Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-04
MI MARRIAGE
|X1
Adele Garrison's
New Phase off,.
EVELATIO
OF WIFE
THE WAY THE MAN SMITH
FOUND THE CODE INTACT

The sound of a key turning in the
lock of the antique desk told me that
Katie was obeying Smiths Injunction
to open the desk where Lillian had put
the eyeglass case which had decoyed
the mar back into the trap set for him.
A slight shuffling noise mean that the
girl was fumbling for the absurd Sc
cret drawer which puzzled nobody, and
then. Katie's voice sounded again.
Here ees ting dey hid. Ees eet
vot you vant?"
Don't ask questions." he added a
sighting epithet, and |, used to katies
excitable temperament, wondered if
she would be able to remain perfectly
calm under the insult.
But either from a remembrance of
her duty as an actress" or from gen.
uine fear of the man Smith, Katie ut
tered no sound. and her there was the
quick, impatient tearing of paper as
Smith fumbles with the clumsy brown
%wrappings in which Lillian purposely
had tied the case.
Katie Plays Her Part
"Ah!' A sibilant intake Of the
breath and the single exclamation told
me that Smith had reached the case.
and ] guessed from the tiny beam of
light which came from underneath the
draperies that Katie was holding the
flashlight for him
Here, you" His voice was brutal.
all the more so because he kept it at
so low a pitch. II do not choose that
you see any more for a while. Come
here. Hold the light in front of you
till / bind your eyes"
"Vot!' The exclamation broke from
Katie, but was quickly changed to q
little cry of pain. Smith must have
struck or kicked or pinched her, and I
exercised every bit of self-control I
possessed to keep from rushing into
the room TO Katie's aid. But my ON
mon sense told me that If the girl
obeyed him implicitly he would not
hurt her while she was still of use to
him in showing him the way about the
house. So / remained at my post,
filled with a primitive longing to reach
the sinister figure in the next room
and mete out to him a brutality equal
to his own.
Smith Is JubiIant
you viii get worse than that If you
sneak or move again without my per-
mission" Smith said m~enacingly. and !
heard a little ~strangled sob in Katie's
throat which meant terrified obedience.
There The single word came
after a few seconds silence, evidently
devoted 10 binding the girls eyes.
Now give me that flash and lie down
on the floor. full length, arms crossed,
face in arms. Quick. That's better.
7 could soon teach you obedience.
Your mistress has spoiled you. Now,
if you lift your head or make n
other movement until / give you per-
. ,o;E-.o- ron, will cot another little
caress like this"
This" must have been a kick. I
heard a smothered moan from Katie.
and took an involuntary step toward
the draperies which separated me from
nv faithful little maid. then remem-
bered that one of the vital points in
AL.illian's plan was to have Smith dis
cover that the queer thin papers be-
hind the secret lining of the ~eyeglass
case apparently had not been dis,
turbed. If Katie lay motionless-as I
was sure she would-she was safe
from further injury until he had fin
ished his investigation, and any move
ment of mine would upset Lillian's
whole plan.
Smith seated himself deliberately in
a chair-I heard the springs creak as
his weight settled into it. Then there
came 10 my ears the r~ustling of paper,
and knew that by the aid of the
flashIight he was examining the paper.
| held my breath and strained my
ears to hear his first word. He be-
+ lieved himself TO be alone except for
. Katie. who was. in his opinion. patent
" a negligible quantity. That he
would express joy or chagrin, I be
lieved. and was justified when l heard
a low chuckle.
Stupid swine he said. Under
their eyes. and they could not see it,
All, My little beauty" I judged that
he was ~apostrophizing the freak code
which he fondly believed was still a
Secret-"You are not vet 8 dead one
You will still do work for your good
+ father. Get up
His tone changed unbelievably as he
spoke to Katie, but | do not think he
kicked the girl again. At any rate. I
heard no outcry. only the sound of her
clumsy stumbling to her feet.