V
r
77
Mystery of tta
Silver Dagger
Br RAIIDALL PAIUUSH
Author of "Thm Strange
" Ce of CtTCodkh"
Illustration by A. W-vO
OupjrrUbt. by lUodaU PtrrUa
SYNOPSIS.
CHAPTER I.-In & New York Jewelry
tore Philip Severn. United States con
ular ftcent, notlcte a small box which
iittracu him. He purchases It. Later he
discovers In a secret compartment a writ
ins; giving a clew to a revolutionary move
ment In this country seeking to over
throw the Chilean government. The writ
ing mentions a rendezvous, and Severn
decides to Investigate.
CHAPTER XL rinding the place men
tloned In tha writing apparently deserted,
Cavern visits a saloon In the vicinity.
A woman in the place Is met by a man,
eemlngly by appointment, and Severn,
his suspicions aroused, follows them.
They go to the designated meeting place,
an abandoned Iron foundry.
CHAPTER III.-At the rendesvous Se
vern Is accepted as one of the conspira
tors and admitted. He meets a stranger
who appears to recognise him.
CHAPTER IV. The stranger addresses
Severn as Harry Daly. The Incident plays
mio oeverns nan as and ne accepts it
Ids new acquaintance is a notorious
thief, "OentlemaA Goorge" Harris. Con
coaled, Severn hears the girl he had fol
lowed address the conspirators. Ghs urge
them to hasten the work of revolution.
CHAPTER V. leaving the crowd to
discuss the mees&ge she had brought, the
girl dlsoovers Severn listening. She ac
cepts his explanation of his presence and
makes an appointment to meet Mm next
day. He tells her his name is Daly. Har
ris Informs him of a scheme he has to
secure a sum amounting to $1,000,000, the
revolutionary fund, and offers to "split"
with- him. Bovern accepts the proposition.
CHAPTER Vl.-fievern learns It was
tils new friend and a 'Vaptaln Alva" who
had lost the box which started him on
the trail. Harris tells him the woman Is
Marie Galer. He arranges to meet
Severn next day at Tom CostJgan's sa
loon. Leaving the building, Severn notices
a stalled automobile a few blocks away.
Investigating, he finds the body of Cup
tain Alva, subbed to death with a hatpin
dagger. Securing it, he remembers having
seen It, or one like It, In Marie Uroslcr's
tat
CHAITER Vll.-nelievlng Marie left
the foundry with Alva, Severn Is forced
to believe she Is the slayer. He takes
the dagger with him, leaving the body
to be discovered later. At the ad.lrens
Marie had given him he finds sho Is
unknown. He visits Contlgan's and teams
that Harris has disappeared. Costlgan
apparently has no doubt that Severn Is
really "Daly," and gives him his full
confidence.
CHAPTER VIII.-At h!s hotel Severn
finds a mesrage asking htm to 'phone the
.Hotel McAlpln. He does so and is Invited
I to call. At the McAlpln lw meets Marie
V Gessler. She refuses fully to explain hrr
position, and he Is unable to make up
his mind as to whether she Is guilty or
Innocent xf Alva's murder. The presump
tion, however, is all against her, -and
Severn, on whom she has mado a deep
Impression, Is In a Quandary.
CHAPTER IX.-Wlth Marie, Severn vis
Its Perond's cafe, an underworld resort,
where the girl believes they may meet
Harris and a Russian Jew, Ivan Waldron,
a leading spirit In the scheme of robbery.
At Perond's, Harris discovers Severn, and
believing the latter has obtained the
money aftr killing Alva, attacks him.
Severn fights him and Waldron off, and,
with Marie, earapea. The Rlrl refuses
fully to explain her position In connection
with the conspirators. Inflating that Se
vern must give her Ma full confidence.
.With that he Is forced to be content
CHAPTER X.-After leaving the girl
at the McAlpln, Severn finds thut his room
has been entered and the daKgcr stolen.
Pewlldcred, he atiout comes to the con
clusion that Marie has secured It as In
criminating evidence. On a telephone
call from Harris Severn visits CnnUtcan't.
