Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-12-02
CHAPTER IX-Continued

peSau W Sill ne ISuueIleu'
perhaps it's effeminate but like
a lot # ALL in my tub, and asked
myself, Who's been using my bath
crystals?' I heard sounds in the
bathroom. It sort of took my breath
for minute and my brain whirled
like pin-wheel. Then I grabbed up
my flash from the table beside the
bed and tiptoed to the door. I
banged it open. Water was gurgling
out of the tub, dripping from the
shower, my shaving things were
scattered everywhere, and-a shoe
was going out of the window" Stew
art pulled out handkerchief and
mopped his red, moist face.
"a shoe!" Brooke and Sam ex-
claimed in unison.
II presume there was foot in it.
For an instant amazement para
lyzed me. I made a strategic er
ror. Instead of beating it after that
shoe, I poked around. The razor
was gone. That fact gave me
nervous chill. why would a man
take that? Who could it have been?
Rowan I asked myself. But he has
his own bath; why should he use
miner Then came to and realized
I was wasting time"
''I'n say you were and you're
fairly spilling it now. Keep going!
You did go after him, didn't your"
81 did, Sam, but first 1 shouted
for Mark. I hadn't much hope that
he would hear me but didn't dare
wait to make sure. squeezed my
boyish figure through that window
and wriggled to the balcony. I lis
tened. / could hear only the pound
of the surf and the crack of frost
in the trees. Cautiously I peered
over. Nothing moving. A sound!
After this I'll never doubt that hair
can rise. Mine felt like that green
stuff you see growing up straight
on one of those terra Gotta heads.
listened. Sounded like curtain flap
ping. Then I noticed that the win
dow next to mine was open. Had
the man gone in instead of over?
II knew that it was a Lookout
House window, Brooke, but didn't
know whose room. I couldn't be
fussy about that. All the horrors
I'd ever heard rushed through my
mind as thought of the missing
razor and of what might be happen
ing to you and Lucette and Sam"
He ran his fingers under his col
lar.
1T chokes me even to think of it.
Where was I? Oh, yes, squeezed
through and dropped softly to the
floor. I stopped to lock the window
and draw the shade-my late visitor
might have a pal, I reasoned
before I tiptoed into the adjoining
room. 1t was a bedroom unlighted.
Behind hanging I reconnoitered.
A mirror over a desk in the next
room reflected boudoir with flower
panels; then I knew that the room
was Brooke's. All the lights were
on. No one there. / crept in. A
desk drawer was on the floor, it's
contents scattered in all directions.
A chair was overturned. lived
years crossing that room. What
could l see? What would I find on
the other side of that door? The hall
was dark. The man"
"Call him the Bath-Crystal Ban
dit and be done with it, but get him
out of this house, Brooke's eyes will
pop out of her head in minute"
"Don't interrupt, Sam. Go on,
Jed. Did you see anyone?"
Couldn't see anything. Didn't
dare use my flash for fear l might
be spotted. I figured that the man
had heard me enter my room, had
beat it to the balcony, had seen the
open window of this house, had
crawled in planning to make his
getaway from the lower floor. I
gumshoed down holding my breath
at every creak of a stair board, ex-
pecting every minute that I'd be
sniped at.
''In the hall l stopped to listen.
Sounds upstairs. Faint sounds.
hunted for the light switch. Found
it. It seemed years that I waited
in the dark with my finger itching
to press that button. The house
was so still could hear my brain
working. Stairs creaked! Back
stairsl A door swung! He was
comingl A chair crashed! I had
him! l shouted:
Don't move! I've got you COW
ered' Snapped on the hall light.
When / saw you two blinking and
staring like owls, you could have
knocked me over with toothpick.
That's the end of my installment of
the serial. Now, perhaps you'll ex-
plain why you were prowling round
this house?"
With her arms in the big green
mandarin sleeves crossed on the
white porcelain table, her eyes deep
shining pools of excitement, Brooke
leaned forward and told him. Stew
arts lips and cheeks pulled and de-
fated at second intervals as he lis
tened
Suddenly, Sam raised his hand in
warning. "Listen, folks! Footsteps!
Stealthy! Outside! Who's coming?"
Jed Stewart sprang up. He caught
his chair before it could crash, and
swung it experimentally as Sam
precCad the LIGHT cI-itcb ord r,1,,,,ool