Show aw cad ys adm caf W vr adventurers CLUB HEADLINES FROM THE LIVES J OF PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF 1 th the e face at the window I 1 H ELLO you EVERYBODY know boys and girls that ornery old dame old lady adventure is seldom a welcome guest in house when she goes out calling she has to crash the gate for doggone few people ever send her engraved invitations but she gets in in just the same and because she comes uninvited and unannounced noun ced she takes you by surprise and I 1 dont think the old girl was ever more unwelcome or more unexpected than on the night she picked to drop in on mae towers mrs john J towers that is of bay park L 1 I that was in 1918 when mae and her husband and her kids lived jived in an apartment in new york city and of all times the old gal with the thrill bag had to pick december 24 christmas eve to do her calling no one ever expected callers less than mae towers did that evening mer husband worked nights and mae expecting him home until morning her two young children were in bed and she was all alone busy too what mother of young children busy on christmas eve it was our custom she says to keep all the toys and presents concealed until christmas morning when santa claus was the one who received all the glory for having brought them the tree set up and until after the children had gone to bed and what with trim lining that tree and putting the presents around it mae had enough to do without bothering with callers especially callers U like e old lady adventure turn all lights on in apartment it was along about eleven and mae alae was just putting the finishing touches on the tree when she heard a noise it was a peculiar sound and it startled her for a moment it seemed to come from an animal in pain 11 she says it was more of a gurgle than a groan and I 1 conceive of any human being making such a sound my bly first thought was of my babies and I 1 hurried to the room where they lay jay they were sleeping soundly then I 1 walked out through the apartment putting on all the lights as I 1 passed through each room mae went right through to the kitchen but there ther e bisret a sound of any description and she began to think the still stillness nes of the hour was affecting her nerves the house was a ten family apartment and she knew most of the neighbors she felt pretty sure all be in bed by this time 1 I went back to playing santa claus again she says and tried to forget about it then it occurred to me that there was a new tenant in the apartment right nex next t to ours they might possibly have a dog or a 8 cat then just as mae was consoling herself and telling herself she had solved the mystery of that sound it came again and this time she stood petrified for it sounded as it if someone was gasping her name 1 I had my back turned toward the door of the front hall and there was a glass panel in the upper section I 1 turned around slowly and there in the middle of that panel was a face pressed flat against the glass and once again came that horrible sound she could distinguish her name very clearly 1 I tried so hard to call out but the words just come the knob of the door turned slowly and when the door give two hands were spread over the glass slapping it and slamming it again came that strange gurgling sound and this time I 1 could distinguish my name very clearly then all of a sudden I 1 began to feel ashamed of myself one of my neighbors might be in trouble and I 1 was standing there stiff with fear instead of going to the rescue gathering up my courage I 1 asked who it was I 1 was doubly surprised when the answer came it was my new neighbor next door mae ran over ever and opened the door and she says shell never forget the sight she saw there it was her neighbor au all right a beautiful woman with great brown eyes and dark curly hair but on that fine face there was a twisted maniacal expression her right eye seemed to be dilated to twice its normal size and her mouth was drawn away down to one side the mouth was drooling and her eyes were moist she was in nightclothes night clothes and her hair hung loose in wild disorder quick come with me she said the devil is in ia my bed my first impulse mae says was to scream then I 1 remembered something I 1 had once read that the best thing to do in a case like this was to humor the patient for I 1 knew by this time that the woman was stark mad I 1 did all I 1 could to comfort her and told her I 1 would imme ae destroy the devil dev the devil turns out to be her husband mae took her by the hand and let the poor woman leacher lead her back bach into the apartment she made some remark about how cold tt it was but it really cold mae mac made that remark so the mad woman notice that she was shaking with terror As they reached the bedroom the woman screamed there he is and pointed to the bed and who was there says mae mac but ner her husband I 1 the womans comans husband woke up at the sound of the scream he was as frightened as mae was but mae saved the day she signalled signal led to him with her eye and then proceeded to put on a fine act of chasing the devil away by beating on the bedclothes the husband slipped out of the room and phoned the police and meanwhile mae kept her occupied by beating away at those bedclothes she was like a child in her gratitude to me mae alae says until the police arrived and she saw the uniforms sh she so crazy that she sense the fact that they had come to take her away nor too crazy to outwit them immediately she disrobed dis robed and dared them to come in her room but once again mae came to the rescue she persuaded the poor woman to dress telling her they would both go down to the police tion and prefer 13 J charges against dinst those se cops the woman did as she and 0 took her suggested they away quietly she sl e is still s ta in the hospital says s mae an incurable case and many times I 1 have been grateful that this poor soul mistake me ma sie 5 for the devils devil wife but ill bet a quick thinker like mae would have found a way out of that too copyright WIM service |