Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1921-06-23

tanned the end of this row of houses.
and came to the entrance of narrow.
dark alley, that l found the slightest
proof that | was, by good fortune,
upon the right trail It was above this
i opening that the incandescent bulb
fiickered dimly, yet in spite of wind
and rain, gave me glimpse of the mud
underfoot. The two must have been
the only ones passing that way since
Il the drizzle began, for their footprints
were yet visible in the soft mud of the
crossing as they advanced beyond the
4 safety of the board walk. BY bending
low, and keeping my own shadow out
of the way, | was able to trace their
progress for two or three yards quite
easily, and then, TO my surprise, the
footprints turned abruptly to the left,
and disappeared entirely.
To all appearances the two had pro-
ceeded down the alley. Black, unin-
wiling, as that gloomy passage APP
peared, they must have turned into it
and CROPPED their way forward. Where?
For what purpose? l could think of
hut one obiect-the Alva iron factory,
the mysterious meeting place at SIG
Cans street Beyond all question this
alley would skirt along the back of
thmr building, and there would be an
entrance at the rear.
! Dare | go on alone, unarmed as
4 was, knowing nothing of what might
! encounter? I hesitated, my heart
/ I.s& H. -.
/ all the danger seemed more of the i'm.
agination than reality. Besides. was
still young. and venturesome the stu
alton appealed to me, and-well, the
memory of that girls face remained
/ strangely insistent. Odd as 1t may
seem. her predcament yielded me a
reckless desire to have an immediate
/ hand in the game.
i found two imprints of her narrow
shoe in the mud after the turn had
been made then all trace vanished.
crept forward, enveloped In gloom,
i keeping as closely as possible to the
i high board fence at the left The way
was rough underfoot, and my progress
consequently slow, being anxious to
! make as little noise as possible. The
1 passage was so black, I lost all knowl-
edge as to how far had gone and was
i only aroused TO my position by finally
coming up against a pile of lumber
which completely blocked the further
end of the alley. I recalled dimly that
/ the passage swerved here, running
along the side of the Alva factory. I'M
! til it reached Cans street. Then the
] place | sought was TO my left, behind
j the protection of this high fence. along
which had been so cautiously feeling
my way.
The silence was profound, stupefy-
ing, uncanny. Against the lighter lead
of the upper sky ! was barely able to
/ trace the upper story of the building.
but it was all black gloomy, desert
ed hole. Any faith I might have had
that the two l had attempted to follow
had come there vanished as | strained
my eyes for some CLEAN of light, or
/ any other sign TO denote their presence
/ within. I sti. believed they had
/ turned down the alley, but this was not
! their goal beyond doubt they had en-
/ tered some gate along the way. and
thus escaped me entirely.
l hardly know what impelled me TO
! grope my way back along the fence,
/ bIindly feeling for a gate. Curiosity,
! no doubt, and lingering desire to
make certain of what was inside the
barrier. The entrance was easily
4 Iot 1,
iron clasp, which opened instantly to
my touch. l stepped inside, closing 1t
quietly behind me, and stared uneasily
about through the enshrouding black
ness.
My eyes, grown accustomed to the
gloom, made out dim outlines, encoul-
aging further exploration. Discover
ing ample space, and what felt to my
feet like a walk, turned the corner in
search. At that moment the gate latch
clicked sharply, and sank down into
the black ground shadow, every nerve
tingling with alarm. The gate oper-
/ ated almost noselessly, yet my strain
ed ears could detect its stealthy move
ment. and hear the crunch of a heavy
footstep on the cinder path within.
The fellow evidently knew his way
even in that darkness, for there was no
hesitancy in his movements, no uncer-
tainty. He faded away along the rear
wall, and became aware that he had
turned about the further corner. That
would naturally mean there was a
door there. / had evidently been
searching the wrong side.
Assured the man had vanished. and
that he sought entrance to the build
Ing through some passage well known
TO him, crept forth along the end
wall, crouched low in the shadow,
using every precaution against dis
covery. All that was venturesOme in
me held high carnival and nothing of
danger now could have held me back.
l reached the corner around which the
fellow had disappeared, but, In the in
1