Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-11-29
THE MYSTERY
STORY

intense darkness it was impossible to
see, nor could she be sure that what
she thought was the sound of guarded
breathing was really anything other
than the slight hiss of the wind at
a crack in the door. Yet, somehow,
she knew that she was not alone.
Realizing that her life, for the last
three weeks in imminent peril, might
be snuffed out the next second, She
The telephone bell rang. waited
for Nancy to answer it before 1 con-
tinued. When II am at home con-
valescing, as at present, always
have a Senselessg curiosity to know
who is calling on tthe telephone. The
bell rang five times, and then five
more Apparently Nancy had gone
out into the yard. I rose, wabbled
over to the instrument and inquired
who was there.
s'Thts is the telephone company"
said "a voice. sWe are just testing
your wire. 1t was reported out OF
order yesterday Call come through
all right?"
eyes" I said, and, climbing back
into bed, resumed my mystery story:
Terrified as she was, the girl was
not quite incapable of action. Fur
lively, through the darkness, she
stretched out her hand toward what
has been the vacant section of the
seat when she entered the vehicle.
She was sure it was unoccupied then.
She had boarded the cab under
bright street lamp Yet now-by
fractions of an inch, her hand began
- 10 Wiz I1o1
when
This time it was the door bell.
Nancy was still unresponsive. went
to the window over the door and
attempted the impossible feat of look
ing around and under the roof of the
little entrance portico The bell con-
tinued to ring. At last 1 thrust up
the window and demanded who was
there.
Package" said a voice.
Leave it." I said.
Its G. o. D."
''Well, bring it back this afternoon"
Don't come round this way this
afternoon"
"All right, leave it tomorrow"
1 was told that it was Important
gotta be left today.
"Oh, all right"
It was doctors orders not to leave
the second floor, but / tore down the
sairs, looked at the tag with the
package, found that it was 13 cents
and, not having the 13 cents, wrote
a check for it. Then came back to
bed and took up my tale:
A faint odor. seemed to fill the cab,
iaIo rryif1
she recognized Where had she known
it before. She. remembered now-it
was the gas that was administered
before she was given the ether when
her broken arm was set. Faint now
it was, yet increasing in acridity.
Soon, unless she could escape, she
would be smothered. But what of the
other occupant Of the taxi-she must
be sure that there was another occu-
pant. Abandoning caution, she threw
out her hand quickly toward the op-
posite-
, This time it was Nancy. She had
come back from an errand across
the Street and called to ask me it I
wanted anything. said I didn't.
Then she said she was told to re-
mind me at 1870 that I was to take
the medicine. I said it wouldn't be
IL 80 for IS minutes She said that
she would call me again in Is min
utes. I told her not to take the
trouble, that i would remember. She
said "All right" and I took up the
story once more.
There was a slight shufflihg sound,
Celeste fancied, more like that made
by bird passing at night than a
human being. Her finger tips seemed
to touch something living, and then
they met only with space She
moved swiftly across the seat. Ger
tainly no one occupied the other side
of it. With her feet she explored the
floor of the taxi. Ill All in vain. And
all the time the sense of Suffocation
was growing more acute, till now she
was convinced that unless she could
break window, or somehow man
age to. frighten the sinister driver,
she would soon be in a swoon Re
solved to 1escape the tolls which,
drawing slowly about her for so long,
now seemed certain to close in within
the next few minutes, she
From the back yard came the sound
of howl I leaped out of bed and
dashed to the window. A nelghoorS
child, who had climbed the apple
tree for no honest purpose, had fallen
out of it. He was leaning up against
the trunk and emitting scream after
scream. called downstairs to Nancy,
hut she was already out there. The
child redoubled his screams at her
approach, evidently expecting a double
penalty for his larceny. Lifting the
window, I told her to examine him
for possible broken limbs. 1t wasn't
necessary. Before she was within
reaching distance of him, he had
bolted in the direction of his fathers
house.
In bed once more, continued
Before she could decide definitely
on any plan that might save her
from the horror of being Smothered
in the cab, Celeste was almost too
weak to move But at last, with a
heroic effort she thrust her shoulder