Show e aliby a a IT T U AJ FREDERIC F VAN 7 DE WATE ft 0 VM M ATC I 1 m man si kill kl ed in the for 5 I 1 heard the words ht about his murder too I 1 oil off wheel camo came anthe the paget s wheel chair chah in il else fro from in my mind voice tha that I 1 heard over k and the ine dull sounds ne 3 gecmen d trite they than ruy revealed ed tragedy ter thern them later ter they be ot t they were sinn small i which men made mon rebuild as scientists afern m tiny bits of bone i the call pad showed wa threet toce thirty bIrt y on the tha after twenty third when february iniard aard bucked a end and whirred whirled in the loyer foyer of tho the mot addle NOY hoyt had bad slipped alic ie and wilson the door ila 11 lugge ris the super sper ho was filling ailing in for him the h elevator upstairs and I 1 scrib orator tor was slow number imber on the call pod pad t I 1 waited td A voice buzzed in agin in apparently speaking la ID the forriter flat in a j i not know I 1 thought it german ennan for it was blunt val ard an odd sound halt half iiii cough and ft a faraway it must have been the lamp ady falling failing at the time 1 might thought it was miss A chair en her er chauffeur was wag trun idin ile had bad had trouble at for there was no one there I 1 looked up and saw t clr n g down the hall the flagged egged miss paget was 40 its s upper arm and laugh arren struggled to keep overturning turning I 1 ran to help paget was the 19 oldest tenant by age ce in the old morello this was one of the bildings kil dings gs in manhattan that aued into mellow age the was furnished in mahogany mi and on the ceiling lads i were tangled in fad bons the morello apart brown and ornate bet bleaker ll eaker newer buildings with inhered dignity nothing keak rather as miss agatha tat between tween warren and me it last t we had righted lighted her A chair clr hauman at atthe the morello a a week eek but already I 1 knew ta was important the pomp 4 eggins gins had bad squired squared the or wheel chair between 4 and i car as though they ayd regresses progresses ao old 1 lady sat and preened a i ruffled little hawk tas oddly adly alive tor for one whose rite useless eless time had worn 4 blunted cited her years had r high bridged nose and W her face ace but they hadnot had not mouth or quenched the 1 I her blue lue eyes caught my eye and grinned 4 warm and vital JA you u david she said ire david avld arent you youe A flike in those uniforms A I 1 know w what that pious look s I 1 remember quite 10 warned me that this tu going tag to pieces and I 1 bould outlive me I 1 cocked an eye at me parrot as we halt half carried halt half 14 her along the tha hall I 1 felt king at it rne me again ll iggins fe levator lor still were upstairs t te beai street came the sound motor lorn horn I 1 rang miss agatha clicked her and announced here forty years and never been a day that the 1 get worse chos on ator 1 t told be her 1110 again aln tho the little audible lle Is s away the she eket of the horn continued in u gilt miss s agatha said crisply beu bell david till I 1 tell the distant shrilling I 1 it the old winch in the basement groan and start the bela bells s trill S ha came 8 down vm toward us outside 1 l the horn icett up its blatting warren stirred and said 1 I fancy 0 rm im ln in maam ajam som cones conos way 1 I know you nrc ire ra miss iss agatha returned 1 if timothy fliggins fliggins t threw open the door and found me w with th my finger on tho alio bell Us ile wore W wilsons Wil sons maroon ani and gold live livery he was the only man on the house force it would nt fit and as he glared at me ho he seemed to swell inside it ills long upper lip twitched over the words ile he dared not utter under the old ladys sharp regard but lie he did growl im not deal deaf F from rom tho the day ho he had hired mo me on eddle eddie recommendation for rk a cubby in his b basement isemena hat flat and thirty dollars a month he had regretted it ile he had told me ille sever several a times that I 1 was above my place and now his look filled my stomach with qualms I 1 needed this humble 41 Y V agatha the girl cried and stared refuge from the storm of destitution that blow blew coldly through new york and knowledge of my helplessness made mada me foolishly angry before I 1 could speak miss agatha said deafly we began to think timothy that you were dead or else ifer her sharp eyes prodded him and his uniformed bulk quailed qu ailed led I 1 saw that the aglet on his coat was loose and dangling the noise of horns in the street grew grew louder miss agatha said warren I 1 think they want you to move that car david and timothy can get me upstairs quite nicely the chauffeur went miss agatha continued to look at higgins I 1 heard him breathe harder and saw sweat shining on his full red face he said