Show mt I Honeymoon I Mountain M oun dOn CD 0 By FRANCES SHELLEY WEES 0 Copyright by Frances Shelley Wees Nees Service f. f 1111 N 1 NN N 11 N. N N N 11 N 1 H CHAPTER X Continued X-Continued 12 12 bc theres If they arc nrc he hc began nn something fishy somewhere Theres There's something after all this talk about marr marrying her to me mc To a n Graham Wheres Where's the catch DC lIe fingered his chin I get It he said at nt last succinctly I 1 get It now I J Bryn waited I So that's your game In meeting me here and tr trying to scare me off art Is it That's your game Yours Your's and the girls After Arter all her mollycoddle molly coddle looks Pretty cute Just exactly what do you mean The Icy note In Bryns Bryn's voice did not curb Grahams Graham's rising pride In his own cleverness You dont don't want me mc to see sec the thc old lady he an an- And lIAnd why Because It will spoil your game Theres There's some reason wh why It will spoil your game Look here herc Bryn said coldly standing up Im telling tell you the f t truth uth Graham and theres there's no no game about It it Deborah Is s married to me mC We were married three days after she met you there in San San Francisco as soon as we could get geta a n license It was her twenty-first twenty birthday the day she would have married you If It you'd been decent to her Why you come up here now I dont don't know By the terms of at the will Its It's too late for you to marry her Ier and ci the estate even een If she weren't nl already eady married to me I suggest that you forget torget It and go goback goback goback back to your our ship I will get you proofs of our marriage possibly you ou are entitled to that much and then you OU must see sec that there Is nothing at nt all to be gained here and that you ma may as well go Graham was smiling an nn evil knowing smile Nothing to be gained by me he said softly What do you mean 1 Youve e filled In the picture pretty pretty pretty pret pret- ty well vell haven't you But you know too much about that will and the theS S estate It seems to me the trouble I could make my cocky young friend would be to tell the old lady all who I am and who you arent Bryn waited the lay Jay Graham said Youve married my girl 11 and now youre you're passing yourself oJ off as me You must think Im I'm a damn fool foot And at nf the end of or the year It If nobody nobody no no- body spikes your plans you'll get the million dollars that ought to be mine And you have the everlastIng everlasting ing lag guts to tell me to get out of ot othere here In peace e and let you get away with It I Br Bryn n began to whistle tunelessly between his teeth Tubby stepped suddenly through the open door Look here Bryn he said t the use of ot trying to talk sense to him Tubby was followed closely by Si mon mono At their sudden appearance Graham moved back a step stealth stealth- ily lly Something in his pose caught nr Bryns Bryn's ns eye and without stopping to think he hurled himself forward on the burly figure and flung it backward Graham taken by surprise sur sur- prise fell tell heavily In a n second Tubby and Simon were Into the met me- me t lee Bryn sitting on the recumbent mans man's chest handed something to Simon lIe He had a gun he explained Bryn rose Get up he said to Graham Well put you In the milk mill house and let you think It over oyer Maybe Mayb you'll begin to come to your senses You can be arrested for this Graham threatened struggling to his feet I dont don't think so Bryn said mild ly 13 This Is my lawful residence You came here uninvited threatened threatened threatened threat threat- ened me and drew a 3 gun When dinner was over grandmother grandmother grand grand- mother rose and patted Tubby's hand band gently And now Grandmother Grand mother said suld happily let us go out and sit on the veranda It will be bea ben a n beautiful evening Tin Imn n afraid frn hI It will be chilly Grandmother Br Bryn u said quickly ly We can open the drau drawing room drawing Ing room windows wide and und see the moon from there cant can't we You are much too careful of ot me memy my boy Grandmother said with af af- I It Is not In the least chilly The moon had risen already and lay a great round silver lantern on the tops of the rolling black hills to the west Lets play games Tubby said cheerfully It isn't late Its It's only about past half seven Something loud and cheerful It doesn't seem Just the night nigh for loud cheerful games Grandmother Grandmother Grand Grand- mother protested Its a dreamy sort of night my iny boy Couldn't we just sit and talk quietly and look at the moon Deborah's eyes met Bryns Bryn's as he be sat at nt her knee She turned awa away from him quickly conscious of Pilar watching them being miserable and unhappy and ond lonely and and beaten beat beat- en Bryn didn't love lo-e Pilar Bryn didn't love Pilar the words sang ying In Deborah's heart so loudly that hat she was almost afraid would hear them He lie had said I love you There was a sudden loud noise to o Deborah's ears a n mans man's unmistakable cry Grandmother started forward In her chair Bryn she said aid quickly Surely that Is a mans man's voice olce Dr Bryn n stood up Its steam escaping es- es caping Grandmother that's all he said reassuringly and then Lets not stay here and have it worry you It