The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1924-01-15

! time. Unfortunately, this afternoon,
as she was coming downstairs, she
slipped, and she has broken two ribs.
/ The doctor has been twice and will be
coming again a little later on, think
But he says that at her age it's prac-
tically hopeless. that she can't live"
Yes" I said Il see But why do
| you :"
well ~ he seemed a little EN-
tarrassed, its like this. She's very
weak because she's lost lot of blood:
falling she also got deep cut across
the forehead, just over the eyes. Now
you see, now you see." he went on ex-
citedly that's what makes it pos
sible.'
Makes what possible?" I asked in
a puzzled tone.
"Of course, I hadn't told you. I'm
| sorry, but my brains rather mud
died. What is the matter is that she
is asking for my boy Charlie. He's
always been her favorite. You see,
she never married. so he's been like
son to her And she wants awfully
badly to say goodby to him before she
dies"
"oh! I understand. So that's
why e"
Eyes. of course. 1 do hope you'll
excuse this. but 1 told Ponfret to
stop any young man she met, a young
man whose voice would be
well, the kind of voice she'd expect
to hear He stopped, painting, his
excitement making him speeches..
"All right" I said. What you
want me to do is to see her and i'm
personate Mr.. Charlie. I'm willing to
make her happy, poor old lady. But,
by the way, she'll know me-
mo, of course, she won't. Didn't
l tell you, owing to that cut in the
forehead. her eyes are bandaged.
Now
At that moment there was a ring
at the bell. The elderly man swore
under his breath, went 10 the door
and opened it. There entered large
man whose black bag and frock coat
exposed him as the doctor.
"Oh, Doctor" said the man, in a
hesltatirg tone. Il didn't expect you
so early again"
1 heard vague whispered remarks.
/ gathered that, though the chances
were small the doctor had thought
we'll to return early. At last my host
came back to me and said: Il do
hope you'll forgive me. But you
won't be long, doctor, will you? No?
But, look here" he went on. address
ing me again, II wonder if you'd
mind waiting ten minutes, not more,
perhaps only five, in the dining room?
Just a moment doctor, please
I found myself in the dining room,
seated at a table on which were de-
canters of brandy and whisky, while
the footsteps of the two men echoed
I'D the stairs. well" l thought.
now you've done it" When 1 looked
about me, the effect of luxury was
carried out on a larger scale, by
pictures, one of which. without the
slightest doubt, was a Rembrandt. l
wondered what actually | had been
brought in for. l did not believe my
host. That he should bring me in to
comfort an old lady at her last hour.
that he should pick any stranger from
the street IN this pious attempt would
be believable only he loved his sister
beyond description But there had
been no words of love, no signs OF
agony He was not sitting with her
when 1 arrived. He was quite willing
TO leave her. II wasn't that; it was
something else, something darker.
It was at that moment that l be
came conscious of a sound i'm the dis
lance. A regular sound AS if some
body were driving In a nail l listened
acutely. I could not hear it again
Next door perhaps Absurd People
didn't drive in nails at o'clock in
the morning. There it was again,
faint but persistent. l tiptOed to the
doorway and listened. 1t came per
sistently. a muff1ed regular sound.
Suddenly had the instinct rather than
the certainty that the person who was
making the sound could have made
louder sound, that the person was
afraid. was throwing out a signal
The conviction rushed into my mind
that, somewhere, somebody was locked
up, and was family tapping at the
door, having heard me come, fearfully
seeking release. I listened I could
not locate the sound at first. Then
I realized that it came from the back
Of the hall. Still on tiptoe, I went
out into the hall and opened a door
at the end. This led only into a little
washing place. But the sound came
again. 1t was behind me now. OF
course: the room behind the dining
room. I tried the handle; the door
was locked! And, as I touched the
handle. the tapping within became
louder, grew more rapid, more febrile
The key was in the lock Evidently
everybody in the house was in the
plot to keep the person within
turned the key; before me, lit up
by strong lights, stood a woman. aged
about forty. her mouth quivering, her
face stained with tears She was so
breathless with eXcitment that at first
She could not speak Her appearance
surprised me. l saw now that she
was more than forty, but she had a
strange, tragic beauty, and was clad
In an evening frock of which l could
recognize the fashion and the price.
About her neck, too, were several
| rows of pearls. There existed a cruel
contrast between the luxury of her
appearance and the expression of her
features. She was faded and wrin-
killed., and her cheeks were wet with
tears, but I could see by the straight
ness and delicacV of the nose tho