Omaha daily bee., 1922-04-30
\ Fiction J
~

her waist The good Lord was Kind! fns
money and papers and the address 10 ths
New York boarding house were there But
the beautiful wrist watch which had been
gift from her dear fsthsr'
Then Marie remembered. fmbecile She
had taken II OF when she had washed In
the dressing room. She had put II on the
rack for towels-aimost certainly II was
gone forever The tears came In her eyes.
But she would so instantly and see. Marie
pulled on her shoes. gathered her kinono
about her. and sped down the car. When
half way down shs realized that she was
going In the wrong direction: her berth was
fourth from the vestibuls In which was the
ladies' room. She hurried back. In the
dressing room was a row of newly arranged
towels. and Maris's heart sank to such an
extent that the rebound WAS upsetting-
under one Of tho towels was her watch.
unhamed.
Altar kiss1ng II with French fervof
Marie returned to hcr berth and crept In
but upon . terrifio surprise. . blankstsd
body which started convulsively. For an
instant Marie was conscious OF that only. .
body that leaped up and away from her. The
next instant she was seized and huns back
ward in the berth. hot, powerful hands
Krtpped her throat, q body knelt on her
chest, pinioning her arms. and face painted
into her own: she was choked and smoth-
cred into an intolerabie agony against
which she writhcd and struggled In blind
animal frenzy.
Then suddenly the grip on her throat
loosened. The weight on her chest lifted.
a. she was thrust into the aisle and fell
to the floor. Her consested eyes could not
anA kA orir n har on dnafapnA
her, but, with the instinct to Zee. she
crawled for a distance. then staggered to
her feet. and plunged into the vestibule.
stIll strangling. The movement Of the train
threw her back and forth. thrrst her finally
against a door.
When Marie returned to a consciousness
which was not merely mad terror and
desperate struggle for breath. she found
herself inside the dressing room which she
had left a few minutes before. She was
braced against the door. Her throat within
and without burned as II scared by hot
iron. and there were shooting pains in her
chest. Though she could see. black spots
swan before her eyes, springing up and
down in queer time to the violent throbbins
pains in her chest.
But no one tried to thrust the door In;
there was no outcry. only the noises Of the
pains in her chest lessened and connected
thoughts began to form in her aching head.
She felt weak and sick, but, with much
effort, she thought 1t out, the thing she had
done; It was the fur, that woman's sables
lying in her berth and against which Maries
head and neck had been pressed. which
made It all clear.
It was so natural and dangerous a mis-
take. When she started for the dressing
room to look for her watch, she had turned
about, and that in itself was confusing
Then she had been excited at finding her
watch, which was confusing also. Most cer-
tainly when she had hastened back to the
berth she knew that hers was fourth from
the vestibule. but it was the left hand. not
the right hand, berth into which she had
crept; it was the berth Of the woman with
the beautiful furs. The woman was terribly
strong: her hands had gripped like steel.
The creature had first leaped away from
her as IL afraid Of being seized herself, then
she had gripped her with the intention Of
checking her to death. 1t was some second
thought. which had made the woman cast
her forth.
But why no outcry? Why not the porter
called? It was utterly unlike most women
not to notify the porter. Most women would
scream. not silently and violently attack an
determination and a consciousness Of
strength. A thief who feared capture would
behave in that way but not the woman who
had nothing to fear. A murderess fleeing
from a crime might be ready to murder
again RATHER than be taken prisoner. but
no woman innocent Of guilt would act as
that creature had.
Marie was we'll acquainted with danger
and CHASTITY wounds and sudden death. The
whine Of shot and bursting Of shells were
customary things; she had been in France
throughout the war. 1t was experience in
danger which helped her to rally 50 soon.
She examined her bruised and swollen
throat in the mirror, wrapped a towel
soaked in ice water about it, and sat down
then to think, and her decision was this:
To tho porter, to her fellow passengers, not
a word. The woman had boarded the train
long after every one was abed, and could
have no idea who was in the berth opposite.
She could not have known even to what
berth the intruder belonged, for Marie was
certain that when she had crept into the
woman's berth she had been sound asleep,
for she had started so convulsively and had
gasped. If she hid the bruises on her
throat, tho woman would not be likely to
recognize her, for It had been dark in the
berth and her hilled cap must have con-
cealed her face almost entirely.
Marie decided to stay where she was until
daylight; that was not Tar off. for 1t was
now five o'clock. Then she would ring for
the porter and ask him to bring her suit.
case and her clothes, so there would be no
chance of the woman's recognizing her cap
and kimono.
Marie was terrified at the possibility Of
being recognized: she wished that she could
leave the train without having to return to
her berth. She hoped intensely that the
woman would leave the train before day
light; II she was . criminal afraid Of detec-
ton, she would be likely to leave before any
one was stirring.
Marie's flesh crawled when she thought
of the creatures proximity. She felt sick
terror. Ugh! That hot painting breath in
her face! The terror of those murderous
hands at her throat! Never In her life had
she felt such horror Of human being.
Though fully dressed, Marie fingered in
the dressing room until two women entered
with their bags and crowded her out When
they pushed the door open Marie's heart
stopped for an instant, for it might be her
assaiant.
Her dread Of the woman had increased
rather than lessened; the more she thought
of her experience the more certain she was
that the woman was a criminal Of some
sort. When the porter had accepted a gen.
erous fee and had brought her things he