The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-06-13
CHAPTER xI-ConrI nueu.

She entered the last room. There
was no lock or bar upon the door. But
the oom was large and dark, and it
was half full of bales of alfalfa hay.
Probably it was the safest place In
the house at least time would be nee
essary to find any one hidden there.
She dropped her yaluables In a dark
corner and covered them with loose
hay. That done, she felt her way down
a narrow aisle between the piled-up
bales and presently crouched In a
niche.
With the necessity of action over for
the immediate present, Madeline be-
came conscious that she was quivering
and almost breathless. Her skin felt
tight and cold. There was a weight
on her chest her mouth was dry. and
she had u strange tendency to swallow.
Dull sounds came from parts of the
house remote from her. In the inter
walls of silence between these sounds
she heard the squeaking and rustllng
of mice in the hay. A mouse ran over
her hand.
She listened, waiting, hoping, yet
dreading to hear the Gathering ap-
proach of her cowboys. There would
be NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. injured, per-
haps killed. Even the thought of vio-
lence of any kind hurt her, But per-
haps the guerrillas would run In time
to avoid a clash with her men. She
hoped for that, prayed for it, Through
her mind fitted what she knew of
Nels, OF Monty, of Nick Steele; and
she experienced a sensation that left
her somewhat chilled and sick. Then
she thought of the dark-browed, fire.
eyed Stewart. She felt a thrill drive
away the cold nausea. And her excite
men augmented.
Waiting, listening increased all her
emotions. Nothing appeared to be
happening. Yet hours seemed to pass
while she crouched there. Had Flor
ence been o%vertaken? Could any of
those lean horses outrun Majesty? ?
She doubted it; she knew it could not
be true. Nevertheless, the strain of
uncertainty was torturing.
Suddenly the bang of the corridor
door pierced her through ana through
with the dread of uncertainty Some
of the guerrillas had entered the east
wing of the house. She heard a babel
of jabbering voices, the shutting of
boots and clinking of spurs, the slam
ming of doors and %ransacklng of
rooms.
Madeline lost faith In her hiding
place, Moreover, she found 1t fmpos-
sible 10 take the chance The idea of
being caught in that dark room by
those rufiians filed her with horror.
She must get out into the light. Swift.
Iy she rose and went to the window.
1t was rather more OF q door than
window, being a large aperture closed
by two wooden doors on hinges. The
iron hook yielded readily TO her grasp,
and one door stuck fast, while the
other opened a few inches. She looked
out upon a green slope covered with
flowers and punches of sage and
bushes. Neither man nor horse showed
in the narrow field Of her vision. She
believed she would be- safer hidden
out there in the shrubbery than in
the house. The jump from the win
dow would be easy for her.
She pulled at the door. 1t did not
bulge. 1t had caught at the bottom.
Pulling with ali her might proved to
be In vain. Pausing. with palms hot
and bruised she heard a louder, closer
approach of the invaders of her home.
Fear, wrath, and impotence contested
for supremacy owe her and drove her
TO desperation. She was alone here,
and she must rely on herself. And as
she aimed every muscle to move
that obstinate door and heard the
quick, harsh voices of men and the
sounds of a hurried search she sud
denly felt sure that they were hunting
for her. She knew II. She did not
wonder AT it. But she wondered IL