The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-07-25
CHAPTER TwENTY-EIGHT

IuSuDeI.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
THE fat woman seated herself
4 in the other collapsing chair.
Lame watched her fearfully. She
could hear the steps Of the two
men moving down the hall.
There was a rumble as Of voices
arguing and a door closed. She
put her hand up to her throat. Her
pearls! They we're still there. Odd
they hadn't been taken when she,
tainted.
What, then, did these men want
of her? The fact that they hadn't
taken the pearls seemed ominous.
They were not, then, ordinary
thieves.
The string Of precious beads gave
her an idea.
The house was very quiet now.
The room was quiet except for the
unpleasant breathing of the wom-
an called Molly. Lane stared at
her, noting the glitter of her porcine
eyes.
The girl touched the pearls again.
Family she whispered, These are
worth thousands Of dollars. I'll give
them to you If you'll let me CO.,
The woman sat quite still as If
she had not heard. Only her eyes
glimmered with a faint, greedy
light. Then she spoke again.
POOH" she said. Thousands of
dollars, my eye!'
Eyes, yes" Lame answered eager
~. They can be all yours, to sell,
to do what you want with. Herel"
She unclasped the fastening set
with a sapphire.
She held out the milky strand.
Here" she said, fixing her eyes on
the woman who sat immovable as
an ugly Chinese idol.
But the other only shook her head.
I dassen't," she said hoarsely. She
looked furtively at the door. Lame
sank back weakly. 1t was no use
trying to tempt the woman.
But there must be other WAYS
She looked about desperately. Two
windows there were both closed and
locked. The doorway with the fat
woman guarding it. There must be
wayl
The girl feigned drowsiness.
Slumped in her uncomfortable chair
she pretended to nod. The room
was warm, the air stale and heavy.
The fat woman, after one or two
intent glances at the relaxed form.
also closed her eyes. Still and
alert as any wild animal, Lame
crouched in her chair. Presently
the regular hum of the wonnan's
breathing resolved itself into shores.
She was asleep!
Lane waited a minute, two. five.
Then with infinite caution, her head
still throbbing, her pulse sounding
noisy as an alarm clock, she be-
gan softly to creep.
-Four steps to the door. She had
passed her captor! Her heart stood
still. The woman stirred ever so
1alntly. Lame remained quiet as a
statue. She waited another endless
sixty seconds. Then she began
again softly to crawl into the hall.
A board creaked ominously under
her weight. Tears of Illustration
rose to her burning eyes. But the
fates were with her, and the fat
woman snored on.
q q
THE house seemed utterly silent.
Il Terror, icy and unacceptable,
gripped the girls heart. She was
still giddy from her fall.
Fearfully she fixed her eyes on the
dull face Of the slumbering woman.
Somewhere in the house a mouse
began to gnaw at a partition. The
sound struck through the quiet like
thunder on summer night.
Lame shivered. But her intent
gaze on the countenance of her
guard could discover no change
there. The woman slipped deeper
down in her uncomfortable chair.
Inch by inch the girl began to
move again. A board creaked and
her cold hand flew to her throat.
Nothing now should keep her
from that door! Anything, Lame
thought Historically, was better
than this grim and horrible room.
She thought of her two captors.
Where were they? Lurking just