Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1930-07-05

'her way through the rubbish, made
for the narrow alley that led to the
street beyond, and freedom.
A great weight fell from her when
she reached the alley. She turned
about and looked back at the window
that she had just left. The light was
still burning in the room. She
sighec. thankfully and made for the
street.
She had traversed about one half
of the narrow alley when side door
in one of the houses opened noise
lessly and tall, spare, round-shoul-
dered man with a trailing black top
coat and wearing ragged slough
hat, stepped out, hugging a huge
bundle under his arm.
Instinctively she flattened herself
against the wall of the house but it
was too late. Turning suddenly the
man saw her. Startled, he uttered
grunt, dropped his bundle and
dashed out toward the street. It rolled
to yerna's feet and stopped.
The Dark Fluid
She shrank back. What could it
be? Why had the man run away? In
the semi darkness of the early morn
ing the bundle seemed a strangely
repellant thing, and yet somehow or
other she had compelling urge to
look into it, although she knew that
she should be getting away from the
vicinity as soon as possible.
She reacher over with her toe and
touched it. Under the pressure of
her foot, it gave slightly, and yet
there was a certain firmness to it.
Then for the first time she noticed
a dark fluid was oozing from it. She
jumped back with an exclamation
and cold chills ran all over her. She
tried to scream in her fright, but
her dry throat only ratified.
Verna would have fled that instant,
but her ungovernable curiosity held
her. Had there been a murder? Per-
hapS this big bundle contained part
of the victims body? The longer she
pondered and hesitated, the bolde:.
she seemed to get. Finally, throwing
caution to the winds, she reached
down and pulled at one end of the
big cloth that was wrapped around
it.
Bleeding Flesh
The bundle unrolled. Verna's ap-
prehension of what it might contain
frightened her so that she was unable
either to turn loose the cloth or
to run to the street. Finally the
cloth, which seemed to BE- a table
cloth, unrolled completely and slab
of bleeding flesh fell at the girls feet!
She stood rooted to the spot; hor-
rified, the back of her hand across
her mouth, her eyes dilated in terror.
She could feel cold stream of per-
sp.ration course down her back and
a faintness came over her. She want
&c to run and couldn't.
Then suddenly, as if in answer to
some silent prayer, the sun rose and
its rays frightened the dark, narrow,
fearsome passageway. Under the
sunlight, its sinister aspect seemed to
vanish. She looked down at the
bloody thing at her feet. It was only
a shoulder of beef! The man must
have been a thief and took fright
at seeing her. A great load lifted
Off her spirit, and in reaction she
laughed Historically, her voice sound
ing strange and hollow in the mar
row confines between the two tall
buildings. She gripped her little
package and ran hastily out to the
street.
1t was broad street; street lined
with stately chestnuts and. oaks that
stretched shimmering canopy of
green leaves and branches over the
paved thoroughfare. Verna CRATE
fully breathed in the free morning
air, then turned to her right and
hurried away. She didn't know where
she was going but she was anxious
Continued on Page Five