Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1921-01-20

Ou6 peep OuL VI yOu-! ue IdSpCd'
Cunning eyes raked the room suspi-
ciously. "Where's that d-n wopY
vii. CARNEHAN.
She tried to speak, but a dry mouth
and a CONSTRUCTED throat refused their
office. She could only shake her head,
in dumb fright with piteous eyes.
With a grunt of impatience the
gangster released her, flung across the
room in two cat-like bounds, stopping
to peer in through the doors to bed
chamber and bathroom and satisfy
himself that Mario was skuIking in
neither.
He came back at a slow prowl, with
staring menace in his eyes and a
mirthless grin. ''Where is he" He
seized her arm in a grasp Intentionally
savage. ''Whyn't you answer me?'
Pain unsealed pale lips on which
her whisper rustled: 81 don't know"
That's a Iiel''
Her wrist suffered a more violent
wrench. She cried out in protest
"Please, Red! I don't know-hones'
1 don't know where he's gone. He
went out just a minute ago"
what for?"
"He-he said he'd get me some dry
things to put on. Mines all soaked
"Well"-a grimace made the mans
face terrible-''then he'll be back be
fore long I'll wait-thanks !"
"Ah. shut your trapw He cast her
arm free violently and stood back
$50 you thought you could gyp Red
Carnehan and get away with it! You
little fool"
She attempted no reply. The first
spasm of CONSERVATION passing, the
faculty of concentrated thought re-
turned. She entertained not the faint
est hope of escaping her fate at the
hands of Red Carnehan. Whether she
lived or died, she conceived, didn't
matter. But it was otherwise with
Mario Him she must save somehow
by some heroic exercise of wit and
spirit e.
Yet in the beginning she cast about
in vain for ruse or vile that might
serve. Alone, defenSeless, in the COM
pany of a man armed and determined
murder in heart and mind: man in
sane with jealousy and hatred, alike
bred of sheer fear. the fear of the as.
sassin living moment by moment in
the shadow of arrest: what could she
do against such odds?
She could think cf nothing, positive
ly nothing. And yet, she knew, there
must be some way out. If only she
could ind it
She knew herself to be clever, fal
cleverer than Red-as she had once
boasted TO his face. Her wits haC
yet to fail her, however extreme OF
exigent the occasion. Give her time
to think and she could circumven1
him. But now that one essential ele
ment. time. was lacking. Impossible
to guess how soon Mario might return
And then there was Reds impatienct
to be reckoned with
Her look of trapped animal faded
in its stead heR face reflected con
centration of thought amounting al
most to abstraction. She seemed Il
consider Carnehan out of a fathom
less cOmposure, as she might one fac
tor in an engrOssing problem in whose
solution she was vitally interested.
This change in her annoyed the mar
intolerably. Not only was any sem
| blance of Indifference offensive, bu
he had learned to distrust the girls
moments of thOughtfrlness. If his in
telligence was not of a high order, ht
had at least cunning, with acumeI
enough to feel and fear the finer met
tie of her mentality. InstinctiYely ht
sought an outlet for his exasperatior
in a burst of lurid blashphemy.
"Whyn't you say something" he con
cluded, gesticulating wildly with The
pistol. "What you standin' there FOR
dumbs cat. Whyn't you try to come
clean by lyin'?"
She responded quietly: what:
the use? Even if told you the trutI
it wouldn't do any good. You've made
up your mind"
"YOu said it. I'm wise, and I've
got you where I want you. If you
think you can put anything over OF
me now-well, try it. That's all: try
| it. 1 wish you would"
She shrugged wearily, then inquired
! in tone Of moderate curiosity
"Where's Inez waiting for you?"
"How d'you know" He was OBJ
viously posed. whats Inez got tt
| do-?"
you know well enough it was hel
that told you 1 was here"
"Well What # she did?"
''Nothing-only she brought me here
first"
"Like H."
! "Yes"-the girl ignored the inter
ruption-"T didn't even know where
be lived, no more'n I knew where tC
look for you. So Inez framed me
just to put me in bad with you"
"Ah, telPt to Sweeney"
"Ask Charlie, If you don't believe
me-ask him after he comes to al
Sing Hos tomorrow. He'll tell you he
| promised to meet me there tonight
and bring me to you. But when
| got there Charlie was dead to the
world. Inez said she'd show me the
way to where you and Leo was laying
up; and when 1 said all right, she
brought me here, left me at the dool
and blew. And then =. What coult
do? I didn't know where to find yor
! and was cold and wet and tired"