Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-07-01

At this moment Hamm1e came
strutting up briskly from remote
corner of the garden.
"Good God!" he exclaimed.
"What's the matter?"
Vance turned to the man in angry
surprise.
"WeIl, well," he greeted him.
'"The roll call is complete. I'll
tell you later what's the matter.
Or perhaps you will be able to tell
me. Wait over there And he
jerked his head in the direction of a
chair nearby.
II wish I'd taken the earlier train
to Long Island" Hammle muttered.
"It might have been better, don't
y'know," murmured Vance, turning
away from him.
The nurses strangled coughing
had abated somewhat. Her breath
ing was deeper and more regular,
and the gasping had partly subsidized.
Before long she struggled to sit up.
Siefert helped her.
breathe as deeply and rapidly as
you can," he said. cts air you
need"
The girl made an effort to follow
instructions, one hand braced
against the back of the settee, and
the other resting on Vance's arm.
A few minutes later she was able
to speak, but with considerable diff
fculty.
II feel-better now. Except for
the burning - in my nose and
throat"
"What happened?" she asked.
''We don't know yet" Vance re-
turned her gaze with obvious dis
tress. eve only know that you vera
poisoned with bromin gas in the
vault where Swift was shot. We were
hoping that you could tell us about
it yourself"
She shook her head vaguely, and
there was dazed look in her eyes.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you very
much. It all happened so I'M
expectedly-so suddenly. All I know
is that when I went to tell Doctor
Siefert he might come upstairs, I
was struck on the head from behind,
just as I passed the garden door.
The blow didn't render me entirely
unconscious, but it stunned me so
that I was unaware of anything or
anybody around me. Then I felt
myself being caught from behind,
turned about, and forced back up
the passageway and into the vault.
I have a faint recollection of the
door being shut upon me, although
I wasn't sufficiently rational to pro-
test or even to realize what h d
happened. But I was conscious OF
the fact that inside the vault there
was frightful suffocating SMELL"
eyes. Not a pleasant experience.
But it could have been much
worse" Vance spoke in a low voice
and smiled gravely down at the
girl. ''There's bad bruise on the
back of your head. That too might
have been worse, but the starched
band of your cap probably saved
you from more serious injury"
The girl had got to her feet and
stood swaying little as she stead
led herself against Vance.
IT really feel all right now" She
looked at Vance wistfully. "And I
have you to thank-haven't II"
Siefert spoke gruffly. ga few
more minutes of that bronlin gas
would have proved fatal. Whoever
found you and got you out here
did so just in time"
The girl had not taken her eyes
from Vance.
''How did you happen to find me
so soon?" she asked him.
"Belated reasoning" he an
swered. II should have found you
several minutes before the mo-
ment I learned that you had not
returned downstairs. But at first it
was difficult to realize that anything
serious could have happened to
| YOU"
II can't understand it even now"
the girl said with a bewildered air.
'Neither can I - entirely" re.
turned Vance. "But perhaps I can
learn something more"
| GOlnS quickly W d p1tCllel v
water Heath had brought, he dipped
his handkerchief into it. Pressing
the handkerchief against his face,
he disappeared into the passageway.
| A minute or so later he returned. In
his hand he held a jagged piece of
thin curved glass, about three
inches long.
1t was part of broken vial, and
still clinging to it was small paper
label on which was printed the sym.
boil CDR"
IT found this on the tiled floor,
in the far corner of the vault. 1t
was just beneath one of the racks
which holds Professor Gardens as.
sortment of chemicals. There's an
empty space in the rack, but this
vial of bronin couldn't have fallen
to the floor accidentally. 1t could
only have been taken out DELHI
erately and broken at the right mo-
ment." He handed the fragment OF
glass to Heath. -.
"Take this, Sergeant, and have
it gone over carefully for finger
| y,riY,+c R11t If nc T c,,cpoo+ tho