The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-05-02

ana said, I m going 10 give your
 boy friend a break. It'd probably,
 be a while before l got another
 fare anyway, so I'm not going to charge him waiting time if he isn't
 over 10 minutes. After that I'll
 have to have a charge"
 He won't be over 10 minutes"
 Millicent asserted. Tt shouldn't
 take him much over i've" She glanced at her wrist watch
 and visioned Norman's progress in
 her mind.
 He should now be leaving the elevator at the third floor. He knock on the door of Apartment 309. Then what would happen? Would the woman come to the
 door? Would she talk with him?
 would she resent his questions? Would he be able to get any infor-
 nation from her? Would he enter
 the apartment and, if so, would he take precautions to make certain
 there were no other persons in the apartment?
 The cab driver settled down be-
 hind the wheel, his manner that of
 one who must, of necessity, spend
 a great deal of his time waiting. A matter of 10 minutes meant vir-
 tually nothing to him. But it seemed to Millicent that the minutes were an interminable
 length of time. She watched the the minute hand of her wrist watch crawling slowly around the dial.
 She had schooled herself to believe that Norman would return within 10 minutes, and so it gave her a ! distinct shock when the 10 min- | utes had passed and Norman had
 not returned.
 When .15 minutes elapsed Milli-
 cent felt something akin to panic.
 The cab driver turned to her, grin
 ned in friendly manner and said,
 well, guess your friend will be
 out pretty quick, eh?" "Yes," she said. '"Think he's going to be in a
 hurry?"
 "He may be-"
 "Well, I'll have the motor rum ming and be ready to go," the driv- CT told her. 'I'll have to start my meter going on waiting time though"
 He started the motor and the meter, and Millicent, feeling as though she had lost her last friend, fought against the panic which surged up within her. Previously she had visioned Norman going down the corridor-big, depend able, aggressive and formidable. She had pictured him knocking at the door of the apartment, domi- hating the situation. Now her mind tortured her with mental visions of Norman in danger, being invited into the apartment by some wom-
 an whose smiling eyes masked a sinister purpose. She pictured men concealed behind chairs and doors,
 weapons clasped in their hands. She could almost hear the sounds of thudding blows, of Norman's futile struggles, of =. She resoiutely determined to ban-
 ish such things from her mind.
 After all. worrying would not help any, and Norman might have been placed in such position that he
 needed time to force the truth
 from this woman's lips. Suppose we should run back to
 the apartment house, Miss?" the
 cab driver inquired. q don't like to run up lot of waiting time if
 your friend doesn't want the cab
 any more."
 Millicent looked at her watch. It
 had been 22 minutes since Norman
 had entered the apartment. "Yes," she said. "Go back to the apartment house."
 The cab driver turned the car in the middle of the block. rounded the corner and drew her up in
 front of the apartment house. You going in?" he inquired. "Yes." Millicent said, I'm going in."
 She climbed from the cab and
 pushed her finger against the but ton opposite the name of one of the tenants. a name which she had selected at random.
 Nothing happened. Impatiently she jabbed the button below that and, after a moment. the speaking
 tube at her ear gave shrill whis-
 tie and a voice said. Who is it?" Mililcent had thought of no answer. She had not anticipated | such a situation.
 "Millicent Jones'" she said. "Millicent Jones?" the voice
 asked.
 "Yes. Miilicent." CT don't seem to place you" "oh, open the door," Millicont
 said impatientIy.
 There was Q moment of silence and then the buzzer on the door made a sharp sound. Miujccnt pushed the door open, crossed the
 lobby Of tho apartment house with quick, nervous steps. She pressed the button which