The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-03-11
Chapter S2
RETROSPECT

The eight-day clock in Martha Debbins' parlor was striking 10 as Enid reached the house, and, running up the stairs entered her old nurses bedroom and hurriedly began to change back into her own clothes.
 Ten o'clock It must have been nearly nine at least when she had started out for the Murkman man. sion. She had been gone then, not much more than an hour at most-but, even so, if it had been Roy who had been concealed be- hind those portieres, he might be back at any moment now. He had said he was coming back for her, hadn't hep Yes, but suppose he had been trapped in that room that she had trapped hinP The alarm had been raised, Suppose that he had been caught there?
 She cried out a little-sharply- as she tore off her clothes. Her thoughts would not let her alone. From the moment she had got into the taxi her thoughts had driven her nearly frantic. They were driving her frantic again now.
 No, he wouldn't have been caught mot Royl It would have taken more than a locked door to do that. If 1t had been Roy who had been there he was too clever-she swal- lowed hard-too erlminally clever to be caught as easily as that
 But why should she think it was Roy at all? She had not seen him any more than he had seen her. Why was she so convinced that the man behind the portieres had been Roy? It was logically Roy.
 But it might have been someone else. Yes-she was putting on her own clothes now--it might have been; but why worry about that?
 Whether it was Roy or some oth- CT thief, 1t had turned out better than she had thought it possible when she had run from the room
 True, she had had narrow es- cape herself; but, due to the very fact that she had been seen and an alarm had been raised, she had, after all, saved the contents of MT. Murkman's safe.
 The library window. she knew was on the side of the house facing the apartment, and whoever had been there in the library could not have helped but hear the shouting.
 Fortunately, as it turned out, she had not got the safe open; and whoever was there. Roy or another, would be too much concerned witn his ownescape then, and in getting the door of the room rather than that of any safe open!
 She was dressed now, and was scrubbing the grime from her face and hands. Her hati Yes, that had been serious-almest the most serl- ous thing of all
 Not the hat self,-the police would be a long time in tracing Martha Dobbins' old hatl But the fugitive was certain to be known as a woman without a hat. Those in the windows of the apartment house who had seen her running out of the areaway would know that and report it. The taxi driver would probably tell the police about her if he learned they were looking for her.
 But now, for the first time, 9 faint smile crossed Enid's lips. She feis quite sure she would never pc traced through any information the taxi driver could give.
 She had alighted from the tax in front of house on the nex' street and had nonchalantly-7a' least she hoped she had given tne impression of being noncnalan about it-mounted the steps ano had pretended to ring the bell Tns taxi had driven away-and she nae descended the steps. After that, ps means of a vacant lot she hao without being obliged to show her self on either of the avenues, gained Her own street and house. She dlo not think that she had, been seen by anyone.
 She nodded her head emphatlc- ally. She was quite sure that sne had got safely away-and she was particularly grateful for one thing She had thought of that almost from the moment her hat had fall en from her head--the fact tnat Runty had substituted a piece oi plaster for the bandage. The ao- ditional description of bandageo head would not perhaps have helped the police any--but 1t would have spelled disaster and the end TOT her. A woman with 9 bandaged