Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1910-09-10
CHAPTER ".


older and more courageous bachelors
who had lived in the house for years.
Betty and her cohort numbered sew
On. Besides Larry Morris, long and
lumbery. there was the gentle eyed
young Philip Hartley, Hank Smith. tall
and tremendously framed, Sothern. fat
blonde and phlegmatic; Frankel. a lit
tie Jew. who was automobile editor OF
the Times and Tim Murphy, car
., toonist, great hulk OF an Irishman.
Z The Directory Hotel. one OF the
: most exclusive in the town. was only
two blocks from LeRoys
Now E24 is my ROOM" whispered
Betty. you let me go up first. Don't
let the clerk in on this even, till we
md out what's what"
Five minutes later the sextette were
pulled inside the door OF room ETA by
such an excited Betty Delaney as the
Inquirer" office had never seen.
Look" she instructed. BE care
full, but look right across.'
i, The span of tho court did not exceed
eighteen feet. Betty's side of the great
building was all black and quiet Not
light glimpsed in any room. Tho
room directly across the court whose
windows complimented hers had the
shades thrown high, the windows open
cd wide and was ablaze with light
= There were two occupants in the
room, man and a woman. seated side
by side at a table covered with writ
ing paraphernalia- The man was pow
srfully built. regular of feature and
very dark with peculiarly white and
nervous hands. The woman wore a
tailored suit of dark cloth and even at
that distance her remarkable resem-
blance to the woman they had last
seen lying In the morgue was unmis-
taxable. There was the same soft con-
tour OF chin, the same rust-brown
hair, and clear ivory pallor OF the skin.
The slight yet perfect modelings OF
her figure, the slender pink -palmed
hand. the curve of the forehead. were
as like as ia stamped from the same
die.
Az they watched. breathless, stupe-
ned from surprise. the man drew
wallet from his pocket and pulled
from II several papers. He ran rapid
ly through them and Withdrawing two
from the packet handed them to his
companion. She reached across to re-
ceive them when a sudden gust of
wind bellied the curtains into sails and
sent them futtering into the room and
out again. The force OF the breeze
caught the papers and they were car
ried out into the court where they
swirled. eddied and ducked, finally
alighting on the fire escape that jutted
not FIVE feet from Betty's window
The man who had run TO the win
dow, watched with eager eyes to see
where the papers fell. Then he clutch
ed his hat from the sofa and rushed
from the reom. The woman shrugged
her shoulders and sat down again at
the table. They saw her pull out the
pins from her copper hair and let II fall
in glory over her shoulders Then she
walked into the adjoining room as II
the recovery OF the lost documents was
= matter OF perfect Indifference.
Hank" nudged Sothern. you're the
longest Climb out and get those pa
pers."
Larry isn't as long and he's less
awkward" commented Frankel
And you're worth less than the
rest OF us; try 1t yourself, Frankel"
flashed Hank.
Betty Lancey." asked Larry, why
eiSh 9Ou LldBho anu WlllOWJ lntltdQ
of JUNIOR Then we'd make a rope
Of the bed-clothes here for guide
and send you over"
Philip Hartley was already out Of
the window. While the others held
caucus he had pulled the blanket from
the bed. torn 1t in half and tied a slip
knot firmly around his left leg
GO easy, boys" he suggested.
-That'n make a fair safety"
Clamberins out on the ledge. he
steadied himself by the top OF the sash
and worked slowly round to the farther
end OF the sill From there he inched
his way along ridge in the wall till
he could just touch the fire escape The
letters were white against the iron and
Just the fraction OF an inch out of
reach. Betty Lancey saw the difficult
Vs
Pass him this hat-pin." she said
He can fish them over with that"
Slowly. very slowly. Hartley moved
the precious papers over the narrow
Iron shelf. impaling them on the hat
pin point Then with cramped fingers
he put them into his inner pocket and
began the return crawl. He was bare
iy within Betty's room again when
y they heard loud rapping at the next
door. After short wait woman's
voice answered shrilly,
What do you want7"
The calmly suave tones of we'll
srdered hotel employe replied. Sorry
10 disturb you. madam, but the gem
tlemsn just above you mas dropped by
accident some very important papers.
They have alighted on the IRE escape
attached to your window, and we can
not reach them except through this
room"
Cant you go from the room above"
argued the woman's voice. THE idea
OF getting me up at this hour because
some imbecile hasn't brains enough to
keep his letters from blowing out OF
the window. II he'd been asleep as he
should have been at this time he
wouldn't have lost them. Indeed. I'll
not open that door. Go up flight. OF
down one"
"Oh. madame. I assure you" broke
IN the clerk sgaip