Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-01-28
Published by special arrangement with the
Chicago Tribune Syndicate



the windshield. Beside it the whittier
face of a young girl. Her hands, shin
ing like aluminium in the darkness,
were lingering the fastening of a
black satchel which she held in heI
lap-a catchel such as physicians use
for carrying instruments.
The storm had broken suddenly
with a lack of consideration peculiar
to summer thunderstorms. One mo-
ment the earth lay signing in the
gentle languor of spring-the next
an uncomfortable fit of hysteria
seemed to have seized it.
Like millions of silver needles, the rain
shot through the branches of the trees
falling on the young grass like hail. TIL
clouds convulsed, billowed, and rolled
rudely against each other. Darkness came
and with it clamor; forked lightning, and
In the car-feari
The man gave the engine all she had
His Jaw was locked. His eyes set on the
road. He had a face like a scarf
The girl wore a nurses uniform. She
was small and very pale. There was one
extraordinary thing about her. She had an
almost f~aultless beauty, so exotic that il
looked as If 1t had bloomed under glass
A knife of lightning cut across the path
of the car. The man turned sharply to
avoid a fallen tree. The girl screamed and
covered. Then she clutched her
companions arm.
THE bagl" she gasped. at was jostled
out / have dropped itiu
The man ground on the brakes. "Take
the wheel" he said. The girl obeyed. Her
race had grown even whittier. She did not
look at him.
GLOW far pack? he demanded in a tone
that drove the color from her face.
Just nowl" AS she made the
admission she felt her heart at his lips. 1t
was beating there No body between-just
heart and trembling lips.
The man climbed down into the road
and reached for a flashlight. "stay where
you are" he commanded, don't move!
don't know whether you're a fool, or
whether With that u~ncompleted SEN
tence Of suspicion on his lips he plunged
into the darkness.
without waiting for a pulse to beat, the
girl moved over into the drivers seat. She
set her foot down on the gas and drove the
car as IL she were putting 1t at a wall.
Death at the wall? Well, yes; what of 1t?
That-or some way out
Some way out! Life hadn't beaten her
yet. I'm not afraid" she said,
whispering to the darkness.
TIL darkness flung a taunt back. "You
can't get away 1t ridiculed. HE Will
ring up the police and have you followed.
You haven't any money. You'll be dragged
before a court for running away with his
car. You're alOne-and you're
afraid Your teeth are chatterlng. Coward
Little Whispering feminine coward"
Patricia pressed her lips together. The
car zigzagged down the road like a mad
dened thing, the trees running along be-
side it. She looked back. She had left the
man she was fleeing from far behind.
The houses were farther apart now, lone
ly habitations set far back In their own
grounds.
Patricia swerved the car into the side of
the road and stopped the engine. Opening
- - - 3--u I-LA sbA -AaI
and for a moment stood, q sodden figure,
the wind winding her wet clothes about
her body.
The darkness was still talking. you're
wet to the skim 1t reminded her. you
can't see your hand before your face. !. !.
Where will you gof No one will take you
in. Fooll silly little fool!'
Patricia set her teeth. She CROPPED In the
car and found her electric flashlight; then
she began to run. That man with a face
like a scar might not find his car until
morning, and by morning
She tried to keep the tears back. but the
rain washed them down her cheeks. Her
skirts stopped against her knees. They
were like heavy hands holding her back. !.
/. Blindly she staggered on.
The storm was at it's height when she
came upon an old iron gateway. She must
find shelter somewhere! She crept up and
pressed her face against the west bars.
Through a tangled mass of overgrown
WppuS anu DTuSH SUi SAW the WISIlul lHtp
of a house peering..
She put out her hand and tried the lock.
1t moved Inch by inch she pushed 1t back.
With her head down to keep the rain out
of her eyes. she gropnd her way along a
path that led in and out through over
grown box hedges. At last, exhausted, she
sank on the steps of the house, and threw
her flashlight over the surface of the door.
No bell; only an old brass knocker. bieck
and rusty. She started to lift 1t when a
creaking sound over her head caused her
to look up. A heavy wooden sign was
swinging back and forth in the wind. With
an emotion akin to despair, she read the
words: ITO Let-Furnished."
A cry escaped her. She looked up at the
house. There were no lights In the win
never been afraid Of darkened houses. But
something In the aloofness-the desolation
of this place, halted her.
The lightning struck a tree near the
porch. 1t shivered and splintered.
She shrank back with a frightened cry,
and then suddenly was very calm. After all,
nothing mattered since her mother had
gone. What was this thing called life that
size should be so afraid of losing 1t?
The broken. basement window caught her
eye. without hesitation she approached 1t.
Inside she would be dry, at least, and
safely hiddenl Surely no one else would
dream of entering this desolate place.
With the calmness of desperation, she
lalu noiu VI Tue WlHu0W ieuke anu thiust
her slender body through. Holding on as
well as she could with her wet, shivering
hands, she dropped to the floor inside. !.
For a long moment she lay there, huddled
Inert, listening to the lashing Of the rain
against the windows. Then she rose stiffly
to her feet and, with the aid Of her flash
light, made her way toward some stairs,
evidently leading to the floor above. A
locked door halted her. She turned the key
and pushed 1T open. 1t led into a great,
square hall.
Three long French windows were Hum
mated almost continuously by flashes OF
lightning. She shivered. A dismal place,
wainscoted to the ceiling a dusty, black
ened oak. To the right of the door a cav
ernlike fireplace yawned, and on either
side of 1t there were wide stairs leading
to the door above.
She took a faltering step forward-and
softly closed the door behind her. Pressing
the button on her f1ashlight, she examined
the room. The furniture, the walls. the
floors even, were covered with dust and
cobwebs. Years must have passed since the
house had owned a tenant. The stiff
backed chairs had been covered with yellow
brocade, but now horse hair was sticking
through in patches. Despoiling hands had
dipped ~pitucres from the walls and orna-
nents from the mantels.
For a moment Patricia was appalled,.
Sunless, Rugged by ancient trees. forgotten
by men. She could die here with
out any one coming even to inquire! In a
place like this she might starve or run mad
and no one would be the wiser.
A terrace ran along the side of the house,
and the wide Franch windows opened on
to II. at every flash of lightning the trees
in the garden seemed to advance into the
room like a phalanx of armed soldiers.
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