Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 144 by Maxwel l Grant

Author:Maxwel,l Grant
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf

CHAPTER XIII

THE SHADOW'S ALLY

WHEN The Shadow awakened, he was conscious of dim daylight, enough to give

him an idea of his new surroundings. He was reclining on a couch in a small room

that appeared to be part of a large, old-fashioned apartment.

His cloak was still on his shoulders; his hat lay on a chair beside the couch. The dimness of the room was caused by the lowered shades. Rising, somewhat shaky, The Shadow went to the window and raised the blind.

He was gazing from a fifth-story, over low-lying blocks of buildings in the neighborhood of the Greenwich Village section of New York. The spire of the

Empire State Building, glistening in sunlight, formed a fairly distant mark that

enabled him to gauge his present location.

Air still seemed touched with ozone, but its freshness no longer had that overwhelming effect. The Shadow felt weak; he attributed that to his need of food. In fact, the daylight bothered him more than the air. He decided that it would be best to rest his eyes while the dawn increased.

Again stretched on the couch, The Shadow looked occasionally toward the window. He noticed that the glare was becoming gradually less. That puzzled him, until he made another trip to the window. Noting the glisten on the Empire

State Building tower, The Shadow recognized his previous error.

This was not dawn; it was sunset. It had taken him a full day to recover from the effects of Quedden's high-powered gas.

Since dusk was near, it would not be long before someone came to this room. The Shadow thought of that, while he stood beside the window. As he started another trip toward the couch, he heard a soft knock at the door.

There was something hopeful in that knock; when The Shadow replied, he heard a girl's exclamation beyond the door. She was giving orders to someone outside.

When the door finally opened, The Shadow saw the girl who had battled him the night before. She was bringing a tray holding foods of various sort, that he might choose for himself. There was small table near the window. The girl placed the tray there, invited The Shadow to a chair.

The Shadow placed himself away from the light. His face was only vaguely visible to the girl as she stood by the window; but her features were plainly outlined. The girl seemed to prefer that situation, for she had much to tell and wanted The Shadow to believe her.

"My name is Elsa Wendley," she stated, as she faced about from the window.

"You are known as The Shadow. I am sorry" - her smile was regretful - "that I did not know that when I first met you, last night."

The Shadow did not ask who had given Elsa her information. The girl explained that herself.

"One of my servants had heard of you," she said. "I realized then that you

could not be my enemy. I had my servants bring you here. Since then, I have been

waiting, hoping, for your recovery."

The Shadow put a calm-toned question: "Why did you realize that I could not be an enemy?"

The question brought a quick flash from Elsa's eyes.

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