with stumbling eagerness indeed I 1 will miss paget the chairs brokel broke dear dear aint that too bad now maybe I 1 can mend it for you maam ill find and time somehow with wilson sick and me taking his place on the day shift and a new man in the hall here im fair drove I 1 am indeed miss paget with wilsons Wil sons and ma me own work to go 30 why iris his voice died away under her severe regard and he buttoned his bis gilt aglet into place with uncertain fingers I 1 wondered at his ill III ease case and madness made me say why hes doubling in brass caution cried out against the sorry 0 jost jest higgins squinted at me his ire ratter rather than my wit pleased miss agatha there were mirth wrinkles about her eyes as she looked up and said timothy will hold this wreck david if lift me onto the elevator seat please 0 ill manage miss paget dont you have a moments worry maam higgins babbled you miss agatha corrected will take that chair down cellar and dispose of it if 11 you were to spend more time in the basement or at the door timotny timothy and less on the fourth floor I 1 think matters would run much more smoothly boothly for 0 everyone We 11 sho she humbled him desm ho he said meekly miss agathas crippled body was angular and very light against me as I 1 bore her into the car and lowered her to the black leather seat in its rear the door slid shut on 1119 gins miss agatha marked tho the parting glare he gave me there wa was 3 0 that tha she actually miss missed d she said more to herself tha than 11 to me mr toad himself I 1 know knew that fliggins would be waiting below to to tell 11 M me e it if ho he did not file mo me outright how lowly was my lot the livery I 1 wore the mocking memory of ambition I 1 had brought to new york made me reckless and I 1 reached up from servitude toward equality with my passenger she cried I 1 quoted who is that handsome man they answered mister bondt abashed by the silence behind me I 1 checked the car at the third floor r and opened tho the door I 1 thought I 1 heard a chuckle but when I 1 turned about miss agathas face was grave grava and she ghe took her latchkey from her purs if open tho the door david she said and her words rebuffed my levity and then carry me into the tha workroom I 1 unlocked the door As I 1 again turned toward the elevator I 1 saw across the shallow hall the portal of the ferrater Ferr P lter apartment whito white and reticent as an tombstone I 1 picked up miss agatha and bore bora her carefully into her apartment the deep carpet of the hall hushed my footsteps and we appeared at the open door of a high celled room so quietly that we alarmed the man and girl who stood by the desk in its center iler her face was lifted to hla his and I 1 thought her hand had been on his arm but they sprang apart before I 1 could be sure agatha the girl cried and stared I 1 had bad watched her pass through the foyer with a swinging boyish stride but she actually saw me now tor for the first time and I 1 was aware how miserably my inherited uniform fitted she was wag young and fair and she carried hex her lovely head with the alert vitality of a deer in person miss paget replied dryly that chair by the table if you please david the man had bent hastily over the desk I 1 disliked his plump sleekness the bald spot on his crowne crown his waxed mustache the hysterical flutter of the papers he sorted and arranged the girl looked from my burden to him and then grinned shamelessly just what Is this she demand ed as I 1 set the old lady in the chair understudying Under studying for sappho agatha darling you arent hurt are you 1 I am not t miss bliss agatha replied and told of her chairs collapse that basement don juan she concluded grimly ill have a talk with him and now will you find annie ind and tell her to come here ive had a rather trying afternoon doth both ot of us darling the girl assured her and left the room I 1 turned to go one minute david miss agatha th a interposed As I 1 paused the plump man at the desk lifted a pink face from his papers his perpetually arched eyebrows gave him the weakly haughty look of one about to sneeze ills voice was soft and at the moment nervous were progressing miss paget he assured her uneasily his hands still straying among the stacked papers on the desk im going back to toe the genealogical society tor for an hour or so things are falling fallin ginto into shape ive been hard at work so I 1 noticed the old lady told him he looked at her uncertainly but h her er face was without expression tomorrow then at the same time mr ferriter Ferr lter she said iia bowed jerkily and walked with some orrie stiffness from the room his ears were red As he opened the hall door I 1 heard the elevator bell excuse me I 1 began but she held up her hand as allegra reentered TO BE CONTINUED |