There Harris. Costlftan and Waldron con
front Mm. They refuse to believe he has
. not got the money stolen from Alva, and
after fight Severn Is left unconscious.
covered 'tlits glfTV ItleaTTfy, FiiTH 'that
nlono was lnducemmt enough to urge
me to take the risk. If lie actually
knew who she was, he wns the kind
thnt might heroine ugly, and, however
much I susplcloned her In my own
ymlnd, I had no desire to leave her un
defended at hi mercy. Guilty or not
guilty, my Inclination wns to proton
her to the last. Besides I was eager
to obtain the Information he claimed
to possess ; Indeed, nil progress on the
case was blocked until J did obtain It.
As to his boast that he knew whore
tho stolen money wns concealed, I
took little stock In that. iHwbtless he
merely throw that In for good meas
ure, IJut tho other looked reasonable
enough ; he had confessed being at
I'crond'a before; IMerro was fully as
likely to recall her to memory ns he
wns to rememter Daly, and Harris
could never have made no shrewd a
guess, unless ho had really boon told
the facts. Another thing gave me cour
age to go to Costlgan'a. I was still
accepted by these people ns Harry
Daly, crook. I would undoubtedly Ins
50 received, so treated. Under theso
circumstances there could I no per
sonal danger; I held tho whip-hand,
the advantage HatTls was only en
deavoring to seo what he could get
out of rue; he had abandoned force
to resort to diplomacy.
-All right," I "I'll run over
there; If. you want to play fair, 111
meet you half way.M
"Oh, I'm on the square, old man.
and I've Pt some good dope," he lrf
slsted. Til blow It when you show
,t returned the receiver U the hook,
ru'ortrjtt jihi'Uit'f ox .not I liad de
cided rightly, yet determined to carry
out the experiment. Above ull elsa I
wasted to learn Who Marie Qcssler
was. Nothing else mattered o much,
for on this discovery all else hinged.
If violence, or trench cry, was Intended,
I would I found preimred, and well
able to defend myscJf.
The neightorhood Into which I was
venturing Induced me to take a taxi,
and, within ten minutes, I was de
posited at the door of the saloon. I
pressed open the swinging door, and
stepped Into the brilliantly lighted bar
room. Gsitlgan was behind the lar, but,
at night of roe, rounded the end, and
shook hands cordially, removing his
apron, and slipping Into a coat, la
token that he had changed his occupa
tion. "Better call Charlie," he mid to a
man beside him, 'for Til lw off for an
hour or so. You came to eo George?"
"Yen; he telephoned me."
"Said he was goln to. He's waltin
In tho office there. Til go along with
you."
He pushed a passage through the
crowd, his breadth of body according
me ample room la which to follow
without being obstructed, and opened
the closed door with a passkey. To
a wave of his big hand I passed con
fidently iist hlra, and entered. The
next Instant he had pressed me for
ward, came In also, and closed the
door; the sharp click of the lock
sounded like the report of a pistol.
One startled glance at the Interior
told me I was trapped, and the swift
Instinct of defense led me to step
aside, so that I should have my back
to the wall. Harris sat In the swivel
chair, with feet derated on the dosk,
sardonically grinning at me over a
half-chewed cigar tilted between his
teeth. A white rag was bound round
his head, through which a few drops
of blood had ooeed, eavlng a dark
stnln. Leaning against the vail op
posite was Wuldron, one eye half
closed, and his lip split, giving to' his
face a look of savage brutality, ren
dered iecullarly sinister by a grim
effort to smile. Costlgan remained
motionless, with back against the door,
as though thus barring all possibility
of cscai?. I had walked into their
trap, and the Jaws had closed.
The grin on Harris' face maddened
me. "Well." 1 said coldly, "It was a
stall, was It? What Is the Idea?"
He laughed, without changing his
attitude.
"This happens to bo our turn to
play, Daly," he returned, apparently
well satisflixl with his smartness.
"Then you have nothing to tell me?"
"Oh, yes, I have; I've got a ! I of
a lot to tell you. But first of all you
are goltg to tell me a few things.
Push back your right sleeve to the el
bow, shirt and all."
"What's that for."
"Never you mind what It's for; you
do what I say, If you know what Is
best for yourself."