may go on for some time Ume low flow would oulI you ou like to go for tor a n little little lit lit- tle lo drive with me You Yon haven't ha been een In the car for a n long time I think I 1 should like It ver very much she replied replIe hesitantly But nut that hat noise arc are you sure Positive Bryn said definitely lIe Ic offered her his arm and led her ber down own the steps They were gone bone Deborah after a n little remembered remembered remembered Pilar and turned to her Im sorry orry Pilar she site said politely I forgot that you dont don't know what this his Is all nIl about I 1 do know Pilar murmured Br Bryn n told me the whole story of course ourse I see Deborah said slowly Tubby straightened Why do you say ay of ot course course Pilar She glanced at him It Is a n natural natural natural nat nat- ural thing to say Burel surely No It is not Not under the circumstances You would suggest to o Deborah that Bryn goes to you as a n matter of course with all his concerns and Interests Pilar filar rose I do not mean to suggest anything in particular to Deborah she said coolly But If she he chooses to be reminded that Bryn always s 's has come to me with his Interests and concerns that Is no fault tault of or mine It Is true It is not true Tubby said I know exactly what yon you have been to o Br Bryn n Just how little you have really meant to him These others know now too Sally and Simon and Madeline Here and now before them hem I ask you to repeat to Deborah Deborah Debo Debo- rah the statement you have Just made and If you will repeat It we wc will take the matter up with Bryn when he returns all nil of or us together er Pilar Pilar stared at him She stamped her foot furiously You are Impossible impossible impossible im Im- possible 1 she stormed and then turned and ran through the door and up the stairs like one followed by y demons Im terribly proud of ot you Tubby Tubby Tuby Tub- Tub by y Sally said with a catch In he her breath But I dont don't know whether er It was wise or not You may discover discover dis dis- dis cover some bright morning that Piar Pl Pi- lar ar has hns put ground glass In MadeIne's Made Made- lines Ine's coffee In my coffee Madeline in In- Is It permissible to ask why mine particularly Sally looked at nt Tubby helplessly Tubby fidgeted He stood first on one foot and then on the other W Yell Well ll he said Well 1 Madeline repeated Look Loo here Sally Salty Tubby expos- expos That wasn't fair That wa wasn't nt a bit fair I didn't I 1 dont don't that is I cant can't cant Sally took Madeline's hand LIsen LIsten Listen LIs ten en she said I suppose Ill I'll have to o step in Hell He'll go on like that for hours just maundering Tubby Is very good at taking care of or other peoples people's love affairs but hes he's terrible terrible terrible ter ter- at nt his own Madeline I may mayas as well tell you he came Into our room last night night night-didn't didn't he Simon Si SI- mon mon and and he sat on the the- cd edge e of the the b bed d didn't he Simon SIon and ana talked about you for hours And Am he lie ended up by practically ask ask- asking asking ing Simon for your hand band although anybody but Tubby would woud know It Isn't done any more There That's what's the matter with him And that's why wIlY Par Pilar will want to put ground glass In your coffee Pilar always wanted Tubby I If she couldn't ha have e Bryn Tubby stepped forward and lifted lifted lift lUt- ed Madeline's hand band He tucked it under his arm Come on Madeline Madeline Madeline Made Made- line he said After Atter a nil all this things thing's got ot to a stage where an nn audience Is practically unnecessary Sally dropped down In the step beside Deborah exhausted There she said faintly done Arent Aren't men idiots It was a n long time before Grandmother Grandmother Grand Grand- mot mother er and anel Bryn came back nearly nearly neary near near- ly y two hours Graham pounded and tried triet to make himself heard a few times but after a while he apparently apparently apparently decided it was was' useless and al all all was quiet They hey came In at last chatting comfortably Grandmother kissed Deborah night good-night and went directly direct direct- ly Jy upstairs on Br Bryns Bryn's ns arm He came flying Hying Ing down In a minute or two Wheres Tub And Madeline and Pilar he Inquired In bed Sally answered and Madeline and Tubby went ofIn of ofT offIn In the general direction of Heaven Beaven Toward the orchard I Imagine that's where they still are 0 ho Bryn said So at last Its It's come to Well We If It you will excuse excuse ex ex- cuse me I must be about my own business Deborah rose swiftly and laid he her hand on his arm You wont won't go alone Why not It Isn't going to be a n war Were We're Just going to have ha a n quiet little talk Graham and I. I I 1 think he will see reason before were we're through He left leCt A little later the thc door opened I Iwas It was Tubby and Madeline H He grinned sheepishly His ills dimple flickered In and out The yellow lock on n his crown stood straight up Madeline put her fingers angers up and tweaked 1 It t. t The first Improvements we make she decided will be to have havethe havethe the he roots of ot that piece of or hair tug dug completely out Think of or all nil the hours ours and hours It will