Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1923-12-22

fore came back to consciousness. I
felt very Ill and sick. l was lying on
a dirty bed. There was a screen round
it, but could hear two people talk
ing I'd the room. Mrs. Vandemeyer was
one Of them. ! tried to listen, but at
first l couldn't take much in. When
at last I did begin to grasp what was
going on was just terrined. I won
der / didn't scream right out there
and then.
They hadn't found the papers
They'd got the Oilskin packet with the
blanks, and they were just mad They
| didn't know whether I'd changed the
papers, or whether Danvers had been
carrying dummy message, while the
real one was sent another way. They
spoke of'-she closed her eyes-"tor-
turing me to find out
Il began thinking madly. What could
do2 / knew / wouldn't be able to
stand up against torture very long.
Suddenly something put the thought Of
loss Of memory into my head. The sub
ject had always interested me- and I'd
read an awful lot about 1t. / had the
whole thing at my finger-tips If only
l could succeed In carrying the bluff
through, 1t might save me. said a
prayer, and drew long breath. Then
opened my eyes and started babbling
In French
Mrs. Yandemeyer came round the
screen at once. Her face was so
wicked / nearly died, but I smiled up
at her doubtfully, and asked her in
French where l was.
1T puzzled her, l 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 didn't know-that l couldn't re-
member anything at ALL
Suddenly he caught my wrist, and
began twisting It. The pain was awful.
/ screamed. He went on. screamed
and screamed, but I managed to shrek
out things In French. / don't know
how long l could have gone on. but
luckily / tainted. The last thing
heard was his voice saying: That's
not bluff Anyway. a kid Of her age
wouldn't know enough
"When l came to- Mrs. yandemeyer
was sweet as honey to me. She'd had
her orders, ! guess,
SPY and by she went out of the
room altogether was suspicious
still, and lay quite quiet for some time.
In the end, however, I got up and
walked round the room, examining It.
/ thought that even If anyone was
watching me from somewhere 1t would
seem natural enough under the circum-
stances. 1t was a squalid, dirty place.
There were no windows, which seemed
queer. I guessed the door would be
locked hut I didn't try It. There we're
some battered old pictures on the
walls, representing scenes from Faust"
James two listeners gave a stimuli
taneous "Ahp The girl nodded
"Yes-lt was the place in Soho
where Mr.. Beresford was imprisoned
or course. Mt the time I didn't even
know II was in London. One thing
was worrying me dreadfully, but my
heart gave great throb Of relief
when saw my ulster lying carelessly
over the back of the chair And the
magazine was still rolled up In the
pocket
Il 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 l
lay awake waiting until I Judged Il
must he about two o'clock In the
morning, Then I got up as softly as
could. and felt Ia the dark along the
left-hand wall. Very gently, / I'M
hooked one of the pictures from It's
nail-Marguerite with her caSket or
Jewels. I crept over to my coat and
took ont the magazine, and an odd
envelope or two that I had showed In.
Then I went to the washstaud. and
damped the brown paper at the back
Of the picture all round Presently
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 tire envelopes helped me 10
stick the latter up again. No one
weuTd dream the picture had ever
been tempered with I rehung II on
the wall put the magazine back ID
my coat pocket, and erept back to bed.
'"They watched me constantly for
weeks. Sometimes they'd ask me
questions by the hour-t guess there
was nothing they didn't know about
the third degree but somehow
managed 10 hold my own, The strain
OF II was awful. though felt
that the horrors in store for me would
be too awful once they knew I'd been
only shamming.
cit ended in my being sent TO
sanatcr,um az RournemOuth.
couldn't make up my mind at first