The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-04-16
IN THE TIMES.

arranging the climax. Don't
waste time telephoning-the
telephone Is out of order
but attend to 1t personally.
This is an ambulance call"
1t all hinged on the words
ambulance CALI and II Billy
would read them hurry up" and
then, taking them in connection
with what he'd seen of the flat
robbery, read. my life is in dan
GER"
l made three copies. I directed
one to Billy at his office - I en-
closed one in letter to Phila-
delpbia to my brother asking him
to mail 1t there-I dropped the
third, carelessly. into the manu-
script of short story. sent to a
magazine, hoping the editor
would think it an accident and
kindly mail 1t for me.
1t was half past ten and I was
tagged out. My last chance had
come. Would George mail the let
tiers?
well, he's got to do it," said
I firmly, and took hold of the
door knob and the Yale latch.
The latter slid open.
turned and pulled at the door
knob controlling the old lock;
turned the other way round and
pulled again. was locked in from
the outside and the key was in
the lock! | was hard and fast a
prisoner in my own flat! My re-
volver was gone. l had food
enough, mostly odds and ends, to
last about three days on short
rations. And with that l went to
bed-there was nothing else to
do.
l was nearly as much astonish-
ed in the morning to find the key
gone from the lock as | had been
to find it there. Apparently l was
free to step out into-the great
unknown! ONLY wasn't such
a fool as to do it; l could and
did, however, give George my let
tiers to mail.
In this manner of living -
afraid to go out and being unable
to communicate even with the
grocer-two days wore away; to
be exact, from Tuesday night to
Friday morning.
| had given George my letters
to mail on Wednesday morning,
but as Thursday wore away and
Billy didn't come, / saw what l
was in for-I was to be starved
into leaving the flat. l had left
only a little coffee, a little pat
ent breakfast food, a can of sar-
dimes and a jar of olives. BY
Sunday night there would not be
a mouthful in the house to eat. 1t
was now Thursday evening.
That night monsieur picked the
new Yale lock on the front door!
How long he'd been working at
1t before | woke up l can't say,
and l might never have known it
at all IL he hadn't accidentally
dropped his bunch of keys on the
tiled floor.
Softly crept out of bed. l took
my hair brush off the bureau
il | saw his fingers come through
| meant to give him one good
whack! l tiptoed through the
hall and placed myself back of the
door where he could not see me
should he get 1t open.
We stood thus possibly five
minutes while keys slid in and
out of the lock.
The sixth key did 1t. The Yale
lock turned once-twice. He
withdrew the key and | heard him
taking 1t off the ring and drop
ping the bunch into his pocket. 1t
was not till then that he unlock
ed the lower lock-the one he
kept me prisoner with.
And now he was ready. The
key turned-the door handle
turned. The chain bolt slid and
slid, almost noiselessly along its
socket. Then 1t stopped. When
the door suddenly stopped, he
thrust his hand in to see what was
himpering him.
chain back, the tighter closed the
chan back, the tighter closed the
door.
This was my chance to give
him one with the hair brush
but / didn't. Truth to tell, / was
too paralyzed with excitement. 1
did nothing--said nothing
scarcely breathed the whole time
he was there.
He withdrew his hand. There
was dead pause in which he
seemed to be considering what to
do next. Then he closed the door
and locked me in again.