Now came for Josie a period of watchful waiting. Fortunately the parlors of the Alpha Hotel were situated on the mezzanine floor and overlooked the street. Having registered and engaged a room, Josie ensconced herself in an easy chair behind a sash curtain that gave her a full view of the street and the Hotel Haddon which was directly across the way.
She was excited. There was no use in denying it. She felt her heart beats distinctly and her hands trembled a bit.
“Here, girl! Pull yourself together!” she commanded. “This is no time to behave in a womanish way, even if you are stopping at a ladylike hotel.”
She eagerly scanned the windows of the Haddon, beginning at the second floor and working systematically to the top. The building was only four stories high. The windows were blank and empty and gave away no secrets. Once she saw a man with a black moustache look out of one on the third floor, but he so quickly turned that Josie could not be sure of his identity. She marked the window, however—third floor at the extreme right.
So busy was she gazing at that window she almost missed seeing Cheatham emerge from the hotel accompanied by a woman, rather handsome, with auburn hair, carrying her head decidedly on one side. They were talking animatedly and walking rapidly. Josie also marked the gait of the woman which took a zigzag course—so much so that at times she bumped into the man by her side.
Again she looked up to the window on the third floor. It was blank but on the second floor directly below she was sure she could distinguish a wistful little face pressed close to the pane.
Josie paused not a moment. She did not wait for the elevator, but darted down the steps from the mezzanine and was across the street and in the Hotel Haddon before Cheatham and Miss Fitchet had even turned the corner. The Hotel Haddon was rather a haphazard place and, there being no clerk at the desk at the time, it was not necessary for her to explain her business. The elevator landed Josie at the second floor and, with an air of being a guest, she walked to the extreme end of the hall and turned the knob of the door of Number 220. She had her skeleton key in case it was necessary to use it, but was much relieved when the door opened. Evidently the kidnapers were so sure of themselves they had not thought of locking the child in the room.
“Hello, Philip!” Josie said quietly. “I’ve come to take you home, dear.”
Her tone was so composed that Philip did not cry out at all, but his face was so bright with happiness that Josie almost gave herself up to the tears that were well nigh choking her.
“Get your coat and hat and let’s hurry,” she said. “Don’t talk any now. We can talk later.”