American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1921-08-05

20 swirling, crashing down TO that
death below. 1t was but a step, TO
be sure; a step and l could reach
the frmness of the other blind; but,
oh. the step-the speeches. horror OF
it, Yet there was no going backward;
I tried this, only TO realize at once It's
impossibility, and the p~erspiration
burst out from every pore, as the full
horror Of my situation suddenly
flashed over me. l must go on, trust
ing to that thin, unstable cord, balanc-
ing myself above the gulf. There was
no other way. no retreat, no means Of
escape. l do not know now how the
act was accomplished; II is hardly a
memory, except as some wild delirium
of sleep haunts n when they awake.
inch by inch l crept, hand encroach-
ing on hand. foot pressing against foot,
every slightest movement an In
expressible agony-then l gripped the
support Of wood once more, and chung
to II as with the grasp of death.
! chung there until my mind came
back, until l felt the return OF strength
to my body, and l could look down
through the moonlight without Keeling
dizzily. The blind was strong, firmly
braced, and / felt safe in Its protec-
ton, But what about the window
beyond7 Suppose 1t should be lockedf
or the room into which 1 opened,
occupied? l could not continue to cling
there in uncertainty: I must learn the
truth-assure myself that l a not
passed through all this tense o
In vain.
l moved slowly, barely an inch at
a time, each advancing foot feeling
for support, but more confident now
because of the grasp of my fingers on
the upper wood. The window was
closed. but dark and grimy looking.
as though the room within had been
long unoccupied. Its very appearance
gave me courage. l balanced myself
/; on the precarious footing Of the stone,
! clinging tenaciously with my left hand
l TO the iron hinge Of the blind, while
my right endeavored to raise the sash.
] At first I believed the window
firmly fastened down-the suspicion
D leaving me numb with despair. But
= reckless tuBRlDE lbbNtiith 10 ipibi
and enabled mi to shove up the sash
e little by little, until finally the open
I ing became sufficient for me to squeeze
d through. / felt as though l had re
d turned from the dead, the nervous re
a action so great that l lay for a momen
on the floor where l had fallen, I'm
IS able to move. I knew l was alone
It the space untenanted, the walls a
It bare as in that other room from whicl
n / had fed. l knew this, and in IN.
d exhaustion cared to know no more
1t Then l staggered to my knees, and
'e with opened eyes stared curiousl.
! about, gathering my wits together
Is There was nothing to see but tn
IN four walls, / tried the door, and
- opened silently, permitting me I
j glance out into a narrow dark hal
way, uncarpeted. l could diml
% discern the top of a flight Of stair
=, leading down to the story below.
!" slipped out, and closed the door softl
y behind me, being plunged instantly Int
y funereal blackness.
-, / CROPPED a way forward toward tn
- stairs, guided by a hand against tn
wall. until the touch Of he upper ra
80 assured me of my position. A mario
- strip of carpeting-rag ! o 1t
~ be from the feeling-extended dow
:. the enter of the stairs, sufficient
- muffie any footsteps, n ! pause
- a moment listening for the slightei
noise amid the darkness beneath. A
remained still and mysterious; so Thu
=, l drew forth my shoes from a COZ
pocket and slipped them on.
Twice the boards creaked ominous
700 under my tread, sounding terrific
that silence, and causing me to hal
in suspense over the banister ra
,Ey holding my breath in fear Of discover
4. At last | attained the wider space
49, the bottom, and sought blindly to e
plore my surroundings. But for &
carpet underfoot, and a small 50
.aI encountered In a recess, / would ha
-, believed myself In a deserted houi
'ah / knew | was on the third floor, y
there was no curve in the baniste
showing a way to the next flight
ma btdlfh, nor cOulu i lOCule litih ny a
Of effort. AS the result Of blindly gropi
about, / lost all sense Of direction a
must have wandered into a side roo
nv through an undraped recess, for
suddenly brought up against a tab
Uttered with papers and books.
'.a Startled by this encounter into
realization hat was lost In a strar
- house at an unholy hour Of the mo
e. ing, and that the slightest mlsstep
that darkness might result in an ala
TO awaken every sleeper, for a I
minutes | did not venture to move
any direction. Yet manifestly / co
not remain there indefinitely, and
blindly choosing a course, set FOR
49, feeling a way cautiously forward III
/ first ran into a chair, and then STIR
one hand against a side wall. ]
lowed this latter as best i cot
inspired by the thought that II | c
- n -