The Huttig news., 1910-12-24
CHAPTER XIV.
Prisoners in the Dark.


 Girl" he whispered.
 Yes Are you hurt?"
 Her voice came to him softly witt all its solicitude and syr1rothv Shs knelt. to help him if pee" .c 3t, warm, supple hand rested gently or his forehead He could have remained for long time as he was, content with her touch. but his good sense told hin that their safety demanded action.
 Not hurt at all" he said and as she withdrew her hand he arose Al catrante caught me off guard he ex plained.
 Yes, saw him There wasn't time to warn you
 He has been logging me for ar hour" Orme continued T felt as though he were sitting on my shoul ders, like an Old Man Of the Sea
 T know him of old" she replied He is never to be trusted.
 But you-how did you happen to be aere. in the Pookery?"
 Tn the hope of finding you"
 Finding me?"
 ''I called up the 1Pere Marquette about five minutes ago. and the clerk said that you had just been talking to him on the wire, but that he didn't know where you were. Then l remem. bered that you knew the Wallinghams, and l came to Toms office to see if he had any idea where you were. was on my way when passed you in the elevator
 Tom and Bessie are at Glenview. explained 0rme.
 Yes, the girl at the inquiry desk told me She went to get her hat to leave for the night, and | slipped into this chamber to wait for you
 And here We are" Orme laughed papers and all But wish it weren' I so dark"
 Orme hunted his pockets for z match. He found just one, 1 T don't suppose. Girl, that you hap pen to have such a thing as matcn?
 She laughed lightly. I'm sorry no"
 T have only one" he said. Tn going to strike it. so that we can get our bearings"
 He scratched the match on his sole 1 The first precious moment of light he permitted himself to look at her. fixing her face in his mind as though he were never to see 1t again. It re- 1 joiced him to find that in that instant her eyes also turned to his
 The interchange of looks was hard for him to break Only half the match was gone before he turned from her. but in that time he had asked and an swered so many unspoken questions questions which at the moment were still little more than hopes and yearn- ings His heart was beating rapidly. i If she had doubted him, she did not doubt him now If she had not under stood his feeling for her. she must nn- 1 derstand 1t now. And the look in her own eyes-coud he question that 1t was more than friendly? But the ne eessity of making the most of the light i forced him to forget for the moment the tender presence of the girl who 1 filled his heart He therefore employed himself with quick study of their sur roundings
 The chamber was about ten feet square. and lined smoothly with white tiling It was designed to show the sanitary construction of the Walling- ham refrigerator. Orme remembered how Tom had explained it all to him on previous visit to Chicago
 This was merely a storage chamber There was no connection with an ice. chamber, and there were none of the hooks and shelves which would make it complete for its purpose The only appliance was the thermometer, the coils of which were fitted in flush with the tiling, near the door, and protected by a close metal grating. As for the door itself. its outline was fine seam. There was a handle.
 As the match burned close fo his fingers. Orme pulled out his watch II was twenty-nine minutes past five.
 Darkness again.
 Orme groped his way to the door and tugged at the handle. The door would not open; built with air-tight nicety. 1t did not budge in the least.
 This was what Orme had expected. He knew that Alcatrante would have shot the bolt. He knew. too. that Al catrante would be waiting in the cor ridor to assure himself that the last clerk left the office without freeing the prisoner-that all the lights were out and the office locked for the night. Then he would depart, exulting that the papers could not be delivered and in. the morning. Orme would be re leased.
 But had Alc..trante realized that the chamber was air-tight? Surely he had not known that the girl was already there. The air that might barely suf. fee tG keep one alive until relief cane would not suffice for two.