Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1910-12-15

III | ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS lI!ItssaSs5S
mantei and-found the panel.
Now the sounds below redoubled;
from the clatter and Earring ! knew |
that several people were running up
the stairs, and as the sounds ap.
preached, could even hear what they
said.
Watch the end staircases!" jamie
son shouted. Damnation-there's no
light here!" And then second later.
"All together now One - two -
three"
The door into the trunkroom had
been locked from the inside. AT the
second that it gave, opening against
the wall with a crash and evidently
tumbling somebody into the room, the
stealthy fingers beyond the mantel-
door gave the knob the proper i'm
petus, and-the door swung open, and
closed again. Only-and I4iddy al
ways screams and puts her fingers in
her ears at this point-only now
was not alone in the chimney room.
There was some one else in the dark
ness, some one who breathed hard.
and who was so close l could have
touched him with my hand.
was in paralysis Of terror Out
side there were excited voices and in
credulous oaths. The trunks were
being jerked around in a frantic
search, the windows were thrown
open, only to show sheer drop OF 40
feet And the man in the room with
ME leaned against the 1nantei-door
and listened. His pursuers We're plain
ly baftled; l heard him draw a long
| breath, and turn to grope his way
through the blackness. Then-he
touched my hand, cold, clammy, death
| like.
A hand in an empty room! He drew
| in his breath, the sharp intaling of
horror that fills lungs suddenly col
lapsed Beyond Jerking his hand away
| instantly, he made no movement. l
| think absolute terror had him by the
throat. Then he stepped back, with.
out turning. retreating foot by foot
from The Dread in the corner, and
| do not think he breathed.
| Then, with the relief of space be
tween us, l screamed, ear-splittingly
madly. and they heard me outside.
On the chimney" l shrieked. "Be
hind the mantel, The mantel!"
With an oath the figure hurled itself
across the room at me, and
screamed again. In his blind fury he
had missed me; l heard him strike
the wall That one time I eludei
him; was across the room, and hat
got the chair. He stood for a second
listening, then-le made another rusl
and | struck out with my weapon.
think it stunned him, for I had sec
ond's respite when l could hear hin
breathing, and some one shouted out
side:
) "We-can't-get-in How-does-i
, open?"
But the man In the room ha
changed his tactics. l knew he wa
: creeping on me, inch by inch, and
5 could not tell from where. And the
2 he caught me. He held his han
e over my mouth, and bit him. | Wa
S helpless, strangling-ard some or
d was trying to break in tue mant
from outside. 1t began to yield som
a where. for thin wedge of yellowis
9 light was reflected on the opposi
n wall When he saw that, my assailal
dropped me with curse; then-tl
r opposite wall swung open noiselessl
it closed again without sound, and
a oil N1,n irt
n TN the next room!" / called Wild
e "The next ROOM" But the sound
blows on the mantel drowned L
L voice By the time had made the
understand, d couple CT minutes b
elapsed. The pursuit was taken
then, by all except Alex, who was {
termined to liberate me. When
stepped out into the trunkroom a fl
woman again l could hear the cha
far below.
must say, for all Alexis anxiety
set me free, he paid little enough
| tention to my plight. He JUMP
through the opening into the sec
room and picked up the portable So
81 am going to put this in Mr.. T
: sey's room, Miss Innes," he said, "s
shall send one of the detectives
guard it,"
>s / hardly heard him. wanted
laugh and cry in the same breat
to crawl into bed and have cup
tea, and scold Liddy, and do any
the thousand natural things that | ]
never expected to do again. And
air! The touch of the cool night
4 Ion my face!
i (To BE coNTINUED) +
H Worried ever His Trousers.
Ia u The humors and tragedies of \
York East side life are de1ineated
Prank MARSHALL White in an articl,