The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1915-11-04

mechanically in her mind. Her eyes
sought the ball which had come crash
ing into the room. There vas life
once more in her pulses. She found
a scrap of paper and a pencil in her
pocket. With trembling fingers she
wrote q few words:
Police headquarters. am Sanford
Quests assistant, abducted and i'm
prisoned here In the room where the
ball has fallen. Help! an going
mad"
She twisted the paper, looked
around the room vsinly for string, and
finally tore a thin piece of ribbon
from her bosom. she tied the mes
sage round the ball, set her teeth and
threw 1t at the empty skylight. The
frst tine she was not successful and
the ball came back. The second time
it passed through the center of the
opening. She heard it strike the sound
portion of the glass outside, heard it
rumble down the roof. A few seconds
Of breathless silence! Her heart al
most stopped beating. Had it rested
in some ledge or fallen into the street
below? Then she heard the boys
voice:
Gee! Here's the ball come back
again."
A new light sltone into the room.
She seemed TO be breathing a different
atmosphere-the atmosphere of hope.
She listened ne longer with horror
for a ereaking upon the stairs. She
walked backwards and forwards until
she vas exhausted. Curiorsly
enough, when tho end came she was
asleep, croashed upon the bed and
dreaming wikaly. She sprang UP to
find Inspector French, with a police
man behind him, standing upon the
threshold.
Inspector" she cried, rushing to-
wards him. "Nr. French! Oh, thank
God"
Her feelings carried her away. She
threw herself at his feet. She was
laughing and crying and talking inco-
herently. all at the same time. The
inspector assisted her to q chair.
Say, what's all this mean" he de-
manded.
She told him her story, incoherent-
ly, in broken phrases. French listened
with puzzled frown.
Then he realized that she was on
the point Of o nervous breakdown
and in no condition for interrogations.
"Thatll do" he said. I'll take care
Of you for o time, young lady, and I'll
ask you a few questions later on. My
men are searching the house. You
and I will be getting on. IL you can
tear yourself away"
The plain-clothes man, who was
lounginS in Quests most comfortable
easy chair and smoking Il Of his
best cigars, Suddenly laid down his
paper. He moved to the window. A
large, empty automobile stood in the
street outside, from which the occu-
pants had presumably just descend
Cd. He fastened towards the door,
whieh was opened, however, before he
was halfway aerosa the room. The
cigar slipped fron kis fingers. 1t was
Sanford Quest, who stood there, fol-
lowed BY the sAArif OF Bethel, tive
country peltceMen and Red Gallagher
and his mate, heavily h~andeased.
Say, aren't yoa wanted down yen
der, Mr.. Qusstr the man inquired.
That's ell right now" Quest told
him. I'm ringing up Inspector Frsaeh
myself. Yoa'd better stand by the
other fellows there and keep your
eye on Red Gallagher aad his mate"
IT sueg. Mr.. oasst Is al right" the
sheriff interviewed. Were ringing up
headquarters ourselves, anyway"
The plain-ciothss maa did ~ he was
told. Quest took UP the receiver fron
his telephone instrument ana arranged
the p~hototslssms.
Police station No. 1, central" he
said-"throcgh to Mr.. rreneh's Of
nee, IL you please. Mr.. Quest
wants to speak TO him. Yes. Saa-
ford Quest. No need TO ret excited!
. All right I'm through, Am 7?
:. . Hello, Inspector :"
A rare expression OF JOY suddsnly
TRANSPORTED Quests face. He was
gezing downward into the little mir
ror.
You've found Lenera, then, in
spsctorr he exclaimed. Bully for
you! What do I mean? What
say! Yea forget that l ana q sci
entiAc man, French. No end OF ap-
planes here you haven't had time
to look at. I can zoe you sitting there,
and Lenora and Laura looking a.
though you had them on the rack. You
can drop that. French. I've got Red
Gallagher and his mate. rot them
here with the sheriff OF Bsthsi. They
went on with my auto and sold 1t.
We've got that. Also. In less than
ave minutes my chauffeur will be
here. He's been lying in q farmhouse