Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 136: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

418 There was every doubt as to whether I would succeed, but I was in for it now and it was better to go on than crawl back defeated. A queer little thought flew across my brain of how Shirley had looked when I kissed her, then I shut my teeth and made my spring. My fingers missed the edge of the shutter and struck the blinds instead, down which they went rattling and scraping, finding no hold. With a sickening feeling I knew I had failed and was falling—then my fingers clutched desperately in the bottom of the shutter. Blessings on the old New Eng- lander who did his work so well! Under my weight, thus suddenly thrown upon it, the shutter groaned on its hinges and half. opened, leaving me swinging in the air-and holding on desperately by both hands. Then it swung back, and I caught the window-sill with my left hand, managed to grip with my right also, and bracing my knees against the wall drew myself up. Luckily the window was open, or I might . have lost my balance again. As it was, I fairly fell into the room and lay on the floor gasping for breath. I didn’t waste any more time than was necessary to recover myself; things might be happening below, and I wanted to find out just what they were. I was getting softly to my feet, when a sound froze me motionless; the cautious opening of a door into the room and the careful tread of slip- pered feet. The sound did not come from the direc- tion of the door leading to the hall, but seemed to come from the farther side of the room, which was a corner one. As far as I could remember, there was no other en- trance to the room except by the door to the hall, and this puzzled me. Whoever it was, knew the house well, and, moreover, was not anxious to be heard; judging from the stealthy walk. I made up my mind right there that it ‘was my immediate business to surprise that person, and find out who it was. Fortu- nately, I had made no noise beyond my first entry, and I didn’t think the intruder realized my presence. I drew closer into the corner, where I had first fallen, and - waited until, in the dim gray light, I could e “6 a 7 we mn ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. just make out a figure creeping across the room. | I gathered myself together and sprang on it; there was a shriek, a wild beating of hands and for the second time that night I held Shirley in my arms. | “Shirley!” I exclaimed. ‘‘ What are you doing here?” . She was standing quietly in my grasp, although her body trembled slightly. “What are you doing?” ‘‘ Some one locked the door of my room, I had to get out this way.” “But there is no door between the rooms?” Her voice was both puzzled and troubled. “No, I had to get around by the win- dow.” “You mean you climbed from one win- dow to another?” rT; Exactly.” “But, that was terribly dangerous.” The trouble in her voice was now upper- most, and I felt my purpose wavering. She cared then, that I had been in danger! All my old feelings for her rushed back to defend her against the suspicions I had been encouraging. ‘You would have cared, then, if I had fallen?” I asked inpulsinely- rT 4 j|— She ‘aubet herself, and when she spoke, I was fool enough to imagine that her words were . different from what they weuld have been. “It would have been very incon- venient.” “No undertaker being handy,” I replied bitterly. I fancied that in the growing light I could see her smile. “You are very intuitive.” “Constant hammering will make any man wise,” I retorted, “ but you haven’t told me how you came to be here—this isn’t your room.” ““No, but there is a little passageway over the stairs leading from my room to this. The doors weren’t locked, which was fortunate, for I wanted to get out as badly as you did, and I’m afraid I should not have your courage in leaping from one win- dow to the other.” SS ED a) CO