The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-11-27

| with humping heart She
reached out cautiously and turned
on the little lamp beside her bed.
Michael was sleeping peacefully
with his back turned, and she had
to cross three feet of dark floor be-
| fore she. could Waken him.
She put her hand tightly over his
mouth. Michael"
He groaned.
Michael! Wake up, quick!" She
drew her feet up suddenly and
knelt on the bed.
He opened an eye. scowled at her
and turned over.
| She grasped his shoulder and
covered his mouth again. Michael
you must get ur. quick she whis-
pered into his ear. "It's burglars!
Pm scaFedl"'
"Burglarsl" he mumbled under
her hand. The exclamation point
was in his eyes.
"The cats in. and we put him
Quit"
He pushed her hand away. and
sat UP. HE must have got in a
window"
you know perfectly we'll none
of the downstair windows are
open. I'm sure there's somebody in
the housed"
With acomical look of surrender
he seized his dressing gown, thrust
his feet into his slippers at the side
of his bed, and started for the door.
Tuck followed.
He turned and frowned at her.
What are you coming for?"
DO you expect me to stay here
alone? should say notI And don't
make so much noise, Michael.
they'll hear u.s."
Tuck, you've let that fool kid
put notions into your head" he
said. Nevertheless he lowered his
voice to whisper as they went
quietly down the wide staircase
to- the living room.
The Study
LIE tried the front door opening
H off the little hall. It was
locked. With Tuck at his heels he
crossed the room and pushed at
the glass doors into the dining
room; but they did not swing open
at his touch as usual. He pushed.
They were solid.
Whats the matter with the darn
thing?" he muttered. Turn on the
light. Tuck"
But she did not obey. She leaned
over and pressed her ear instead
to the crack of the door, listening
lntently. Michael could not see her
expression in the dim moonlight.
She Strengthened up suddenly.
TITS the study" she whispered
tensely. They've locked this door
on the other side to keep us out"
"You can hear something's" he
stared at her incredulously.
"Listenl" -
He put his ear to the door. ST.
lepce. Then, not in the dining
room, but in the study beyond it,
he heard a small, subdued tapping,
which stopped, began again. went
on steadily, stopped again.
Tuck chung to his arm tightly.
There is someone, Michael!"
ut must be Bunny" he whis-
pered.
"Of course it isn't Bunny. Don't
be stodgy, Michael-what are we
going to do?"
II want to know what the devil
this is all about" he said. He
turned and ran softly up the front
stair to the landing. then down the
servants stair to the kitchen, Tuck
after him like a little shadow.
There was another glass door be-
tween the dining room and the
study, and there was a door, of
course, from the kitchen into the
dining room.
That door was locked!
Michael wasted no time now, but
dashed to the outside kitchen door.
He turned the key in the lock and
pulled the door open. Immediately
the quiet of the night was shat
tered by a terrific metallic clatter
and bang as some object that had
been propped upon the door knob
fell to the floor.
well. damn It'll" Michael said
bitterly.
He jumped from the edge of the
porch and raced toward the corner
of the house with Tuck still at his
heels. The moon was going down.
and only the faintest gray light lay
over the garden. The sundial stood
out in the center, holding on its
white surface a certain glimmer:
as they reached the house that
glimmer was for a moment OBJ
scured. 1t was as if a shadow
passed before it and was gone. But
Michael, intent only on the study
door, did not notice.
That door, reached through the
sun porch. was losed, but yielded
instantly to Michaers touch. He
swung it open and stepped back
against the porch wall, holding
Tuck beside him. Nothing hap
pened.
"Of course he'd be gone" Mi
chael said disgustedly. He peered
off through the darkness.
Michael, you mustn't 90 after
him! It's no uSe-it's too dark out
there. and you don't know where
he's gone. He--he might have
gun, Michael!''
at isn't any use, all right" Mi
chael conceded grudgingly. He
reached around the corner of the
doorway and switched on the
| lights, waiting for moment be-
&Nr0 t1a 1rrhcN iyafn fha rooyna