Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1918-01-17

CeEldlnly. IL you Will take me 10 the
hotel, please" she said, then smiling
family. ut has been disastrous
ending for my gratitude evening, John
Gilmore"
There was nothing l could say to
help her sorrow. With my lips opened
questions were certain to come out,
so l pressed them tightly shut and
took her TO the st. Francis. She did
not speak word until we were beside
the elevator which would take her to
her room. You are not angry with
me, john" she asked, her lips trem-
bling.
Not in a hundred years!" l cried
emphatically. Il am mad at my own
utter unreasonableness, my awkward
inquisitiveness. i want to hammer
questions at you when l should be re-
assuring you. You are not going away
tomorrow, Isabelle?"
There was sparkle in the smile
she gave me. as that reinsurance,
John?" she asked, and let loose a
"Damn!"
"I'm going home and think this
thing out, Isabelle" said, "and when
I get through thinking, I'll know what
I'm going to do. At nine tomorrow
morning l shall be here-right there"
pointed at a chair in the rotunda-
waiting for you to come down, and
I'll be either decent reassurer with
out question in me, or I'll take you
by the shoulder and shake the truth
out of you for your own good. At
nine-remember!" And l turned to
go.
"Good-by, John" she said.
Good night l replied, over my
shoulder.
felt hand on my arm and she
was beside me. She put both her
little hands into mine. John Gill
more, you are good man and strong
man." she said. Il do not want you
to shake the truth out of me. Good
by, John" And she was gone.
/ smoked two pipes before the gas
CRATE, one convincing myself that /
must know all Isabelle Reade knew,
one satisfying myself that could help
her best by leaving her secret alone.
Such was the condition of my usually
logical mind that l could not reason
clearly for the mixture of eXtraneous
matter bearing only indirectly on the
subject. 1t seemed of vital import
ance that she had called me John"
and had become Isabelle" to me in
this one evening; that she had given
me her hands and held my own; and
the fact that l was double her age
placed a cloud on my reasoning fac
ulties..
l decided to set my alarm clock and
go to bed, determining the question in
the morning when my brain was fog
cleared. l found the little demon
sleep-destroyer, wound it, set the
alarm-hand at six, placed it close to
my pillow, then went back to the gas
CRATE for another pipe.
This one was just rosy dreams of
the kind most men have at half my
age, but hitherto barred out of my life
by its contingencies. 1t glided on
pink-hued clouds through it's various
phases to the one where beautiful
face hovers over breakfast coffee
urn, and that reminded me was hun.
cry. l squirmed in my soul at this
sordid establishment, but habit was
stronger than sentiment.
1t was after two, supper-time for
the morning-paper man, and for eigh-
teen years / had eaten then. Habit
pulled me from my dreams, my pipe,
and my chair. / threw an outer coat
over my smoking jacket, grabbed up
cap, and ducked around the trunks
and scattered paraphernalia to tho
outer door.
AS | opened it heard the elevator
go down; just as two nights before,
IL started from my floor, and there
was no sound of its closing door. ]
ran hastily to the shaft, my feet max
ing no sound on the thick carpets, and
looked down. 1t was too far below me
to be visible, but it had not yet reach
ed grade.
Its soft purr ceased and waited for
the jar of the opening door. A sec
ond-two-three-l was counting my
W do otth. pOi WHdt
seemed an interval OF minutes / wait
ed. but the door was not opened. The
ST. Dunstan was wrapped in the ST.
lence OF late night, the hall light dim
meh, At the bottom of the shaft the
automatic elevator was at rest and it's
door had not opened to allow egress
Of its occupant.
looked at my watch, holding 1t so
l might see the circling secondhand.
pressed my head against the steel
wickets of the shaft, my ear eager to
catch any sound from below. and
barely breathed while five long min.
utes were checked off. The ticking
Of my watch was the only thing my
ear caught of sound; there was no
movement audible from below.
For another minute waited in hes
itation of doubt. might return to
my room. leaving the st. Dunstan
mystery 10 those whose business its