| Show Trapped T apP lb By LoveK Love K B O Vr TM iru ori o Qt ai vIS S i Vv ei VY I II I V P H I B Begin gl 1 Here Today For two years Margo Haynes Haynes' life has been shado shadowed ed by bye Pi the e conviction tion on trumped up evidence of her brother Eric as an embezzler Eric has been a fugitive all this time and now having returned to his home hometown hometown hometown town on the chance of ot seeing his former fiancee has been recognized by a policeman He escaped the police police police po po- po- po lice dragnet and returns returns' to Gavin Pa where he is John Vall Wallace e steel mill worker The only persons who know where Eric lives are Margo and nd Bob Craddock who loves I her a arid and d who re receives es el Erics Eric's l letters for lor her Neither of ot them know that I Bob is suspected ed an and that his mall man manis mallis is to be opened hereafter in an effort to trace Eric Now V Go On With the Story CHAPTER 18 Margo reached across the table and ard put her hand over Bobs Youre You're so sweet sweet sweet-Is 1 dont don't know what Id I'd do without you I dont don't I know what I ever did before I 1 knew you you- you you- This was the time Bob thought putting his free hand in his pocket and touching the little- little velvet box lie he had been carrying around with him liim for over a week This was the time His fingers closed over the box bot to draw it out when the waiter walter came back to the table More coffee Miss J JErie Eric Erie Between Them Craddocks Craddock's fingers left the box hastily and he told the waiter to pour him another cup of coffee too thinking that was wu the best way to get et rid of him But when the waiter walter left let Margo took her hand away and there was Wa the familiar famUlar anxious light In her eyes that meant she was thinking of at Eric Craddock knew It well Her eyes had shone hone with it for tor over a wee week Only Infrequently it disappeared as asit asit asit it had a moment ago Not that he objected to her being worried about Eric ErIc he he didn't at all aU but when she was thinking about her brother worrying about him she was Inno in inno inno no mood to listen to what he wanted wanted want want- ed to say to her And he be didn't want the specter of Eric between them when he showed her the ring he had bought when he asked her to marry him Why was it so hard anyway to ask a girl to marry you What was there so 80 difficult about saying four words and pulling a ring from your pocket and putting it on her finger Other men did not find it hard ap ap- ap- ap They found it easy from the scrapes some of them got into First Proposal Propos t Bob Craddock found it almost impossible Impossible Im im- un- un possible however perhaps however perhaps because Margo argo was the tho first girl he be had bad really loved and wanted to marry and perhaps he gave gaye this reason to himself because he was such an amateur about bout proposals This was to be his first and last proposal He knew what he wanted to say siy but he couldn't say it It-at It at least he couldn't say it when Margo Maro was worrying about Eric Every night since he had bought the ring he had gone to bed tied saying to himself TH II ask her tomorrow Then tomorrow had come come and he hadn't and the ring rinK was waa still lUll In vf S 'S 44 Ir i 4 j i iI r the box not noton on Margos Margo's left hand It was a nice ring he thought He liked to look Jook at it under the light the diamonds sparkle and think of it on Margos Margo's finger Inside the band were a few words engraved on the platinum Bob BoD to Margo Love In the shop where he had purchased pure the ting ring was another another another an an- other ring that matched it a wedding wedding wed wedding ding ring rings which he had had put aside for the time when he would be needing it But first Erics Eric's sudden appearance appearance appear appear- ance in the city had prevented him from giving the ring to Margo and saying saying- the few little words that he had to sa say Then Margos Margo's worry until she heard from her brother Then other things things her her nervousness nervousness after sessions with the police her fear after she had mailed the letter that would bring Lucy flowers from Eric So many things and yet time was racing by Bob damned the waiter walter who had I spoiled her mood No More 1 Letters I wrote Eric this morning and told him hint not to send any anymore more letters letters letters let let- through you you unless unless it was something important she said softly tho the anxious look deepening in her eyes Of course it will be bad not hearing g from him but its it's the best thing to do until things settle down And they'll settle down They have before belore And Eric wont won't write I know unless there is something Import important t taut tant nt because e I made my letter very emphatic He has to listen to ine me He Ho cant can't go doing any more mad th things You shouldn't have mailed the letter to the th florist I 1 know I know b but t he begged so hard an and he be said there was was no noc c card rd to be and that the flowers vers wo would lId simply be an answer to Lucys Lucy's apology Then I did it because because because be be- cause I II was afraid afraid afraid- She didn't go on but Bob knew what she meant She was afraid If she didn't If she refused him that