New Britain herald., 1922-05-08
How Lillian and Madgc Made Prep
 arations to Safeguard F,eryonc.

arations 10 Safeguard Everyone.
 The Ticers, father, mother son and
 daughter left for their home within
 a few minutes of my return to the
 house with Jerry after putting up the car. l watched them go with d re-
 uetant little tremor Of apprehension as I remembered I.illian's words con corning smith. l was not particular iy treasured by the preparations she made for the night.
 Allah be praised for small favors, she said, as she moved swiftly through the lower rooms with me attending to the fastening Of the windows and doors. Your mother-in-l claws win dows have bars-you remember she had them put up after Junior was taken last fall. I'm going to ask her if I may put Marion in her bed for tonight, and when they get soundly to sleep I'll lock them in for spell. After I've interviewed Katie I'm going to take the liberty of putting her on a cot in my room-she'll be so fright ened by the time I get through with her that she'll be glad to be locked in-and you know that window in my room couldn't he reached unless by d ladder. Besides, it is on the road Then you and I are going. on a little excursion l suppose all these precau- tions are the rankest foolishness, but I'd rather be ridiculous one hundred times than sorry once"
 A Little Excursion"
 T should think so'' l replied hanal ly enough, but indeed I was in no state to choose my words. Was itI possible that with the man. Smith, al large in the countryside--eyen if he | were shadowed-Lillian meant mo to leave the house with her? Yet what else could the phrase little excursion" mean?
 My loyalty to Lillian and the cause in which we were working took d sick ening slump at this point. Not for anything in the world, I told myself. | would I leave my little lad in a | locked room with only his feeble | grandmother and little Marion to stand between him and any danger, | real or fancied. My determination must have shown in my face. for Lil- lian laughed lightly as she turned to me from the last window fastening upon the ground floor.
 T really don't need a padded cell. | much as you may think it." she said Our little excursion will be perfect ly safe one-it's only to katies room after she is settled for the night. Now, if you don't mind playing chamber r maid and fixing up a cot for Katie in my room-incidentally, you and I will share my bed tonight. when we finally seek a bed--I will go to Katie and try my luck at little applied psychology"
 I busted myself as she had suggest ed, and did even more--for ] carried Marion, a slight figure for her age, to my mother-in-law's bed without awakening the child, and explained that Lillian wished Marion to sleep with her, and would explain why in the morning.
 away from my arm. Luckily it's a wide bed.''
 She was asleep again before I had left the room. with a reassurng stop at Juniors crihside, and it was not many minutes afterward that Lillian came to her room.
 You So Goot-"
 "ENerything set, I sec" she com mented, looking around the room, and then, when l had explained what I had done. Did Marion wake up, sr your mother-in-law object? No?" any negative shake of the head That's good, I wish I'd been as sue cessfu."
 I made no reply, for I knew of old that questioning annoyed her and that she would tell me whatever she wished me to know.
 That girl is certainly thousand piece picture puzzle" she said after a few seconds pause. She 'swears her a swear that she took nothing from your fathers room, or anything else, and I'm almost constrained to believe her. Yet there's something about her II don't know" |.
 She spread her hands in q helpless !, gesture most foreign to Lillian, and saw that she was indeed puzzled and troubled-concerning Katie, and , the possibility of her having abstract ca rom my ldtHer $ room the HSS- ( terious object which smith and Joe and the people behind them were so anxious to find.
 T purposely left her alone so that she could hide the thing if she want { ed to-I told her Smith thought she i had it, and would no doubt try with E in the next few hours to find her and | get it from her. We'll have no trouble about keeping her indoors for { the next few days or so. Here she comes now frightened out of her l senses. I can tell by her gait. Yol f take her up to my room and get her { to sleep, and then come back to me" '