Show X zno 1 R 4 0 a 0 k by EMILIE LORING I 1 0 service 21 A A k SYNOPSIS THE STORY SO valts janice trent runo HIM way away from wedding weddin ned P paxton axton I 1 atch r ich but ut a ray blade unbeknown to druce halcourt hal court a family friend she ha becomes secretary ot of an alaska camp of which he li Is chief engineer 1111 alep wife of the roan man whom h he sue ceedee li is also attracted to him lbruce at first wanti to send lend janice back on a trip to the city she lie encounters paxton and tells him the sho Is I 1 married to 11 liar rr tout court the latter hears it and on 14 wedding that day that night alter after a 11 wedding a adding party arranged by the samp at I rs elderly owners owner of the ilia waffle chop mrs afro hat hale breaks break in on an alia newly the wed with the c or cry y that her hush husband nd had itice been shot dead she also bayst ay it you only had bad waited lbruce 11 bruce spends the W night glit investigating the murder A A commissioner arrives to conduct pin an ofil caal P probe 0 be jimmie chester mn air hale brother o who hated bated her bar hus husband bando runs in a plane bruce and tho the comoff commissioner met let out to find him no now continue with the story CHAPTER XIV A yell of horror cracked in braces throat lie he seized hla his rifle climbed down from the cockpit tumbling stumbling slipping clipping raced toward tha ilia man wielding a gun like a club as a a great polar bear charged at at him another smaller bleeding roaring horribly was struggling up from rom the ice harcourt stopped raised his rifle fired ills gun cracked again again doth both animals crumpled into mounds of white fur tho the man who had been defending himself jumped back turned brucel brucel the universe steadied panting bleeding ashen dripping with moisture chester stumbled forward ills his eyes were the eyes of a man who has bag stared death in the face just in aimel I 1 shot jhc thc th e cub know there was another and and he bo swayed harbour caught him take rake it easy jimmy till I 1 can get you into tho the cockpit with moans chester pulled him self elf up As A he ha climbed into the cockpit chester mumbled deliriously take rake me back chief crazy stunt blunt to run away milly heard ino ina threaten joe ill 1011 come cross across with ills his face contracted in pain ills his eyes closed graevs usually clear voice was toneless old did you get those notes typed yes op he picked up the sheets janice indicated dica ted youre good you are certainly good when you leave us bettor better take a turn at the reduction of the public debt leavel leave what do you mean dont like the way this guy paxton has been hanging round since our hero left ile ho and his foot yacht with its twin horsepower en engines ginest make headquarters look as bare end and unlovely as a plucked chicken ill bet bruce would be fit to ue tie if he knew that bozo was here bere 10 ned arrived before he started ile he did and he be went off and left you of what importance am I 1 in comparison to his job says say you grants always ruddy skin took on a deeper tint ho he clearly gave her the impression that in his opinion harcourt was deeply in love with her but he quickly changed tho the subject ive just found out that kadoyama appear ut at all at the squaw dance the night hale was vas shot he told the marshal that ho he was there after nine 10 ile he sure cure did but he where was ho what I 1 mean to find out youre the only person ive told dont breathe a word to anyone the commissioner and harcourt are sure that mrs hale knows more about the late unpleasantness than she ehe la Is telling they radioed that they would be back at headquarters tomorrow say whether they were bringing chester get her up to the H house for a cup of tea this afternoon cant you ill drop in philo vonce vance stuff it if your former nance fiance comes all to the good I 1 suspect that the sunshiny presence ol of a multi might help dispel her gloom As she walked the short distance to the sump samp cabin janice marshaled her memories where had bad pasca been the evening of what he be called the marriage party lie he had welcomed bruce and herself wh when en they landed on the flying field she remember having seen him even for a moment during the festivities tivi ties she paused abruptly on the threshold of the samp living room ned paxton was beside miss mary at the table from which books and lamps had been removed to arake space apace tor for a profusion of photographs martha in the wing chair white feet on a stool shoes on the floor beside it it peered from behind a newspaper sakes alive arent you through gl work early janice Jant ce mr aft grant closed the office early I 1 had finished the work he left I 1 suspect that he want to be bothered with me immediately I 1 thought ot at a tea party where Is mrs hale martha samps voice was grim ab silo what call cheerful q 41 aa 1 I will take you down tho ilia boast in my yacht 00 I 1 kinder hinder think Milli cents goin to enjoy widowhood like some folks en joy poor health ashes an awful lot about I 1 joe now makin allowance tor for the shock an terrible unhappy with him you dont understand folks who arent hacked out of plymouth rock is as you are arc martha it if ono of the hessians on tho the hearth had slashed with his gold saber janice have been more surprised than sho she was at tho the younger samp sisters outburst martha stared at her with faded agate eyes mary what foolish talk have you gono gone plumb crazy crazym ive just come sano ane ive spent over two years of odthe the precious pre clous few I 1 got left cookin waffles up in this wilderness where you dont ever seo sea anybody when I 1 might have been seeing places real places an having clothes real clothes great things are arc coln on in the world an nil all I 1 know Is waffles ant an then more waffles martha samp opened her lips mary your heads been turned those fashion magazines foolish things tacy arthey aint foolish like fairy tales to me when I 1 read bout slim slithery women in trail in sliver silver dresses on an ermine capes an aw emerald bracelets gletter gleam ln in on their arms im them you on atil I 1 are not poor you like to pile up money I 1 dont im going to spend my half ill stay