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Show Y Y Y Y TBANNIHERMEKWiN RAY WAETERJ1 CoYB(OHT t99 POD D.M1AD 3 OortPAKjr" I've seen blind men tell the time by feeling the dial." His watch was nn old hunting case which had belonged to his father. He opened It and cracked the crystal with his pocketknlfe. As nearly as he could determine by the sense of touch It was seven o'clock. Hessle Walllngham would be wondering by this time why he had broken an engagement with her for the second time that day. "There is one thing more to do." he said. "It Is seven o'clock; I don't know how much longer we shall be able to breathe easily, and I am going to w rite a note which will explain matters to the persons who find us If we should not happen to be able to tell them." Itbotiously he penciled on the back of an old envelope the explanation of their presence there, making a complete com-plete and careful charge against Alca-tnuite. Alca-tnuite. He laid the message on the lloor. On second thought, he picked It up ugaln and put It In his pocket, for If by any chance they should be rescued, he might forget It. In that event lis discovery would possibly bring an exposure ex-posure of fads which the girl and her father would not care to have disclosed. dis-closed. A faint whisper from the girl. "What Is II?" he asked, bending tenderly for her answer. "You must lie down, too." He began to move away, as If to obey her. "No," she w hispered "here. I want you near me." Slowly he reclined and laid his head on the coal. Her warm breath was on his face. He felt for her hand, and found It held tightly to his. Ills own mind was still torn with doubts as to the best course. Should he put himself out of the way that she mlKht live? The sacrifice might prove unnecessary. Hesctin might come when it was too late for htm, yet not too late, If he did not hurry his own end. And If she truly loved him and knew that she loved him, such an act on his part would leave her a terrible grief which time would harly cure. He tried to analyze their situation more clearly, to throw new light on his duty. The clerks must all have gone 1 by now. There would be a visit or two 1 from a night watchman, perhaps, but ', there was scarcely one chance In hundred that he would unbolt the door. The air was vitiating rapidly; Ihey could not both live through the nlgbt. Hut If she loved him as ho loved her. she would be happier to die with him than to live at the cost of bis life. He pictured for himself again that last look of her face; Its beauty. Its strength, lis sweet sympathy. He seemed to see the stray wisp of hair that had found Its way down upon her cheek. Her perfect lips how well he remembered! were the unopened buds of pure womanly passion. After all, whether she loved him or not, there would still be much in life for her. Time would euro her sorrow. There would be many claims upon her, and she would sooner or later resume her normal activities. Klowiy he disengaged his hand from her clinging fingers. In his other hand he still held his pocketknlfe. To open a vein In his wrist would lake but a moment. Ills life would well away, there on the tiles. Hhe would think he was asleep; and then she herself would drift away Into unconsciousness which would be broken bro-ken only after the door was opened In the morning. Hah! Ills mind cleared In a flash What a fool he was! Need he doubt her for an Instant? Need he question what she would do when she found thnt he was dead? And she would know It quickly. This living pulsing girl beside him loved hi in! They were one forever. They still lived, and while they lived Ihey must hope. And If hope failed, (here still would be love. His pent-up emotions broke restraint. Wlih unthinking swiftness, he threw his nn over her and drew her light to him. His lips found hers In a long Ulss clung In ecstasy for another, and another. Her arms went about his neck lie felt as though her soul had passed from her lips to his ow n. "My lover!" she whlKpered " think I have always cared" 'Oil, Glil. ilirl'" lie could utter no , more. I With a faint slch she said " ni'i glad it h to be together." She sat up. still holding his hand "If it tn-ed be at all." she added, a new firmness in her voice. I "if it need be at hJl!" Orme scan lied his mlti'l again for iou,e promise of es-inpe es-inpe from thU pi I. 011 whiih had In en so suddenly g osified fur them The smMiih. unbreakable walls: the thin M-am of the door, the thermometer Why had he pot thought of It beiore? The thermometer' Willi an exclamation, lie leaped to bis feet -What Is It ?" she cried. "A chance! A small chance but ;UI a chance!" He found his way to the handle of the door, which his first attempt at escape