The Spokane woman. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1921-1935, 1927-08-25
The Girl from Alquiers
Continued on Page ~

the room. With Il strange fascina-
ton, | watched it float out into thin
layers that changed to arms and hands
that grasped at my throat, jabbed
sharp fingers into my eyes and tore
ut my nostrils. In desperation, drew
out my automatic and tried to shoot
away the lock on the door, but the
bullets merely imbedded themselves in
the thick oak casing. My lungs SEEM
ed now To be on fire, my eyes We're
streaming, the membranes seemed to
have been torn out or my tnroat.
Cant we stop up that opening in
the ceilingT | gasped, dragging u
dressing table to the center of the
room and piling a cedar chest on top
of it. Marjorie steadied the box as
| placed Il chair thereon and climbed
up to stuff my handkerchief into the
crack through which the deadly vapor
was pouring. \ sudden puff of the
fumes in my face all but finished me
| lost my balance and crashed to the
floor. Marjorie swooned and lay still
on the iioor-the Pickering, yellow
light from the candle imparting tn her
still form corpse-like aspect.
| gathered her up in my arms and
carried her to the window Perhaps u
vagrant breath of air mi ght revive her
With chair Iagainattacked the door
With IL chair again attacked the door.
ling wood. | turned again toward the
window where had left the girl. Had
my reason fled at last? Marjorie was
gone. My mind seemed Ia have with
drawn from my body, directing my
physical movements as from II great
distance. Madly | searched the room.
Failing To find her. I lost all sense of
time and space. | could survive only
another minute. In the throes of de-
spair. | snatched away the bed cloth
ing and removed the side rail of the
bed. Using it as battering ram,
| smashed through the panles of the
door and climbed groggily through into
hallway. The breath of imprisoned
air revived me slightly, but the helli.sll
vapor floating out after me drove me
down the stairs. The darkness was
intense, but | crept on expecting any
moment To meet death in some ter
rible unknown form.
At the next landing, l tried the four
doors again. They resisted my efforts
as before. | flashed my light and dis
covered what | had overlooked before
"A staircase which connected this
landing with the front part of the
house Forced down by the vapor, I
moved down this flight to the first
lloor. The hallway downstairs was
dimly lighted by pale Pickering glow.
Directly opposite the bottom of the
staircase was an open doorway, and
beyond il lay Marjorie-to all appear
ances dead. In IL moment | had passed
through that door and was kneeling
ut her side feeling of her pulse. The
door bolt clicked behind me and u
peal of maniacal laughter filled the
room, and turned my last drop of blood
to ice. | looked about me. The room
was Il cubicle about eight feet across.
There were two doors the one through
which | had entered from the hall.
and another opposite it, OF course
both We're now locked, and there was
nothing in the barren room that might
serve to assist me in breaking out
4 taper burned in saucer on the
floor in one corner. Just before the
wick went out in feeble sputter.
noted Il tiny opening in the ceiling
through which crept Il thin line OF
that damnable yellow vapor. In Il
moment the light was gone. Black
eternal darkness - sutfocation - and
death With the butt of my gun
pounded futilely on the walls. growing
weaker with each successive stroke
Al last the gun slipped from my n
gprg and | followed IL I'm n hem tf