Show I 1 U Y fl f 0 Frances Shelley Weed Wees cf J I d JY iii u s L V C E. E CHAPTER VIM VIII VIII-Continued Continued 8 He TIe lifted her hand gently until It was against his lips Ups his eyes were were still on hers gentle compell compell- ing But she was afraid she drew her ber hand away swiftly and sprang from her chair that that the car she said breath breath- lessly It was Madeline and Tubby had been to town and when Madeline came up to the veranda Br Bryn n inquired inquired in in- about mall There was a letter for Tubby Tabby from Pilar Madeline replied Sally stopped dead She looked up at Madeline In horror From t she repeated t r Who Is PHarr Deborah In In- Sally and Madeline looked at each other Then they both coughed to to- gether Just a girl Madeline said nonchalantly but Sally at the same moment said uShe's a horrible nasty scheming vampire that's what she ehe Is and I hate her I UI wouldn't like her Deborah said positively and put her chin up Simon raised himself on his arms and called down to them through the twilight HI lil he said what about the other mall mail in Theres more Tubby's Tabby's got It Madeline explained In his pocket Hes He's coming across the bridge now I 1 can hear his delicate footsteps Tubby stopped beside the steps only a n few feet In front of Deborah Deborah Debo Debo- Deborah rah so that as he took the letters from his Inner coat pocket she could easily see them Idly as he called out ont a name she glanced at each envelope Simon he be announced Nothing for you Br Bryn n Sally two for tor you L- L Madeline had hers In town T F tr rA rAf f 6 r a 1 1 1 aI t a I 1 l a Horrible Nasty Scheming Vampire er or er Jor for you Simon And here bere he said gallantly Is a letter for you Mrs Lamed Larned It looks very Inter esting eating Written In a bold dashing masculine hand Land with a very thick enclosure It carries with It a n hint bInt of ot mystery He had been holding out Simons Simon's last letter waiting wallIng for him bIm to take 1 It as he spoke so that Deborah had bad had a moment to take in hi the meaning of ot the handwriting on Grandmothers Grandmother's envelope If It was was' familiar familiar fa It was dreadfully fa fa- fa A cold Icy hand clutched at nt her bor heart and she felt herself turning faint taint again as she had on that dreadful afternoon on the wharf Grandmother was smiling smiling smil smil- ing at Tubby's nonsense waiting for her ber letter She Sho did not notice Deborah's face But Bryn did He stood up sharply lie saw Deborah's whiteness He lie put out his hand and took the letter from He glanced at It no looked over at nt Grandmother He lie could be arrested for tills tHIs r P he be told Grand Grandmother grimly InterferIng Interfering Interfering Inter fering with government mails malls Bribery Bribery Bri bery and corruption The crooked game of politics Tubby stared at him his bis mouth open Shut tip up Bryn told him although although although al al- though he be had not spoken Not a word out of ot you you Iniquitous scoundrel Trying fryIng to defraud me of ot my rightful property Indeed This Is my letter Ive I've been lookIng look- look lookIng looking Ing for tor It for weeks longing for It It not being able to sleep nl nights Its It's a detailed and careful account of or orthe the construction of the arch of ot the bridge over the the over the Volga river In Russia New departure In I engineering Im I'm sure Grandmother would enjoy reading It wouldn't she Iho I suppose this Is your Idea of ot a n Joke jole Grandmother I apologize apologize apolo apolo- gize for having such a stupid and 1 crass Insect for tor a friend I II I was I 1 was Just kidding him Grandmother Tubby mut mut- It Isn't your letter after all Its It's his Oh dear Grandmother murmured murmured murmured mur mur- laughing You two keep me In a perfect state of or bewilder bewilder- ment I 1 dont don't suppose I shall ever be able to tell ten whether you ou are talking sense or nonsense fault Bryn answered thrusting the letter Into his pocket an 0 awful ass er You e have no Idea i e Deborah stood tensely before the window hands locked together waiting for tor Bryn to come downstaIrs downstairs downstairs down down- stairs after liter taking Grandmother up to bed Tonight of ot all nights Grandmother Grandmother Grandmother Grand Grand- mother had stay stayed d up half an hour later and all nIl the time Stuart Grahams Grahams Graham's Grahams Graham's Gra hams ham's letter filled fined with nIl all sorts of unimaginable possibilities lay unopened In Bryns Bryn's pocket Bryn came In quickly and shut the door behind him Deborah broke away a from Madeline's a arm rD She took a step toward him She put her hand out mutely Bryn drew the letter out He looked at It I dont don't like JIle opening other peoples people's letters he said slow slow- ly It might be only an extraordinary extraordinary extraordinary nary resemblance Deborah Youve You've had Itron your mind you know She took It from his hand and looked at It The very touch of the envelope made her shiver Im sure she said Bryn ripped the end endot off the envelope envelope envelope enve enve- lope and drew out the tIle folded pages He glanced at Deborah's face Shall I read It Deborah She nodded mutely Bryn straightened the pages and began My dear Mr Mrs Lamed Larned