Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1917-10-12
! UR auto had gone dead after

block. The chauffeur was busy
ing himself getting the machine into
lshape again. Resilius Marvel could
brook necessary delay, but it was his
characteristic never to sit placidly by
with folded hands. He had estimated
stoppage of some continuance, had
leaped from the vehicle, and asked for
my company with a brief glance.
1t was quaint part of the great
lciry, remembered by old settlers only.
iOnce the narrow winding street, ex-
tending only two blocks, had been res
lidential. Business had reached and
lswung over and fallen into the des-
uetude of rag warehouses and storage
cellars. Some of the rickety old-fash-
Toned structures had gone to decay
land disuse. We strolled along the
stone walk, cracked and irregular,
while my friend descanted on the gild-
led past of those old tottering man
lsions.
1t was sudden, startling, tragic-the
cry, the call, the appeal that abruptly
rang out upon that dull afternoon air.
The near hum of business activity did
not soften or dash it out. Marvel came
to sharp halt and | followed his ex-
ample. Those keen eyes of his gave
lone comprehensive sweep of what lay
opposite us. Mine followed the indi-
cation of his own, roved across the
gray house fronts and rested on the
third story, where every sash was
hOaPdnI mn or n11f Of ,,Iooa
For the love of heaven--oh, some
one come into the housed"
Those were the words, uttered In
weird, thrilling accents. Time, place
and the speaker, fair young girl, har-
~monized with suggestion of the in
tense and dramatic. She vas framed
lvividly against the dark background
of the vacant room, one hand support
ing her against the rOtting window
frame. She wavered as though she
would fall over the low reaching case
1nent into the street. Her face was
white as marble, her eyes stricken with
some fearful emotion of horror or ex-
citement. She saw us, and her cry
was meant for us.
l noted Resilius Marvel incline that
.shrewd face of his as though striving
to peer into a mystery, his keen pro-
fessi0nal instincts at once aroused. He
was as man before whom the end
of puzzle mad been cast, with chal-
lenge for expert calculation. His fea-
lures instantly assumed a certain
grimness, as if he discerned menace
in the situation, urgency, perchance
peril
{ Come, he said Simply, quickly, and
started to cross the street, but a
shrek, ringing, far-eehoing, curdling
half halted him. Together we noted
sharp turn to the episode, blotting
out what had materialized so sudden
ly. From behind the wavering girlish
form a pair of arms extended. They
were sinuous, though stalwart, and
full silken vestments enclosed them.
They encircled the shrieking girl and
drew her back, one of them mLffling
her face in the folds of fleecy, bill
Lowry scarf that, with the garb of the
new actor in the momentary drama,
gave an oriental tinge to the situation.
There was Darkness then where
there had been animation. Travesty, |
drama or tragedy, the curtain was
down and the act ended. l wondered |
what Marvel would do next. His sure |
definite leap over the cobblestones en-
heightened me. He reached the oppo- |
site pavement, made a rush, and as his |
powerful body came like a battering |
Sam against the closed door guarding |
the old wreck of rookery, it flew
from its hinges like barrier of straw. |
The dull afternoon light of day pen
etrated long passageway feebly, and |
beyond was gloom. There was a flash |
as we reached a shaking, uncertain |
stairway. My friend had brought out |
his portable electric tube. / followed |
it aud himself, guided by the shifting |
focus point that showed splintered |
treads fast rotting away. We reached |
landing. A frail door guarded the |
second fight. 1t was unlocked, how |
ever, and yielded to a touch. At the !
top of the stairway we came into a |
large room. 1t held the open window |
space 9t which the girl, now so 2,ys-
seriously vanished, had appeared 10 |,
our vision for the space of few mo-
ments. AS Marvel passed / saw him |
stOop. 1t was to pick up crumpled |
piece of paper. Then, his eyes fixed |
on the floor, he traced track in the
accumulated dust of years, showing
where trailing garments had made
broad plain mark.
There was an open door at the end
of the long room. 1t led out upon a
platform which spanned an alley.
Leading from the platform was rick
ety flight OF narrow stairs. AS we
glanced over the railing we saw a fe-
male form just leaping from the lower