The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-10-05
OUT Of the NIGH!
Cooyrieht, 1897, MEN Service, INC

/ "Who asked you over anyway
| Gwa nhome. Who cares"
Cilly breathed n deep sigh Of
relief as she closed the Correct
| door behind her. What people
And what a curious contradiction
Mrs. Corbett was-a mild, NEW
Gus little woman one day; coarse
ly drunk the next.
She wondered what the story
was that the woman had tried &c
tell her-thc story of Mr.. Cor
belts experience out west-"way
way out west" And why was ne
so intensely set on not having II
told?
She unattached the door to thG
roof and stepped out. Slowly she
closed it behind her, careful lest
il slam. She took 4 deep breath
before she stepped forward to-
ward the edge.
II was dark as pitch; there
were no stars in the sky. and nc
lights from ships in the bay. just
two nights before, Amy had step.
ped forward like this, gay and
confident: but it was eternal
darkness into which Amy had
stepped. Cilly trembled inwardly'
Ciliy stremblcd inwardly; her feet
refused TO move. She swallowed
hard. then she forced herself for
ward. step by step.
Suddenly, as she stood beside
the thrce-foot wall enclosing the
roof. she wondered just what she
expected TO discover. Now that
she was here, the whole trip
seemed utter folly.
Nevertheless. she brought forth
the opera glasses and adjusted
them TO her vision. First, she
focused them upon the empty
apartment OBJ. This was where
she really hoped 10 find some
thing. A flash of light, perhaps,
or the flicker of a candle q. any
thing 10 indicate that someone
might be- using the apartment as
a hideOut. But there was nothing.
The windows of both empty
apartments-5-B and 3-B-loOm-
ed black and vacant.
Down she looked into the living
room of 2-B. Mr.. and Mrs. Smith
sat at opposite ends of the divan,
Mr.. Smith reading magazine,
Mrs. Smith knitting. Next door,
Mrs. Elliot'S apartment was dark.
The light from a street lamp
showed nothing unusual here,
Mrs. Elliot was still in Connect
cut. visiting her daughter.
Above, in 3.A, there were no
lights. That was the CarrutherS'
apartment; they were in Ber-
muda.
In IA, Cilly saw the Downeys,
mother and daughter, getting
ready for bed. Trusting souls,
they did not draw the shades,
They appeared to be arguing, but
hat mother and daughter do not
argue?
No murder clews in that home
~ scene. Cilly shifted the glasses
to the apartment above, the Huns
erS'. Here was another intimate
bedroom scene, with the shades
up. Did nobody pull down the
bedroom shades any more? Per-
hapS it was only necessary for
those like her, Cilly thought, who
lived on the first floor. Honest
people did not consider the fact
that prying neighbOrS might peer
into their lives through opera
glasses.
There were twin beds in the
Hunter boudoir. Mrs. Hunter
turned down one, then she dis
appeared into the hallway. MIR,
Hunter sat dreamily on the foot
of his bed, running his fingers
through his hair. Soon his wife
returned, placed a thermOS jug
on the night table between the
beds and kissed him goodnight,
She climbed into her own bed.
Then Mr.. Hunter rose. walked
over to the hall and disappeared,
Cilly stared in wonderment. Mr.,
Hunter, paralyzed from the waist
down, was walking about his own
bedroom,
Eagerly she watched for him
10 return. In a moment he was
back. walking erect and firm. He
crossed the room to a bureau,
picked up an alarm clock and
wound it. Then once more. he
walked over to the doorway and
switched off the light. Cilly saw
no more.
(To be continued)