Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-12-31

lonlSh me. IL provoked me. though.
hat ] could not order something from
The grocer and the butcher for my din
ner go out to dinner. but tonight.
even had ! been so minded. / dared
not leave the fiat.
Outside the drizzle had settled to a
steady dovnpour. !. was dark and
gloomy and ny feelings were the same
as | opened some canned stuff and got
as much of a meal as could with what
was in the house. | think II was the
Skimpiness of the harder at the time
that showed me as much as anything
else how important il was for me now
TO get help had food enough to last
for a couple Of days, and after that-if
things kept on this way--how was to
get it?
Billy Rivers was. of course. my
logical resource He had seen the fiat
the night befOre-he couhd start all
the protective machinery in The city
for me-. With this resolution, | went
TO The telephone. Ii was "dead"-smy
connection was severed didn't need
TO be told that monsieur had cut my
wires
The fuH magnitude of my calamity
burst upon me and ! sat down on the
nearest chair with flop. The bitter
fact of the whole situation struck me
like blow on the head-Fd let every
chance for protection or flight go by
me; the one remaining chance was
letter entrusted to my spy. Well. I'd
try that. anyway.
spent an hour in composing n mis-
sive TO Billy that would tell him
great deal and monsieur nothing-if II
fell into his hands-and this is what
came out of it:
Dear Billy: I'm ready TO sell you
~ finished, bur shall need some help
from you in arranging the climax
Don't waste time telephOning-th
telephone is out of order-but attend
To il personally. This is an ambulance
call.r
1t all hinged on the words "ambu-
lance call" and if Billy would read
them hurry up" and then. taking
them in connection with what he'd
seen of the fiat robbery read. My life
is in danger"
And would monsieur see il If the let
ter fell into his ha 1dSf 11at was my
riSk-and there you are
made three copies. ! directed one
to Billy at his officp-I inclOsed one in
letter TO Philadelphia TO my brother
asking him 10 mail IL there dropped
the third. careleSsly. into The MANN
script of short story. sent To maya
zine. hoping the editor would think It
an accident and kindly mail il for me
II was half past ten and was tagged
out. My last chance had come. 'Would
George mail he letters?" got a quar-
Ter out for him was afraid 10 give
him more and make him think the let
tiers were important and not the sort
OF thing he mailed for me almost every
night
dragged one weary foot after the
other along the hall hated to let the
letters ont Of my hands now Thar |
had them ready. "Well. he's got TO do
il! said ! firmly and took hold Of the
door knob and the Yale latch.
turned and pulled; turned the
other way round and pulled again. |
was locked in from the outside and the
key was in the lock was hard and
fast prisoner in my own fiat
The immediate effect on me nf this
discovery Is hard 10 describe My
head swan and the room went round
and everything was all mixed up. and
kept repeating: Fire. If there's a
fire tonight I'll he burned like rat In
q trap
And with that went to betl--there
vas nothing else to do.
was nearly as much astonished i'm
the morning to find the key gone from
the lock as had been to find il here.
Apparently ! was free To take that
eleven O'Clock train for Philadelphia
that the fake telegram from my
brother had requested me to- was
free 10 pu: the diamonds in my stock
ing and step out iHto-the Great Tn
known Only wasn't such fool
as 10 do il | could and did how
ever. give George my letters to mail.
One thing was now clear 10 me-as
long as / stayed In the fat was com
paratively safe-I must make my main
play that Billy had got my letter or
that somebody would call. Though Of
course George would say ] was Out
he was paid for that by monsieur.
In this manner of living-afraid to
go out and being unable TO communi-
cate even with the groeer-twc days
wore away: to be exact. from Tues
day night to Friday morning. And
they were eniivened by some interest
ing experiences. On fhe second night
was awakened by the sound Of
latchkey working at my front door
tlptoef into the hall and listened
can't say was frightened. The chain
bolt was on and the only way II could
be got of was by first shutting the
door tighi-Thlcb meant II could moi
be worked back with a wire. ! had
seen 10 that when the locksmith put
II in.
Nothing came Of this attempt TO ht