Naturally I cannot Imagine Just lust what Deborah had told you regardIng regardIng regard- regard Ing Ins tho failure of our plans in San Francisco but I am afraid she may not have shown me In a kindly light I suppose It is useless for mo me to expect that after hearing Deborah's story whatever it was and after this long silence on on my part put you youcan youcan youcan can have any sympathy for me and the tho position In which I now find and my my- self sott But Dut I must ask you to accept the tho explanation which I have mado made I In regard to my silence in view of of the fact that I am nm an enlisted man manin manin in the tho navy completely under tho the arbitrary control of ot any whim of my superior officers and subject to tho the restrictions of ot anyone on board n. n a ship out of ot touch with land and such conveniences as malls mails And now nov for Deborah's story What she has told you I do not know as I mentioned before but 1001 looking at nt the tho matter from her point of view and trying to be bo Just and generous I am nm forced to the conclusion conclusion conclusion sion that whatever she told you must have been both exaggerated and bi bl- bl ased I was very much disturbed over the whole business and spent all my shore leave when in San Francisco trying to find her and explain explain ex ex- ex- ex plain but of course it was Vas an Impossibility Impossibility Impossibility to do so 80 I dont don't know whether it has occurred occurred occurred oc oc- oc- oc to you Mrs Larned Lamed to think how completely ignorant of thew the tho w world and its ways Deborah Is IB I Iwas Iwas Iwas was prepared of ot course for a certain certain certain tain amount of knowing to some some extent how she sho had been brought broucht up but I did not realize realize real real- ize Izo that any girl could possibly Inthis in inthis In this day and age have remained so entirely unaware of all trends of modern times I grant you that It m must st have been difficult for her to come dO down dOn n alone to meet me mo and perhaps 1 If I had known Just how difficult dif dif- dif dif- If I had realized Deborah's state of mind and lack of understanding understanding under under- I standing of modern life lito as it is lived I should have been able to overcome her her- objections and explain away her hor- I difficulties As it was I could do nothing Deborah was in a state of ot I frantic terror b before fore I had a a. chance to see her at all and by the time I I. I reached her she was beyond ordinary ordinary ordinary nary reasoning Even as it was I might have been able to overcome me Deborah's Debor-ah's ch childish terrors had it not been for for- tho absolutely absolutely absolutely I Isome unwarranted Interference of some unknown person in tho the lawyers lawyer's lawyers lawyer's lawyor's law law- yer's office Deborah will probably havo have mentioned him to you and made mado some Borne satisfactory explanation as to her conduct I Was certainly pained and astonished to discover discover- that she had so little good taste as asto asto as' as asto to be willing twilling to take tako up at once with witha a stranger Tho The fact of ot Mr Holworthy's Holworthy's Holworthy's Hol- Hol worthy's presence was all that reconciled reconciled reconciled rec rec- rec- rec me mo to leaving her angry as asI asI asI I was The Tho f really allY serious question be be- between tween us Is la that of your your- husbands husband's will and Deborah's estate With my copy of the tho will I have consulted a lawyer and it Is la his hla opinion that under under- certain circumstances we might make mako a n. fight for the tho estate that would ultimately prove provo success success- ful The circumstances are of ot course a marriage between Deborah and myself which would take place with your approval This unless there are aro aspects of tho the caso case with which I am not familiar seems Beems to me to tobe tobe tobe be from your point of view v an nn absolute abao- abao lute luto necessity I have examined tho the list Hat of securities named in the willas will willas as tho the source of your your- present Income and as you doubtless know only too well most of them are completely worthless worthless How you ou have managed manas-cd for the past few v years Is la a mystery and may possibly explain Deborah's appearance and obvious lack of ot ad ud- ud vantages In any c case lI e no mitigation of your circumstances may arrive except through mo me and although I Iam Iam Ilm am lm deeply hurt burt and mortified not to mention my disappointment and tho the general s disruption of ot my plans I Iam Iam Iam am willing for tor the tho sake Bake of ot the p which has existed between our families for BO so long to do what I can to make things easier for you I r have obtained from my commander commander commander com com- mander an extended leave of absence absence ab nb- ab- ab sence and I 1 am leaving San Diego tomorrow morning to drive up the coast to your home You may expect ox- ox mo at the latest by Wednesday noon unless I meet with unexpected dl difficulties along the tho road Yours sincerely STUART OGDEN GRAHAM Bryn folded the letter Tubby thrust his hands rands Into his pockets and began to saunter up and down the room whistling beneath his breath Simon put his hands