Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-06-04
III. THE CAPTIVE.

l
she was none the less prisoner.
She knew, even as the door CLOSED
behind her, what she must do, and
when. Her mind was made up tC
make good her escape before morning
The mere suggestion was appalling
She dared not dwell long upon the
difficulties 1t presented lest resolu.
ton weaken To her own knowledge
Of her whereabouts, she was lost com
pletely-going on Mario's information
len miles from nowhere. But there
was road; a road must lead some
where. She was young and strong
enough to walk ten miles If she must,
farther at a pinch. And the occasion
was extreme: she dared not let her.
self be deferred by any obstacle or
any danger. real or fanciful.
She was too desperately in love ;.
She could hear Mario In the living
room, pacing to and fro she could
| picture to herself the man in the tor
ment of his solicitude for her. fretted
by mystification and the feeling of
Illustration She imagined that her
pulses thrObbed In time with those I'M
hasting, unresting footballs. The temp
tation to go out to him and comfort
him was all but stronger than her
instinct for self-preservation.
What did 1t matter whether Priscilla
Maine survived or persisted, so that
he were not made unhappy?
After all, what did she care wheth-
err he loved her by this name or by
| that, so that he loved her?
Leonora was no more. Carnehan's
confession had confirmed Priscilla's
clairvoyant knowledge of her death.
No harm would be done to any living
soul II she took his love for LeOnora
and made 1t her own; Mario himself
would not be wronged; for the dead
could have loved him no better than
the living did and would. and all his
sadness would become gladness and
his sufferings he assuaged.
Aware-though she denied it--of the
abyss that yawned for her, she was
constrained by sheer might of will to
put away thoughts such as these.
She had needed to remind herself
there could be no enduring happiness
in love that was won by fraud 3.
With determination she attacked the
problem: How to escape?
Her bedchamber had three windows
and aside from that which opened |
on the living room, two doors, of which |
one gave access to the bathroom, the |
other to Mario's room, which in turn
opened on the living room again.
With infinite stealth she closed and
locked that door.
Two of the windows looked out on
the front of the bungalow. the third
on the side. All We're fitted with wire
screens to be raised and lowered like
ordinary glazed sashes. But the wood
had swollen since their installation;
she could not bulge any Of them And
when she thought of cutting the wire
out Of the frame she found no tool
better suited to her needs than pair
of curved manicure scissors.
Her only way out, then, was through
the living room. And Mario was
there. She would have to be patient.
If he felt ms little disposed for bed
as she, after her day-long sleep, she
would have long to wait
She ransacked Leonora's slender
without finding any cloth
ing more suitable for her fight than
the dress she had on. Apparently Leo
nora had found time to do but little
shopping for herself. she had not
needed many things to wear, so far
from civilization. Presumably she had |
meant to wait till their return to |
town
In the end Priscilla selected a long
coat of darkish stuff, rather
heavy, but not too heavy for night
In the hills. She found it not uncom-
Portable, indeed, when she sat down
to wait beside one of the windows.
She had extinguIshed the candles
which seemed to be the only means
of illumination the bungalow boasted.
The room was black, blacker far than
the night that glimmered beyond the
screens. A few stars were visible, not
many, only enough--as the phrase runs
Ito make the darkness visible. In
the beginning Priscilla could distin-
guish nothing but the stars. After
some time she was able to make out
the profile Of the surrounding forest,
dense against the sky. 1t was hours
before she could see more
She sat quite still, in the lassitude |
OF melancholy, lonely In the company
of her thoughts.
Once Mario came to the door and
tapped softly, calling on Leonora by
her name.
Priscilla made no sound. He was
soon discouraged, and did not repeat
the overture.
shortly after one o'clock Mario went
to his room, and for several minutes
cahdlelight shone at the bottom of the
communicating door like the mintcd
rim OF a golden coin. When Il went
out she heard him close the door TO
the nvingroom. Whether he had re-
turned to the latter or had gone to
bed' she could not guess. Though she
crouched, listening, first at one door,