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Show ) B'y emilie loF;; J i- , tthm The Indian bared yellow teeth in a wolBsh smile. J ''a mS' Running away J psxton, rich but " n,nt becomes secre-I secre-I f .Msraew camp over Zs Harcourt, a long . ta eUrf engineer. wile. Ii also panics tens Ned . to Harcourt The 1 " and insists on an v Irt The newlyweds are . "claims: U y M ' 1,7" Bruce spends the murder. When , cent's brother, runs ! I? pMton 1 Z, leave In a launch iTiitrsndedonalonely fatfM run off with the Co. isnlce spend a fear-L fear-L in keeps the wolves ses t tbe rescue finally, tits the story. jTEBXVin v0ice shook. "Nothing dear, but eats in a1 Her voice spoke Ned has suffered un-,jnce un-,jnce his last ciga-iaJ ciga-iaJ been wonderful, 1( ii so exhausted I i Thank God, you've t loso staunch, so heart-warming." ourt tapped on the door jom. No answer. He tii wrist-watch. Ten Upped again. Dead probably, tired child, upon landing on the !oon after dawn, she h H house, two of the ted Paxton out to his sled to waken her, but ianer wanted to push lion. Chester was up, Ln-lipped, ashen. They to take stenographic ted the latch, entered ihe lay as in a rosy arms outspread as if ; herself face down in ion. Her hair which ! shoulders of her or-blouse or-blouse still showed of i shampoo. Her icratched and burned. :let of diamonds emit-s, emit-s, His ring. ien surge of love and ressed his lips to her 3e spoke softly twice irred. She opened the ye, gazed up at him i though her spirit were ck from a far country, i start. A delicate 0 the little-damp curls !l. What are you doing color mount to match ted and knocked. You -io-I walked in.- The ' wants you to take iqual to it?" illfcg on a satin coat 1 Persian amethyst 1 1? The silly season you ask me such a be with you in just ten i he lingered at the 4 she added crisply, sss I'm detained by Tm going." "long the board walk ' few moments before stack, when he had 0 his arms. Did her sing him come from fedins than relief at lay like an under-aind under-aind as he conferred nfcioner and his dep-rP dep-rP living-room. Jimmy ti unconscious of the '"man beside him who hand with its dark Commissioner sensed ! loveliness if Jimmy 1 Harcourt told him-tod him-tod the official's fur- her direction. The ' Sanp were on the s s she sat stiff-joint-"Jttte in the wing-back !Mary. in a low rocker, ock. She looked up J in a navy blue and cuffs of ex-Ji. ex-Ji. IJ dear! I lived cen-1l cen-1l I didn't know how i into my heart until ' wiped her eyes. "8ht when she said Ire "as home for her ' ju on her soft gray chair with Wchthe deputy fussi-ier, fussi-ier, looked up from arm8 in the Indian Redout of the room J! serene face ?ed m on the heels NCw SiSter- Her i i,was maze ibS:rbeads were Jri Her great dark , tossed her su- thecommi, Vt ha present late- avt you that silver Jewelry you were swaggering round in?" "Who tole you I w'at you say, swagger?" "Answer my question. Who gave you the silver?" "Kadyama." "Is that true?" He turned to the lowering Indian, who stood awkwardly awk-wardly twisting a soft hat in his hand. "Yes. I geeve it She marry on me." "Cost a lot of money, didn't it? Where'd you get the cash?" Kadyama shot the inquisitor a murderous glance before he motioned mo-tioned with his thumb. "Pasca pay money he owe." Harcourt stared incredulously at his house-boy. Pasca with money! "Is this true? Did you pay Kadyama Kady-ama money?" Pasca looked furtively at Chester. Did he answer with a slight nod or was it a figment of his own hectic imagination, Harcourt wondered. "Yes sirree. I pay Kadyama much money. Leetle game we had. I lost. He want long time I pay." "Where'd you get it?" "He geeve it me." All eyes followed fol-lowed his nod toward the couch. "Mm. You say that Mr. Chester Ches-ter gave it to you. Know where he got it?" "How I know where he get it? He mak much money p'raps. All engineers engi-neers mak much money." "Why did he give it to you?" "Meester Chester, he say to me, T geeve you two hun'ed dollar you help me.' He nice fella. I say 'Sure.' " "How did he want you to help him?" "He say he must mak quick getaway get-away in plane the fella you sen for finger-print man go in. I help your man, honest lak, then Meester Chester Ches-ter pull heem out hard. I help Meester Chester get off, den lock up your man. Meester Chester pay me two hun'ed dollar. I pay Kadyama. Yes sirree." "Is this true, Chester?" "Yes." "Where'd you get that money? Hale's roll?" A contemptuous smile touched the corners of Jimmy Chester's blanched lips. "No. I've never needed to steal from my brother-in-law." "Then where" "Just a minute, Commissioner. I wish next you'd ask Kadyama why he wasn't at the squaw-dance the night Joe Hale was shot Why he was hanging round the back door of the Hale cabin." Grant's voice caught in a gulp, his green eyes blazed with excitement Kadyama started to bolt. Grant caught him. "Come across, Kadyama." The Commissioner sat forward in his seat "Yes, Kadyama come across. A speck of foarrl bubbled at the corners of the Indian's lips, his eyes burned deep ruby