| Show tETHEL I I BEGIN HERE TODAY Ginger Ella Tolliver daughter of or ofa ora a minister and stepdaughter r of the wealthy and indulgent former Phil Van Doom Doorn organized a Junior Country Country Coun Court try club In the town of or Red Thrush Iowa Just to keep life among the younger set from becoming too dull Bard Holloway a a. young artist who was as around the country stopped In Red Rfd Thrush Attracted by bj Ginger he greed agreed to stay and paint portraits and decorate the new club club- house He gave the name Jole de Vim c to the club and suggested sending ending to Chicago for Nicolo Cal- Cal leno who could cook cock and sing and strum m a gul guitar ta r. r But Nicolo could not come In his place arrived three of oC his country country- men inet Angelo could play Pietro Pictro could cook Benito could sing Ginger took them on Beginning to realize he was In love with Ginger Bard suggested leaving But Phil PhU knowing Ginger persuaded him to stay as their guest But for Gingers Ginger's good she he wrote Tot to Speed Roncy a former friend of Gingers Ginger's Gingers Ginger's Gin Gln- gers gers ger's and invited him She felt he would give Bard some competition Ginger thereupon Invited im Patty Sears ars to take care of Speed but Patty wouldn't come pleading loyalty loyally to Eddy Jackson Whereupon Ginger went to Eddy about It it Getting word that Speed was bringing his sister she hc persuaded both Eddy and Patty to come Edd Eddy however decided to ball things UI up b by making things miserable miserable miserable mis mis- erable for Ginger and keeping her herand herand herand and Bard separated Meanwhile Benito had made a trip to Chicago and returned return d with a EI aplan aplan plan to kidnap Ginger and hold her herfor herfor for Cor ransom When Speed and his sister arrived Ginger got sot another surprise Sisters Sister's name was Cotton She was different from what Ginger suspected She was a n little afraid that Cotton would prove attractive to Bard and Eddy devilishly arranged for Bard and Cotton to be together while ho stuck to Ginger and paired Patty off with Sp Speed d. d Speed tells Bard Gln Ginger er and Edd Eddy are arc in love and Bard plans to leave And nt at that point of the proceedings Gln Ginger er disappeared Some Sonic time later tater Jenky Brooks discovers n a message It contains the demand for to be bo delivered fn to In Int tN r Instructions NOW NOV GO ON OS WITH TilE STORY CHAPTER The girls and Jenky stoutly agreed with Phil that the best pOS possible procedure procedure procedure pro pro- was to withhold nil all knowledge of It from the thc police comply with will all nil demands promptly and when Ginger was safe with them once more give ive the thc state an opportunity to track down the thc criminals The men however with v. a great deal of reluctance contended that everything c possible must be done to apprehend those who had abducted abduct d her and due punishment meted out for their offense There were some some conventions of law and order that must be maintained and the sale safe return of Ginger while Ginger while the most vi vitel vi- vi tal tel consideration at the moment- moment was not the only one But my dears protested Phil half halt weeping dont you rou realize that If U the they tako take alarm and fear they ore arc going to be caught in the act they will first of all nIl get rid of the the evIdence evi evI- dence clence And the evidence is Gin is-Gin- Gin ger But we wc have ha only their word for It It said Bard slowly that she will be returned safely In la any event It is getting her of off their hands that constitutes their greatest danger danser you know I Yes that Is true said Phil And I suppose there Is a possibility of discovering discovering dis dis- I covering where they have got her be before belore be- be fore lore they have a chance to demand I the money I know de know detectives I Eddy you get Malcolm 1 Reynolds on the I telephone for me long me-long long distance Chicago We will have him send end us the best but detectives cs in the city No Noone Noone one will know but they are personal persona I I Ican friends her friends her abductors I mean menn They can bo ho looking for her while we vc arc I waiting wailing to pay the money Q co I This Tills seemed a fair compromise between be between be- be tween tweet their duty to the state and their personal desires In regard to Ginger Eddy quickly put In the call calland calland calland and when Phil had her lawyer on the wire she he put It up to him squarely He must send her that ve vet very afternoon the two best detectives he lie could get hold of at any price They rhey must hurr hurry out to Red d Thrush on the first train train there there was one leaving Chicago o mound six which would get them then on n the ground round by midnight With them Mr Air Reynolds was to tOI send In bank notes of thou thou- sand-dollar sand denomination In vain he protested that the thc banks were closed for the day Phil was one accustomed to giving orders entirely unaccustomed to Impossibilities Then the banks can be opened she said firmly finnly I must have that money by midnight without fall fail Mr Re Reynolds sighed but agreed to arrange It It Having taken takes this initial move they were in a complete quandary as asto asto asto to what should be done next Their inclination to to the note having stated that the money would be demanded from the theother theother theother other house was was by the fact that since Gin Ginger er had dIsappeared disappeared disappeared from Mill Rush she was very likely somewhere In that vicinity and in event of her release or escape would be most likely to return there An All additional objection to their immediate return to town was Jenky j who at the mere