I looked at the faces of the others,
but they were hard as flint My hesi
tancy caused Harris to lower his feet,
and sit up angrily.
"Iush up that sleeve, you, or Til
have Waldron do It for you. We've
got you foul, you fooll"
I stripped back my sleeve, exposing
my right forearm, yet never remov
ing my eyes from their faces. Harris
and Costlgan Unt forward, intent on
the operation, but Waldron never
shifted his position. Harris slapped
a hand on tho desk, and gave utter
nnco to an oath.
"By 0 d, Don, we're right. This
bird's not Daly I"
"Not in a thousand years he ain't
He's sure h dead-ringer, though."
Harris straightened up, the same
hateful grin still exposing his teeth.
"We've got your number this time,
sou," he announced. "Harry Daly has
a tattooed anchor on his right arm.
I didn't know it. but Dan did. I'll tell
f you what made us wise. In the shin
dig over at l'orond's tonight, a card
case was Jarre1 loose from your
pocket. There was only one kind of
rard Inside, and that wasn't Daly by
d n sight. I told Dan about It,
ind he was for getting a squint at
!hat right arm. Said for me to call
fou up at the number you gave me,
Sellevlng that If I threw in 'con'
Miough you'd come over here. I asked
for '() 145,' the operator there named
rcr, and It was the same name what
was on them cards. So now we know
rer're a dirty liar and -spy, Mister
I'hlllp Severn."
"You called me Daly yourself, Har
ris," I said quietly, realizing the game
was up, but not yet sure of their In
tentions. "I merely let It go."
"Sure: but what was the game? You
lln't no fly-cop?"
"Nothing of the kind."
"Then you was after the dough.
That's what I thought; you and the
Elrl are In cahoots. Well, what did
you do with itr
I shook my head, but this Only "an
gered Costlgan.
"Ah, stow that," he broko In rough
ly, "we know you never got It, hut
fhe did. There nln't no other way it
could have been done. The dame left
with Alva. (Jeorgo hero saw her go
out with Mm. Then the next morn
ing the guy was found dead, his pock
cts rifled, and the bag of cash gone.
How was he crooked do you know?
Punctured from behind- with ome
sorter sharp Instrument no bigger
thnn a hat-pin. It looked like a wom
an's Job, but she got away clean. And
what then? Tho next night she turns
Up with you over at Perond's bhnving '
In tho coin, and tho two of yer havln' !
a h I of a time. That proves yer
were together, don't It?"
"We're not going to blow this to
the police," 'broke: In ..Harris, as Dan
Paused for breath. That ain't the
Idea at all. lint we want a share of
that , dough. - You come across,, and
there won't be no more trouble."
'Bat purpose I don't? Suppose I tell
you I haven't the slightest Idea where
that money Is, or who got It? What
then?"
Harris' grin was more malicious and
hateful than never, but he waited and
deliberately lit his stump of a cigar.
"What then?" ho echoed finally,
"Well, In the first place, we've got
you, haven't we? You'll squeal, believe
me, before you ever get out of our
hands. See here, Severn, I ain't got
any direct proof that'll put you In the
chair at Sing-Sing; that's true enough,
but unless the two of you cough up
liberal, I'll turn something over to the
police of this town what will give you
a term in the Jug, as accessory, and,
fix that fly dame of yours for all
time."' '
"You are lulling ; you have no such
proof."
"Oh, haven't I J Look here, you
fool; do you know where I got that?"
He whipped something from out the
concealment . of an Inner coat pocket,
and flung It fully revealed onto the
desk an ornamental dagger, glitter
ing In the light, which I as Instantly
recognized.
"Ever seo. that baby weapon be
fore r
"Yes," and I felt a sudden relief at
tho discovery. "You slashed open my
valise, and found.lt"
"Exactly; that's what I did," evi
dently proud of himself, "It was an
easy enough trick. Just as soon
as I got eyes on this pretty plaything
I knew I'd got the sticker that put
Alva out of business an' I knew
where It come from."
