Show arhe alie desert moon M CHAPTER XIV continued 16 bile began right straight forward band and sensible 1 I knew that was in the letter and I 1 lodged to destroy it ion that account but I 1 was afraid I 1 gnew that Us its d would I 1 throw au all sorts or of auspicious on me mut but tills morning when I 1 saw maw the wrig thing right there on her leek desk the temptation wao too 00 oo great jl never thought of her having made a copy of it this afternoon when I 1 hea heard rd her ber at the typewriter know knew ive been in torment ever since I 1 have prayed and prayed tant she might full fall to wort work out the cods code when I 1 cagne downstairs just now abw I 1 knew that she mile bad not failed I 1 thought she would tell you about it so BO I 1 followed 1 thought perhaps it if id tell you both the truth and plead with you to 0 o be aleve mek me roe k dut but now I 1 bin am ashamed to offer it IL you wont believe OB me john wont believe me cae kut but it was only a doll one or of those tunny funny long legged floppy things with an adorable face I 1 saw mm him in paris end and blovad him and bought him for mine I 1 called ct illel him christopher clover and suld that he vas van my husband because I 1 had bad at a ways sold eold that I 1 wound never mat narry rr Y levla he was so BO horrid about everything used need to teas me about roy my lover until I 1 got io tired of it and on BO ashamed aslin med that I 1 put him away on a closet shelf after wo were all packed and the trunks were locked that last lay day I 1 found him thao on the shelf gaby aaby wanted ranted me to carry dimou him on my arm arin that was done quite fi a hit over there she thought it was chic but 1 I 1 thought it looked silly I 1 was going to leave him in the tha apartment but lewis asked me to let him have hirn bilm I 1 did that la is nil all butwill but nu twill will you let me ine see aeo the copy ot of the tetter letter gaby read it to mo me only once I 1 gave it to her see she said ca eagerly gerly he calls ime righteous soe boe how flow he speaks of the doll and this lill 1111 lie ile lieve spoken like that hint about a min man mor cor said mat liu he wai behaving him self see too he calls me a run nun if bo be fair it seems to me you can easily believe nae me honey child I 1 I 1 said and spoke the troth 1 I to do believe bellsie bell cie you I 1 believe every word youve boldus told us 11 and you she appealed to ulsa bliss macdonald acDonald SI your explanation la in reasonable you have told the truth about every thing else in the letter I 1 ehnle give you the benefit of thel the doubt you wont tell john danny pleaded of course not nor anyone else just now shall we go back to the house bouse danny and I 1 bat at still ill run along then she said and went away without us ua danny I 1 began at 0 once n c 0 you take tahe my advice you get to jolin john us as quick ly as you can and tell him the truth about this halve you noticed she questioned lowly that flint john hns has been different very different ever since weve oil all been different dear I 1 told her yes 1 know but tJohn Cu robn has been more different mary tell me ine nin I 1 tool A inavon j mon dont donl wear welt wait in times time of trouble la silly billy have yon yoa noticed ihna john seems to be very enuch ested in this danny I 1 11 said it la Is lust just this imen dont wear well in times time of trouble they cant help W it it is the away way they are cinde so we women put ap a with tt it wo ilya nave to lo it 1 we put up with men at oll all everything to Is going to come out all right out flat I 1 want you vou I 1 to toll tell john yourself about your doll and aad not wall wait for some one else t to 0 do IL it ill try to she agreed but we weare arc so BO rarely atone together coy any more mora CHAPTER XV another murder Connez lano did not come down for ti the following I 1 thit that it a little strange ranc gt for meals were the one obe thing thang he hit cabeen teal real poli ro 11 teto ever erey since he bean rein OP oil the iesue iDe neit moon bu kal CLE CLEAVER AVE R baij bij i 0 by doubleday doran co rno ino ati As boon at u breakfast wa over slim cDonald spoke to surn and naked asked film OF ns she hou hafl biln that first li if rile tic intal detain fit rain film you also airs beagin she smiled at me 1 I 1 wonder blie alto said eald as soon as ae we three were together collier it sir Caune zinno could have biot u given glac n us the slip blip last night wll will you go art nril see whether or riot nut he be la Is iti in his big room now sir stanley sam barn went when tie lie vaine came back tie had to draw ii lot hil more than lhnn to keep his voice steady nie his door Is locked tie lie answer when I 1 pound on it miss AlaC DOnall sald 1 I nave have nd excellent pass key lets lela xo go up anti and try ILI it curiosity dragged ine ie along with tier and sam though every burie bone in my body protested bliss blac tlona ids key unlocked the door tile the three diree of ut at went into the room the blinds were tightly drown drawn the rhe electric nit wm was whirring and buzzing away tn in the lie gruy gray gJ miss Al acDonald croiser the itie roo rouin m quickly and snapped up the blinda blanda sam barn walked milked to the lie bed where van con was lying huddled up under the acovera I 1 