suggestion burst into a storm of oC frightened weeping I cant can't stay here alone she pro pro- tested I like the Italian gentlemen first rate but all aU the same the Black Hand is It Italian lian and Benny Is Isa Isa isa a poor pOOl helpless thing I dont don't dare stay hero here Mrs Tolliver I Just dont don't dare I was always afraid of the Black Hand Tears of shame and sorrow ran down BenItos BenIto's expressive face Miss Jenk Jenky he said we c obeyed your every wish waH waited d on you ou looked U UI up to you worked our fingers off to please you jou And this our reward I He gulped largely You think we we- we killed killed Miss Miss Ginger I Oh I dont don't think you ou killed her herl protested Jenky miserably I dont don't think you OU had anything to do with It H. But nil all the same It was the Black Hand did It Im I'm afraid to live Ue with any Italians at all until we get Ginger Ginger Gin ger back from the Black Hand My dear Jenk Jenky said Mr Tolliver with a mirthless laugh this letter Is Ishi in hi perfect English and there Is no suggestion either cither of the Italian Influence influence ence or the Black Hand It is probably probably probe ably the work of oC a gang of ordinary American crooks trying to pic pick up I easy money We are not entirely without criminals of our own you know knowl I But the Black Hand Is always s 's the theone theone one Ofle that goes around girls and cutting off their hands as a warning J she wept Well dont don't worry said Phil consolingly con We shall not leave you alone In fact I think we should all stay here until the detectives come conic The They will wish to question us all o of course and I think It should be done on the ground where she disappeared 7 As Bard and Eddy announced their desire to go immediately to extend the search for Ginger looking in m old abandoned buildings in the neighborhood neighborhood neighbor neighbor- hood and UI up and down the shore of the river it was Mr Tolliver who suggested the they should be armed against emergency and as Phil wished to send Instructions to the 5 servants at nt It was wa-s decided that Mr Tolliver and Eddy Jacl Jackson on should go to town at once in Gingers Ginger's roadster while Phil remained with the others at Mill Rush As soot soon as they had gone Jone Speed and antI Bard set out along the shore to continue their search while Phil and the girls made another exhaustive exploration of the tho house In their hearts and to their shame they felt as Jenky y did They realized that for ransom was as more frequently frequently fre fre- resorted to by foreign than by home born criminals and anti what Indeed did they know of the three Italians they had harbored so intimately inti InU I It was true that immediately after their arrival Phil PhU had secured their lull full names and their Chicago addresses addresses ad ad- dresses and references to whom she could write for Information as to the character of each Phil herself had dispatched letters of oC inquiry and while hile they were addressed addressed ad ad- dressed to persons of responsibility bankers priests landladies Italian agents and personal friends she now realized that despite the fact the answers answers an an- she had received were enthusiastically enthusiastically en en- favorable to each subject sub sub- it was Inevitable that they would live give only the names of those known to o be bo favorable and friendly Indeed for tor all Phil could know to the con con- tra each reference might have been beena a plant Yet at each fresh net act of gentle deference and nd kind solicitude on the part of the three men under SUSpicion sus sus- they felt a renewal of regret for what seemed to be unfounded suspicions About two h hours ur l later ter the men returned returned re- re turned from town where they had reo given complete i instructions t to Goo I bins and Hamill and where Eddy I had borrowed four pistols guaran i j guaran-j j teed leed to be In good working order one for or each of the four men Mr Tolliver Tol Tol-i liver admitted d humbly however that In case of or need the most practical use use he could make of his would be by throwing it at his assailants assailant's head Oh I wish we did not have to be suspicious of them of-them them Phil whispered to her husband They know kno It and feel so badly about it Jt Benito says say he lie will never sing again until she is 11 found And Pietro l keeps water bolling boll boll- ing all the time s so he will have fresh tea ready for her the moment she arrives I dare sa say they had nothing whet what ever to do with it H said Mr But they must realize that und r the circumstances we are arc bound to tobe tobe tobe be suspicious of those we know least I about abouL At dark the bo boys s 's returned from Iron their futile search Tile Thc They had gone by br canoe up and down 11 the river as asfar asfar as' as asfar far as it was navigable on both sides of Mill Rush had carefully explored the ruins of ot th the old mill that l lay ly j a little way upstream and aDd had broken Into the deserted farmhouse in the woods below But neither show showed d signs of recent intrusion iriti I We Ve must just wait walt said Phil bravely Come now no Our good i Pietro PIctro has supper ready for us i With an ad affectation of interest I they grouped about the thc table I Seven o'clock said Edd Eddy Jackson Involuntarily they sighed It was the dinner hour Ginger herself had chosen for Jole Joie de Vf One reason we are so good she had declared hotly hoUy is because we have dinner nt at 6 o'clock You cant can't start a really wild night with dinner at 6 Its It's so deadly respect respect- able Now at nt Gingers Ginger's hour the they sat at Gingers Ginger's table and she was not thereTo there To be continued i I |
