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Show COPYRIGHT ,927 by MHHM?'4 The BOBBS-MERRILL CO. ffjfi? ' W W.N.U.SER.VICE finally she went upstairs and kicked off her slippers rather crossly. When, a little later, she heard his quick knock on the door below, and his blithe whistle above It, she caught up her slippers In her hand and ran downstairs, laughing, to let him In. "01), good!" she cried. "A minute later and I'd have been Id bed." "I'd have been earlier, but 1 was detained. You are all right, are you? Nothing has happened yc haven't seen anything unusual?" Gay sensed an undertone of anxiety beneath the lightness of his voice. "Why, of course I'm ad right. Of course nothing has happened. Why not? Or why?" "Well, I saw a chap hanging about in the woods near your windows, sort of spying, sneaking around. 1 started up to see who it was, and he ran. Of course I chased him, and the two of us have hot-footed it all over the island. He was playing with me. Got me down to the city landing, and dropped me like a hot cake. You haven't" "Oh. that must have been the ("hi naman 1" "The Chinaman!" Hand's amazement amaze-ment was unbounded. "The Chinaman China-man ! What under heaven" "Oh, 1 must have told you about the Chinaman," she said evasively. "You know darned well you never nave. What about him?" "Well, come and sit down. It's a long story You are quite sure I j haven't told you?" Itand laughed. "Quite sure, you little liar, and so are you." "Well, you weren't here 'when 1 came in. I was so tired, and sick. I was a perfect wreck. Auntalmiry was here, and while she packed up I lay down on the couch here, and slept meantime, what? Any noises? Were you afraid " "No, Mr. Ingram was here." Rand flecked the ashes from his cigarette cig-arette thoughtfully. "Ah, Mr. Ingram. In-gram. Mr. Ingram. I suppose you told me all about him, too. May one Inquire, who Is Mr. Ingram?" "He is the man who It was he who It was Mr. Ingram who " Gay closed her lips stubbornly. She had often wished to tell him of the affair in the cove, but resentment had always forbidden the confidence. He should have asked her. She glanced at him furtively. His chin was set, and his eyes were anxious. Gay relented. re-lented. "Well, Rand, I .suppose the family females told you what happened in the cove?" Rand smiled faintly, his fingers caressed ca-ressed her arm. Gay hardened again. "I know they thought I was out of my head, but you surely do not believe be-lieve any such nonsense." "They thought you saw driftwood a, log or a barrel." "How about my handkerchief? Did they think 1 put It on a piece of driftwood?" drift-wood?" "They thought Now, remember, Gay, you did not mention the handkerchief hand-kerchief until they reported there was no body. They thought well, they thought you made It up to sort of carry out your story, make it hold water." "What did you think?" "I thought," he said tenderly, "that some time, in a moment of great confidence, con-fidence, my Gay would tell me about herself, and then I should know all." Gay laughed, bent suddenly and kissed his hand. "You work me, outrageously," out-rageously," she said. "And Mr. Ingram " he prompted softly. "Well, then. No, the cove comes first. The reason I like Mr. Ingram is because If he is Interested In anything, any-thing, he talks about it. If he wants to know anything, he asks. He doesn't think other people are crazy just because be-cause they happened to see something he didn't happen to see himself. Like the state of Maine," she said vindictively. vindic-tively. "And the cove " "Well, then. I slid down the rocks into the cove." "Why, Gay, why? With a whole island full of accessible shore, why sfide down the worst cliff in the bay?" "Because I thought I couldn't." she answered promptly. "Because every body said one couldn't get down. So I did." Rand rolled his eyes heavenward. "A woman," he said devoutly, "is 1 1 STORY FROM THE START On ths verge of nervous collapse, col-lapse, due to overwork, Gay De-lane, De-lane, successful New York artist, seeks rest at Idle island She rents a cottage, the "Lone Pine." from an island character, the "Captain," and his sister, Alice Andover, "administrator." Gay finds the cottage is tenanted by an elderly lady, "Auntalmiry,'' who consents to move to an- other abode, the "Apple Tree." On an exploration of the island Gay, standing on the seashore, is horrified hor-rified by the appearance of the drifting body of a drowned man, which she nerves herself 10 bring to the shore. A bullet wound in the temple shows the man to have been murdered. Gay makes her way to the "Captain" with the story. Returning with him to the shore, they find no body there, and Gay's story of the Incident Is set down to an attack of "neives." Gay. unable