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

key to my new lock. and | got com
fort out Of the thought that 1t proved
monsieur regarded the fire escape as
much too public for his performances.
I had given George my letters to
mail on Wednesday morning, but as
Thursday wore away and Billy didn't
come saw what was In for--I was
to be starved into leaving the fiat. |
was already weak for want of food
| suppose my belief In imminent star
walton had something TO do with II.
but as a matter of fact had had moth
ing that could he called square meal
since Monday night at the restaurant.
and ! hadn't eaten much them was
too excited over my encounter with
monsieur. Oh. how | wished I'd eaten
that egg Mrs. Jimmson boiled for me
il might have saved my lifei Yes,
was weak with hunger. and by Sunday
night there would not be a mOuthful
in the house to eat. Ii was now Thurs
day evening.
That night monsieur picked the new
| Yale lock on the front door
How long he'd been working ut IL
| before | woke up | can't say. and I
might never have known II at all II he
hadn't accidentally dropped his bunch
of keys on the tiled floor. Their
tinkling awoke me. | knew on the in
stant what il was and lay perfectly
still while felt him listening for
sound from me 10 show that ! was
awake. should say lay there ff-
teen minutes before he went on with
his job.
Softly / crept out of bed. tIptoed
through the hall and placed myself
back of the door where he could not
sec me should he get it open.
We stood thus possibly five minutes.
his work lighted by the hall gas jet,
in total darkness. while keys slid
into the lock. slid out and clicked
! against the bunch he had in his hand.
1t was large bunch, judging from the
4 sound.
The sixth key did ii. The Yale lock
| turned Once-twiCe. He withdrew the
1 key and | heard him taking II off the
/ ring and dropping the bunch into his
pocket. He put the key once more in
| the lock and tried again to make sure.
/ II was not till then that he unlocked
| the lower lock-the one he kept me
prisoner with. He'd never once given
me the chance to pop out on him TIL
he was ready to pop In on me
And now he was ready. The key
| turned-the door handle turned. A
strip of light showed over his head
and slowly widened. The chain.holt
slid and slid, almost nolselessly. along
its socket Then II stopped.
I think he hadn't noticed II AT first
he had turned the gas low and as he
stood he cut off the light When the
door suddenly stopped he moved aside
10 see what was hampering him. |
saw the glitter of the brass chain. He
saw il too. Then darkness again. and
felt rather than saw his fingers come
through the crack and feel the chain.
Next came the whole hand and
worked at the chaln-but the farther
he pushed II back the tighter closed
the door II was meant TO be that
way. but he didn't yet know 1t!
He barred his arm and thrust IL
through the crack and felt along the
slot to the hole in the end This was
my chance TO give him one with the
hairhrush--but ] didn't. Truth to tell.
was TOO pardyzed with excitement.
had my chance and let # 20.
did nothing-said nolhing--Scarce-
~ breathed the whole time he was
there. And to this day don't know
If could have bettered the situation
by doing anything but what | did
nothing.
He wasted very little time on the
chain. 1t took him not more than
two minutes TO learn that he couldn't
get the bolt out at the end OF the
slot without first shutting the door
which meant II couldn't he got out ex-
cept from tn, inside He Withdrew
his hand. There was a dead pause in
which he seemed TO be considering
what To do next. Then he closed the
door and locked me IN again. | did
not hear him leave-only, when the
door closed ON him all was silent. He
probably crept up and down the stairs
in gum shoes. And with my teeth
chattering ] asked myself my now ia
vorite question. "Nhat next?' was
to have it answered in way didn't
expect.