looked the other way I 1 heard tile rattle ol of same olpe as a it fell on in tile loor floor I 1 heard beard the rustle of miss hilss quick movement I 1 heard a queer throaty note fent she alie uttered something dragged ray my not dot aching eyes open I 1 looked toward the tied I 1 stiv swollen discolored face I 1 sew oil the depp deep low throat wila great brutal bruises at its ita belve I 1 felt sams strong hauda hands on my ro pressing mi me down into a choir chair I 1 heard beard myself saying shrilly stir llly over and over what are we vre solas going to do what bre are we going to do it was aless voice cold and clear as spring water that brought me to my senses we ore are going to ro find the murderer on the desert moon ranch sam said said bold youre d n right we tire are and we ore are going to havck halt half a B dozen hemen bemen he be men detectives on tills this place by tomorrow night very well miss bliss fl acDonald answered will you telephone at once for the tha coroner mr stanley n 11 bain am said I 1 had roy face covered j but there was waa a hollowness in that oath of saras flint told me plainer than any looking at him could have told me tant he was frightened to the marrow of tile bons it took hiss though to understand onder the renson reason for his fear yes mr ir stanley slie she said these men when they come this urne time in spite of their friendship for you are not going to be as easily as aa they were last time mile they were able to blink at one murder der they cant keep on blinking they dare not even tn in nevada neva da 1 who them to blink sam bluffed you tou do we nil all do for or tile the present bain did oot not answer flint lie stood and looked stupid wont you listen to reason she alto urged before you KO go downstairs downs totra to telegraph for other detectives lf if when tile the coroner and the alie others fir ar rive live today you confess that flint oo no brug ress resa has been made they will un no step it 0 o and take tn matters into their own bungling hands I 1 think that they would matte an arrest that would tie be fatal now for I 1 nm positive that they would world arrest nn an in noot person and that the guilty per son could then have an excellent op port unity for escape 1 I 1 have a certain reputation mr bit stanley SKin lev ano and these men particularly the sheriff i aspect it it if you yon will keep me on tills case I 1 will tell thern them that I 1 sin biu making funking ogress that I 1 believe ce I 1 shall be e able to turn tum tho the over to the state within a comparatively short time would that flint be the truth sum sam demanded slie she hesitated it if you mean li Is that ha I 1 believe answer Is yes I 1 may be wrong I 1 lime have at least a very definite suspicion I 1 have hae no proofs gy you 0 u sam alve ve these nen men flint assurance tt if you knew that I 1 was wail going to get some men detectives up here to work with you 1 I coulon couldn coul dut t tho sho said 1 I 1 can speak only tor for myself alease give me roy ray chaice do M you realize chrit it means to be wed tried tor for n murder even it one ts ils acquitted I 1 ani am not asking this tor for cuyk lf I 1 stoop to beg for for or myself as I 1 am begging for or tills now I 1 am sure you mean to be x fair mum maa be fair to me und and to nil all of the innocent people here on your ranch I 1 dont say that other detectives might not he da able to discover the murderer I 1 do say that I 1 nm certain they would do It reparable berm before they succeeded if you stayed sum sam find the cheek to question end and worked along with thern abut wati wan my idea you prevent heir doling any harm 9 1 could try to I 1 will try tiry to it if you insist but I 1 am doubtful of my sue MC cess consciously Congdo asly 0 oi unconsciously athey they work against me because I 1 am ft a woman you dont limit krim them ns no I 1 do you dont know their he aa I 1 do da if you feel flint you must have others hare oo 00 a thi file case nl III low me to send at ni tia own expense for my own the girls chow I 1 have trained we dont need any mure more girls karla around hero here sam sald it Is 1 pretty certain that thai we in do nevol some one to ti protect the lives hies or of nil of ila HB on tills place when you telephone for the cor oner she said win t you telephone for a loek locksmith smIth to td conic come out willo ilni ithie and bring strong holts bolts for or ull all the HIP doors you admit then flint we ac nrc are alt all in irl I 1 kothari Koth lri pt of flie lie sort auri V you ou tire nil 1 sare lafeat at I 1 oli ile he hove flint before tony my own life inny be in danger I 1 want rm no one to think that flint I 1 suspect mitat I 1 need the th protect protection inn ot of the holt bolts it must avem that I 1 think lint flint every ove one needs tho the prote protection ellon you bel beleele lele saw chilt your own life in la Is danger and yet 11 please Ilc nae reconsider sir mr stanley Sti inley Il incase ellse allow me to nine have the lie anse alone at any rate for a little while longer you think lie questioned flint you din car manage tills single handed ano keep us ua nil all safe anti produce this murderer pretty shortly 1 I 1 do mr air stanley mary cant you oily wont you help rno me to persuade mr air stanley you dont need tiny