The daily morning oasis., 1920-11-20
The
Dark
Mirror
by
Louis Joseph Vance
Aathor of"The False Faces
"The Lone Wolf" Etc.
illustrated BY
IRWIN MYERS
III. TnE TRAP.
IIIIIIIIIIIIlliiIllille!lIlIlllllilIlllIIllli
Copyright. 1920 by the Author1
Continued from yesterday.


Continued from yesterday.
III. TnE TRAP.
The binding prismatic glare that
filled all space dwindled slowly to a
hands breadth of particolored flame,
Its thunderous roar to sustained
snore: overhead the sertorous gas jet
by fits and starts hissed and spat an
grily.
She had no means of knowing how
long 1t had been burning; that is to
say, how long she had been insensible; /;
but it was long enough, at all events,
for the atmosphere of that stuffy hole
to have grown sickening with heat
and its aggravatiOn of the native
stencil.
Her mouth and throat once more
were parched. The drink brought her
by Inez had served only to render her
thirst more intense: matter of spite
ful calculation, in all likelihood: even
though diluted, alcohol in any form
is no Quencher of thirst, rather the
contrary. Inez had not, however.
reckoned with its stimulating proper
ties: Priscilla was no less unhappy in
body and mind. on recovering from
her swoon, but she felt stronger bet
ter able to think and to work out
thought in action.
At present, however, two considera-
tons dominated all others: her need
of water; the necessity somehow to
escape from that place of terror and
abomination.
She got up. unsteadily enough,
padded to the door. and listened there
with an ear to the joint between door
and jamb.
Hearing what she believed to be
rumOr Of distant voices. nothing else,
she laid hold of the knob and turned
1t cautiously. A thrill shot through
her heart when the door opened:
Whether by design or inadvertence,
Inez had neglected TO lock it!
A peering reconnaissance showed
nothing but gloom Immediately beyond
the door. Trembling the girl opened it
wide. The light from the gas jet then
revealed length of malodorous hall
way. broken by two more doors, both
closed. At its far end it turned off at
right angle. What lay beyond was
unguesSable: there was no light.
The air of the hallway was heavy
with that subtle, sickly smell, alluring
and appalling the breath of
death. She had smelt it be-
fore, somewhere, at some time indefi-
mite. -. At length she knew ii:
the reek of opium smoke in the den
of Sing HO, to which sheer Leo
nOra-had gone that night ESQ long
agoD to meet Charlie the Co.e.
She advanced one unshod, timid
foot across the threshold, faltered
took another step and closed the door
behind her, shutting herself out into
untempered darkness, and stole fear
fully on, feeling her way with hands
that brushed the walls
She drew near to the farther door.
The voices became more definite
Seemingly several persons were clos
eted In that room, all talking at once
In discordant dissension. The notion
came to her, was entertained and es-
tablished as an idea fixed, that if she
could only win past that door, the rest
would be easy. an unhindered way of
escape would open out to her.
She was within two PAGES of sue
cess when an especially violent wran-
gle ended In a harsh rasping of chair
legs on bare, rough floor; and in a
sudden lull heavy heels thumped
toward the door, The girl shrank
back. instinctively flattening herself
to the wall to one side of the door.
This last was thrown open. letting
out a flood of gaslight and choking
gust of air heavy laden with tobacco
smoke. A man came out, turning
toward Priscilla's recent prison. Blind
ed by the transition from light to
darkness, he stopped and, cursing. put
out hand toward the wall. 1t touched
Priscilla's shoulder. She WINGED with
a stifed cry of fright. Instantly the
hand closed cruelty on her shoulder;
Its owner uttered an exclamation of
mingled wrath and satisfaction, and
with one ruffianly swing sent her stag
gering into the room.
Somehow she escaped "a tumble.
righted herself, stood cringing, blink
ing. trembling.
The door closed with bang. The
accents of the Nut, destitute for the
time Of all pretensions to polish, an
nounced:
Here she is now! Caught her Just
In time-tryin' to do sneak. Who
left the door unlocked on her? You
Tneza"