The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-07-26

/ fastened in her mouth, forced be-
tween her teeth. The waves Of
faintness flooded over her again
In the next instant, she realized
that her hands and her ankles
were bound.
There wa sa fash Of incredulous
horrer, then her mind seemed To
clear miraculously. She knew at
once what had happened. Tony
and his gunman, Jumps Daley
busy at the plane, had heard her
trying to slip out of the hangar
One Of them had knocked her I'M
conscious with blow on her head
then she had been bound and
gagged and put in - where was
she
AS her strength returned. she
heard that same low, menacing
murmur of voices. Tony's whiS-
pers, Daley's muttered answers
She must still be in the hangar
Probably in small supply closet
She strained herself to listen to
the voices outside.
"How about the dame?"
And Tony answered: Don't
worry about her, she's all right
I've got her tied up. Probably
won't come to for a while any
way"
Daley's voice demanding again,
"How about afterward?"
And there was Tony'S reply
after this guy takes off, I'll come
back and get her. Don't worry,
I'll take care of her all right"
Anne Norris felt again that ter
rible, cold paralysis Of fear. After
the takeoff-!
The words broke into her mind
like an Illuminating light. There
was no one to stop Tony Scott now,
No one knew of the danger save
herself and Clarice. the tavern girl
Clarice. having warned Anne, would
make no further move. Tony Scott
and Daley would finish their work
unseen and unnoticed.
Dick would return, the plane
would be wheeled out and readied,
he would take off In the dark, fly
five or ten miles perhaps, and
then
And she was here, helpless, un-
able to move. A sob rose to her
throat.
AS she stood there, sick with
fear, she remembered some advice
her uncle, Arnold Dwight, had
once given her. "If you're ever in
a tight spot, take long breath,
count five, and relax. Then think
what to do, and do 1t"
Perhaps there was still a way.
She closed her eyes. counted
slowly somehow steadying her.
self. Then she began trying to
move her hands. The ropes that
held them were not tight, yet not
loose enough for her to free her.
self. There was knot that held
them. There were q few hooks
on the ball behind her, she could
feel them against her back. If she
could possibly reach them!
Feeling her way carefully, she
worked the knot that held her
wrists against one of the hooks
fastened in the wall. Slowly, yet
surely, she was loosening it. After
moments that seemed like hours
she felt it beginning to slip. With
a jerk that tore at the skin on
her hands, she pulled herself free.
Free! The sense of relief that
swept through her was like sud-
den, clean windl Moving swiftly
and silently, still fighting back
waves of faintness, still trying to
ignore the painful throbbing in
her head, she removed the gag
from her mouth.
Her first impulse was to scream
for help. but instantly she checked
herself. To scream now would
only be to warn Tony and Jumps
Daley that she was free.
She united her ankles, and
reached cautiously for the door. It
was unlocked! Her captors, be-
lieving her to be not only securely
bound, but unconscious. had not
taken the trouble to lock 1t.
She turned the knob noiselessly,
opened the door inch by inch until
at last she was able to step out
into the open space of the hangar.
For a moment she stood notion
less, listening intently. It was
harder to distinguish the voices
now, she could only hear their
low n1uterinpS. Through the