Show SeriaL Money Isn't Everything By Anne Mary Lawler Circumstances of Lucy Mortons Morton's Death Are Very Mysterious Chapter Twenty The news of Lucy Mortons Morton's death sped across the cables from Cuba to Chicago and flowed east and west through countless tons of newsprint and limitless columns of type It was a bleak story sparse and inexplicable A woman on vacation vacation vacation vaca vaca- tion had died Suddenly How no noone noone noone one was certain When no one could be sure The circumstances of that swift departure from living would never actually be known except to Lucy Morton herself and the other neither of whom was likely to speak Lucy had idled impatiently in Havana October passed November November November Novem Novem- ber came And daily Lucy grew more bored She had dutifully explored explored ex ex- ex- ex the famed Morro Castle with witha a fellow tourist the plump and prattling Mrs Allenby She had taken the usual tourist photographs photographs photographs photo photo- graphs of the outmoded guns known affectionately as The Twelve Apostles She had shuddered shuddered shuddered dered over the Sharks' Sharks Cove fed for years with the bodies of political political political cal offenders Still On Trip Lucy Keeps Busy Lucy had toured the Vedado visited La Playa and secretly thought both overrated She and I Mrs Allenby had hired an antique car that reeled under the reckless hand of one Arturo undoubtedly undoubtedly undoubtedly un un- the worlds world's worst driver They toured the farm districts the slums She had cast her eye upon miles of tobacco fields battalions of royal palms mangoes papayas She had nodded a thousand times in appreciation of local flora and fauna Ever since Jill's letter telling about Mike had arrived Lucy Morton found no peace in Cuba When November came homesickness homesickness homesickness home home- sickness assailed Lucy Morton irre irre- Oh for the cold sweet slant of rain across the lake for forthe forthe forthe the sharp flick of wind in her face It might even be snowing at home those first timid tenuous froths of s snow show ow that blow the herald horn for winter There was nothing left to see nothing more to do Even Mrs Allenby was fluttering her wings tentatively like a bird about to start homeward Nor was Lucy feeling well The strain of June the excitement of the sudden trip the continual worry worry wor wor- ry over Jill these Jill these combined with unfamiliar food and too many feverish feverish fe feverish fe- fe tourist activities had set a small nagging pain in n her breast an ache that grew more active and constant as the days spun into weeks So Lucy finally packed her bags and sailed forth for a final eve eve- ning in Havana Escaping the in inevitable inevitable inevitable in- in evitable Mrs Allenby Arturo and hearse she slipped from the hotel after a late dinner and prowled quietly down the Prado The air was mild and sweet and Lucy thought fiercely of home of the brisk bluster of November and was glad that now at last her exile was ended Although her bags bulged with the accumulated impedimenta of a trip trip although although she had bought fans and nd castanets perfume and shawls linens doeskin bracelets and bags Lucy Lucy stopped in at a shop here and there searching for one perfect perfect perfect per per- and acceptable gift for Jill But she was tired The benches along the Prado were inviting the tall shel sheltering ering trees vaguely com com- forting Lucy turned her back on the brightly lighted stores and wandered along the leafy arcade A q quiet iet bench beckoned her and she sat down gratefully to ponder the problem of Jill John Morton would if f he discovered what had happened be furious Lucy hadnot hadnot had hadnot not planned on Jill's making a permanent emotional contact in New York Suppose Suppose Suppose-suppose suppose Jill refused to leave Suppose Suppose Suppose- I It was quite dark and quite late when she rose from her bench refreshed refreshed refreshed re re- re- re and determined She knew what she would do She would re return return return re- re turn to New York meet this Mike person speak to Jill If Jill wished to remain in New York then Lucy would go home John Morton would learn the truth immediately and the problem would become his She noted idly that the streets were cleared of unescorted women Latin At 9 o'clock she mused ladies must be locked up some some- where At least they never seem to be allowed out after dark A man stepped quickly from the shadows flung a barrage of unintelligible unintelligible unintelligible Spanish at her Beggar Lucy thought com com- passionately I know the hotels warn us against them but this poor fellow fellow fellow- she fussed with the catch of her pocketbook A hand shot out and to Lucys Lucy's eternal surprise fastened itself firmly to the bag jerking it sharp sharp- ly Lucy clutched it with an outraged outraged outraged out out- raged violence It did not occur to her to scream She was too angry She Is Hurt When Attacked by Thief The man man man-he he was tall and sinewy sinewy sinewy sin sin- ewy and sinister in the shadows shadows- hissed a sibilant stream of syllables syllables syllables sylla sylla- bles wrestled for the bag It was slipping from Lucys Lucy's grasp She opened her lips to shriek and a rough hand struck her face She stumbled back awkwardly and fell striking her head with brutal force on the beautiful mosaic of the promenade All the stars in their orbits swung madly past her eyes Then Then darkness darkness Alone in a sh shadowed dowed alleyway a atall atall atall tall man opened a womans woman's handbag handbag handbag hand hand- bag with frightened fingers extracted extracted extracted ex ex- ex- ex the coins and banknotes within She had fallen hard that old Her head had struck the pavement with the hollow sound of a melon dropped to the floor Perhaps she was badly hurt perhaps