"Where r
"Oh, h 11 do you think I ain't got
my eyes? That skirt wore It In her
bat when she and Alva went out to
gether." "Oh, did she? Tills same pin, was
It? Say, Harris, I wish I could be as
bright as you think you are. And did
you happen to observe also that the
lady's hat was held In place by ex
actly the same pin tonight when she
was In Perond's? Well, It was; now
how could It be In your pocket and In
her hat at the same time?"
Ho stared at me, his mouth wide
open, and 1 was equally amused at the
expression upon the face of tire other
two. I realized fully the erll 1 was
In, and that thosv men would hesitate
at nothing to obtain their end. Yet,
In spite of all this, I was inexpressibly
happy. I spiked their big gun with a
single blow; moreover, I had learned
the truth about her, and my faith In
her Innocence came back In a flood.
Harris had done too much boasting;
he had ruined his own case. Ho liad
placed the very weaion In my grasp
which I roost desired to have ab
solute assurance that the girl herself
was Innocent. Tho fellow felt ind
realized, the change.
'That's easy," he sneered. "She
bought herself another. That proves
nothing, except N that she Is smart
though to play safe. Neither one of
you can get away on that sort of
c!oie."
"Perhaps not ; but it chars her of
IImj murder charge."
"Ob, doos It? Thnt remains to be
seen. We know who she is, and that
Is more than you do. Oh, h I, I got
onto that over the wire; the ouly
thing that Interested you Into coming
here was to learn who the dame real
ly was. That's part of her play, as I
figure It, Severn. She won't give her
self away, but Is Just using you. When
she's good and ready she means to
fade, an' she'll take the dough along
with her. You will have sold out for
a few cheap kisses, an that's nil." He
laughed coarsely. "Sho is stringing
you for a fool. Come now, wake up,
before It Is too late, an let's all get
a hand In the pot; whnt'de yer say?"
"You still tWnk I am that kind?
One of your class?" I questioned, thor
oughly angered by his sneering sivch.
"Ono of my class? I should say
not; you are the rawest kind of a
mutt, but so far you've been In luck
that's all. Now your luck has changed,
end yer up against It."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Blow her; tell us all you know.
We'll play tho game for you, and di
vide square."
"You will let mo out of here?"
"Sure, once you give us the right
steer."
"And If I refuse?"
He laughed contemptuously.
"You're not going to; you've got too
d n much sense. But Just to satisfy
If El rF
(he girTupoired ; we csrrr ray our hands
on her In an hour; and, bellve me,
we've got the goods on the young lady.
Here'a the sticker that did the bos!
ness, and I found It right where you
had hidden It away. I can find three
men they are. keeping cut of sight
but I can stir them up who'll aweor
that she went away alone with Alva
from that factory over there; that he
had the bag with htm, and that the
two got Into the auto together. Ttiat
makes one h I of a straight case,
don't It?"
"The way you put It yes. But
what good will It do you fellows to
have her pinched? Where do you gain
anything?"
"Time; it blocks tho get-away with
the swag. That's all we want. See
here, Severn, we know where the stuff
Is planted; at least we've got an Idea,
but we've got to work slow and cau
tious In order to lift it If It wasn't
for that w'e wouldn't care If she
skipped. If you'll help us to get quick
action, we'll let the girl go, and give
you a share. Take my word for It
that's a d n sight more than you'll
ever get by staying with her."
"But If she finds out that I have
turned her down?"
"She won't never find It out; we'll
keep mum. Besides, you're doln' her
a good turn, keepln' her out of the
electric chair. Well, there's the prop
osition you can leave It, or take It"
Serious as the situation was, I could
not fall to see Its absurdity. This was
no threat to frighten me; the fellows
meant what they said, although I
doubted If they really possessed the
knowledge claimed so glibly. But they
evidently meant to go on; they were
not bluffing, for they really had an
ugly case, and could undoubtedly make
trouble. The evidence araln-t the girl
was strong, almost convincing; It eveu
shook my own confidence In her In
nocence. The absurdity of the situa
tion lay In my absolute Ignorance. I
knew even less than they pretended to
know. What should I do? Pretend,
manufacture, some story? I had no
faith It would work. Thcso fellows
were criminals, suspicious and unscru
pulous; they would only bellcvo what
I could prove. If they caught me In
a deliberate lie, as they probably
would, that would instantly end every
thing. I might, then, Just as well fight
It out with them now as later. I set
my teeth, ready for what I felt sure
was coming.
