Hungry Horse news and Columbian. [volume] (Columbia Falls, Mont.) 1946-1948, 1947-11-14
CHAPTER XVI

u IOuI lCOL ouppSu. Dut AOH Ol
that knock you down half
flight"
Q Todd's gaze travelled slowl
: from face to face. After VIVA
u seemed a long wait he shook hi
head cautiously. 81 can't seem
) remember much,' he said, "excep
that the lights wouldn't work. L,
started up the stairs anyway, S
e I went on"
E Somebody took the bulbs out,
Horace began in his hushed voice
But what were you doing?'
; said Mary Helen shrilly. "Why
! were you on those stairs at alp
"Why not?" Todd murmurec
feebly. His eyelids flickered. %
was in the garden-shortest way
from there to my bedroom"
The others exchanged swift
glances. "But what then, McKin-
non ?" the doctor insisted. How
did you fall?"
Then" Todd said, and gazed
vaguely into space. 'Then-no.
It's black. All black" His voice
trailed away.
To Georgine all the terror and
distrust of the last few days
struck inward. She thought inco-
herently of the hard Tillsit eyes
and the Tillsit secrets, of accusa-
tons implied and spoken, and the
aunt with the reticule in Todd's
story, and a door opening when
an old woman invited death to en-
ter her room.
We've got in too deep, she
thought in panic. We've started
something that's going on mex
orably to finish itself, and if we
get in it's way
ICEORGINE opened the door
" and looked in. Todd, sitting
on the edge of the bed, met her
glance and got up swiftly. eyes,
I'm really all right" he murmur-
ed in answer to her gesture, hard
ly a bruise, if the truth were
told"
Il gathered something of the
Sort" said Georgine in a low tone,
shutting the door behind her. "a
fine performance, chum. Black,
all blackn Heaven give me
strength"
Dear Georgine, l beg you not
to snap your eyes at me-" He
grinned Independently. 'That was
the most innocent lille experiment
a man ever made, and l got a fine
surprise from it. No, l was not
going up to the attic in the dark,
sticking my head out for someone
to bop me. There shouldn't have
been anyone there"
well, what were you doing, for
heavens sake?"
Eyes, I'm scared again." she
added defiantly. Good and scared,
and I'm in no state to consider
logic, Todd, they're trying to keep |
us here, by one means or another,
just so they can get us-as they |
very nearly got you on the stairs"
take it easy" he said tran
gully. "That wasn't as bad as it
looked. In the first place, what
l was doing wasn't foolhardy. l
simply wanted to go up those en-
closed stairs without trying to be
quiet, to see if the others would
hear me and come to investigate.
l meant to step out on the second
floor, without going near the
attic"
"And," he went on levelly,
Someone did hear me; someone
who was already up there, and
knew, that l might come up
through that we'll at any mo-
ment."
"No, 1 didn't really fall. You
might say l slid down the banis-
ters on my hands," said Todd, 81
lently chuckling. Knocked my
wind out for a minute, and by
then 1 heard the light cavalry
charging up the front stairs and
t occurred to me to play dead dog.
Worked fine, too"
"Did it, indeed. 1t took a year
off my life"
IT SHALL try to restore it, my
l. dear" said Todd gravely.
But consider Nella's solicitude,
Ealing for the doctor at once; it
.ook him a fairish time to get to
he phone too. Consider how OPP
fortune Susie's visit was, and the
act that Horace came down from
he second floor to find me, and
Nary Helen came up the enclosed
stairs from the first floor almost
Is if l were being hemmed in so
hat if I'd wanted to chase my
,iant bat toward the basement,
I'd have bumped into Mrs. Crane
and been headed off. All very re- =
II see. Couldn't have been bet s
er if you'd planned it. Todd Nc s
if you'd lay off these ex-
,eriments-" s
IT give you my word, this was {
It planned. s
"All right. But if you got to
linking Of yourself as a great {
detective, after all you've said" t
mo" He frowned a little. 'T'm E
10 detective, except that well,
'ou remember what we said about {
he transparent mask"