she was even dead It would be well then if he Ramon Ortega should take a short holiday holi holi- day day in in Guines say at the home of his sister A sigh of regret for forthe forthe forthe the sheaf of American Express checks checks so so many of them and so useless to him Letters many let let- Foreign stamps From the States doubtless Only Americanos Americanos Americanos Ameri Ameri- canos possessed so much money Bag letters and all the attendant accessories slipped lightly over the wall into the bay with hardly a splash With them went the last trace of Jill Morton from Cuba The police discovered the body of the elderly American woman early the next morning The poor crumpled crumpled body body staring with sightless sightless sightless sight sight- less eyes at the knowing trees Continued on the Following Pane Pale John Morton Discovers That Jill's J U Is I's Not With Lucy I Continued From From Pr Preceding Pape Pagel above She was well dressed A pity indeed that there was no identification Perhaps she had slipped and fallen fallen fallen fall fall- en Perhaps even an attack of the heart Perhaps the Perhaps the police f were were loath to admit the possibility violence Her purse was gone No one knew who she might be It would be well to inform the hotels A last appraising glance at the expensive garments The better hotels of course But the hotel was already seeking seeking seeking seek seek- ing Miss Lucy prodded and poked by the enraged and fuming Mrs Allenby That lady had awaited Miss Morton two full hours in the dining room When the last crumb of the last breakfast had been brushed from the last table Mrs Allenby had soared to Lucys Lucy's room to discover the reason for her ab ab- ab- ab sence A nonchalant porter reported that Miss Mortons Morton's bed had not been occupied during the night Mrs Allenby purple with wih rage and worry had immediately descended upon the managers manager's office and demanded demanded demanded de de- de- de that something be done about finding that lovely woman The manager was desolate An elderly American woman had been discovered early that morning on the Prado dead quite dead A sudden illness no doubt Of course there was the possibility that it might be somebody else that Miss Morton had spent the night with friends The medical examiner was kin kind and efficient Death from heart disease There might of course have been contributing causes The skull a skull a very bad bump It might have been made in falling falling or or oth- oth vise r The bruise on the face face face- quien sabe Babe It was all highly re re- re- re The worried hotel manager was distraught Did Mrs Allenby know anything of Miss Mortons Morton's connections connections connections Mrs Allenby did Everybody Everybody Everybody Every Every- body she said coldly knew that Miss Morton was sister to John Morton who had department stores in virtually every big city in the States Senor Jose Esteban Manuel Montano Montano Montano Mon- Mon tano stemmed the tide of eloquence with a polite Latin effusion of gratitude and forthwith cabled John Morton in Chicago Your sister died heart disease what disposition body Jose Montano Hotel Nacional National Immediately the executive offices offices offices of of- of Morton Inc were convulsed convulsed convulsed con con- into action Get me the National hotel Havana I I want to talk to Jill John Morton roared She knew he groaned She knew before she left when she she insisted on making a new will Oh Oh Lucy you stubborn old fool if you'd told me Id I'd never have let Jet you go If always If-if-if-always if if always if when it was forever too late As he be sat by the telephone awaiting the signal that would link Chicago with Cuba John re remembered so so many things The years collapsed upon one another like pleats of an accordion like the sections of a schoolboys schoolboy's drinking drinking drinking drink drink- ing cup until today and yesterday lay lightly in each others other's arms When he had fallen desperately in love with a girl girt beyond his reach it was Lucy who had bolstered bolstered bolstered bol bol- bol- bol his courage to mention mar mar- When Louise had died it was Lucy who moved in calmly took the little squalling child that was Louises Louise's last gift to life and to John and had reared the youngster youngster youngster young young- ster in love and tenderness It was always Lucy Lucy Lucy- Lucy had known so much about him he thought And what had he ever really known about her her her- whether she was sick or well happy happy hap hap- I py or miserable He wondered how Death had accosted accosted accosted ac ac- ac- ac her Gently he hoped And kindly He hoped that Death had come politely hat in hand as an anold anold anold old friend and offered her his arm armand armand armand and led Jed her away with dignity and grace That damned cable just cable just a few blunt words sheer professional courtesy nothing more Why hadn't Jill called He rattled the receiver The operators operator's voice thin tenuous as a voice from a different different different differ differ- ent world world Here Here is your party The line came to life A distracting distracting distracting dis dis- dis- dis buzz a few sharp clicks and John Mortons Morton's voice skimmed across the miles on a thin thread of wire I I want to speak to Jill Morton An explosion of excited syllables Morton he shouted MORTON MORTON O M T 0 T-O-N T N. N Morton More verbal firecrackers Then another voice Miss Morton died this morning We have cabled her heX brother brothe brother brother- I 1 am her brother Im I'm John Morton I want to speak to my daughter Miss Jill Morton She and my sister were traveling to to- to gether A polite pause then I am amery very ery sorry but you must be mistaken We have no Miss Jill Morton registered regIstered registered reg reg- here nere To be continued Wednesday Ledger Ledier Syndicate |