The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1942-10-31

the hallway. And Immediately he
heard voices, excited. low. tense
From somewhere down below a
man called
"1hey's comin!"
There was nothing to do now
but 10 so up; he clutched the
wooden steps above him and
climbed, wanting 10 get out OF
sight before anyone came into the
hall He reached the trapdoor and
pushed against it with his head :
II opened. lie grabbed something
solid in the darkness about him
and hoisted himself upward, hop
ing as he did so that it would
hold him and not let him 20
crashing down upon the hall floor.
lie rested his knees. his chest
heaying. Then he eased the door
shut peering just in time 10 see
a door in the hall opening That
was close. The siren sounded
again: IL was outside in the
street. II seemed 10 sound
Warning that no one could hide
from II; the action 10 escape was
futile that soon the men with
guns and gas would come and
penetrate where the siren sound
had penetrated.
He listened: there were throbs
OF motors: shouts rose from the
streets; there were screams of
women and curses OF men. He
heard footsteps on the stairs. The
siren died and began again. on a
high. shrill note this time II made
him want 10 clutch at his throat;
as long as il sounded IL seemed
ifhat he could not breathe. He had
10 get To the roof He switched
on the flashlight and crawled
through a narrow loft till he came
~ an opening He put his Shout
der 10 II and heaved: It gave so
suddenly and easily that he drew
back In fear. He thought that
someone had snatched II open
from above and in the same in
siart OF its opening he saw an
eNpanse Of cleaning white snow
against the dark smudge OF night
and a stretch OF luminous sky A
medley OF crashing sounds came
louder than he had thought that
sound could he: horns. sirens.
screams There was hunger In
those sounds as they crashed over
the roof-tops and chimneys; but
under IT, low and distinct. he
heard voices Of fear: curses OF
men and cries OF children.
Yes; they were looking for him
in every building and on every
floor and in every room They
wanted him His eyes jerked up
ward as huge. sharp beam Of
yellow light shot into the sky.
Another came. crossing II like q
knife Then another Soon the sky
was full OF them They circled
slowly hemming him in: bars Of
light forming a prison, wall
] between him and the rest OF the
world: bars weaving shifting
wall Of light into which he dared
rot 20 lie was in the midst ofSit
now: this was what he had been
running from ever since that
night Mrs Dalton had come into
the room and had charged him
with fear that hi hands and grip
ped tho pillow with fingers Of
steel and had cut off the air from
Mary's lungs.
Below him was loud, heavy
pounding. like far-away rum
HE of thunder. He had TO get 10
the roof: he struggled upward.
then fell flat. in deep soft snow.
his ewes riveted upon white
man across the street on an
other roof. Bigger watched the
man whirl the beam OF flash
lieht. Would the man look in his
direction Could the beam ~ a
fashlieht make him visible from
where the man was, He watched
the man walk around awhile and
disappear.
Quickly. he rose and shut the
trapdoor. To leave Il open would
create suspicion Then he fell
flat again. listening. There was
the sound Of man, running feet
below him. IL seemed that an
army was laundering up the
stairs. There was nowhere he
could run now: either they caught
I'm or they did not The thun-
dering grew louder and he knew
that the men were nearing the
ION floor. He lifted his eyes and
looked in all directions. watch
ing roofs 10 the left and right OF
him. He did not want TO he sur
rrised by someone creeping upon
him from behind He saw that the
roof 10 his right was not joined
10 the one upon which he lay
that meant that no one could
steal upon him from that direc-
ton. The one 10 his left was join
% 10 the roof OF the building up
on which he Law. making II one
long lev runaway. lie lifted his
head and looked over those roofs
over the snow and round those
,himneys until he came to the
building that dropped to the
ground Then that would be all.
Would he jumpoff and kill him
self He did not know. He had an
almost mystic feeling that II he
we're cornered something IN nm
would PROMPT him 70 act the
r,sht way. the right way being
the way that would enable him
10 die without shame.
lcanfinnaA narf HaAkl.