with his toe. but the
man made no sign. Dead 10 the
world +. And now, Miss Calen-
dar?''
If she answered. he did not hear:
for on the heels of his query banged
the knocker down below: and there
after crash followed crash. brewing a
deep and sullen laundering to rouse
the echoes and send them rolling. like
voices of enraged ghosts, through the
lonely rooms.