The daily morning oasis., 1920-11-04

jumping up, she said:
'Sure l will, dearie. Cmon: les
CO."
~. THE ROOFS.
Again the night. the wind. the rafn
the laboFiOus transit Of dim. welterfng
streets Inez led through tor
tuous maze of murky baGkways. till
they came to sinister block Of tower
ing. teeming tenements. into which,
plucking Leonora By the sleeve. she
turned.
IN the unsav0ry lower hall LeOnOra
spoke fpcredulOusly: "NOt hereT
Inez gave negative gesture: II
should say not. AcrOst the roofs !.
You don't suppose TN such simp as
to lead a dick to the right door, do
yonT
"You don't think we're followed 7"
Leonora demanded in quick alarm.
Inez nodded emphaticaliy. y know
we was"
'Who was 1T Could you seer
Nobody ever seen before: q new
bird, guess. from some uptown pre-
cinct. Coarse worker. too: he must've
spotted you first, cause he was waitin'
when we came out, and traiied US all
the way"
"Why didn't you tell meg
swhat's the use? You know now,
don't your II wouldn't We done you
any good to know 70 the street. as
longs I knew and had sense enough
to lead him wrong. tsks this. d.
CmOn."
They began to run up long dights
Of stairs lighted only by single gas Jets
low-turned on every other landing,
and noisome with stratified stenches
Of evil cookery and things worse yet !;
the predominating race lenanting each
successive floor Indicated BY It's domi-
nant effiuvium, were II garlic, boiled
cabbage fried Ash. or ti'.. subtle, pene-
trating, undisguisable Tor Of opium
smoke. Gusts Of volc~ lifted In rude
laughter or more cose only quarrel
some issued from doo.esys that stood
As a rule wide. ORa. there was a
sound of wespipg. toe sickening dull
walls of some Waman ernelly used.
And always the Inevitable sQpellnG o.
children fretful in MI ppiness. ,
On the top landing 'aez paused to
peer over the rail. ~iaat's him.. she
painted, nOdding.
Leonora Joined her At the bottom
Of the gloomy, deep veil Of the stair
case the fore-shorte,.ed figure Of Q
man was visible, his ipturned face
mere blur Of flesh coior. But some
thing Individual In The pose caught
LeOnora's eye and peodded what she
took for some memory half erased.
sThat's no dick" she declared i'm.
pulsively.
@How d'you knowf
NJ don't know, bpt somehow do
Seems like I must'ys seea him some
where's BEFORE"
"Well. II he amt No RRssyfoeter
what for's he foliOwin' usr'
u don't know" Leonora repsatet
vaguely. Maybe Fm wrong :,
She was not, as the Self knew tha
journeyed with her, though she dit
not suspect its company. /:
An iron ladder rose to trap dool
through which they crawied out upoz
the roof.
Here the blackness was oppressive
relieved only by q dull reflection o
the city's glow on the lOw-hung canop.
Of cloud; and the tempest had unbin
dered sweep. Time and again vieiou
blasts all but carried the two womel
of their feet. Rain driving In vas
sheets half blinded them and rendered
their passage Of the roofs doubl,
perilous. They slipped. stumbled
blundered, bruised their bodies agains
unseen obstacles. their shins upon lov
copings dividing house from hous
(f0r the roofs were fortunately all Of
q leyel) and more than once by tn
narrowest Of margins escaped pitch
ing headiong to death at the bottom o
some dark aivshaft.
Leonora soon tosf "a sense OF red
oning and was beginning to wende
how Inez could hold on 30 confidentl
when the latter stopped, kneit. and b
gan to tug at the heavy hatch Of 81
other trap door. LeeRora assisting
between them they threw II back. d,
scended q second iron ladder into
hallway indistinguishably unlike this
which they had just left. But Inc
seemed to recognize II instantly.