Evening star., 1922-10-01

~ W HCuI pACh " HcT Cu6bI ABA WSs
- listening. The bliszard had come
now. Wind whipped the window sash
and roared about the house corners.
Beneath the il1-htting frame a fine
line of snow had sifted. She was
painfully alive. Every sense ached
with waiting.
More than once she mistook q
slamming shutter for the closing of
the front door. only to be disap-
pointed. But it came an hour later,
when the clock with the painted dial
was striking 8. The bait OF the
unlatched door and the glow of the
base burner through the parlor win
dow had caught their victim.
Cooper had compromised with his
conscience by making a careful round
Of the house. AT one place he
stopped. In a lull Of the wind. it
seemed to him that there was a curl
Gus. grinding sound. Then the gale
rose again. caught his hat and sent
him running and cursing. When he
came back the noise, whatever it was,
had ceased.
porch and opened the door. A home
ly odor Of tea met him. mixed with
comforting warmth. He turned up
the lamp and took off his overcoat.
1t was his best overcoat and shabby
at that. II he had any luck and the
storm drove Carter back, he'd be able
to buy a new one. He busted 1t off
with his hands before hanging it over
the back Of the chair to dry. On one
caught his attention. He looked at
them with speculation. but without
suspicion. He had a sense of humor.
"1Ia!" he said to himself. Even
the sky had gone in for adulteration.
Sawdust in the snow"
He smiled at the conceit and slipped
the tea. 1t was not very good, but
it was hot. Overhead he could hear
the slow rocking of a chair.
Poor child" he said. Poor little
girl-all this for that skunk"
He affected a further compromise
with his sense of duty by getting up
every few minutes and inspecting
the street or tiptoeing through the
kitchen and pulling open unexpected
ly the back door. Always on these
occasions he had his hand in his re-
volver pocket.
Threc-thirty.
The storm had increased in vio-
lence. Already small drifts had piled
in still corners. The glow of the base
burner was dull red. The rocking
overhead had ceased.
Cooper yawned and stretched out
his legs.
Poor li::le girl" he said. Poor
lii girl! And all for the sake-all for
He drew a deep breath and settled
lower in the chair.
+ *'+
MOLLY CARTER be nt down from
lN1 the top of the stairs and lis
tened. The detective had come in and
she had not heard him go out. 1t
would not do to descend too stealthily
for fear he we're still awake. AS an
excuse she took down bottle of the
baby's to fill with milk.
Cooper was sound asleep in the
parlor, his head dropped forward on
his breast. There was a strong odor
steamed by the fire.
Still holding the bottle. she crept
TO the kitchen and tapped lightly
three times on the papered door.
There was no rep;y. Her heart al
most stopped, leaped on again, raced
wildly. She repeated the signal.
Then. desperately. enc put her lips
to the wall.
Jim" she whispered.
There was absolute silence. save
for the heavy breathing of the detec-
tive in the parlor. Madness seized
her. She crept along the tiny pas
sage to the parlor door. and working
with infinite caution. in spite OF her
frenzy. she closed it and locked it
from the outside. Then back to the
kitchen again. pulses hammering.
The bottle fell off the table and
broke with a crash. For moment
she felt as If something in her had
given away also But there came no
outcry from the parlor, no heavy
weight against the flimsy door.
She got her knife from the table
drawer and cut relentlessly through
the new paper strips. Then. with the
edge Of the blade, she worked the
door open.
Tim half sat, half lay, in the bottom
of the closet with closed eyes. Drink
and fatigue had combined with sti-