Evening star., 1927-11-03
THE BLACK JOKER
BY ISABEL OSTRANDER.

ed it, and 1 tell you the place is in a
mess. 1t looks as though they'd left
in hurry-Scared off,
.Janet's heart sank with the thought
that after all she might be too late, but
she cried quickly:
Lets go! You can wait for me
under the willows and whistle If any
one is coming"
do you honestly think you'd better
try it tonight?" Sawyer asked doubt
| fully
why not?" Janet turned impatient
| ly in the road.
We'll, if they've beaten it,
afraid of something, it isn't a
raid by our own crowd, or they'd
stay and fight it, and whoever
comes and finds you in there will
think that you're one Of Normans
fact, if there's likely to be any trouble
at all, we have as much reason to
avoid it as they"
| From the authorities. you mean?"
She shrugged III have to chance
that, Mr.. Sawyer, and what you've
told me makes me feel that / haven't
minute to lose"'
He made no further effort to dis
suade her and they FASTENED along
the lane together, but when they came
to the driveway leading to the door
he halted her.
BE as quick as you cam he urged.
Il don't like it myself, got a funny
hunch something's liable to happeni
/ wish you'd let me so in with you.'
mo, YOU must watch to see if any
one comes" Janet replied. Did you
put that candle back on the shelf?
! nfnh
Yes, just at your right hand, and
opened the window wide; it's the
second from the back door, you can't
miss it. Listen, Miss Dane; do you
know the hoot of the little brown
owl?"
mo, I'm afraid 1 don't" Janet
shook her head. puzzled
1T goes like this, only louder:
Whooo. Whoo!' Cleverly he imitat-
| ed the call of the woods bird and
Janet listened. Now, if you hear
| that three times one after the other,
put out your candle quick and feel
your way down to that pantry win.
dow. I'll be waiting just outside, and
if you don't come in a minute I'll be
in after you, for that will mean there's
trouble I'll keep a lookout here
where l can see both front and back"
She left him standing under one of
the willows which lined the little brook
where Afford had been shot down in
aiding her escape. and hurried up the
path to the back door. The second
window from it was opened wide, as
Sawyer had said, and Janet climbed
nlmbly in. The candle, still warm and
softened, was lying on the shelf with
box of matches beside it and, light
ing it, she shielded it's guttering fame
with her hand and started for the
front hall and stairs.
The cottage was so still that her
footsteps. light as they were, seemed
TO reverberate through a profound
emptiness, and the scurry of mouse
in the wainscoting made her stop,
clutching at the banisters, but the
next moment she was running up,
with little smile for her own weak.
ness. To have gone through the ex-
periences which had been hers within
the past fortnight and then to be
afraid of a mere mouse when she
stood on the very threshold of sue
cessl
Yet there was something queer and
horrid in the silence! She had crossed
the kitchen in order to get to the
front hall and had seen soiled dishes
with fragments of stale food on them
still on the table, and .ringed
stains on the floor about the stove
showed that water had been used to
extinguish it's fire, but when she en-.
tered the first of the bedrooms on the
second floor Janet came upon unmis.
taxable signs of sudden and agitated
flight.
Drawers were pulled half out, their
contents scattered on the floor, the
closet door stood wide, and the bed
left tumbled just as it had been slept
in. Janet gave a quick glance about
and went on to the next, to find it in
even greater disorder, but the third
had evidently been long in disuse.
The first door at the head of the
stairs on the other side Of the hall
opened into the room she herself had
| been kept prisoner in. and Janet did
| not bother to turn its knob but opened
the one beside it.
| Here she found the greatest con.
fusion Of all. The very bed had been
torn apart and a furry of white feath.
ers rose in the sudden draft from the
| door, to settle again on the ripped pil.
| lows. The pitcher from the toilet set
of fiaring pink porcelain on the wash.
stand was shattered on the floor and
the mirror of the dresser was cracked
across. 1t looked to the girls amazed
eyes as il the destructive frenzy of
some madman had been at work here,
but she started to pick her way over
to the single window when her candle
fame shot up. revealing a motionless
figure lying outstretched before the
wardrobe.
Janet recoiled, sitting the scream
which rose to her lips. but still the
| fgure did not move and something in
the stark rigidity Of it's outline