The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1920-01-02

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knowni 0nly--I wasn't such fool
as to do It'll could and did, how
ever, give George my letters to mail.
One thing was now clear to meas
long as / stayed in the fiat was COM
paratiyely 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
20 out and being unable to communi-
cate even with the gracer-two days
wore away; to be exact, from Tues
day night to Friday morning. And
they we're enliyened by some interest
ing experiences On the second night
| 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 1t could
be got off was by first shutting the
door tight--yhich meant 1t could not
be worked back with wire. ! had
seen to that when the locksmith put
1t in.
Nothing came of this attempt to fl
a 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.
| 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 1t,
but as matter of fact had had moth
ing that could be called a square meal
since Monday night at the restaurant.
and hadn't eaten much then-I was
too excited over my encounter with
monsieur. Oh, how / 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 it
before woke up 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 felt him listening for a
sound from me to show that was
| awake. should say / 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,
| 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 l 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.
| 1t 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
ne 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
ana Slowly widened. The chain-bolt
SIG and slid, almost noiselessly, along
IT'S socket Then it stopped.
think he hadn't noticed ii Mt first
he had turned the gas low and as he
$1,000 he cut off the light. When the
aoor suddenly stopped he moved aside
10 see what was hampering him. I
saw the glitter Of the brass chain. He
saw 1t 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 chain-but the farther
he pushed 1t back the tighter closed
the door. 1t was meant to be that
way but he didn't yet know 1t!
He barred his arm and thrust II
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 didn't. Truth to tell
! was too paralyzed with excitement,
| MAD my chance and let It go
did nothing-said nothing--scarca-
~ breathed the whole time he was
there, And to this day don't know
u could have bettered the situation
by doing anything but what / did
nothing.
he wasted very little time on the
chain' II took him not more than
TWO minutes to learn that he couldn,t
get the bolt out at the end Of ~.
slot without first shutting tn aoor,
which meant II couldn't he yot :. -.