The Washington times., 1918-07-18

knows. II was as II she foresaw
evil! When / tell her'-He paused.
struck by another thought.
Should he tell her? What need
was there OF harassing her with
such a trouble? Why should she
ever know? II nothing ever came
out little notice would be taken by
the newspapers OF the suicide of an
East Side woman in a shop-stress
Of work, penury, an absconded hus-
bandit was not hard to find ex-
plantations for the deed. There
would be an inquest suicide by
hanging would be the verdict, and
all would be over. An attempt
might be made to ind the children,
but the police certainly would have
no grounds to search for them in
Fifth avenue.
Il won't tell Lilian"-such was
Guys decision-'unless I am forced
to do so. ! was to blame, and I'll
spare her II / can. I'll fake up
some stor yto satisfy her"
So he prepared to steal away,
and was about to step into the
shop when he was surprised and
Mortified to hear a ringing of the
bell. He had left the door ajar-
he remembered doing so-and
some one had pushed 1t open. He
retreated precipitately into the
room and closed the door behind
him.
Mrs Meyer" came a voice. ap-
parently from the street It was
the hoarse voice of a man.
Mrs. Meyer" Receiving no an
swer the newcomer repeated his
call 81 see yer front door open,
and thought I'd just tell yer about
It Are yer there, ma'am?"
A Compromising Position.
Guy had receded in alarm to the
window. After all his planning.
was he to be involved in this man
ner? Far worse, too, to be sur
prise like this in the presence of
the hanging corpse than II he him
self had given the alarm. What
could he say? How explain his
presence7
He heard footsteps in the shop.
then, in his fear. and as usual,
acting upon the spur OF the mo-
ment, he threw up the window
which had been but partially closed
and sprang out into the yard
lowering the window behind him
with nervous fingers. Then he
crouched down beneath the ledge,
afraid to move further lest he
might be seen from the room
my Cod" He heard the exclama-
tion quite clearly, and the next
moment the door slammed. The
man had run out to give the alarm,
evidently afraid to do anything on
his own account
Escape by the front was impos-
sible. Guy calculated his chances
II he attempted to pass that way he
would probably run into the arms
Of the neighbors, whom that man
had evidently gone to fetch. And
now escape he must: IT would be IA
tal-absolutely fatal-to be found in
his present position.
The yard was square and sur
rounded by a low brick wall, which
presented no obstacle for a fairly
agile man. There appeared to be
similar yards on either side and in
front and the house which faced
his seemed destitute OF windows on
that side, a blank surface, Prob
ably the house itself faced into an
other mean street. II he could only
make his way around unobserved
all might yet be well, but il was a
hazardous task, and one to which
Guy was not accustomed. He felt
like criminal, like a thief, as he
crouched there bene-th the window
ledge. Yet even at that moment his
sense Of humor did not desert him.
1--WE never been In such a hole in
my life" he muttered. Heaven
knows what they'll take me for II
they catch me here" Then ap-
preciating the element of tragedy.
recOllectIng the CHASTITY figure Of
the woman hanging from the ceiling
In the room above him, MY cursed
folly he continued, 81 seem fated
to bring trouble upon people"
Favored by the Elements.
But there was no time TO be lost,
and discretion pointed out only one
way Of escape. Luckily for him, IL
was dark and foggy into the bar
gain. He ran quickly, STOPPING low,
across the yard-it was but a few
paces-and then, with the assist
ance Of a disused hencoop, scaled
the wall and lowered himself on the
other side. The yard in which he
now found himself was as empty as
the one he had left. As he paused
beneath the wall he was conscious
Of sounds in Mrs. Meyers house.
and, peeping cautiously. he could
see lights moving and the shadows
OF men. He was but just in time.
Somebody was on a chair cutting at
the rope, and he heard the sound OF
excited voices: he thought, too. that
he could mike out the figure Of a
policeman. They would be too in
tent upon what they were doing to
think Of looking out into the yard
but it was lucky that he had not
forgotten 10 shut the window.
Suddenly IL struck him-and the
thought was a solace-that he could
see very clearly into the room
where the corpse had been hanging
There had been n light there all the
time, and, consequently, anyone
coming into the yard where he now
was must have seen that q tragedy
had occurred. No one had made the
discovery, therefore no one had been
in the yard. II was evidently very
little used, and he was COMPARE
lively safe from observation.
What was he to do next? On
either side OF him were yards SINH
lar 10 the one he was in, all sub
divided by low walls, or fences. On
one side there were but three and
then looming through the fog, he
could make out the brick work Of
a house-a house, too. in which
lights were burning. That way was
out OF the question. In the other
direction yard succeeded yard in an
apparently interminable vista Here