"You fellows have sired me up
wrong," I said quietly, but firmly. "I
am not tho kind to squeal lecauso of
a threat. You'll find I'll protect the
lady, but I'll do It In my owu way
not yours. Tho honest truth Is, I
haven't anything to tell. You won't
believe that, but It Is so. I know loss
thnn you claim, to know. I have no
knowledge of where the money Is, or
who got It. I do not know who killed
Alva; even now I haven't any suspi
cions worth mentioning. But I will
say this plainly I do not believe this
girl did It or that she had any hand
in tho robbery. I nm going to stay
with her illl h 1 freezes over, If that
Is what you want to know. That's my
answer, Harris, and It Is all I've got
to give, you."
"You d d curl we'll show you
Romethlnigl"
"Perbaiw you will; you are three to
ta n nil rn X'rtti nwr fl M n fr-h ! 1 1 Ttilf
the man who touches me Is going to
get hurt ; I'll promlso you that. No,
you don't, Costlgan; that trick won't
work !"
I tried to keep my eyes on the three
of them, but his movement caused me
to step back closer against the wall.
I feared the Jew least; ho had neither
spoken nor moved since our entrance,
and I felt ho had no 6toraach for any
farther fighting. Yet I Judged wrong.
With one quick dash forward he
grJpied my wrist ns I reached back
for a revolver, and flung his burly
frame against me with such force as
to have thrown me headlong but for
tho supiHrt of the wall. Before I
could wrench myself free, tho others
closed In desperately, content to use
their hands, unwilling, perhaps, to
crente any alarm with fire-arms. I was
a better flirhtlnir man than any ono of
! the three, but combined they had the
advantage. I wrmched free from the
Uusslan, and thus got ono hand In ac
tion, yet that was all. I know I
planted one Jolting blow straight
against Costlgan's round fact? which
made him wince, and got n foot fair
into Harris' stomach, sending him reel
ing backward. Indeed I staggered tho
two of them, typing out c JUq grip
of those Iron f.i.efs, HTUd smashing a
step forward In spite of every effort.
I was maddened, frenzied, reckless of
all Injury, eager only to Injure those
devil In any conceivable way; hate
seeneJ to endow mo with supernatu
ral strength, and a deslro to kill swept
me with pnsslon. All before me was
blood-rod, amid which swam their
faces, and I went straight for them
like h wild beast. Then, suddenly,
from behind, a blow descended on my
head, crushing mo to tho floor. I went
stumbling down as though 6truck with
a polo-ar, and lay motionless. Tor
the Instant I must havo retained a
measure of consciousness. I knew
where I wns; I even attempted vainly
to regain uso of my limbs, and Iheard
Harris a wear In disgust.
"What the h I did you hit him like
that for, you Idiot?" he yelped. "We
don't want to kill tho guy; he's worth
moro to us alive. Here, you, Wal
dron, lift up his head!"
Then all knowledge left roe, and I
went out Into the dark.
"And If I ntfu?"
your cuiioMty ril tell you. We've got
pea red, yet it was can night wiiu I
again painfully opened my eyes and
endeavored to perotive my surround
ings. Memory of the blow which
ended the struggle caused roe to lift
& hand to my head ; the scalp was
bruised and broken, tlo hair matted
with clotted blood, yet I could not be
lieve the Injury was a serious one. I
could use my limbs. Satisfied on this
point, and assured that I was alone,
I traced myself on one arm, and. In &
sitting posture, endeavored to survey
my surroundings,
I was resting on the floor of a bare
room of ordinary size, containing no
vestige of furniture. The '-place was
cold, with that Indescribable chill pecu
liar to unused apartments,' and through
the one window, Which was unshaded
by a curtain, j.mred the direct light
of an almost full moon. In this silvery
light every bit of that Interior stood
revealed In Its hideous bareness, the
roughly finished wtiHs, the patches of
plaster scaled off, the dirty floor, the
single door and window, the rags amid
which I rested. It was a hopeless
scene,
I staggered to my feet reeling a
moment like a drunken man, and then
Anally found my way along the side
wall to the window. My strength in
creased as I advanced, and courage
was bom with It I was not dead; I
rutght baffle thow villains yet They
must have felt that I was safe enough
In this place; that, even If I regained
consciousness, no escape was possible,
fCr they had left no guard. A glance
without revealed the reason for such
confidence. I was four 6tories up, a
sheer brick wall below, and, at tho
bottom, a concrete walk. Therq was
nothing between to cling to unleps It
might be tho narrow coning of stone
Just beneath the window sill. I stared
at this, almost hopefully, for an In
stant; then turned roy eyes away with
a shudder; It was scarcely as broad
as the sole of my shoe and to think
f creeping along there was merely
the dream of a madman. The bright
moonlight flooded everytMng about,
yet I saw nothing familiar; I was evi
dently at the back end of a hou.se,
with others closely tct on either side,
and an alley beyond n small, enclosed
CHAPTER XI
A Ventura of Peril.
