Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1920-12-10
The
Dark
Mirror
BY
Louis Joseph Vance
Aafhor of"The False Faces
"7he Lone Wolf" ETC.
Illustrated BY
IRWIN MYERS
Copyright, 1920. by the Author.I

She got up. unsteadily enough
padded to the door, and listened Their,
with an ear to the joint between dool
and jamb.
Hearing what she believed to be /,
rumor of distant voices, nothing else
she laid hold of the knob and turned
II cautiously. A thrill shot through
her heart when the door opened
whether by design or inadvertence
Inez had neglected to lock It'll
A peering reconnaissance showed
nothing but gloom Immediately beyond
the door. Trembling, the girl opened II
VIDE. The light from the gas jet Their
revealed a length of malodorous hall
way, broken by two more doors, both
closed. At Its far end 1t turned Off al
right angle. What lay beyond was
unguessable: there was no light.
The air Of the hallway was heavy
with that subtle, slckly smell, alluring
ana appalling the breath of
death. She had smelt Il be.
lore, somewhere, at some time indefi-
mite. At length she knew It 4:
the reek Of opium smoke In the den
OF Sing Ho. TO which sheer Leo.
hora-had gone that night ESQ long
agoD TO meet Charlie the Coke.
She advanced one unshod, timid
foot across the threshold faItered.
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 10 her, was entertained and es.'
tablished as an idea fixed, that II she
couid only win past that door, the rest
would be easy, an unhindered wny of
escape would open cut to her
She was within two PAGES of sue.
cess when an especially violent wran.
gle ended In harsh rasping of chair
legs on n bare, rough floor; and I'm n
sudden lull heavy heels thumped
toward the door. The girl sbronk
back, instinctively fattening herself
TO the wall to one side of the door
Ihis last was thrown open, letting
out flood of gaslight and a 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 IN
darkness, he stopped and, cursing. nut
OUT hand toward the wall. II touched
Priscilla's shOylder. She WINGED with
n stihed cry Of fright. Instantly the
hand closed cruelty on her shoulder.
It's owner uttered an exclamation Of
mingled wrath and satisfaction md
with one rufiianly swing sent her stag.
geriDg into the room.
Somehow she escaped tumble
righted herself, stood cringing, blink.
ing, trembling.
The door closed with a bang. The
accents OF the Nut, destitute for the
Time of all pretensions to polish. an.
nounced:
Here she is nowl Caught her just
In tme-tryin' to do a sneak. who
left the door unlocked on her? You.
Inez?"
Coolly the voice of Inez replied:
Maybe ! did don't remember"
Oh careless of you"
"Ah, shut up, What difference does
II make? She didn't get away, did
shef She couldn't, not In a thousand
years, without we let her."
Priscilla began to get her bearings,
finding herself in that sordld room
where she had witnessed the meeting
OF Leonora and Inez, beside the In.
sentient body Of the drug fiend, on the
night OF the storm. She reviewed face
after face known TO her through the
associations Of her dreams: English
Eddie, heavy. fOrid and fashy; Char.
lie the Coke, CHASTITY of face, shifty-
eyed with his frall, racked body and
SpaSmodic gestures; Inez with elbows
'ianted on the table, a sullen face
lamped between two fists; at her side,
he Nut, to whose presence nothing OF
lis uptown elegance adhered but the
of his excellent tailor, la
oring under the burden of q new
art, self-assumed, his bottle neck
houlders wearing with poor grace the
nantle of Red Carnehan, master of
unmen; three or four others, remem-
cred as lesser limbs of Reds
The company sat In silence, staring
I Nora with unfriehdly, Inquisitlve
yes. Precisely so had LeOnora on
hat occasion faced preJudlced jury
( her kind. Only the setting was
lightly different, the company deci-
lated, its presiding spirit gone beyond
ecall.
The pause lasted longer than the
atience Of Inez. She sat up sudden
7 and waved an extravagant arm.
the manner OF bally-hoo be-
ore circus side show.
"Ladeez and gempmum |" she pro-
lnimed In fiat professional bawl: II