| Show V. V V Telegram Serial Serial- 1 Dangerous Baggage By Eleanor Atterbury CHAPTER 21 Sharon was just setting the table for dinner when the phone rang What now she wondered anxiously as she went to an an- voice Hello sis Dennis' Dennis I was so low she could scarcely recognize it Yes Dennis Anything the matter No But I wont won't be home for dinner Oh too bad I male you a lemon pie too she said chat chat- tily up More overtime overtime overtime over over- time to to- to Listen he interrupted al almost almost almost al- al most crossly Im in a a. hurry Cant Can't talk I wont won't be home tonight Maybe for a couple of days A couple of of days What's the matter Ala Alarmed med at once Are you hurt In trouble Neither Dont Don't worry See you later He hung up then before she could answer Troubled by fears she could not name Sharon stood at the phone a few minutes tempted to call Mr Goodwin ask him to investigate for her That wasn't fair to Dennis After all he was no longer a baby She mustn't bind him with apron strings Mechanically she rescued the pie browning its meringue in inthe inthe inthe the oven turned the baking po po- Too bad to waste a perfectly perfectly perfectly per per- good dinner she mourned But it wasn't wasted Tom Stafford dropped in on his way home from the office Just thought Id I'd see how the ankle was he said easily besides besides besides be sides I missed you at the office today Not sick are you She shook her head Oh no But But But- she accepted the excuse Tom suggested my ankle bothered me so much during the night I didn't get much sleep So I just decided to take the day off Tom After Smelling the HomeMade HomeMade Home Home- Made Pie Stays for Dinner Smart girl He glanced over her shoulder toward the kitchen kitch kitch- en Wheres Dennis Oh working some more overtime she tried to say casually cas cas- He just phoned Tom sniffed That wouldn't by by any chance chance chance-be be a home homemade homemade homemade made pie I see Yes and not by any chance Sharon laughed I dont don't suppose suppose suppose sup sup- pose you'd like some Tom dropped his hat his briefcase onto the sofa pulled a chair up to Dennis' Dennis place at atthe atthe atthe the table unfolded the napkin If you coaxed me a little Id I'd stay for dinner he said meekly Yes Sharon laughed you look as if you needed coaxing And she dropped the thick sirloin sirloin sirloin sir sir- loin steak onto the broiler to sputter while they ate the salad And under the alchemy of Toms Tom's infectious good cheer the little dinner became a party Some of the tautness went out of Sharon's strained nerves as she laughed with him Life just couldn't stay serious and menacing with Tom around And if he had set any wheels in motion to delay or destroy his country's war preparation he certainly had no scruples about it No man who could stow stowaway away the dinner he had with all the enthusiastic gusto of a small boy poy oy had any regrets Either he had been utterly by some superior or he was completely ruthless What happened at the office today she asked finally He shook his head reached for another biscuit It was a madhouse Los Angeles called three times on the telephone Some more orders came in Mr Goodwin didn't show up until noon We finally got the plant going again Oh good Sharon watching watching watching watch watch- ing him covertly began to clear the table Just what did happen happen happen hap hap- pen to make the whole plant go out Tom looked up at her stead stead- ily Somebody with the circuit breaker Sharon Once Again Marvels At Toms Tom's Self Control For the hundredth time Sharon Shar Shar- on marveled at his self control Not by the faintest twitch of a muscle did he betray his guilt But who would do a thing like that she demanded He shrugged Dont ask me Somebody who knows his elec elec- Somebody who wanted to slow things up You mean sabotage mean sabotage What else could it be Sharon rattled the coffee cups to hide her own agitation A mistake maybe He laughed a short abrupt gesture That was no mistake Whoever switched those wings knew exactly what he was about No doubt Sharon agreed si si- si And no mistake about his cleverness right now either Tom knew well that if he could convince her of his innocence innocence- and what better way than to tolay tolay tolay lay the cards out on the table boldly she boldly she would be his chief defense How much real damage did It do Plenty We had to replace all the wires throughout And new swit switches the switches the hes-the the works The boys worked steadily 24 hours a day since it happened The stuff promised for Saturday wont won't get out until tomorrow Means that just that many planes are held up at the other end of the line And delays are costly no matter what way you look at it it Then changing the subject so adroitly it seemed perfectly spontaneous he said Man alive this is the most wonderful pie I ever tasted Sharon smiled helped him to toa a second piece Better than mother used to make My mother couldn't have made a pie to save her life She was was was- he grimaced a career woman I grew up on canned pork and beans and delicatessen potato salad So that's why