The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1927-03-04

PLANTATION. No. he'd seen nothlnt
and heard nothing. but he'd gol
the picture all right, whoever i
was, he had them. Now he'd go ano
develop the could do that IN
few minutes-and there was q pro
jector in the corner he could use
Throw il onto something where
they'd all see. A sheet over that
screen by the desk would DO.
They urged him out, they'd at
tend TO everything hurry up with
the picture. Williams was unable
to hide his citation. His idea. aug
mented by Shines, was a bulPs-eye
hit, and his voice showed an ex-
ultant excitement as he called to
Miss Pinkney TO bring a sheet. Raw
sons satisfaction was less appar-
ent. but his eye was alight with
anticipation. If It was the boy, he
had run back upstairs, for no exit
had been attempted through the
kitchen. With the whole house
astlr he'd been afraid TO come
down. and they had him safe as a
rat in a trap. Impatient at the
wait for Shines temperance, he
left the room, saying he was go
ing to the b%oathouse for "A word
with Patrick.
The noise of the women's foot
steps on the stairs came in a de-
scending rush. They burst in,
their voices going before them, a
scattering of gasped, explosive ut
terances.
Cant you id women keep
stilli" Stokes ground out between
his teeth.
RawsoD re-entered. He had heard
them as he came up the path and
stopped on the threshold looking
at Anne, waiting to see If she
would speak. But she said moth
ing, standing by Bassett, her hand
braced against a table, her glance
on the floor. She knew Rawson
was watching her, and willed her
form of an upright immobility, her
face a stony darkness. If she
could hold herself this way, not.
move or speak. she could bear the
tension. A touch, a word, n she
felt that her body might break TO
pieces and her voice ascend in long
drawn screams TO the skies.
The screen under the white COW
ering was set In the place Shine
had indicated, the protector put
some distance back facing ii. 10
some Of them these preparations
had the hideous significance of
those preceding an execution, and
all of them felt the deadly oppres-
sion of the approaching climax.
The room was very still, as If an
enchantment lay on it,. At inter
walls Mrs. Cornell drew her breath
with a low moaning sound, Stokes
hand clenched and unclenched on
the c~hair-back, and Williams looked
at HIS watch. He began a cultural
murmur of impatience and stopped
as the door opened and Shine came
in.
He came quickly, bringing an air
of excitement to the already highly
charged atmosphere. There was a
bewildered agitation in his face,
and his words were broken and
uncertain as he answered Williams
question:
"Oh, yes, / got it-something-
l can't quite make out-got me sort
of fustered burTying so. You'll
have TO stand away there. folks"
turned to the protector. adjust
ed it, then held the negative out
Williams. We'll probably
lose this, Mr.. Williams. Doing 1t
so quickly / couldn't fix it. It'll
likely melt with The heat in here,
won't last more than a few min
You don't want to keep it,
DO you?"
go ahead. It's only the picture
that's all that concerns us"
"All right-it's your say-so.
You'll get it in a minute now and
BY gum, / want to see" he
stopped, his breath caught, his
hands busy over the machine.
Nov, then, we're ready. Some II
put out the lights"
Miss Pinkney pressed the button
and the room dropped into dark
ness.
A picture leaped into being on
The screen. A door-frame backed
by solid, indistinguishable black,
the edge of a door, and beyond it,
he outlines melting into the dark
ness, the suggestion of a head and
shoulders, only the face showing
clear, looking at them with wide
questioning ~eyes-Sybil Saunders
face.
The silence held a moment, then
broke In an explosive volume of
The women's shrieks rose
simultaneously "Sybil Sybil!"
The name ran about the room, beat
1n the high ceiling and was buffet
I'd from wall. to wall.
"rhe dead woman!" Williams
shook Shines arm in his incredu-
Gus amazement.
1T is-it's her. / saw ii when /
developed it, and l don't know
something's gone wrong.
a raucous cry rose above the
of female voices. Stokes had
dropped his hold on the chair. his
eyes fixed on the picture.
From his lips, curled back like an
angry dogs, came a strangling rush
IF words:
She's dead. She's dead. for
killed her. l shot her-she's dead.
She can't come back, she never can
back. / shot her as she ran
killed her-I saw her fall-she's
iead-deadi"
The words died in a groan. He
forward and lay a with
ng, moaning shape with hands that
- L. lr4A +la 90 f.1aQf |