East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1916-10-23

u - -.
the dressing-room. and Dashed to-
ward It.
on the threshold he an but collid-
cd with Vanya, who came StFontng
out from the dressing-rooms yaWn"
ing as she came.
why, Mr.. Stanieyg" exclaimed
Vanya, what on earth are you doing
here? Are you waiting for MT. Cay
ton, as / am? ] got tired waiting
and went into the next room for
nap. There's a couch there, and 1
was sleepy. So T.
Where is she7" demanded Harold,
recovering from his bewildeTment- rs
she there2"
'Is who IN where?" asked Vanya,
apparently puzzled by the shouted
question. 'Jf you mean in the dress
ing-room, no one is there. +
'1 heard her cry out" he insisted,
thrusting his way past her into the
dressing-room.
The room was empty. The door
leading into the hall was closed.
Vanya followed him, laughing.
q can explain the cry you heard"
she volunteered. Though l am
ashamed to, had bad dream and
woke myself screaming and"
ut was not your voicei" he de-
clared. ut was hers"
"Whose7" she asked. amusedly.
-
He did not answer. He was utterly
dumfounded. He could have sworn
he had heard Florence Montrose
scream for help. He had burst in
the door, and now-he was confronted
by this smiling, yawning model, who
was very evidently the sole occupant
OF the suite.
10 mask his irritation from VAN
ya's mischievous glance he strobe
across to the open window and looked
out, wondering if the cry he mad
heard might have come from some
adjoining studio whose window was
also open. He did not fo1 moment
believe Vanya's story that it nad
been she who screamed. The voice
had been Florence's He could have
sworn to that
Pierre la Rue, meantime, had run
into the hall and toward the stair
head, carrying the unconscious girl
AZ the summit Of the stairs he en-
countered Tanner, dazed, battered,
bleeding, wildly disheveled, who was
ascending from the landing where ne
had first recovered mis- senses. La
Rue gave Tanner no chance to ex-
plain. Thrusting the senseless girl
into the oanting mans arms, Pierre
commanded:
Get ner downstairs and out into
her own car The chauffeur knows
YOU belong tc me, and so he viii
obey YOU. Tell aim to drive in
hurry to"
He got no farther. A policeman,
summoned by the janitor, had Just
appeared in the hallway from the
freight elevator. whose sliding door
was halfway down the nall.
In an instant La Rue's olan was
made. The hluecoat had not yet
seen Tanner and the girl, as they
we're hidden from his view by the
slope of the stairway which they
were descending a few steps ahead
of La Rue. But the policeman's very
next stride might bring him into
sight of them. And then explana-
tions must follow-explanatons that
eoulo not be made.
Running back up the stairs, dan
Cling his watch and chain in one
hand as though he had just stolen
them from some tenant, he collided
with the astonished policeman,
wriggled free, and with every ap-
pearance of crazy panic ran limpingiy
toward the scuttle ladder that led 70
the roof.
The policeman naturally gave
chase. La Rue disappeared through
the scuttle just too quickly for the
polieeman to seize his foot. He tried
10 clap down the scuttle, but the po-
Uceman thrust it aside and clam
bered out onto the roof just as La
Rue vaulted the low dividing parape'
to the roof Of the adjoining building
Drawing his nightstick. the police
man numbered in pursuit.
Over two roofs they raced thus
, Then Pierre stubbed his toe and fel
! over a clothes-prop at the very edg'
, OF an air shaft. The policeman
! grabbed triulnphantly at him.
But the fallen and supposed,
stunned La Rue was not there whel
the bluecoat's hands sought to clos
: upon his collar.
|. Instead, Pierre was behind hin
: And Pie,re's fingers had closed on tn
|, fat red .hroat in the finger necklac
: grip. A few seconds later the police
man ceased his writings and hi
body collapsed.
Pierre released his hold. The blue
coat iurched inertly forward acros
the parapet. toppled by reason Of n
own weight, and fell over the edge
r the airshaft Whirling around an
i around in the air ne crashed do"r
e waro to the tiagstones below,
! = 4
Harold Stanley, ohlivious OF u
drama enacted overhead stood sta.
L. ..,u,iil,. hnu.n into The street.