River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-12-25

!
and more insistent.
Il can't let anything happen to him.
murmured the unhappy girl in agony,
remembering how the day before she
had demanded that she be punished.
Joe, Joe, what does it all mean?"
But Wright made no answer. He lay
like log as the girl he had loved hent
over him. wiped the blood from his
face, and brushed back his disheveied
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 a whisper Tell him
there's nobody here"
Il 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 it 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
| Hyta Tn, Rr,I, s
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 vainIy about for some
place to put him
For Gods sake. help me hide hing, "
she beseeched. Il can't give hirp up.
Where does that door LEAD %G,?" She
pointed to the door clos% by tie one
which led into the hall
That's only a cl2Stt under the
stairway" was Littln Ntia's whispered
explanation. They'd find him there
in a minute
you wouldn't let them kill him,
would you?"
II can't help you. I'm so weak l
can hardly turn over in bed
open this door, | 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. WIS
Little Elias trunk. Behind it on
hooks hung number of garments,
and on a chair were more clothes 1t
was the only chance and Gloria took it.
How she ever managed to get him,
q 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
The girl was out of breath, but as she
bent over the PROSTATE form of the
man she loved, she managed to gasp:
Joe, listen to me. II 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 a@ 500 ~
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 go" answered the first
one
!! Then came the heavy thuds as the
men threw themselves against the
door. The knocking at the gate in
Macbeth had no more portentious
sound ii 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-
vously 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. If ever there were
two vicious-looking cutthroats. these
men answered their descriptions. To
make their ruffianly appearance worse
they bore the marks of their recent
encounter Kelly's left eye had
swelled almost closed, and Ryan had
a long cut across his cheek where
Wright's ring had left its mark with a
slashing blow He had done even more
damage than this, but these showed
the plainest. Needless to say, their
tempers had not been sweetened by
1 IL