The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1933-09-21
CHAPTER III-continued

CHAPTER III-continued
-
What could be the meaning of
this? Could it be that she was
dreaming? The fantasy of a girl
coming toward her. almost calling
her by name. miss, I mean Mrs.
Val" she surely had said "Var'-
then the crazy push into the closet
1t was very like dream.
Or possibly the salesgirl was mad.
Or was Doris mad? She remem-
bered that insane people sometimes
thought every one in the world was
crazy. She felt the blackness of
the closet around her throbbing,
throbbing. Why was she shut away
I'm closet, a poor child" hidden
from some unknown peril? Instead
of leaving, her fright was in
creasing. AS always in her mo-
ments of depression the vision of
the man in the cab came to torment
her. Now his face fioated before
her, very real, very menacing. Her
imagination, unbidden, brought out
a dozen suggestions: supposing he
were out there? supposing he want
ed to kidnap her? supposing he were
a criminal, and she was his help
less tool-a criminal herself?
Her reason telling her that this
was all nonsense, she still felt wave
after wave of terror plunge over her
like great pillows knocking her COM
mon sense over, choking down her
efforts to be calm and rational. The
salesgirl had recognized her, had
called her Val Outside Mrs. Du Val
was waiting for her in the car.
Everything was all right. What was
she scared Of? ~
Everything was not all right.
What was the meaning of the sales
girls terror? And why was she in
this closet?
Doris called herself a fool. Fate
had taken her kindly into a safe
haven where she could rest and be
well treated until her memory re-
turned. But she had not been sat
isfied. Why hadn't she been content
with Mrs. Du Val in the country?
She tried to think back to the i'm
pulse that had led her to this place
where girls looked at her with
stricken plying eyes and pushed her
into dark closets. She felt that If
she ever got back to the country,
she would never make any effort to
leave again. -. Z.
After what seemed very long
time she turned the handle Of the
door and looked out. The small re-
ception room was empty. Evident
ly the salesgirl had left it so, that
she might get away. u
And outside sitting placidly in her
limousine was Mrs. Du Val.
Doris stood In the center of the
room hesitating. Try as she would
she could not summon her resolu-
ton to go on. Out in the car lay
sanity, rest, peace. If she went in
again and looked up that salesgirl
she did not know what would hap
pen, but she could feel the terror
the girl had spread like contagion.
Doris knew that she was being
cowardly but she could not help
herself. Then she remembered that
the salesgirl had used the word Du
Yal-or at least she had said it so
quickly that Val something was all
Doris heard. But it must be Du Val.
What else could it be? And after
all that was all she had come to
find. Some proof that she belonged
to the Du Walls. And that one word
of the salesgirps should be enough.
She ducked out of the door and
raced breathlessly to the curb, got
inside quickly and sank down in the
soft cushions.
81 was beginning to worry" said
Mrs. Du Val. II did promise Rocky
not to let you get out of my sight"
AS the car rolled up the avenue
Doris pondered this. Did Rocky
know of her danger whatever it was,
and had he left these strange in
functions about her for her own
safety?
Her mind went over and over the
incident. Miss" the girl had start
ed to say, as if she had known Doris
best for a long time as Miss Some
body. Then she had remembered,
corrected herself and said Mrs.
Mrs. what? Oh it must have been
Du Val, but in the excitement of the
moment it had been said so quickly
that Doris could not be quite as sure
as she would have liked.
She was pale and exhausted from