Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-07
CHAPTER Y
The Lady OF The Tos'in't Tuint;e

uEltE was Destiny knocking at the door.
l. l. In that instant my mind was made IN.
For the moment, at any rate. had every
card IN my hands | would blufr these Stodgy
Huns; would bra2en it out: I Would be
Setnlin and go through with it to the bitter
end aye. and if 1t took me TO the very gates
Of Hell
The knocking was repeated.
MAY one come in?" said Il womau's voice
in German.
! stepped across the corpse and opened the
door a foot or so.
There stood1a woman with lamp. She
was middle-aCcd woman with an egg
shaped face, fat and whito and puffy and
pale, crafty eyes. She VAS in her outdoor
clothes with an enormous vugar-l looking
hat and an old-fashioncd sealsllin cape with
a high collar. The cape which was glsten-
ing with rain was half open, and displayed
a vast bosom tightly compressed into a
whito silk blouse. In one hand sho carried
an oil lamp.
Frau Schratt," she said by way of intro
duction, and raised the lamp to look more
closely. at me.
Then / saw her face change. She was
looking past me into the room, and | Knew
that the lampght was falling full upon the
ghastly thing that lay upon the floor.
| realized the woman was about To scream
so | seized her by the wrist. She had dis
gusting hands fat and podgy and covered
with rings.
quiet" | whispered Gcroely in her ear,
never relaxing my grip ON her wrist You
will be quiet and come in here do you UNDER
stand?"
She sought to shrink from me- but I held
her fast and drew her into the room.
Sho stood motionless with her lamp. at the
head Of the corpse She seemed to have re-
gained her self-possossiun. The woman was
no longer frightened. l felt instinctively
that her fears had been all for herself, not
for that lvld horror sprawlng on the floor
When she spoke her manner was almost
businessikc.
81 was told nothing Of this" she said.
"Who Is it? What do you want me to do ?"
OF all the sensations Of that night mono
has left a more unpleasant odor in my
memory than the manner Of that woman in
the chamber of death. Her voice was in-
credibly hard. Her dun basilislI eyes, seek
ing in mine the answers to her questions
gave me an eerie sensation that makes my
blood run cold whenever | think of her.
Then suddenly her manner arrogant in
solent cruel, changed. She became polite
She was obsequlous. OF the two, the tirsr
manner became her vastly better She looked
at me with a curious air, almost with
reverence, as 1t seemed to me. She said, in
a purring voice:
"AGh. so! / did not understand The gem
tleman must excuse me-"
And she purred again: go"
1t was then ! noticed that her eyes were
fastened upon my chest, | followed their
direction
They rested on the silver badge / had
stuck in my suspenders.
1 understood and held my peace. Silence
was my only trump until knew how the
land lay If I left this woman alone she
would tell me all L wanted TO know
In fact, she began to speak again.
81 expected you" she said, but not .
this, Who is it this time? A Frenchman,
eh?'
'An Engllshman.' ] said curtly.
Her eyes opened in wonder.
"Ach, rein" she Cried--and you would
have said her voice vibrated with pleasure
"An Englishmau lei, ei"
II ever human being licked its chops.
that woman did.
She wagged her head and repeated to her.
self: "Ei, ei!" adding, as H. to explain her
surprise, "he is the first we have had.
you brought him here eh but why I'M
here? or did der Stelze send him?'
She fired this string OF questions at ma
without pausng for reply. She continued .
81 was out, but Karl told me There
was another came. too; Franz sent him"
This is he" said. II caught him pryinp
In my room and he died"
(To BE CONTINUED TOMORROW