The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-10-27

to the police. and I'm going to swear that I heard Jim's voice and that heard him threaten Elmer"
 Caroline fought the sharpest fear she had ever known. What had real ly happened in the library that night?
 She steadied herself. Susie Van Berg had not moved. The patch Of color on either cheek had spread a little, as stain spreads in milk.
 Caroline said. "Why?" Then as Susie went on staring at her she made quick movement. "I don't understand. Why did you tear the page out?
 "To help Jim-because it was my fault"
 "You won't have helped him, very much if you mean to tell the police in the end"
 "Only if Elmer dies" said Susie with dry lips. Her eyes stared past Caroline at a picture of Elmer dead.
 "Jim didn't shoot him."
 "Yes-he did. If Elmer gets well. he'll tell me what to do. That's why I tore out the page, and why didn't tell the police. But if he doesn't get we'll, shall say that Jim shot him, and that it was my fault. I can't go on like this" There was a dreadful finality about the way she said it. Caroline got up and put on her coat. Are you going?
 "Yes," said Caroline. Susie drew long signing breath and turned her head.
 "Is it still raining?"
 q expect so-it looked very black"
 Susie shuddered and stood up.
 "There's a storm. You can't go if there's a storm"
 "Tll get home before it breaks" said Caroline.
 Now that she was on her feet, she wanted to be gone. Her head burned with the heat of the room, and her knees were trembling. Outside, in the wind and the rain. 1t might be easier to feel sure about Jim She said Goodbye" and went out with out touching Susie's hand.
 A s soon as she had shut the door she began to run. She wanted to get right away. and she had feeling that Susie might call her back. She turned the corner, and then turned again. The passages were very dark. She stopped run ming and wondered If she had taken the wrong turning.
 The house was old and rambling. She had a bewildered feeling of having lost her sense of direction. A sudden flare of lightning gave blinding picture of two corridors meeting at the foot of narrow stair. Darkness followed Immediate ly. and one of those peals of thun- der which sound, like giant girders being thrown down upon an iron roof The noise was deafening. Caroline shrank instinctively away from the window, and found herself six or seven steps up the stair, holding to the narrow baluster and waiting for the horrible noise to stop.
 When she opened her eyes, she saw above her very faint streak of light. There was q door a few steps up, and the light came from under it. It was just thin pale streak, but it meant that there was someone in the room. Caroline had a feeling that someone else's company would be pleasant. She could say that she had lost her way in the passages. She went up to the level of the door, and as she lifted her hand to knock. the light of another flash flared up from behind her and below, and crash more violent than either of the others followed. Urged by a blind instinct for shelter, Caroline opened the door.
 She was inside the door and lean ing against the jamb with the door shut behind her before the second crack of thunder came. She could not have moved to save her life. She was in the room. but she could not see 1t at all, because four-leafed screen covered the door, one panel being fiat against the wall on her left, while the other three zig-zagged out from 1t at an angle. Caroline had taken about three steps, when, in the room on the other side of the screen, someone spoke.
 "Do you think its going over?" Caroline stood still just where she was. She had only heard that voice once before, but she would have known it anywhere. It was Nesta Riddell who had spoken.
 (Copyrioht. I9ss. J. B. Lippincou Col