Charlevoix county herald., 1918-03-08

There was a sparkle In the smile
she gave me. us that reinsurance,
John?" she asked, and / let loose a
Damn"
I'm going home and think this
thing out. Isabelle" said, "and when
get through thinking, I'll know what
| I'm going to do. At nine tomorrow
morning l shall be here-right there
pointed at chair in the rotunda-
waiting for you to come down, and
I'll be either a decent treasurer with
out a 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 | turned to
go.
"Good-by, John" she said.
Good night" / 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.
I 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 i 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 was double her age
placed cloud on my reasoning fac
ultfes.
decided to set my alarm clock and
go to bed, determining the question In
the morning when my brain was fog
cleared. I found the little demon
sleep-destroyer. wound it, set the
alarm-hand at six. placed 1t 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. It glided on
pink.hied clouds through its various
phases to the one where beautiful
face hovers over 2. breakfast coffee
urn, and that reminded me was hun
cry. ] squirmed in my soul at this
sord'd establishment, but habit was
stronger than sentiment.
It 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 coai
over my smoking jacket, grabbed up a
cap, and ducked around the trunks
and scattered paraphernalia to the
outer door.
Az ] opened It / heard the elevator
90 down; just as two nights before,
It 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 1t had not yet reach
ed grade.
It's soft purr ceased and waited for
the jar OF the opening door. A Sec
ond-two-three-I was counting my
heart-beats-all was still! For what
seemed an interval of minutes I wait
ed, but the door was not opened. The
st. Dunstan was wrapped in the ST.
lence Of late night, the hall light dim.
med. At the bottom of the shaft the
automatic elevator was at rest, and Its
door had not opened to allow egress
Of its occupant.
looked at my watch, holding II so
! 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 OF. 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 to those whose business It's
solution was, asking no questions OF
this strange happening of the night
seeking no explanation Of the self-op-
Grating elevator; or I might push the
button beside me and bring the ele-
vator up to make answer.
might run away from this enigma.
crowd 1t outside my thoughts for the
remaining hours before the Wilton
sailed. and get far away from danger.
free from the Vaccinations of secret
enemies and chance conspirators, or
wade in deeper, become more serious
~ involved. and perhaps be forcibly
detained by the law. It was really
none OF my business. and Isabelle
Reade had shown me she did not de-
sire any, help.
The temptation was strong to walk
back to my room and get into bed.
could insist next morning that lisa
belle start for her home at once, see
that she did start. Then / would get
away on the Wilton and forget the
whole affair in new interests and ex.
elements. The alternative Of bring