iny kielp I 1 told her lies ilen persuaded Is that true mr air stanley may adny I 1 have the case alone tor for a little while longer she was all breathless with eagerness idral drat it alt all yes yea sam finni said ini im d d it if I 1 know what I 1 ought to do put hut you are dead earns I 1 well on it miss him do the best you con for us I 1 know the hand she alie held field out to him film was trembling and tier her vole as an she thanked film trembled lint but still I 1 was amazed when right after sato saiu had gone one out of the room she said to mn in abory I 1 believe on roy my soul that I 1 have hae just had find an experience that la Is too strong for me anti and lilt hid tier her face in the crook of her arm and bagan to cry 0 in th the week that followed I 1 had times of thinking that sara sam had likely ma made do a mistake in ID keeping miss macdonald on alone I 1 begin to do scribe describe the horror of that week it ta Is I 1 suppose what books call a paradox to say that the worst thing thann about the lie week was wa that nothing just nothing happened to all outward appearances the desert moon ranch was its aa peaceful ful OB art an empty grave hollow pence false pence peace lind nil all of us connI connoting tIng at the ile falsity made it worse sam locked up the house early every evening then trying to make ma ke it casual one tie und and another of us would go sauntering around to matte make sure that flint tw he overlooked a door or a window leopla were constantly jumping and starting and looking behind them tit it nothing none of us women vo irien ever went far from the house except mrs ricker Ill elter who went rent very avery day to visit marthas grave brave she went atone alone I 1 would not have gone with tier her not for adv price I 1 was afraid of her I 1 was afraid of hit bert land dy by wednesday of that week I 1 was afraid of every one in the house except miss and sum still priday friday found couil me doubtful of 0 sam none of our minds went straight those days I 1 urn am sure that the i nd and of each one of us ua on the place a always excepting bliss mac ajac donelda did as mine did it went groping in the dark it humped bumped into leg of doubt it I 1 over fear felt fell into qt stupidly ties tt it lost its way and wandered into wild suspicions I 1 tell yop ro there were times during those these frightful daa when I 1 found myself seriously considering whether or of not I 1 tind had con coin emitted tile the two murders at t that moment I 1 was waa certain that every v cry one on an the place was more or 11 less ISS insane especially miss macdon a aid id I 1 think yet jet tant I 1 was right about the others I 1 blow abow now abat I 1 wrong chont about miss Muc blu Donaldl cDonald hut she had certainly given me plenty of reasons for thinking either that flint she had lost tier her senses entirely or else elme that flint she had find never tind and any to lose lore all week weak I 1 could see sum sam watching tier find and growing more mire Arika jore im orf on tie ne said to me ine that tant she wilo wag too 00 oo way bus flirting with lonn ionn to have hae time for apy anything thing else that was not fair she flirt with aidin she the sort who would flirt with anyone nut but slie mile did begin to liliu him and his fits attentions to tier I 1 tried to excuses for john floor little danny I 1 hart bad to fl si dint tit much uch like ilke tile he clr gl glahe rhe liebal find fallen fal ten in lore lova with S slip hp had lost nil jill of lot her prettiness and bu all i too white andwan and gener Kun fray tilly dragged out quite v f a P slip site had explained to john about the re reference ferene to her and to her doll in the code fiode letter lie he had taken it a all 11 right and find been as she sald to me sweet about it nad and never doubting her word at all still I 1 sort of thought that flint i i firnin of suspicion might still te be boi bothering him and I 1 knew that he had find not been quite able to forgive her not for telling of her 8 u lons concerning sam hut but for suspecting sam in the first place on friday morning when sum Sam came zi into into my kitchen ordered zinn a out of iti it his voice all thick and husky bo be fell down into a chair mary he said weve rot got tho the report from the frisco chemists miss Nl macdonald acDonald had thought it necessary to have marthas body exhumed and ment to san francisco tent Is what the coroner corone ennd and the tinder undertaker der taker hadl had been about on their second trip to the anch sam bain had find not wanted mrs alre ricker to know that hod had suited miss Al acDonald better too so they had had bad the men to do tile work while we were all at dinner that day they find been careful to fix the grave so that it would not show that it had been disturbed and then being men they had left their shovels right there in the cabin for the first person to ind find AS you yon know the first person had been air sirs nicker bicker we had been waiting ever since tor for the chemists report sams sama first words ivere were reassuring it Is too good he true he sold said and repeated dazedly too ton good to be true miss macdonnald Mac Donnld bad tier her us el si stants trace ithe the prescription from doctor itce the powders I 1 were harm less lesa I 1 |