I must have remained unconscious
for an hour or more. I never really
know how long, for. my wntrh dlsan
I Wat Four Stories Up.
yard. This latter was littered with
dead weeds and rubbish of every de
scription, ;and a small shed of some
kind extended across the rear. Thm?
stories below, but to tho right, a nar
row porch protircted tho back door.
Thero was no movement visible any
where, no gleam of light from tho
windows lelow roe, I listened In vain
for any sound; tho night was as still
as death, not even tho echo of a dis
tant street-car reaching roy ear. I was
somewhere within tho limits of tho
city; of that I felt assured, but be
yond this could determine nothing.
I stole as silently as i09slbla across
to tho door. It was securely locked, of
course, and could Ihj forced open. If
at nil, only by creating considerable
alarm. I stood, staring helplessly
about, feeling tho Impossibility of
escaie. I could only wait for my Jail
ers to appear, lniitent to aid myself
In any way or her. After all, that
last thought was tho most Imielllng.
That they suspired Mario Gessler of
being Implicated In both, murder and
robbery was clearly evident; indeed,
they not only suspected, but were con
vinced that fcho had done tho deed.
1 was secretly obliged to admit that
they had some reason to so believe;
that they even fHed proof which
would probably convict her In court
of the crime. This gave them a ter
liblo advantage over tho girl, once
tiny had her bodily In their posses
sion. Guilty or not guilty, sho could
not establish her Innocence; under
torture and threat, such as they would
doubtless uso ln-thtJr money lust,
thero was no knowing 'what might
hapi:n. Alone, helpless In the grasp
of these unscrupulous crooks, her fate
might bo death, disgrace. Certainly It
would bo foul Insult and. If sho failed
to yield, the dcdro for revenge might
even drive those cowards to a secret
cknouncernent of her to tho police.
This, however, would be their last re
sort; they would exhaust all other
efforts first And no one else knew
of her danger; no ono clso was In
position to aid her; sho roust face
this gang absolutely alone unless I
could effect an e.frape. It was not
merely roy own life at stake; hers
wns also In the balance
Andtho time In which to act was
short. If I escaped at all. It ronst
bo accomplished before my Jailers re
turned, before they dreamed that I
tad amused from unconsciousness, or
had strength-" caou;Ij to " cnZT'tl
attempt Yet what possible way
suggested Itself? I felt In my pockets;
they were utterly empty, except for a
tingle overlooked bilk There was no
means of egress other than the win
dow and that seemed hopeless. Yet
In desperation I crossed over once
more, and again looked out Could
I dare I attempt to cling to that
alight ledge In roy stocking feet, even
for the one or two steps necessary
to reach the next window? The very
conception of such a feat made my
head reel giddily and roy stomach rise
In protest. Besides, even If I made
it by some miracle, what If that other
window should be closed and locked?
How could I ever move backward to .
regain safety?
Yet wait; there was a way, danger
ous enough to be sure, yet possible If
I possessed the necessary nerve. Thero
were opened blinds at each window;
they would help some as grasping
spots for the hands. The ono within
reach appeared solid enough, firmly
anchored to the casement, and secured,
to the brick wall by means of an lroa
hook. Between the two the space to
be traversed was not wide; a single
stride on the ground beneath would
bridge tho .distance. If I had some
thing to cling to above anything that
would keep me upright I might hold
my footing on the narrow stone and
make the passage slowly. It was a,
daring, deadly venture, but possible.