he would do something rash again Mall Mail a letter Ietter himself to Lucy or mail mall a letter to the florist himself Eric who might be so 10 safe if It it had not been for lor Lucys Lucy's apology But Bob understood He thought that under the same circumstances he would do what Eric had done He was quite sure of it it that is if it th the girl were Margo and he loved her as he loved Margo He was doing something now that he didn't relish but he was doing it il for Margo He knew even knew even if Margo didn't dIdn't the tho penalties of the favor she had thrust on him by making him the r recipient of Erics Eric's letters She was Wa so wrapped up in her brother she didn't seem to realize that she he and anyone who helped her was Wa implicated in Erics Eric's escape from prison But Bob understood The letters came to him from Eric Erie and he gave them to her Under the law aw he was guilty and she was too of aiding a fugitive from justice So it was with some relief relict that he faced laced her across the table Erics Eric's letters would cease except for Important important im Im- Im- Im news the brother wished to tell the sister lister The arrival of ot the letters at the theoffice theoffice theoffice office always gave him sort of a shock Ted standing over him dealIn dealIng deal- deal In lug Ing out his his' mall man putting his hi letters Jetters i j one by one on his desk commenting comment comment- ing in his boyish brazen way on each of the envelopes Dun for your new suit Mr Crad Crad- dock Nice regular correspondent you have in Pennsylvania Ill I'll have to give Margo a ring about it it- it Another letter from Gavin Pa Mr Craddock Male or female There was a letter Jetter from your your- your Gavin GavIn admirer admirer admirer ad ad- today but I lost it It- It Burning Envelope Burning the outside envelope addressed addressed addressed ad ad- dressed to himself after incorrigible ble Ted had left leCt the office oice Burning it because that was what Margo wanted him to do Putting the other envelope which no longer contained the instructions that it be handed to Margo in his inside coat pocket Calling Margo on the phone Talking to her for a moment and then saying Long conference with the boss this morning or Im just going into Tuckers Tucker's office for a conference Anything that had the word conference in it because that was was their code word and when Bob used it over the telephone it meant he had a letter from Eric He gave her the letters while they were lunching Slipped them under her napkin and if Henrys Henry's grillroom grillroom grill grill- room where they ate wasn't too crowded she managed to read them at the table Otherwise she went Into the dressing room They were destroyed immediately after she read them s sometimes burned in the dressing room tooth sometimes th the torn hits bits put back into Bobs Bob's pocket f for r him to dispose of on his way back to the agency Elated Craddock never saw the letters but she would tell him what Eric had said quote whole sentences which she had memorized after the theone theone theone one quick reading she allowed aIJo her her- self On the days days' when she heard from Eric she was Wa nervously elated wholly Erics Eric's sister and the bond between brother and sister was very strong On the days when she didn't she was less Eric's Erics sister and more the Margo argo he loved and wanted Sometimes he found himself jealous jealous jealous jeal jeal- ous of this close bond between Margo Margo Margo Mar- Mar go and nd the Eric he had never seen but as he grew to know her better he understood the bond and honored it It was something he had never had somethIng had something he would never have because he had never had a 1 sister As he analyzed it it seemed to him that the feeling reeling he had had I for his mother was Wa much the same as the closeness between Margo wargo and Eric As for Erics Eric's innocence Innocence Innocence-he he believed be be- in it Il because he had to believe believe believe be be- I lieve in it for Margos Margo's sake zake She was thoroughly convincing in her arguments She left let no room for doubt That was one of the fine things about her he thought Her I positive glorious faith in Eric So he took that faith from her herand herand herand and loved her the more dearly for forit it It stifled his worry over Erics Eric's letters It made him forget the chances he was wu taking It answered his arguments about Margos Margo's defiant de do- fiant attitude to the police pollee I She could lie He to Jameson about Eric She could sit and say layover over and andover andover ov over r again that she didn't know where Eric was and that she ahe never 1 heard from him But she wouldn't lie to him That f.- f. L l rt she couldn't do because in her heart Margo was was was' honest and fair Cairo He Wa was banking on that honesty that fair fair- ness He had put the whole hopes of his future his life lae on it How were things yesterday at he asked more to say something something and break brenk the silence than anything else The Tho same she returned q quietly leUy You wouldn't ever He lie t to in me about Fenwick would you You know I 1 wouldn't wouldn't- wouldn't He nodded thoughtfully I dont don't think I 1 could ever forgive you ou if you rou did Margo Margo Margo- i To be continued Monday i- i t- t ft |
