Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-07-18
CHAPTER XIV.
WITH CYY0T

i telling of his tale, and his
bright eyes were sparkling
first, the towels.
There were used towels in an un-
used room the morning after the muir
der. There was also round" ne
described 1t with his lively little hands
Hollow on the eiderdown as If some
you-who was that?" started to speak
and checked myself for fear he would
stop If interrupted.
Then" he held up two fingers. Sec
ond. Father hobart was not sick dur
ing the night. was not with him.
I slept. Wait-you will ask why I per-
NIT the police to think I was with him.
But what would you?
He, holy father, to ask such a
small favor of me and me refuse. Never !!
And for the police" He shrugged
his shoulders in a manner which left
little doubt as to the opinion he held
Of the police.
Then, third" He paused and
then went on slowly: 1T is of Miss
Tally, and you will know what to do.
There is danger. Danger of the gravest.'
Afterward it seemed to me I had been
family conscious of some sort OF muir
muring sound, but actually heard only
the words coming from the little por-
ter's mouth.
Third" he said, "Isaw thatnight-"
And then it happened.
Though I didn't know at once what
had happened. was only conscious OF
q sharply splitting sound and smell.
and Of Marcel's face, which sagged and
was surprised and held wide, black
eyes and an open mouth. Both his
% hi no nj
to speak, and moaned and fell forward
against me.
I caught him. He'd been shot. There
was no one in the lounge-no one on
the galleries. no one anywhere.
I eased him downward onto chair;
and then I knew that the murmur was
the elevator. The shot had come from
there, and the elevator was crawling up
ward toward the first gallery.
stepped backward until I could see
the entrance. from the elevator to the
first gallery, and the entrance to the
second gallery.
The thing crawled upward. The cage
was dark The two little doors blank.
It neared the first gallery. Would 1t
stop there or go on?"
The elevator slowly came to stop.
There was for moment nothing but
silence; then the doors trembled.
The narrow blank space between
them widened almost imperceptibly.
Curiously, I heard the shot and felt
the hot sting in my shoulder before ]
saw the muzZle Of the revolver. Then
things happened all at once.
I saw the short nose Of q revolver
poking out from behind one Of the
little doors, I was conscious OF q
furiously sharp pain in my shoulder
somewhere, was lodging instinctively,
and there was the sound of another
shot. The door to the lobby was just
behind me, and had leaped to shell
ter behind the wall and, using the key.
board for a shield, was peering around
it, determined to see who was IN the
elevator.
I saw the gleam of the revolver fly
ing through the air downward, but not
the arm that had thrown it. It fell
with clatter on the floor of the lounge,
and at the very instant that I was
leaning forward, sure now OF seeing
the murderer, some one seized me from
behind; I struggled, twisting, strainlng
my eyes toward the doors OF the ele-
vator.
But I was jerked aside.
There were two policemen hanging
to my arm and my waist, and the more
fur1OuSly l struggled ana Lrleo 10 make
them understand that the murderer was
in the elevator and that he was even
now escaping. the more theoretically
they pulled me away from where I
could see.
MY shoulder hurt terribly. was
cursing with rage and pain and bafhed
fury, another policeman was running
into the lobby from outside, and a
woman was screaming from somewhere
in the well of the lounge.
It was the screaming that drew one
Of the policemen into the lounge; at
his shout the two holding me dragged
me after them to the door again and
then into the lounge. Mrs. Byng, hang
ing over the gallery rail, stopped
screaming to stare, and then suddenly
people were coming. LOvschiem and
Grethe and little Sue with her face
like chalk were running along the gal
lery and down the stairs and into the
floor of the lounge.
All at once the lounge was crowded
Even the priest had turned up. painting,
his red beard agitated, and Lorn,
breathless, was hurrying through the
lobby and was at my side, and the
little maid, Marianne, was kneeling and
sobbing, and the center of it all was