Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1916-09-01

nau fingered IN the Dig room 10 auu |
her last touch of encouragement.
please be nice to him, Abby" Ida |
was telling her, and then the subject |
OF the conversation was quickly
changed as Mrs. Torrey pounced into
the room by the side door.
do hurry, girls. The car is wait
ing for you. I'm going to motor over
in the little roadster with the provi-
sions and there1l be just room for you
girls in the big car" And then she
fiounced away. taking the key of the
side door with her. She must have
called back telling the girls that she
had this key, but they did not hear
her.
1t took at least five minutes more
for the cousins to bid each other fare
we'll and then Abby started. "Ill take
this key" she said, "and you can leave
by the side door. Yes, you had better
lock it. Mrs. Torrey was so particu-
lar. No, wouldn't leave the key with
the cook, for she might be the very
one who steals things. No, you'd bet
ter take it and mail it back. can just
use this one door all the time. The
other one on the back stairs might
just as we'll be locked, anyway. Mrs.
Torrey might have known we wouldn't
ever use it," And then Abby left her
cousin and for half hour or more
Ida spent her time packing her be-
longings.
Then she wrote letter to her host
ess explaining her regret that she had
hastily been summoned home. She
thought for full five minutes of writ
ing letter to Tom, too. Without the
slightest idea of the pretext on which
to write it, she wanted him to know
that she was leaving for his sake. But
she thought better of it, and after spoil
ing half a dozen sheets of paper gave
up the attempt.
1t was about eleven o'clock when
she decided to make her exit. There
was train at quarter of noon, and
thus she had ample time to walk to
the station, buy her ticket and catch
that train. But the side door of the
room was locked. OF course it was,
because Mrs. Torrey had locked it..
The front door was locked, too. This
Ida knew, for Abby had locked 1t and
had the key with her.
For the first few minutes Ida sim
ply sat down and wept, and then she
decided to use her wits. There were
no transoms over the doors and there
wasn't sign of balcony or vine any
where near the windows. To escape
that way, Ida would simply have to
leap, and that was out of the question.
There was no use trying to attract the
. attention of the neighbors, for the
house was surrounded by pine trees
: that cut off a view of the road and
ueignboring houses, and the cook S
, quarters were in the opposite wing
: The man of all work had gone to the
picnic, so there would be no chance OF
| summoning him to her aid. The only
thing, obviously, to do was to break
down the door or pick the lock. What
If she did ruin perfectly good door,
1t was surely not her fault If her host
ess had locked her in her room.
A few minutes after that Tom, nurs
ing his grievance and feigning g
toothache in the opposite wing of the
, house, heard strange rappings, a per
sistent scraping and scratching that
as he listened intently, he convinced
, himself could not be caused simply by
> the wind. He followed the sound tt
. it's source and listened at the keyhole
whence the sounds came.
Sugar." he heard in very much
| +o1 O..
"Ouch!" followed by sobs.
who's there?" he asked, and ther
in Ida Vintons voice came back dis
> tinctly: Tom, you dear, you angel
,, How good of you'll"
TITS all right, dearie," he was sooth
ing, and then as he heard the sob
! again: Don't worry, dear. I'll get yol
! out somehow if l have to smash tn,
. door in. Just slip a hairpin through
= the crack under the door. Now keel
a stiff upper lip, Ida, dear, and II
get you out all right"
How dare you call me that?" Lid;
L asked, with an attempt at indignation
. why shouldn't l if l want to?
. you knew that l had come down t,
tHlo nOuSS party especially W oCc yOu
l that the house party was given just be
cause l asked Mrs. Torrey to give
and if you knew that had fixed it u
8 with her especially to have the picni
>, on the beach so that l would have
chance to see you alone-if you knew
that l knew that you wouldn't go o.
i that account, and If you knew that
can unlock the door, not with the hail
. pin, but with the key that Mrs. Tore
u took out and gave to me before sh
went, what would you say? You ar
y really my prisoner, now, and unles
. you promise to come out and kiss an
make up am not going to let you GU
at all. am not travelling under falls
> colors. 1 am not making you thin
u that l am rescuing you. That wa
Ii Mrs. Torreys idea. l like my ow
method better"
u Tom listened eagerly through tn
L keyhole First there was a low so