The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1923-11-16

lNIl NCiy III uiu clNh. l. was - 'Ho ~
a dirty bed. There was a screen round
il, but l could hear two people talk
ing in the room. Mrs. Vandemeyer was
one of them. | tried to listen, but at
first | couldn't slke much in. When
at last / aid begin to grasp what was
going OIL was just terrified! | won
der l didn't scream right out there
and then.
They hadn't found the papers.
They'd got the oilskin packet with he
blanks, and they were just mad! They
didn't know whether I'd changed the
papers, or whether Danvers had been
carrying a dumNy message, while the
real one was sent another way. They
spoke of'-she closed her eyes-"tor-
turing me to find out!
II began thinking madly. What could
/ do? / knew l wouldn't be able TO
stand up against torture very long.
Suddenly something put the thought Of
loss of memory into my had. The sub
ject had always interested me, and I'd
read an awful lot about it. l had the
whole thing at my inger-tips. If only
l could succeed in carrying the bluff
through, it might ave me. ! said a
prayer, and drew q long breath. Then
l opened my eyes and started babbling
In French
Mrs. Vandemeyer came round the
screen at once. Her face was so
wicked l nearly died, but | smiled up
at her doubtfully, and asked her In
French where l was.
ut puzzled her, I could see. She
called the man she had been talking
to. He stood By the screen with his
face in shadow. He spoke to me in
French. He asked me my name. !
said l didn't know-that l couldn't re-
member anything at all.
suddenly he caught my wrist, and
began twisting 1t. The pain was awful.
/ screamed. He went on. | screamed
and screamed, but | managed to shrek
out things in French. | don't know
how long I could have gone on, but
luckily l tainted. The last thing !
heard was his voice saying: That's
not bluff! Anyway, 4 kid Of her age
wouldn't know enough
"When | came to, Mrs. Vandemeyer
was sweet as honey to me. Shed had
her orders, | guess.
"By ard by she went out of the
room altogether. l was suspicious
still, and lay quite quiet for some time.
In the end, however, | got up and
walked round the room, examining II.
l thought that even if anyone was
watching me from somewhere, it would
seem natural enough under the circum-
stances. 1t was a squalid, dirty place.
There were nc windows, which seemed
queer. | guessed the door would be
locked, but | didn't try it. There were
some battered old pictures on the
walls. representing scenes from Faust"
James two listeners gave a stimuli
taneous "Ah!" The girl nodded.
"Yes-it was the place in Soho
where Mr.. Beresford was imprisoned.
Of course, at the time I didn't even
know If | was in London. One thing
was worrying me dr%eadfully, but my
heart gave a great throb Of relief
when I saw my ulster lying careiessly
over the back of the chair. And the
magazine was still rolled up in the
pocket!
81 lay down On the bed again, and
by and by Mrs. Vandemeyer brought
me some supper.
THAT was an awful night. I'd made
my plan whilst I was waiting for her.
The papers were safe so far, but I
couldn't take the risk of leaving them
! there any longer. They might. throw
that magazine away any minute. I
lay awake waiting until I judged It
rlust be about two O'clock in the
morning. Then | got up aus softly as
I could, and felt in the dark along the
left-hand wall. Very gently, I un-
hooked n of the pictures from it's
nail-Marguerite with her casket of
jewels. l crept over to my coat and
took out the magazine, and an odd
envelope or two that l had showed in.
Then I went to the washstand, and
damped the brown paper at the back
Of the picture all round. Presently
I was able to pull It away. had
already torn out the two stuck
together pages from the magazine.
and now I slipped them with their
precious Enclosure between the picture
and its brown paper backing. A little
gum from the envelopes helped me to
stick the latter up again. No one
would dream the picture had ever
been tempered with. I rehung 1t on
the wall, put the magazine back in
my coat pocket, and crept back to bed.
"They watched me constantly for
weeks. Sometimes they'd ask me
questions by the hour-l guess there
was nothing they didn't know about
tie third degree!-but somehow I
managed to hold my own. The strain
of 1t was awful, though I felt
that the horrors in store for me would
be too awful once they knew I'd been
oIly shamming.
at ended in my being sent to n
sanatorium at B~Ournemouth.
couldn't make up my mind at first
whether Ii was q sham affair or genu-
inc. l think l almost hypnotized my
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