The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-03-07

1 Roys-would not be after 1t. Ano with nothing, with no one to stand in their way, they--no, not they Roy-Roy could steal whatever was there so easily.
 That inner voice, so often her mentar, thrust at her now rapier- like. Did you gay no one? What will you do about it?"
 T don't knowl" she said aloud miserably. T don't knowl"
 If you sit down here and per init the theft, and do nothing to prevent it, though you know all about it, you are as guilty as any one else stated the voice uncom- prcmisingly. You would be an ac- complice.
 But can't warn anybody in the house" she whispered wildly, because there isn't anybody there; and, even if there were, the warn ing would be passed on to the po- lice-and I can't let the police know. They-they would catch Roy!"
 So therefore, that quite iustifies you in allowing the safe to be rob- bed!' said the voice coldly And, of course, 1t quite clears your con- science as welll"
 She pressed her hand to her head Her wound had suddenly begun to throb sol Perhaps she had taken the bandage off too soon. With her blood pounding so strangely it might start bleeding again.
 "Oh, what shall I dol" the words
 anne suddenly, stumhlingly, pitc- ously from her lips T know there s only one way But-but tonight am afraid
 50 1t would seem" observed the voice stingingly.
 She sat very still while the sha- dows gathered in her eyes. The voice didn't say anything more. It was so quiet in the room that she could hear the ticking of her wrist watch. It seemed to grow louder There was something remorseless about it. It was ticking the seconds away.
 Ticking the seconds away!" she found herself repeating the words under her breath. Ticking the seconds awayl"
 Why was she doing that-repeat- ing those words? Did they possess any particular significance?
 This was the third nightl She looked around her suddenly in ltartled way. What had brought that thought again? Was there any thing significant about that, either?
 "Oh. don't know I don't knowl" she cried out despairingly. But tonight I am afraid. I am afraid. am afraid"
 The wrist watch ticked on, re- morselessly.
 She half closed her eyes for moment-and then, straightening in her chair, she reached across the desk for the telephone directory.
 Murkman. P. J. Murkman. She found the address. It was in a very fashionable locality. A rich mans housel or course. it was a rich mans housel Wall safes weren't ordinarily anywhere else.
 If Roy found an empty safe as well as an empty house
 There wasn't any other way to prevent the crime and still pro- tect Roy. She would have to go. She would have to rob" the safe before Roy got there. She would have to do 1t now. at once-and to- morrow, or the next day, or at the first opportunity she could find, MT Murkman would have its con- tents restored to him without know ing where they had come from or who sent them,
 "T'here isn't any other way" she said in monotone. T will do 1t.
 Her head was up now, her shoul- ders resolutely straight. And now, with her decision made, she stood there motionless while a minute passed. facing with tight-drawn .brows the problem she had set her self
 She would go, of course in the makeshir disguise she had assumed last night.
 Copyright, Fran kL. Packard)