The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-05-31

to me. But this discovery brought me
up short like sudden cross wind. As
stood there, shaking and painting, the
| figure at the sedside turned and looked
| at me. The first thing that struck me
about this 7 an was that his face show
ed more worry and abstraction than 1t
showed surprise. And the next thing
that struck me was that it was Wilkins
| himself.
where's Doyle?" I weakly demand
ed, for 1 was still thinking, suppose,
of the man with the revolver in the
next room. Yet spoke in a whisper,
as though the sound of my voice might
waken the sleeper on the bed.
"Telephoning for Sloan." Wilkins told
me, getting between me and the bed.
whats wrong?" I whispered.
You'd better come outside" Wilkins
said to me, very quietly. as he took me
by the elbow and started to steer me
toward the outer door.
| whats happened?" demanded, in
a voice a little shrili from nervousness.
THAT old guy in there's been killed."
He said il with frown Of what seemed
to be apprehension. But he said it
very quietly.
'cKilied," echoed. How? When ?"
"Chloroformed!"
That was all I waited for. I went
straight back to the bed. The smell OF
the anaesthetic still hung thin above it.
I reached out a hand and touched the
blue-gray forehead on the pillow. 1t
was cold. Then slipped hand under
the bed covers. The body that I felt
there was marble-cold., It was true.
Eleakim Grosset was dead-stone deadl
} And I was the woman who had killed
J himi
-
We were almost down to the street
door when the sudden glare of a flash
light leaped up against my eyes and
almost blinded me.
Els 1t all right, Wilkins?" a voice
asked out of the blackness behind the
flash. I recognized Doy1es voice.
Where's Sloan?" asked Wilkins.
Coming" was the others preoccu-
pied retort. HE says he can get her
down to the Office"
There was moment Of silence. The
flash went out and left everything dark.
We'll, he wants to get her quick" 1
heard the voice of Wilkins say.
''Waitl" called out to the two fig
ures beside me. There's man hidden
up in that gem room-a man in a
black mask"
How about it, Clever" asked Doyle,
II saw himt" 1 frantically insisted.
"Nothin' in It," could hear willxins's
condoning voice say over my head. 1.-THE
only man that's up there's a dead man."
This girls sure got her wires cross
ed" Doyle announced, with the afr of
a man being tried beyond patience.
Then I'm going back to that gem
room to get them Strengthened outl"
I announced. I ran stumbling through
the blackness, with hands outstretched
in front of me, until I came to the
stairway. Doyle and Wilkins were
calling for me to wait. But 1t was
something quite different to their very
hoarse commands that brought me to a
. standstill. 1t was the fact that I had
come into unexpected collision with a
human body-a human body hurrying
noiselessly down the very steps which
was about to ascend. And in another
moment or two, as I caught at a newell
post to steady myself, heard the street
door suddenly open and close again.
She's gonei" gasped Wilkins out of
the blackness.
Then, for the love Of Mike, let's get
after her!" was Doyle's frantic COM
ment, as they went shutting and crop
ing toward the door.
But that door opened again before
they could get to it. There was a mo-
mentary flash and clash of opposing
pocket lights. and then darkness again.
Who went out Of here?" demanded
a voice which at once recognized as
Sloans.
1.-The Rymal woman" was wilkins's
answer. could hear Sloan's quick
snort Of disgust.
What man went out of this house?"
he said even more sternly than before.
The next moment I heard the click
of a Eght-switch, and in the sudden
electric glow of the lower hall I could
see the three heavy figures. They too
at the same moment must have seen me
standing there at the stair bottom with
one hand against a newel-post. Sloan's
face cleared and a look of pity came
into 1.-THE same look that I'd already
seen on Wilkins's face,
This is an awful nix-up. Balmy,
he said. as he came slowly oevr to
where I stood staring at him.
"Why?" I asked.
Because you've killed a man, Balny
and God only knows what it'll cost our
Office to get you cleared"
] 'What-what are you going to do
with me?" asked, struggling in vain
to keep my lip from trembling. He put
his hand on my arm. The gesture, 1
| SuPPOSet was iiieaHl ~ NC SoAiCllOusb as
! | though he vented to help me, as though
he was going to do all in his power to
help me. But, for some reason which
| I couldn't understand, there was thin
CLINT of triumph in his eye-a CLINT
which he didn't seem quite able to
cover up.
81 guess we'd better both get down
to my office and talk this over" he
said, as he made a motion for one Of
his operatives to open the door for us.
Once we were back in the inspectors
office. had hoped, things would array
| themselves in a different light. But my
midnight hour in that dismal office was
, nothing more than, dismal succession
Of humiliations. It seemed like a sort
of long-drawn-out third degree. in
which couldn't even find the satisfac-
ton Of speaking for myself. For as