The Spokane woman. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1921-1935, 1927-08-25

listen to all those unintelligible words
was beginning to tell on my nerves.
Finally, with my automatic in my
right and my flash in my left, | snapped
on the light and found myself in IA
furnace room, deep in dust and heay-
lily draped with cobwebs.
Followed by those damnable, mex
plicable whispers | made my way up
dust-cOvered staircase and paused
before a panelled door. Gaining cOur-
age, | opened the door and stepped
into AUTHORIZATIONS with high
ceiling and extensive cupboards. Cook
ing utensils hung along n rack over
the kitchen range. Vegetable cans lit
tered the floor in the corners. and
there was about the room the foul
air of decaying meat. ON Il small
table reposed half-bottle of milk and
a broken loaf of bread. At any rate.
/ told myself friend phantom finds
it necessary to have material food.
The creak of a door i'm a distant part
of the house interrupted my musings.
and | snapped off my light and moved
into the corner mt my right where /
had seen another door. Soft padding
footsteps that resembled the move
ment of air currents among dry leaves
We're approaching. I opened the door
near me and moved silently across the
threshold and closed the door.
Reaching out both hands. I found
myself in narrow hallway. As I
moved cautiously forward. my foot
struck the bottom step of u staircase.
and hearing movements i'm the kitchen
I assembled to the floor above. The
whispers complained in my ears as
| tried-One after anOther-tO open the
four door that confronted me on the
first landing. They were locked, and
I went on up to the third floor. where
I found three more doors. two of which
were locked. The third gave inward
as | turned the knob.
Speeches. in bewilderment, I stood
on the threshold. Forgotten were the
whispering demons that floated about
my head. Standing before me, one
arm of velvet softness holding aloft
a Pickering candle that awakened
CLEANS of gold in her glorious hair.
was the most alluringly-beautiful girl
I ever hope to meet in this life. Cloth
ed in the sheerest of silken robes, one
hand holding the garment together be-
low her perfect throat. she looked with
wide blue eyes of uneasiness at the
spectacle before her. Remembering
that had met with disaster in climb
ing the wall. and that my face and
hands must have become blackened by
my tumble into the coal bin. FASTENED
to reassure her:
81 am friend of Brinton Pollock
you are Marjorie, are you not"
"You should not have come" were
her first words-words that thrilled me
to the very soul with their poignant
note of sadness and resignation. My
sympathies went out tO-BrintOn Pol
lock-back in that insane asylum
eating out his heart for her. No won
der he had left Alquier's in such a
hurryl This girl was the type for
whom man would brave the fires of
eternal damnation....
The click of door bolt sounded
from below.
Quick, come inside and close the
door," whispered the girl.
Obeying, | found myself In gor.
geously furnishedroom The deep rugs.
the paintings on the tapestried walls.
the mahogany furniture, the magnifi-
cent drapes-all bespoke the taste and
affluence of their owner.
"Are you Marjorief~ | repeated, lost
for the moment in the thrill of her
nearness.
'Yes," she whispered. "You should
not have come. You will be lost in
thic farrihla ho,t.a 90 ,,,;IIio., ,,,I;.,