to convince her neighbors of the truth, draws a picture of the face of the dead man, intending to send it to the authorities. She meets a stranger, to whom she tells the story and shows the picture. He asks her to let i.im take it, but Gay refuses. Next day Gay finds the picture ha? been taken from the cottage "Rand" Wallace, wanderer, and considered something of a "black sheep" by the islanders, surprises sur-prises Gay at household tasks. Gay's acquaintance with Rand ripens into affection. Rand loaves the Island on business. Gay determines de-termines to stay for the winter. shops, and with a sort of boyish van Ity had carried it with her ever since. But It is indicative of the absolute confidence of her nature that In an emergency she always entirely forgot the weapon, reverting to the more feminine defense of screaming, call ing or locking doors. When she saw the yellow face at her window she did not so much as think of the boasted pistol, which she affectionately dubbed the "aby, unfil she was safe behind the lowered blinds. Then she opened the drawer and looked at it. "You're a useless old thing," she said impatiently. "Why don't you go off when there is some occasion for you. and scare the Peeping Toms?" Expecting Itand, who came at his own caprice and kept her aiert with expectation, she was not startled when, an hour later, there was a light knock at her door. It was past nine o'clock, but as his hours always suited suit-ed his convenience, she only smiled tolerantly at his tardiness as she opened the door. Rut when she saw in the shadow, not Rand, but Ron aid Ingram, she was startled Into a little frightened cry, for which she quickly apologized with friendly laughter. "Oh, you startled me. I 1 was expecting ex-pecting some one else. Do come in. I am glad to see you again." "What luck to find you," Itonald ingram said with a warmth there was no mistaking. "1 had no idea you would still be here. You are rather outstaying the summer, are you not?" "Well yes a ,-little, perhaps. But I was quite ill, and I need oh, a great deal of rest." Her face flushed with her feverish explanations, and Ronald Ingram studied her keenly. "So many of the summer people have gone," he said slowly. "I should think you would be afraid to stay on alone. Especially after your experi ences here. Was It in this room yon saw the light that night after you found the body In the cove?" "Yes. In that window, right ttiere.' "And the hand? Are you sure of that hand? Stretched out" "Of course I am sure. And when 1 came up in the morning, the sketch was gone. It was here, in this drawer." She lightly pulled out the drawer of the desk. Her pistol, bus! nesslike, Important, lay In full sight "It was here. And the next morning it was gone. Doors locked, windows barred, .lust as I left them. But the sketch was gone. So I knew the poor dear wished to be left In peace and undisturbed." "By George, you make my hair stand on end. And after all that, you stay on here, alone, unprotected" "Oh, he was a gentle spirit. He would not harm me." He smiled and dropped the subject. He said he had come to Portland on business, nnd had come to the island with only a faint hope that he might find her, or, falling to find her, to get her address In the city. He said he could not hear to drop the little ao quaintanceship. which to him had proved so sweetly charming. Then he went quickly away, waving hack to her as she stood in the lighted light-ed doorway beneath the tall pine. Cay waited about for a while, hop ing still that Hand would come, but 'Didn't He Ever Come Back?" Slept I It was the sleep of death for weariness. She wakened me for dinner, din-ner, and 1 ate, and went to sleep again. So she went away and left me sleeping. Well, it was evening. And I felt You know how one feels things In one's sleep? 1 felt eyes looking at ma I could hardly squeeze a look out beneath my lids, for the weariness. But I did. And In the dusk, faint and yellow. I saw the face of a Chinaman, thin pinched features, slanting eyes and a small seared scar beneath one eye. As I looked, the face just melted backward Into the darkness, so I knew it was a dream and went to sleep again." Rand lighted a cigarette hastily bu! said nothing, and Gay went on. "Well, you know how sometimes I sit, just dreaming, as the sun sets until It is dark. I did tonight. Ami I jumped up suddenly to light the lights, although It was not entirely dark, and I saw it at my window thai window same face, the very same. So it could not have been a dream" "When was that?" "Oh, hours ago! Just before the final darkness." "But it was late when I fount! I him about an hour ago. In the CHAPTER VI Continued nj "Didn't he ever come back?" "Me dieu, dearie. Died away. But 1 hr.d