The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1913-12-12

| again came the KNOCKING, louder
and more insistent.
Il can't let anything happen to him."
1 murmured the unhappy girl in agony.
remembering how the day before she
| had demanded that he be punished
| Joe, Joe, what does it all mean?"
But Wright made no answer He lay
like log as the girl he had loved bent
over him, wiped the blood from his
| face, and brushed back his disheyeled
| hair
| With the next knock came the voice
of a man demanding entrance.
Ella, Ella, open this door"
Gloria rushed over to the bed
Tell him you can't get out of bed"
| she implored in whisper. Tell him
there's nobody here"
II can't git out o. bed There's no
! body here" Little Ella called.
This answer did not pacify the man
That's a lie" he shouted There's
! somebody in there or the door wouldn't
| be locked. Open this door, do you
| hear me. or I'll bust 1t down"
| The tone Of his voice made Gloria
|
| threat There In the center of the
| room in full view lay the man whom
| they were seeking. Once they burst
! the single barrier they would be upon
| him, to do what further harm she
knew not. 1t might be that he was
now already beyond all human aid. He
! still breathed, however and Gloria
was willing TO fight if there was even
| only one chance in his favor. Hence
| it would not do for them to find him
| the minute they broke down the door
| She must hide him somewhere to give
| her time to parley with his assailants
She looked vainly about for some
! place to put him.
| For Gods sake, help me hide him"
| she beseeched. Il can't give him up.
| Where does that door lead to-" She
| pointed to the door close by the one
which led into the hall
That's only a closet under the
| stairway" was Little Elias whispered
| explanation. They'd find him there
in minute"
you wouldn't let them kill him,
would you?"
Il can't help you. I'm so weak |
can hardly turn over in bed"
open this door, l say" came from
the man without as he pounded on
the door ominously, "or I'll crack you
over the head"
Gloria understood that there was
no time to temporize She must do
| something and that quickly. Close
! by where she stood next the bed, and
on the side away from the door, was
Little Elias trunk Behind it on
| hooks hung a number of garments,
and on chair were more clothes. 1t
was the only chance and Gloria took it,
| How she ever managed to get him,
& dead weight, across the Intervening
space and safely slowed behind the
! trunk she never knew. She dragged,
she hauled, she pulled, she rolled, and
| the forlorn hope that she would save
| him yet gave her strength. AS she
snatched skirts from the hooks and
| all the clothing from the chair to pile
| upon him, the pounding upon the door
! became more and more vindictive.
| bent over the PROSTATE form OF the
man she loved, she managed to gasp:
Joe, listen to me. If you can hear
me, dear, listen. Don't stir, don't you
| hear me, Joe?" But he was deaf to
| all entreaties. Seeing this was so,
she turned to Little Ella: Get him
to go away. Offer him anything, prom
Use him anything. I'll do it; only keep
that man on the other side of that
! door,
There's at least two OF EN-"
THAT doesn't matter-a thousand
it's all the same. Get them to go
away"
This was easier said than done, but
| Little Ella was willing to make the
effort.
You git away from that door. an
| leave me alone"
open this door. you she-devil,"
! threatened the besieger, "or I'll"
And then interrupted another voice
with suggestion that made Gloria
grow faint.
"Aw. Let's bust it in He's In there
all right"
Let 'er CO." answered the first
one.
! Then came the heavy thuds az the
| men threw themselves against the
| door. The knocking at the gate in
Macbeth had no more portentious
! sound in the play than had this at
| tack upon her stronghold TO Gloria.
She felt all the nervousness Of troops
under fire that must remain inactive
awaiting orders. There was nothing
/ she could do but wait until the door
was battered down.
This was not long in happening. AS
she stood in front of the trunk ner-
Yousiy twisting her handkerchief in
her hands. at one last mighty effort
| the bolt yielded, the door flew open
and two men stumbled into the room
Little Ella recognized them both in
stantly. They were Buck Kelly and
| Turkey Ryan. notorious denizens of
the underworld. II ever there were
| two yicious-looking cutthroats, these
men answered their descriptions. To
make their rufianly appearance worse
they bore the marks of their recent
encounter. Kelly's left eye had
swelled almost closed. and Ryan had
long cut across his cheek where
Wright's ring had left it's mark with a
slashing blow. He had done even more
| damage than this, but these showed
the plainest Needless to say, their