The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-02-20
Chapter 16
METAMORPHosIs

With her latchkey Enid let her self into Martha Debbins' house and. running along the hall, enter cd the small living and work room that connected with her bedroom
 She turned on the light and pulled open the drawer of her desk where she kept the reserve supply of ammunition for her pis- tol.
 Her eyes, as she began to load the weapon, roved about the room. The typewriter, the pile of manu- script, the odds and ends, the tele- phone on the desk that she had installed when she had come to live here, the photographs of her father and mother on the mantle piece were all just as she had left them.
 These were her belongings, this was her home-and yet It seemed incredible that she had ever lived here and been peacefully engaged in an effort to write book! Would it ever be written now2 She did not know. It was not likely, and in the light of other things it was now of little consequence.
 It was as though her entire life had been transformed, as though she were no longer herself, but someone else through whose eyes she was witnessing and, through whose body she was participating in a chaos of crime and ruthless violence-and only danger, and anxiety, and an unreality that was filled with horror scethed around her.
 Her fingers worked mechanically at the loading of the pistol. The telephone caught her eye again. It offered mute assistance-there was a world of people at the other end. Yes-but not one, no one to whom she dared appeal
 If she telephoned the police they would go to the house with the ITO Let sign and liberate Phil un- 6oubtedly-but they would quite as certainly be waiting there when Izzy Myers returned with the Big Shot.
 The newspaper office was just as bad. The trails all led to Roy. While she could do so, and at the same time save Phil Martin, she must do her utmost to protect Roy.
 No; no telephone! Why had 1t even intruded itself? She shook her head. She had thought it all out on her way uptown from Roy's house on Fifty First street. She must depend on herself and on her : self alone just as long as she could. Morally Roy did not de- serve prison. Her conscience and her love were on common ground there. She had saved him from it last highland she would save him from it always as far as she was able.
 The weapon was loaded now. She laid it down on the desk and hur- ried from the room, began to mount the stairs to the second story. The reloading of her pistol had been one of the two reasons for her return here to her rooms the other one had come to her as an inspiration-at least she hoped it would prove to be an inspiration on her way uptown.
 Time, of course was vital fac- tor, but she felt that she had a fairly safe margin to work on, ano that in the very nature of things this visit would not delay her very much. She did not know tht number of Roy's house; but. hay ing carefully located the lane tha' led to the window from the rear st that she could return by the sam' way she had come, she knew tna his house fronted on Fifty-firs street. therefore her rooms her' had been, as 1t were, almost direct ly on her way from Roy's to tha house somewhere on Eighty -thirt street near Avenue A. and ne coming here could cost her bu very little extra time.
 But in any case, though sn' would lose not moment mor' than she could help, it had peer imperative that she come here 1T order to carry out the plan to save Phil she had formulated. a plar which seemed to her now so ne cessary. not only in the present in stance, but for the future, if sh' was to preserve contact with Roy
 She reached the head of th' stairs and entered Martha Deb bins bedroom. Her lips were sud denly tight. Her planl Yes, frightened her just a little. But she told herself reassuringly as sns turned on the light, 1t wasn't nearly