Evening star., 1927-11-13

| that he would have to wear clean
collar, if he expected to get that job.
1t was the only job he knew OF IN
the entire city. and the man who got
| it must be neat.
| With the furtive, flexible wariness
of a cat, he began to crawl noise
| lessly down the stairs. After what
seemed hours. he reached out and
| era hhed the collar in its newspaper
wrapping. With it safe in his coat
nocket, he inched his way upward
/ again. hoping to hide himself until
! the coast should be clear and he
| could go out.
| SCARCELY had he reached the cor
~ ridor above when he heard voices
| from below, and the sound sent him
| catapulting along the rows of ONCE
| doors, searching for an opening that
would give upon the staircase leau
ing inward. When he had found 1T,
steps were sounding on the other
| fight behind him, and he knew that
he had no time to lose.
Six flights up. He could 60 no
further He could hardly stand. let
alone run. Sweat was pouring down
his back and legs and streaming from
his TEMPLES. He leaned against the
wall for a moment. Then
He felt that he could rest for a min.
ute now, for he no longer heard the
sound of footsteps. Perhaps the po-
licemen would presently grow tired or
irving to find him and would go away.
Then he would slip downstairs and
out of the building. Perhaps they
were engaged now in searching the
lower floors.
keenly conscious of the necessity
for caution, and also for getting back
to Sara's bedside as rapidly as pos.
sible, he sat against the marble base
Of a wall and waited for the stair
door to open. Half an hour was
marked by the noisy clock. and, when
forty-five minutes had elapsed, he
could endure no more of this, he
opened the door and let himself into
the stair-well again.
THE darkness was full Of thousand
terrors. From any Of the door
ways that he passed, there might
spring the officers of the law. He
needed to hurry, and he dared not.
If the searchers were above, they
might, at any moment, rush down
upon him; if they were below, he
might, at any turning, meet them
coming up.
But he did not. He came to the
second floor and pushed open the door
by infinitely gradual pressure. From
there to the wide marble flight leading
to the street level was a long dash in
a better light. Bedford Pride gathered
courage as he neared the goal. He
| was so glad that the ordeal was over,
at last. and that he had his clean col.
1oy- fo in, h; Jn
ment of relief, he felt new strength
coming into his weak legs.
He crossed the 20 feet from the
stairs to the entrance, almost in A
single bound. He was his keen and
decisive self one more. That was why,
at the next moment. he felt so un-
speaka bly, sick. The doors were
locked. and he was prisoner in the
building.
In ney panic he .retreated blndly
| toward the stairs. He could be seen
from the street. To think up a way of
getting out of this worst plight, he
must take refuge again in the com.
parative safety of the upper floors
| Turning a corner in the dim light of
| the second floor, he was terrified to
hear a sound that cracked the silence
like the first note of the steam
riveter. Sick and cold. he waited,
crouching close to te wall. but, in a.
moment, he almost laughed aloud
when he heard a voice muttering, and
the sound Of sloshing water. A
scrub-woman had dropped her mop,
the handle striking the tiled floor
sharply.
With the feeling of relief that filled
nun now, came another breath of
courage. The scrubwoman must
have some way of getting out of the
| building. He would ask her, she
would point the direction. and, in a.
| moment, he would be on his way
! home.
Scuffing his feet to let her know
that he was approaching, Pride turned
the corner and confronted the aston.
| ished woman.
How do you get out" he asked.
| She regarded him without fear and
| without interest
"Out?" She echoed his tone and
word. Evidently she did not under.
stand what he meant.
| Yes. Out How do you get out?
Where is the door,"
Door" She looked at him stupid.
| ly.
Door. yes, yes. Where is it?"
| "Boss?"
"Where is the boss?"
| 81 don't know" she said GROSSLY.
She had become suspicious, and Pride
| knew that 1t would be useless to