Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-18
By VARICK VANARDY
Author Of THE Two Faced Man,
"Alias tho Night Wind" etc

1 raratus that passed from floor TO cell
r ing in the corner beside the window
then she got upon the low chair again
I and began her strange exit from the
bathroom.
She could hear Belknap talking. but
she paid no heed to what he was say
ing.
, She had TO force her way head first
through the window - there was no
other wav-but she kept a firm grip
upon the towel rope.
Head and shoulders first while she
Clung with one hand to the rope of
towels, she forced her way through the
marrow space.
Katherine was slender and willowy.
There was but little impedmcnt of
! clothing to overcome, as we know.
1t was tight squeeze, nevertheless :
but she made it inch by inch, by suurm-
ing and edging her body forward lit
tie at a time, first at one side and thea
at the other, emerging finally at the
opposite side in the position of one
who dives into the water.
When at last she was free from the
window castings, she did dive. but She
clung desperately to her rope as it
caught her weight and whirled her body
over.
The impetus Of her fall and the sharp
jerk upon the improviscd rope proved
too much for the knot she had tied
around the water pipe: it was not
equal TO the sharp and dden strain
upon it.
1t came loose. and she fell, n few feet
only, and upon the soft sod. so that in
her quite natural excitement of the
moment. and her glee over the escape
she had made, she was barely conscious
of the shock ofo it-and the knotted
towels fell with her, and she gathered
them up as she got upon her feet and
sprang into the deep gloom of the night
among the shrubbcry.
So Katherine was free from the house,
leaving Belknap none the wiser.
She smiled at the thought of his
amazement. if. while he waited beside
the locked bathroom door. Roberta
should return - and remembrance of
Roberta brought to mind her original
purpose.
bul d IlOIltuL VI lHDuRHI convinced
Katherine that it would be worse than
useless to seek her under the circum-
stances.
Roberta had gone out with a definite
purpose. and doubtless to definite
place: there was no such thing as
guessing where that place might BE-
located.
| Moreover. now that she was in the
open air, she needed, and very much
wanted, clothing.
There was no means of re entering
the house at once; she knew that she
would have to wait until morning to
do that-if she hoped to accomplish 1t
without betraying the unusual circum-
stances Of her being outside, and she
had no notion of letting anybody into
the secret. 1t was wholly her own, thus
far. and she meant to keep it so.
She did not know where she could
60.
There was always the Nest, her one
place of secure refuge from any and
every sort of storm or stress. There
was everything that she might need
there; and never yet had there been a
time when she was SO thankful Of its
existence-so gratofuI for +bo. ,.b;n,
Of hers that sbe had oodd1od orJ on
couraped since childhood which bod
induced Bingham to let her build it
never had she anprecioted tho fact Of
il So much ~ at thot mop,ort
If Was her .'mvstorv nlaco ;, bor ro.,,
own sanctum. and with a smiIe of con'
tent she made her wav swiftly olorc
the winding maths among tho buSbo9
and shrubs toward tho srtifc;oI IoLo
beside and above which II v,os Ioootod
She ylidad along lilo snirit ond
with scarcely moro Noise thon ono
mi,ht makayand so sho CANA o+ lost ~
the shore of the LITTLE lake to n natb.
wsv tbot foIIou.od tbo irdort,ros af :.
onG wouId lead nrasontIv IN anothor
mo tbo+ ordod Of tho Eost
Eothor;no ,ros too ir,notiort - Loo,,
to tho nath . the wav across u,os Yhort
or and sbo knou, oyerr ;ncb of - ouon e
tbo dor,,noss uas doonon ar,ona tha
tovori,g troos from boneatb which ovor,
scron of IosSor ernwth had boon n,osroJ
ou,or
Ci;d;, oiso,oss,r ord e;..;r
r,o sns;.o tror, troo 70 troo sho oar,e
~ s,tddar ston and sn;ffod tbo oir
i;La q bunt;r, do, tbat hos cau,ht tho
scent of game.
nc Sbo caro to n baIt md Hstoned moor.