But what could I hopo to utilize as
a support? Tho bare room offered but
a single suggestion the dirty coverlet
which had been thrown over me. Tom
apart from corner to corner, ' ant
twisted Into the form of a rope, It
ought to safely sustain ray entlro
weight In case a foot slipped. I
started to tear with roy teeth, and thus
succeeded In ripping the thing from
end to end. It was scarcely Ions
enough for the purport which com
Ielled mo to make tho nooso corre
spondingly small. However, with this
Improvised lasso gripped In my right
hand, I took position astrldo the sill
of the window, in an endeavcr to pro
ject tho loosened end over some pro
tuberance of the blind beyond. By
holding tight to the frame with my
left hand, the right was left free,
and I was enabled to lean out far
enough to obtain a clear toss. There
was little the nooso could catch on,
and continued failure left roe listless
and discouraged. I lost hopo, yet
kept at It, and finally, to roy surprise,
tho ring of tho cloth settled over an
Iron projection of tho hinge, and clung
there, extending straight across from
window to window. I hardly dared
breathe as I drew the tiling taut and
tested the firmness with which It was
held at tho other end. Tho nooso.
closed down tightly about the Iron,
staplo, and resisted every effort at re
lease. To all seeming It was as safely
anchored as though I had placed It
thero by hand. Somehow tho very
knowledgo that this had boon accom
plished, that the way was open,
brought with It a renewal of the feel
ing of horror with which I had first
contemplated tho possibility of such
an accomplishment Would I ever dare,
the attempt? My head swam as I
gazed downward, and then across, and
I shrank back absolutely terrified at
the very thought.
Yet my nerve returned, and I found
myself cool and determined. It as
no pleasant Job, to bo sure, and I
was compelled to steel myself to tha
attempt, yet I no longer held back para
lyzed by fear. I easily found a securo
fastening for tho strip of bed-spread nt
my own window, and then, satisfied
that It was taut and securely held at
both ends, lowered my body cautiously
over tho sill, uiflll roy stockinged feet
nervously gripped tho narrow stone
of the coping. I dare not look down
or permit my mind to dwell for an
Instant on what was lelow. Slowly
I straightened" up, until my cntlro
weight was upheld by this precarious
foot-hold. To advance step by step
was Impossible; all I could hopo to
accomplish In locomotion was to
stealthily advance one foot n few
Inches, sliding It along the stone, ever
retaining contact, and then, as care
fully drawing tho other after until
they met, too and heel. It was thl
slow progress of a snail, yet tho slight
est effort at hurrying would rncon a
certain fall.
This was not unduly perilous, how
ever, so long as I retained firm hold
on the sill, or even could grip rojr
fingers over the lower frame of tho
oieh Idlnd, as I was enabled thus to
partially sustain my weight, and, even
If a foot slipped, the feci of tho solid
wood yielded confidence. But finally
my hand reached out and grasped only
the cloth cord, twisted Into some sem
blance f n rope, and, as It gave sick
enlngly to the pressure, tho old fear
swept over me In a torrent of agony.
I could never make Jt never I I would
go swirling, crashing down to that
death below. It was but a step, to
be sure; a step and I could reach
tho firmness of tho other blind; but,
oh, tbo step the speechless horror of
It! Yet thero was no going backward:.
I tried this, only to rcallzo at once Its
Impossibility, and the perspiration
burst out from every pore, as tho full
horror of my situation suddenly
flashed over me. I roust go on, trust
ing to that thin, unstable cord, balanc
ing myself abovo the gulf. Thero was
no other way, no retreat, no means of
cscai I do not know now hov tho
act was accomplished; It Is hardly u
memory, except as some wild delirium
of sleep haunts ono when they awake.
Inch by Inch I crept, hand encroach
ing on hand, foot pressing against foot,
every slightest movement nn In
expressILle agony tlien I gripped tho
support of wood onco mor. and clung
to It as with the grap of death.
, I dun tbere until, my. mjnd. camq
Contlued nxt week.