you are such an advocate of womans woman's place is in the home she challenged Sharon Receives Two Suggestions In a Day to Leave Town Hell no Some women women like like my mother mother make make more successful successful successful success success- ful careers than most men men He smiled at her slyly But pretty girls with shiny hair and blue eyes eyes and dimples in Jn their chins should stay home and make lemon pies and keep out of offices where they dont don't belong be be- longIs long Is that so She knew he was baiting her and for once refused to bite Well perhaps you are right I know darned well Im I'm right he said half seriously Why dont don't you get out of it Sharon Get out Quit this Job Ill I'll get you another job if you must have one he offered and there was no mistaking his earnestness Not out here maybe but Ive I've got lots of friends in Pitts Pitts- burgh Sharon just looked at him Two suggestions that she leave town and both In the same day The countess suggested New NewYork NewYork NewYork York and now Tom wanting to send her to Pittsburgh Are you back on that topic again she laughed at him and at the apprehension adding pounds to the weight of fear within her Tom grinned Just a single- single track mind huh huh- But if you'd just take my advice advice- Id be out of a good job she finished So forget it When you have something really sensible to advice maybe Ill I'll listen n. n Toms Tom's lips went on smiling but his eyes held deep shadows Have it your Way my sweet I hope you know what youre you're doing I do with do with confidence that smashed all to pieces inside Tom insisted on washing the dishes his his coat off an apron around his middle When they'd finished he picked up his hat Thanks for a wonderful din din- ner Im I'm going to beat it now so you can get to bed early You look tired She was tired Goodwin had said secrets were dangerous baggage Dangerous maybe and terribly heavy New Load of Valves Ready to toGo toGo toGo Go Must Not Bey Be lost But in the morning her burden burden burden bur bur- den of responsibilities seemed bearable anyway And after the strain of the exciting week weekend weekend weekend end the familiar routine of the theoffice theoffice theoffice office was reassuring Even her concern for Dennis seemed out of proportion Then Mr Goodwin Goodwin Goodwin Good Good- win arrived called her into his private office at once Should she tell him of the countess' countess visit her strange proposition proposition proposition prop prop- her implied threat Undoubtedly Undoubtedly Un Un- Undoubtedly she would insure protection protection protection pro pro- for herself against the vitriol of Eddas Edda's jealousy Still what could the countess do for all her jealous fury Mr Goodwin Goodwin Goodwin Good Good- win would demand the reason for the quarrel quarrel and and then laugh when he heard it No man took tooka a womans woman's jealousy that seriously serious seriously serious serious- ly It did seem ridiculous ridiculous now now Sharon closed the door quietly faced him across the broad pol poI polished polished desk Any developments Tom Torn Tom c called d last t- t evening e He Insists he knows nothing of how the accident at the plant hap hap- Goodwin brushed that aside with a shrug Of course Then unsmiling he fixed her wi with th eyes cold as gray steel The next load of valves is ready to go Twice as many as we sent last time time and and lost These must not be lost Sharon and Mr Goodwin to Drive Trucks to Docks Sharon nodded waited for for him to go onI onI onI on I am going to send them by boat this time Oh but why Theres There's more danger of a boats boat's being sunk off the coast here than thanIn than than- In this case there is less danger danger danger dan dan- ger of the shipments shipment's arriving at the wrong destination Goodwin Goodwin Goodwin Good Good- win said curtly And the set of his tight lips didn't encourage encourage encourage age any questions Yes Mr Goodwin A boat will be in this eve eve- ning If we get the stuff down there just before midnight it itcan itcan 1 can be loaded at once moved out of the harbor before dawn breaks I see she murmured auto- auto t She didn't see just why he was telling her all this however There are two trucks loaded now and waiting at the he went on his eyes never leaving leav leav- leaving ing her face I intend to drive one of them to the dock myself tonight I want you to drive the other Sharon gasped Me Why not That lost truck disappeared Ive I've since learned before it left the city limits Besides Besides Besides Be Be- sides the drivers rs themselves even Macdonald believe those trucks are not leaving until tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow to- to morrow morning That's what Stafford thinks s. s That is what I want him to think I can trust you to keep the secret I am amnot V not sure that I could trust anyone anyone anyone any any- one else I see she whispered her voice husky with excitement Tomorrow morning those j trucks will put out of the plant yard loaded with dummy crates t If anything gets lost he said said dryly lets count on its it's being those dummies To be continued |
