New Britain herald., 1922-10-04
The Carefully-Plannesi Questions
 Allen Drake Asked Madge

AS fl a sudden disturbing though had struck them, both Lillian ant Allen Drake turned to mo and drew me aside little way
 What about that trap -door?" Mr Drake asked with a note ot aprre hensive disapproval in his low tones That will never do. There is il way out from underneath, isn't there, Mrs Graham"
 Lnllan's hand was pressing my arm in a code signal which meant "lon'' speak. Just nod your head
 l gave the silent affirrlativc with q sudden tet,ifying, heart- shaking re- membrane of my having had con ktructed an outer entrance to the place beneath the old corncrib transformed by Dicky into a studio llide.' the floor of that Luiding my baby boy hs q been held a prisoner while frantically searched woodland and meadow for him. When he finally had been restored to me, with an il. logical, unreasoning, truly feminine obsession. l had felt that l could not endure the knowledge of there being no way tut from beneath the house, Dicky had humored me in the absurd notion, and a primitive eN- from be. meath the old structure had been de. yised by inventive Sam Ticer.
 Perfectly safe" Lillian said rcas- su:ingly Hell be too well tied Up. Eon't worry"
 \ Rehearsed Con,rrS lt;On
 That Smith was strailling lis ears to hear their low, almost whispered tones, l was as sure as l was that there were certain words of the col loauy which had been intended for his hearing. ''Trapdoor," way out," i" "underneath" and too well tied up certainly had been uttered in just enough louder accents than the rest of the conversation, to enable keen cared listener to catch them. J acquit- ted either Lillian or Allen Drake of carelessness. and therefore knew that the man Smith purposely had been given the impression that is he could free himself from the ropes tying him, he might find way of escape.
 Allen Drake spoke next in casual accents. .
 "Everything's all right then I'll just step over with the boys and at tend to tying him up myself I don't trust their brand of roping Mrs. Graham, do you suppose you could rustic a couple of sandwiches and a glass of milk, or cup of cold coffee, If Katie has left any, for this gifted gentleman? There's no use starving even the devil. It isn't exactly cricket"
 I caught his meaning, of course. He wished me to give Smith the forti- fication of food and drink for the es- cape which he and Lillian planned that the man should make. With an apparent sulky reluctance, for I was afraid Smith might suspect any eager acquiescence on my part, l started to- ward the door
 "-I Must Go !''
 Katie is too good housekeeper to have coffee in the pot overnight, and I happen to know there is no milk. But, if you have to have it. can make a pot of fresh coffee in very few minutes. and there is cream,
 If you will be so kind" MT
  offended at my reluctance.
 .I'n go with you, Madge," Lillian said. Perhaps I can rustic an extra cup for myself. Do you want the grub brought outdoors?"
 "No, I'll send one of the men in for it." MT. Drake replied. Would you mind asking them to come in as you go past the veranda ?''
 "I'u send them right in," LilliaH promised, and attended to the errand forthwith.
 She did not speak again until the Kitchen door had closed upon us, and then she punctuated her words with little impromptu dance step. sur missed that identification of Smith was a distinctly personal triumph and that she was giving way to her own enthusiastic qualification in a manner rare to her.
 "Oh, Madge '" she exclaimed, stop ping in front of me and seizing me by the shoulders. Everything IS turning out just as l had planned. And did you see how he swallowed that stuff about the trapdoor? Ills
  cisely the manner we thought they would. He thinks we'v taken every precaution against his escape, and he's using every atom of his really clever and ingenious brain cells to find way of untying his bonds. Aliens going to use a lot of funny knots, seemingly very intricate and unusual, but which will be child's play to Smith, once he has seen them done And Allen is going to work very slow ly, so that Smith will have plenty of time and opportunity to study his work. Oh it's all turning out beau- '"
 "There's only one hitch" she said slowly. From Chester has been watch ing that big car whose owners we are sure are in league with Smith, and he has charge of the men who are going