here till the last boat goes out then im through with pots and pans and waffles wa files 1 she sank back visibly shaking her sisters voice was as sharp as a razor though janace Janic esaw saw the glint of tears in her eyes sakes alive mary I 1 know you had so much spunk an hero here ivo been kayin awake nights wonder ln what would happen to you if I 1 died I 1 guess im not so important as I 1 thought I 1 was probably get on a heap sight better without me it if the way you feel foel you wait tor for the tha last boat go as soon as you like I 1 dont need you paxton who had been standing by the mantel smoking flung his cigarette into the fire ile ho laid his hand on mary sampa heaving shoulder call her bluff I 1 will take you down the coast in my yacht ill give you the time of your me life I 1 will take mrs hale too it if shou shell come mary samp wiped misty eyes with a shaking hand id like it mr paxton millicent rule halo was seated at a desk littered with papers when janice entered her cabin in her black frock she seemed passionless remote intangible as a shadow the fire cast rosy shadows on her skin without warming it flashed reflected flames into idao the strained eyes without lighting them janice felt her color rise in the face of her well bred surprise mrs hala touched her black frock you are inviting me to a party her lie pained surprise made janice feel like a worm 1 I mean a real party merely a cup of tea I 1 thought coming to the 11 house for a while might shorten the day tor for you it must seem horribly long millicent halos shudder was slight quickly under control this day Is neither longer nor harder than many other days have been in this horrible country has bruce been heard from 11 they radioed that they would leave the northern camp early tomorrow would reach headquarters in tho the afternoon have billave they found jimmy nothing wits was said about mr chester at least mr grant told mo me nothing with a sob relief perhaps cent hale laid her face on arms on an the desk janice tried to comfort her 1 I wish that I 1 might help you Illel helal pt the woman rose with a haste which catapulted the somnolent pekinese pekingese Pe kinese to the rug her voice shook with anger help youl youve snatched all the good in life there was left for me you knew bruce years ago I 1 hear met him again ran away from the man you were to marry disguised yourself as a boy brought a truckload trunk load of seductive clothes and came hotfoot after him you it and got hiell him I 1 janice banged tho the door behind her humiliation succeeded fury it if moments of crisis revealed ones true self she and millicent little hale had not shown up well under the late at arms two tenement house women fighting over a man would have stripped down to the same basic frenzy and got dimill what would bruce think it if he heard what she aha had ca claimed a aimed the question which haunted janicos waking hours in traded on her dreams bobbed up was bruce in love with alicent before I 1 came As she opened the 11 house door she he heard aid a thud pasca his bis plaid shirt of a blinding brilliance was laying a log on the fire set up the card table she said lay the cloth and arrange the chinese pewter tray the way I 1 showed you yell be sure that the water for the tha tea has been freshly boiled grate cheese on crackers 7 and brown thern them put pub others together sandwich fash ion with guava jelly and c chopped he aped nuts the mans stolid face brightened tene in a childish smile illow how many tea one two tree four cups put on your white coat As she removed a faded flow er from the bowl on the table desk which had been full of red roses them the first time she entered the cabin she asked casually you like the th a white coat dont you W what hat do you wear when you go to dances feathers and blankets or just ordina ordinary ry clothes perhaps you dont dance perhaps you at the squaw dance the night the samp sisters had the party for me he stiffened into immobility long before she had finished speaking 9 before he answered he shunted shuffled across the room removed the embroidered broi brol dered tea cloth fro from m the dresser drawer 1 I not go to dance no sirree work all time at waule waffle shop tell kadoyama Kad yama you help then I 1 get through much quick then we two go squaw dance ile he say no he plenty lazy all time ile he spread the cloth carefully and pattered into the tha kitchen later seated on the spavin legged stool before the crooked dressing table janice thoughtfully buffed her already polished nails had the party come janice flung open the door in response to a knock her smiling lips stiffened ned paxton alone she feigned enthusiasm come in where are the oth others ers 00 coming im the vanguard As the relations between the samp sisters seemed a little strained I 1 lett left them to fight it out back to the fire he be lighted a cigarette danl janace was conscious of his bis critical scrutiny of the room as he inhaled and exhaled a long breath of smoke his cynical eyes came back to her inthe in the fan tan back chair so you chose this in preference to what I 1 could give you his amused incredulity S tung stung her she struggled to keep her voice as lightly contemptuous as his bis but you see I 1 have to take you with it it 11 couchel Tou chel score one for you janice asked with honest curiosity why did you want to marry rae me ned I 1 am different in all my tastes from the girls with whom you p play a y round ile he frowned as he regarded her with appraising eyes be surprised if you knew how many times I 1 have asked myself that ques tion I 1 went out of my way to meet you I 1 was curious I 1 had heard that in spite of the fact that you neither smoked drank gambled nor petted men hung round you in smitten swarms that you had more friends friend s than any girl in your be set t I 1 believe it but I 1 tell fell for you like all the rest smoking for some same inexplicable reason makes me dizzy and cutting out the whoopee stuff was wag no v virtue ir tue in me I 1 tried it all I 1 dont like the ugly and sordid and more par ticul arly the cheap things of life they leave tarnished memories my inhibitions ought to prove to you that I 1 fit into your scheme of living TO BE CONTINUED CONTINUE LP |