The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1922-07-19

the lock, and she realized what was
doing, she darted away, and by the
time he had begun to turn the key
in the manner described she had
fled into Roberta's bathroom, and had
closed and locked the door after her
and that time she Withdrew the key
| and dropped it to the tiled floor.
! But there was no other way out Of
that room unless. She glanced to-
Ward the high and narrow window
kand shook her head-but approached
lit, nevertheless-and stepped upon
the low chair that stood beneath it
while she pushed wide open the
hinged screen to peer into the night
Outside.
1T might be DONE" she told her.
bself mentally. ut cane be done. l
must do it. That man shall not
know that"
Belknap had entered the other
room and was rapping softly against
the bathroom door.
"Come out here" she heard him
say. What is the matter with
kyou?"
But Katherine was working with fe-
verish haste and paid no heed to him
+ There was a pile of bathtowels in
the small cupboard where they were
kept, and they were of generous
! size.
4, She seized upon them one by one
and knotted them together until sht
decided that her improvised rops
was long enough, for she had made
up her mind that she would expert
ence only slight difficulty in f0rcine
: her slender body through the window
She had not a doubt that Belknal
when he became convinced that Ro
berta would not go out to him no,
! answer him (for, Of course, he coult
not doubt that it was Roberta insidl
! the bathroom), she believed that h
would do n of two thins; he wouIt
either try to force the door-an un
likely thing-or he would calmly an
nounce that he would sit down an,
wait until she came out, if it tool
her till 6oomsday to decide-an eS
. tremely likely thing for him to d.
. in his present mood.
Well, he could wait; but Rather
+ inc did not propose to remain wher
she was to be waited for. Robert
! might have done so; she would not.
Ell She tied n end Of her rop
t around the pipe of hot water heatin
v apparatus that passed from floor t
S ceiling in the corner beside the win
y dow; then she got upon the low chat
again and began her strange ext
d from the bathroom.
She could hear Belknap talking, bu
she paid no heed to what he wa
Y saying.
1t She had to FORCE her way hea
+. first through the window-there Wa
" no other way-but she kept a fir
grip upon the towel rope.
Katherine was slender and wi
Y lowy. There was but little imped
= ment of clothing to overcome. as "
III know.
1t was a tight squeeze, neverthl
"a less; but she made it inch by inc
II by squirming and edging her bod
forward a little at a etime, first
J. one side and then at the other, emerS
{; ing at the opposite side in the pos
ton of n who dives into the waite
~ When at last she was free from IL
he window castings, she did dive, but 81
. chung desperately to her rope as
j. caught her weight and whirled HI
ne body over.
The impetus of her fall and Il
d, sharp jerk proved too much for tt
sy knot she had tied around the wat
" pipe; it was not equal to the shal
d. and sudden strain upon it.
lg It came loose, and she fell, a fe
feet only, and upon the soft sod,
= that in her quite natural exciteme
of the moment, and her glee over t
an escape she had made, she was bar
nd ly conscious of the shock of it-al
n the knotted towels fell with her, al
she gathered them up as she g
he upon her feet and sprang into t
'st