save me nm and the he children ren Bryn came In quietly lie shut the he door behind him He stood for forn fora n a moment lost In thought he say Simon asked Nothing Bryn replied He ne didn't sn say anything Hes He's gone anti and andIs his Is cars car's gone too Gone Gonel I Tubby echoed What I want to know Sally said aid ominously Is how did he get out ut Three bolts and a six Inch thick hick door and a bar of ot Iron on the bottom bottom You said he couldn't How did tild Id he lie Nobody answered red her S Deborah rose early brushed her herair hair air with swift nervous fingers bathed In cool water and went out Into nto the thin fresh morning sun sun- shine She had not slept well She walked quickly up the p path th between between be- be tween the gal gai en n and the orchard She went on but a few rew yards Inside the lie stone wall that separated the orchard from the forest she turned and nd raced back down the path as asif asit it if f she were pursued for It had occurred oc oc- to her bel suddenly that he Graham might be hiding on the he other side of the walL LookIng Looking Look- Look Ing ng back over her shoulder she was brought rought up short by toy colliding with witha a n tall solid person who seized her herlands hands lands and swung them In his own What are you running away from rom this bright and shining morning morn- morn I ing ng Bryn h Inquired Nothing she said with a little nervous laugh That is nothing noth noth- Ing ng real I Just Jus got to thinking I Just got to thinking that perhaps Oh I was Just worry worry- lag Ing ng about him That's all Do you ou know how lovely you are he be asked gently Deborah pressed her lips Ups together Her e eyes es searched his He drew her hands up and took them hem both in one of ot his leis It doesn't matter about Graham he said Dont worry about It sweetheart She bent and plucked one of the clove e pinks put her hand up to the thc breast of or his blue sweater and wove the he flower stem through the stitches 1 0 I 1 IY t tf th h Q r f r Oh I Was Just Worrying About Him That's All Her eyes lifted to his Bryn started started started start start- ed to speak but she turned and wn walked ked quickly down the path toward toward toward to to- ward the house with ith Bryn walking close beside her Grandmother to Deborah's Intense intense In in- tense surprise was already up Almost before Deborah Debor h had told tolda I I a maid that they were ready fo for I their breakfast I Bar Pilar came down downstairs downstairs stairs with her herred red red beret on he her smooth dark head and her bag In her gloved hand I find that I must go back at nt once to San FranCisco FrancIsco Francisco Fran Fran- Cisco Mrs Lamed Im I'm terribly sorry sorry sor sor- 1 ry to go Good Good-by she said firmly I I r cant can't think of It Grandmother er protested You must have hav break break- fast She turned turnell to the maid Joan tell the cook that we wan wana want wanta a tray of coffee and toast as quickly quick quIck- ly Iy as It can be prepared PIlar glanced at her watch Oh very well she said a little Im anxious to get horn hornby home by night she explained Tubby was the last one down Yell Wen he said Jovially here we all are eh What've you got ot your you 1 hat on for Pilar Youre You're not leavIng leaving leav lea Ing us surely PIlar ga gave e him a n disdainful glance I suppose you'll be heart Well Wen you know how bow It Is Tubby Tubby Tubby Tub Tub- by said cheerfully The group had just moved out t to the veranda eranda when there came th the roar of ot a n laboring small engine engin from Crom the road at the left A small battered roadster turned turne In at nt the gate With a splash an and clatter of gravel It came to a stop Deborah's heart dropped like lea lead at the sight of the driver As the car stopped Bryn rose walked down the steps and stopped His Ills eyes met the triumphant c eyes eye es of or the man driving the other car For a moment Bryn and Graham Grahan stood facing each other Graham half out of his car Then without a word perfectly calm Bryn turned turne toward the veranda Deborah lifted her eyes and me met Bryns Bryn's In helpless anguish Br Bry Bryn n was smiling at nt her a steady warm comforting smile that seemed to tc tell her that everything e was all ull right that she had hall nothing to fear lear She could not understand He carne came up the ic steps and stood beside Grandmothers Grandmother's Grandmothers Grandmother's Grand Grand- mothers mother's chair Tubby and Simon Imon were ere standing helpless on the grass Sally ally and Madeline had retreated to o the doorway and stood there hand and In hand watching Grandmother i er r too And still and unmoving unmoving unmoving un- un moving sat In her chair behind the vInes ines Stuart Graham with that black smile mile of ot his came across the grass brass from rom the driveway He un s swung his wide wIlle shoulders confidently and Debrah Deborah Deborah Deb- Deb orah rah wished wildly that Bryn would go 0 out and do something to him an anything to stop that confident steady advance to wipe off ff that triumphant smile to save Grandmother But it was too late He Dc stopped on the lowest step He lIe faced aced Grandmother He ne bowed bowe to Ii her er morning Good he sal said brightly Grandmother Inclined her head bead morning |