The Crimson Thread: An Adventure Story for Girls

eetly down a dark, unknown aisle. The very thought of being discovered by a watchman unknown

d to herself. "I must no

ge conduct, would, upon her suggesting it, take her back to the third floor and Rennie. Not being in full possession of these powers

her. Some seemed giants ready to reach out and grasp her;

her feet she caught the gleam of a light. Thinking it

e beating of her own heart. Then, faint and far away, came the mello

on. "Rennie will leave. The place will be in

ing it for a moment, and seeing that it was st

me drifting down an elevator shaft

s open!" she said to herself in su

s to listen, she caught again that

tional fame goes into convulsions at sight of rippling water on the sea. As for Lucile, at that momen

ven, winded, cornered, will sometimes dash into the very trap that has b

returning would have told her that here, where the dim light set

of this the elevator gave a s

evator ascend without an operator at the levers and she naturally b

rendered it more spectral. The ever increasing speed shot terror to

, she slowly struggled to her feet. What did it mea

bove some floor. The doors to that floor were shut. The catches, however, we

oor. But the infinite power that tempers the wind to the shorn lamb sometimes tampers with man-m

or, but where was she? Her situation seemed more desperate than before. She had not counted

adier stride she took a turn about the place. Putting

t last. "Now on what fl

id no

its drowsy comfort after her hot race, she was half tempted to stretch herself

solutely. "Every extra moment

out her. Over to the right was

through the great skylight o

depth below made her feel faint; yet, fighting against this faintness, she persisted in looking down until she had established the fact that

nt cry of joy as escaped her lips as she saw Renn

dirt she had collected from many falls, she at last

g up at her through her thick glasse

enture through which she had been driven at lightning speed had consumed but half an hour.

down the dark and gloomy marble stairs; and a moment later, hav

the way to State Street before they could check their mad gait. For Rennie, who was to take the surface line, this

carried away by the storm, she tore herself away and

r, tore at her, then turning and twisting, appeared to shake her as some low born parent shakes his ch

d herself the meaning of all this strange mystery of the night, and, of a sudden, the sig

ed herself and tried to think. Should she turn back? Should she make one more

like a dead leaf on a

for worlds!" She made one desperate leap across the street and was t

ng its cozy warmth to her chilled and weary body, she relaxed f

have been expected to return home without a wrap on a night such as this. Surely she had had nothing whatever to do with Laurie's giving away his pass-out, nor of his flinging himself so r

he could not, had she used her utmost will-power, have driven herself back into that great darkened store, and since there

g through a series of wild gymnastics that came very near to flying, she drew on her dream robe, threw a dressing gown across her shoulders then

report for duty until twelve the next day-when a spot of color caught her eye. A tiny flash of crimson shone

diately she thought of Hawthorne's "Scarlet Letter." She shuddered at t

ghtly from the chair to put out a ha

e mused, "a cr

t once. With a needle it had been passed twice through the cloth, then tied

ous ornament?" she asked herself wh

s heart. How similar! How very strange!" she muse

arried it to her great chair where, intent upon examining the thread

st. About size 40 I'd say, but if you examine it closely you discover a strand of purple running t

ping her hands in ecstasy, "how I do adore a mystery. I'll solve it, too! See if I don't! And I must! I must! This cape is not mine. I cannot keep it. It is my duty t

bit with its purple strand, then, after selecting the spot from which it had been take

athed, "that's d

il ten. How perfectly gorgeous! The first person I shall look for when I enter the

this last wonder