had taught him was not connected con-nected with the outer knob. Then he located the covering which protected the colls of the thermometer. Striking with his heel, he tried to break the metal grating. It would not yi"!d. Again and again he throw his weight into (he blows, but without effect. ef-fect. At last ho remembered his pocket-knife. pocket-knife. Thrusting one end of it through the grating, he prodded at the glass coils within. There was tinkling sound, lie had succeeded. He groped his way back to the girl and seated himself beside her. With the confession of their love, a new hope had sprung up In them. They might still be freed, and, though the air was becoming stifling, neither of them believed that a Joy as great as theirs could be born to live but a few hours For the hundredth time he was sny-Ing: sny-Ing: "I can't believe (hat we bav known each other only one day." "And even now," she mused, "you don't know my natuo. Do you want me to tell you?" "Not until you are ready." "Then wait. It wUI come In dua form. Homo one will sny, 'Mr. Orme, Mlaa " "The name doesn't matter," said Orme. "To me you will always bo Just Girl." The Joyous moments rushed by. She had crept close to him again, and with her head on his shoulder, was saying; "There la so much for us to tell each other." "There seems to be only ono thing to say now." He kissed her tenderly. "Oh, but there Is much more." "Where shall we begin?" asked Orme. "Well, to be matter of fact, do you live In Chicago?" "No, dear. I live In New York." "I didn't even know that," she whispered. whis-pered. "And about .ne. Our family . home has been In ono of the suburb here since I was a small girl. For sev-eral sev-eral years I was sent cast to school, and after that I went abroad wlih some friends. And since then" "It can't be so very long," he whispered, whis-pered, "though you speak as though It were decades." "It Is six years. Since then mr , father and I have spent our winters In ' the east, coming back home for the summers. Just think how much you are learning about mo!" Orme lifted her hand to his Hps. Suddenly the room filled with a light which to their expanded pupils seemed bright, as the sun. The door had been opened and an electric light In the reception re-ception hall shone In. Framed In the doorway was the outline of a man. Orme shouted Joyfully and Jumped to his feet. "Why what ?" the man began. Orme helped the girl up, and together to-gether they went to the outer light. For a moment they could do nothing but breathe, so good the fresh air of the reception room seemed to them. Then, looking at the man again, Orme saw It was the clerk to whom Alcatranie Alca-tranie had made his accusation two hours before. "How did you come to be In there?" the clerk demanded. Orme hesitated; then he decided to make no charges. "I got rid of that crazy fellow who was following me around," he said, "and I came back, and this young lady and I went In to examine your refrigerator. The door was ajar, and some one pushed It shut and locked it. We should have smoldered If you hud not come." "It was the merest chance." said the clerk. 'My work kept me late As I was leaving, I happened to glance at the thermometer dial here. It registered regis-tered below freezing. I couldn't understand under-stand that, for there Is no Ice In the refrigerator, so I opened the door to see." "I broke the coll," explained Orme, "In the hope that the night watchman might be Interested In the dial." "Well," said (he clerk, drawing a long bieath, "you had a close shave. There Isn't any night watchman at least not In Ihls office. If I had balanced bal-anced my book on lime today, you two would have slayed where you were until tomorrow morning" " will come In tomorrow 10 see Mr. Walilngham and explain everything. I will pay for a new thermometer, loo. If he Will let ne." "I don't think he will let you do that," said the clerk, "lie will b grateful 1 hit nothing worse happem-d " "Yes. I believe he will," replied Orme. lie glanced at the clock. It was a quarter Hfter seven. Going back Into the chamber which had teen the scene of loth their danger and their happiness, happi-ness, he got his coal and the girl's bat. ih" parchment papers crackled In hi ki ket ss he put (he coat on The girl, np a'iti!:;'. adjusted her hat. "Say," said the cleik, holding the outer door open for thetti to pas through, "was that fellow a story about your holding notes of ours was there anything in It?" 'Absolutely untrue," replied Orme. "He must have hjd you confused with somebody else." "He must have," urme held out hl hand, "Many thanks to you for ssvlri our lives " Then Orme and the girl made their way to the elevator. (To UK CONTI VI Vii |