lights. "Aw right I tell. I went to Hale cabin good chance one, two dance goin', everybody there, he alone, to tell heem Tatima my squaw." "Did you tell him?" "Never had no chance. I go In back door. Look roun' screen. Meester Mees-ter Hale sit in wheel-chair countm roll of money. I tink, now's my time. I step out-not quick enough -front door open, slow-slow- "Go onl Who came in that door? Kadyama pointed to the couch. "Chester! I thought so. What did Hale do when he came in?' Kadyama sniffed contempt. You tink you pretty smart fella, catch me, huh? Not Meester Chester come She, Mees Hale." He pointed to the woman who sat, fair head bent, clutching her brother s hand Millicent! She had said that she had found Hale dead! Harcourt crushed back dismay, to listen. "Mrs. Hale. Are you sure? "Let me speak." "Sit down. Chester, your turn 1 come. Go on. Kadyama, what hap- PMeenstef'Hale. he begin to talk loud an' hard. Vera fast Mees Hale say nothin'. She open table drawer, tak out somethin. She laugh, she say: -See this revolver, Joe? I bor rowed it Bully in 1.? Jimmy freaten you. I try . " you say one word more, I fire. SU jump for ber. be catch re volver way from her han it fire, he falL I go." The occupants of the room sat as still as though under the spell of a necromancer. Millicent Hale rose, caught the mantel shelf to steady herself. "Kadyama is telling the truth. I had seen my husband cringe before be-fore my brother's threat I thought 'Perhaps I've been too easy, perhaps per-haps Joe will have more respect for me if I defy him.' I had been frightfully unhappy. It seemed as though I couldn't go on another day. I was crazed with despair." Her voice, which had been broken, steadied. stead-ied. She straightened, cast off confusion, con-fusion, fear, like a princess discarding discard-ing a tattered cloak. "Believe me or not, I had not the slightest intention inten-tion of shooting my husband. I didn't even know the revolver was loaded. I had never had one in my hand before I took Mr. Har-court's Har-court's down from the wall and hid it in our cabin. Before I could make my grandstand play of aiming it, Joe had caught it It went off. He fell. Terrified, I tried to lift him. Horrified, I realized what had happened. hap-pened. I would be accused of shooting shoot-ing him, I, who never in my life had hurt anything. What should I do? A roll of money lay at his feet I tucked it into the bosom of my gown. Crazed, I picked up the revolver, stole down to the shore, flung it into the water. I raced and stumbled to the H house to tell Bruce Harcourt what had happened. He would advise me what to do. When he opened the door I remembered remem-bered that that he was marriedI mar-riedI called out something, then the room went black." She dropped to the couch. Her brother put his bandaged arm about her. The Commissioner's eyes were points of steel as he regarded them. "If that's true" he held up his hand as Millicent Hale opened her lips. "I believe you. Only a fool would doubt your story why in the devil did you make your get-away, Chester?" "It was a dumb move. When Harcourt Har-court told me that his revolver had been stolen, the remembrance of my sister's laugh after I had threatened threat-ened her husband flashed through my mind. I remembered the questions ques-tions she had asked, the interest she had shown in the holster on the H house wall the afternoon we were decorating for the party. I was certain that she had shot him. I felt responsible. I had put the fool idea into her head. I didn't realize it was an accident. I thought if I got away you would think I did it It would give us time to figure out the best thing to be done." The Commissioner glared at Kadyama. Kady-ama. "Why haven't you told of what you saw?" The Indian bared yellow teeth In a wolfish smile. "Why I tell? Much obliged to Mees Hale. She save me much trouble p'raps prison. I help her. Wen you say I shoot heem den plenty time to telL" "It didn't occur to you that coming com-ing across with the truth was the best thing to be done, I suppose, Chester?" "Sakes alive, Mr. Commissioner, it occurred to me." Martha Samp's agate eyes sparkled. "You you suspected the truth all this time?" The Commissioner's diction suggested a skipping motor- en"iniid. I told you I heard her and her husband quarreling. I didn't try to hear what they said pped Tway as I told you, thinkin that while ice-cream might be coohn o the tongue, 'twouldn't do much to temoers. That night when I went to the H house an' found her skirts all wet and draggled, I suspected; when I found this tucked in her btCereiTr'oU of bills from her pocket tossed it to the table Color da kened the Commissioner's face, ffls fingers twitched with anger. you?ve let us sweat blood over this when all the ; time yw i knew! Why didn't you tell, woman? Martha Samp rose to Impressive A-Zilr "You came here like a Srf W thought I'd see how a teal live official handled a case. I've Sot my knowledge from the papers ril say right now. reports much more resting than the real toing as conducted by you." (TO BE CONTINUED) |