Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1920-01-21
By JANE BUNKER

free to put the diamonds in my stock
ing and step out into-the Great IN
known! Only-I wasn't such a fool
as to do it! could and did, how
ever. give George my letters to mail.
One thing was now clear to meas
long as / stayed in the fiat l 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 grocer-two days
wore away; to be exact, from Tues
day night to Friday morning. And
they were enIivened by some interest
ing experiences. On the second night
I was awakened by the sound of
latchkey working at my front door, ]
tiptoed into the hall and listened. ]
can't say was frightened. The chain
bolt was on and the only way it could
be got off was by first shutting the
door tight-vhich meant it could not
seen to that when the locksmith put
it in.
Nothing came of this attempt to fit
a key to my new lock, and l got com
fort out of the thought that it 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 I saw what [ was in for-I was
to be starved into leaving the fiat. l
was already weak for want of food:
| suppose my belief in imminent star
Walton had something to do with 1t.
but as a matter of fact had had moth
ing that could be called a square meal
since Monday night at the restaurant.
and I hadn't eaten much them was
too excited over my encounter with
monsieur. Oh, how I wished I'd eaten
that egg Mrs. Jimmson boiled for me
it might have saved my life! Yes,
was weak with hunger, and by Sunday
night there would not be a mouthful
in the house to eat. 1t was now Thurs
day evening.
That night monsieur picked the new
Yale lock on the front door!
How long he'd been working at II
before I woke up l can't say, and
might never have known 1t at all If he
hadn't accidentally dropped his bunch
Of keys on the tiled floor. Their
tinkling awoke me. knew on the In
slant what it was and lay perfectly
still while I felt him listening for
sound from me to show that l was
awake. should say l lay there fif-
teen minutes before he went on with
his job.
Softly l crept out of bed. l tiptoed
through the hall and placed myself
back of the door where he could not
see me should he get it open.
We stood thus possibly five minutes,
his work lighted by the hall gas jet,
I 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
sound.
The sixth key did it. The Yale lock
turned once-twice. He withdrew the
key and I heard him taking it 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.
It 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 till
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 wjdened. The chain-bolt
slid and slid, almost noiselessly, along
its socket. Then it stopped.
I think he hadn't noticed it 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
to see what was hampering him.
saw the glitter of the brass chain. He
saw it too. Then darkness again, and
l felt rather than saw his fingers come
through the crack and feel the chain.
Next came the whole hand and
worked at the chain-but the farther
he pushed it back the tighter closed
the door. It was meant to be that
way, but he didn't yet know it!
He barred his arm and thrust 1t
through the crack and felt along the
slot to the hole in the end. This was
my chance to give him one with the
hairbrush-but I didn't. Truth to tell.
1 was too paralyzed with excitement.
l had my chance and let it go.
1 did nothing-said nothing-scarce-
ly breathed the whole time he was
there. And to this day I don't know
If l 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 it couldn't be got out ex-