"You'll hurt someone.
You didn't miss the girl much that time--she's on the bed
right in front of the door."
The Oskaloosa Kid pressed closer to the man as
though he sought protection from the unknown men-
ace without. The girl sprang from the bed and crossed to
the opposite side of the room. A flash of lightning illumi-
nated the chamber for an instant and the roof of the ve-
randah without. The girl noted the latter and the open
window.
"Look!" she cried. "Suppose it went out of another
window upon this porch. It could get us so easily that
way!"
"Shut up, you fool!" whispered one of the two new-
comers. "It might hear you." The girl subsided into si-
lence.
There was no sound from the hallway.
"I reckon you croaked IT," suggested the second new-
comer, hopefully; but, as though the THING without
had heard and understood, the clanking of the chain
recommenced at once; but now it was retreating along
the hallway, and soon they heard it descending the
stairs.
Sighs of relief escaped more than a single pair of lips.
"IT didn't hear me," whispered the girl.
Bridge laughed. "We're a nice lot of babies seeing
things at night," he scoffed.
"If you're so nervy why don't you go down an' see wot
it is?" asked one of the late arrivals.
Pages:
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86