Evening star., 1933-02-19

But why hadn't Dan heard and
answered her? Where was Dan?
n It was as If she were alone in the
house alone. indeed, on the farm
and in the vastness of that rural
night.
With that, sheer horrible terror
took hold of pretty Kitty Busch.
She was too excited to scream, too
terrified to think; all she could do
was to stand in that black, lonely
doorway opening upon an empty
universe her hands tremulous over
=. her breast, while she stared wide
eyed at menacing shadows.
Besides the staircase to the cellar near
the kitchen pantry, there was another
entrance at the rear and outside of the
house, where wide double doors beneath
the dining room windows opened trap-like upon
a fight of steep steps.
The big doors were closed but nevertheless
there was phosphorescent glow there, a light
very dim or far away under the building.
Kitty's gaze fastened itself upon that glow.
She was out of the kitchen and half way
down the cellar steps before she saw that the
light was more the flicker of a candle than the
steady glow Of an electric torch. She stopped
dead still. There were voices below her, and
one Of them was woman's, swearing Hike q
gutter snipe. The other voice was Dams. Kitty
held her breath.
Keep your woman out of my hair, fellow,
and stick your gun back in your pocket. I'm
farming this place, If you want to know what
I'm doing here. And I'm not after whatever
you've got hidden under the porch. The quicker
you take it and get away the better everybody'u
be satisfied"
a BASS voice answered him. though the
high-pdtched blasphemies of the woman
dulled the words. Kitty caught few Of them.
Our house-nobody any right in it-rensed fs
fair and SQUARE"
"Oh. cut out that cheap stunl' the woman
almost screamed. "You know as well as me
this is dick. Burn him down and let's get
goin'. And If he amt dick how long is it
goin' to take him to tell the bulls he's seen
the Red-Headed Bob Bandit an her boy
friend?.
They're huntin' the State for us now. Get
move on, Fassenden If you're too yella to
knock him OF gimme the rod"
Dams voice was still cool and unafraid.
Il was going to see what was hidden under
the porch; yes. But I had no idea 1t was
thieves loot. It is, isn't it? To tell you the
truth. Fassenden, If that's your name thought
maybe you'd strangled this woman stuck her
body out of sight, and run Off 1t wouldn't
have been such a bad idea, at that"
Trouble Is I don't know what to do with
you, hick.' The man was genuinely puzzled.
I'm not hard-boiled, like Irene here, and I
amt cravin' any unnecessary killns: that's
honest. Wasn't never in Jail before they
pinched US in Lawsondale.
What we wants the stuff we parked under
the porch, and fair chance at getaway after
that. There's bag of clothes and jewelry,
and there's o satchel of good hard money and
another of bills. We can quit and start an
honest-to-God chicken farm, like been teIln'
Irene"
"Aw." said the woman, you give me pain.
Here, lemme have that fash I see stickin' outa
the punks pocket, and I'll get the loot myself.
Gwan an talk chickens, If y wanta, but see
that the hick doesn't get away on YOU"
Kitty, as still wax figure the steps,
heard q chatter of falling bricks the tear or
clothing, and ugly, muttered oaths from the
virago. Her voice was muf1ed, as If head ana
shoulders at least were through the opening TO
the place under the porch.
Kitty thought Of the cats nest there, espe-
cially Of the pretty little kitten, and hoped
viciously that the woman would get her face
scratched
As II In response to the hope there was a
shri1 scream, choked in the utterance, and an
agonized cry for help The men shouted to-
gether. deadly blast of air swept from the
cellar into the stair-well, bringing tears to
Kitty's eyes and choking throat and nostriis
like vargas.
She could hear the woman crying out-no
blasphemies now, only agony-begging for help
and saying she was blind while Fassenden
cursed chokdngiy.
kit" It was Dams voice lifted to the HEIGHT
of his lung power
She flashed out of the stair-weI ahead or
him into the sweet, fresh air of night. He fol-
lowed. and had slammed down the trapdoors