bands behInd behind behind be be- hind his head and stared at the telling Sally was trembling with excitement and clutching Simons Simon's knee and Madeline walked slowly across and dropped down beside Deborah Well Tubby said buttoning his coat and squaring his shoulders If it hes he's got to be kept away hes he's gotto gotto got gotto to be kept away and that's all there Is to It After all there are arc four men of ot us here and nu Burch ch Five against one That ought to tobe tobe tobe be easy You talk as If It we were going to fight tight about It Sally said tearfully With guns It Isn't half halt as blundering blundering blundering blun blun- dering or easy as that Not half Madeline echoed This Is going to be strategy And strategy Tubby never was your strong point If lC you will wUl remember She smiled up at him a warm tender tender ten ten- der smile that made him blink and look as 1 If he saw her for the first time But youre you're a darling Tubby and youre you're loyal and strong and worth a lot more than one of those slippery strategists said bewildered bewildered Well gee Tubby dered and sat down We might bar the road Tubby said hopefully Put a gate across It you know Somebody would have hae fo 10 guard It of ot course Bryn said thought thought- fully And hed he'd want to know why he couldn't pass If I 1 stayed there myself and had a talk with him explaining the situation It might help but I wouldn't trust him not notto notto notto to pretend to go away and then to sneak back when we weren't watching watchIng watchIng watch- watch Ing Just to see what harm he could do What youre you're hinting at Tubby said boldly Is that weve we've got to capture him then and dispose of him finally once and for all aU Murder Murder Murder Mur Mur- der I suppose Of course It doesn't matter Any of us would gladly oblige but It would be nice to I know your our plans first We might draw lots to see who would stab him That's the fairest way really What weve we've got to do Bryn said disregarding Tubby Is to let him come here all nIl unsuspecting j but weve we've got to know ahead of ot time Weve We've got to let him come here to mal make e sure of getting our hands on him Inside our own gates we can enn be sure of being undisturbed un un- disturbed I 1 know Deborah said suddenly Joe Joe She turned to Bryn Yes Joe Is our nearest neighbors neighbor's boy Before you came she explained when Joes Joe's father brought us any man mall from Crom town or anything we didn't expect he used to sound a call on ona ona ona a horn he has there A kind of hunting bugle he tie made himself out of a n deer TIe Hes He's s terribly proud of It and he loves loes to do It Hes He's taught Joe too and you ou can hear hearIt It for miles Why not why not have Joe watch the road NothIng Nothing Nothing Noth Noth- ing could get past him him especially If you told him enough to tomake make male him see how serious It was And the minute he sees the car he lie can sound the horn and well we'll have almost almost almost al al- al- al most fifteen minutes to prepare Well there you are Bryn said smiling down at Deborah Were all right arent aren't we Were all niI right Deborah said and her lashes dropped to her cheek at the look In his eyes Bryn Brn very boldly had proposed a starlit walk to Deborah and to his surprise she had made no excuse She had been pale and weary after atter the excitement of the letter and now that some solution had bad been reached she put It behind her with relief relict She walked along beside him In silence holding to her face from time to time the sheaf of pinks clove-pinks he had gathered t for r her beside the walk Their perfume heady and sweet drifted up to him Its a beautiful night he be said steadily Yes It like up here In the winter time Deborah Oh she replied its beautiful I love lore It We get ever so much snow Just here In the valley but it doesn't last long When It comes It makes me think of ot Lorna Doone Do you remember When the snow was vas so heavy and thick and the they were all winter-bound winter n What do you do with yourself yourself when you ou are snow-bound snow There W was i always plenty to do Mending you know and sewing and keeping the house In order But nut In the evenings She glanced up at him SometImes Sometimes Sometimes Some times It Is a little dull she said But nut Joes Joe's father brou brought ht us a n load of logs each fall faU and we would put one on the fire Gary and I and sit beside It reading Or playing chess It sounds very pleasant Bryn said Well get a n radio this winter winter win win- vInter ter shall shrill we And how about a i kitten or two A hearth Isn't really really real real- ly 1 complete without a n kitten She murmured something under her breath Bryn bent toward herI herI herI her I beg your pardon I said she replied lifting Ing her voice I said you would probably be bored The road rond will be Impassable Impassable impassable able as soon as the rains set In You will find It very er dull shut away from Crom the world for so long No he said Id Td be looking at nt you She caught aught her breath you'd get tired of that Id never get tired of looking at you Dont Don't you know how be beautiful beautiful ful you ou are Deborah Youre You're the prettiest thing In the world Oh Ob no No Im I'm not She bent |