The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1910-09-29
cHAPrER v

WI &|I@HNH HN4AoIle Nuu 1rNuINA o 49,
elder and more courageous bachelors
who had lived In the house for years
Betty and her cohort numbered sew
an. Beaides Larry Morris. long and
Iumbery. there was the gentle-eyet
young Philip Hartley. Hank Smith. tai
and tremendously framed. sothern. fat
blonde and phlegmatic: Frankel 1T
Tie Jew. who was automobile editor o.
the Times and Tim Murphy, car
toonlst. great hulk Of an Irishman.
The Directory Hotel one OF ths
most exclusive In the town. was only
two blocks from LeRoy's.
Now ETA Is my room" whispered
Betty. You let me go up first Don't
let the clerk In on this even. TN We
and out what's what
Five minutes later the sextette were
pulled inside tho door OF room E2l BY
-Tnduirer" once had never seen
Look she instructed. BE care
ful. but look right across
The span OF the court ala not exceed
eighteen feet Betty's side OF the great
building was all black and quiet Not
q light glimpsed IN any room The
room directly across the court whose
windows complImented hers had the
shades thrown high. the windows open
"a wide and was ablaza with light
There were two occupants In the
room. a man and a woman. seated side
~ side At a table covered with writ
ing paraphernalIa- The man was pow
orfuliy 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 palior OF the skin
The slight yet perfect modelings OF
her figure. the slender pink palmed
hand. the curve Of the forehead. were
as Ike as Is stamped from the same
die
As they watched. breathIess. stupe-
fed from surprise. the man drew q
wallet from his pocket and pulled
from Il several papers. He ran rapid
" through them and Withdrawing two
from the packet handed them to his
companion She reached across to re-
eeive them when a sudden gust OF
wind bellied the curtains into sails and
sent them 1uttering 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
swirIed. eddIed and ducksd. finally
aiighting on the fire escape that jutted
not Ave feet from Betty's window
The man who had run 70 the win
dow. watched with eager eyes 70 see
where the papers fell Then he clutch
Cd his hat from the sofa and rushed
from the room 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 ovSr her shoulders. Then she
walked into the adjoining room as II
the recovery OF the lost documents was
q 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 It yourself. Frankel.'
dashed Hank
Betty Lancey.~ asked Larry. why |
aren't you fragile and willowy Instead
Of . JUNIOR Then we'd make a rope
Of the bed-clothes here for a guide /
and send you over"
Philip Hartley was already out Of /
The window. While the others held
caucus he had pulled the blanket from i
he bed. torn It IN half and tied a slip /
mot firmly around his left leg.
GO easy. boys" he suggested.
'That'll make q fair safety"
Clambering out on the ledge he
Iteadied himself BY the top OF the sash
md worked slowly round to the farther
md Of the sill From there he lnched
ais way along q ridge in the wall TIL
he could just touch the fire escape. The
etters were white against the iron and
lust the fraction Of an inch out Of
reach. Betty Lancey saw the difficult
".
Pass him this hat-pin.~ she said.
He can ish them over with that"
Slowly. very slowly. Hartley moved
he precious papers over the narrow
ron 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
y within Betty's room again when
hey heard loud rapping at the next
ioor. After a short wait woman's
golce answered shrilly.
what do you wantg"
The calmly suaye tones OF a we'll I
,rdered hotel employee replied, Sorry q
% disturb you. madam. but the gem I
leman Just above you mas dropped By
,ccident some very important papers. {
they have alighted on the nrs escape {
lttached TO your window, and we can !
iot reach them except through this .
'oom." q
Cant you 90 from the room above
Irgued the woman's voice. The idea b
u getting me up at this hour because .
Iome lmbecile hasn't brains enough 10 q
,eep his letters from blowing out Of
he window. II he'd been asleep Is he .
hould have been at this time he .
Fouldnt have lost them. Indeed, IN n
lot open that door. Go up a flight. or <
|own one" hi
"ch. madame. I assure you" broke
a the clerk agaip 81