Buddy then. But Buddy went, too. Could I have a little more sugar, dearie?" That was all. They talked of other things. Auntalmiry's gentle interest was just as.it had always been, her easy amiability, hut after that Hush of feverisli hope she seemed pale and worn with her age. The next day Rand came, and they two, Gay and Rand, drifted into a routine rou-tine of joyous companionship and Injve. Frankly and trustfully they professed full sympathy and understanding under-standing in each other's whims. Gay joyed to be in love, but brooked no thought of marriage, demanding freedom, free-dom, she said, freedom for work. Rand, too, admitted satisfaction In the arrangement, craving freedom from the very thing that she desired, freedom free-dom for freedom's sake, he called it. If sometimes Gay wondered if love huilt on foundation so slight could long endure, she hushed her doubts. She was very happy, and she dreamed of long years of this same happiness for both, freedom for each for the things that each desired. She would come to him, he would come to her. they would summer together In this cool and lovely place. September drew swiftly, goldenly toward Its close. September Is the death of summer in the northland. The hotels on the Island .vere already closed for the season, the summer shops locked Into their storm win dows, the shore cottages deserted Still Gay lingered. Between berselt and Rand had been no suggestion ot parting, no hint that the season was over, the time of separation at hand The island was lovely in September, lovely and wistful and willing. Gay would not let herself think of leav ing. She sat alone In hei window-sent one afternoon and watched the sunset as it faded swiftly and darkness crept over the4 mid. An hour passed, two hours. The dusk had deepened to night. And then, with cue of hei Impulsive Im-pulsive changes, she sprang to tier feet, wanting brightness, wanting light. With her hand outstretched to press the button, she stopped sud richly motionless. Holding her breath Pressed hard against her window on the eastern side, the siri" of the forest, she saw It again, that face jt yellow parchment with the seamed scar beneath the slanting eyes. As she looked It faded away into the darkness from which It had come. With Us disappearance came suit ricn activity, (laming anger. She ran to the window and Hung it wide. "M'-ilo," she called. "Hollo there!" There was no answer to her call, but. staring Intently, she saw among the shadows of the wood one shadow that moved siler.tly farther Inlc the recesses of the forest, and merged at last Into black. She closed the window thoughtfully, locked it and Inhered the blinds. Gay had a pistol, a handsome mon ogratnmcd one, which it was tier pleas nnt conceit to keep loaded, well con litioiied. ready for emergency use In the drawer of her desk near at hand. She had bought It during that iMciunrnlile year nbroai" on one of her venturesome visits to Loudon pawn heaven's greatest miracle. She did. because she couldn't. Go on. Like your Mr. Ingram, I understand perfectly." per-fectly." "Well. I tried to get into the clubhouse, club-house, and I couldn't. And into the boathouse, and I couldn't." "You should have burned them to the ground. If you couldn't get In. you should have." Gay laughed. , "Don't be silly. Well, it was lovely in the cove, and 1 stood there and saw It coming in. Rand. It was a man. He came In and with my two hands I pulled him up on the sand. There was a rope about one ankle, a stout rope, with one end dangling loose. He had been shot In the temple here." She touched her brow with a slender finger. "The blood was washed away, hut the hair was clotted about It. I laid his hand upon his breast, and put my handkerchief hand-kerchief over his face. I called for help, hut of course nobody heard me. So I went for the Gaptain. You know what happened " Rand was Impressed. She could see that "It sounds very reasonable." "Oh. Rand ! When I went back the janri was wet where the. body had lain. 1 showed It to the Captain, and he said it had splashed there It couldn't have splashed. It hadn't splashed anywhere else." "And Mr Ingram" Gay smiled at his persistence. 'Well. I s nt the captain away I could see every line of the poor, tired, anxious face, and the long fine hand, and the drenched hair. I look my drawing pad, and drew It, line for iine. I was going to send it to the police department, so they could try to trace him. Mr. Ingram was looking look-ing for a way down to the shore, and I went up and took him back through the woods the other way. 1 showed him the sketch, and he was gieally interested He wanted It. He is a news-paper man " "And now he comes again " "Oh. ne came before " "Oh. I see." Itand's voice was quizzical. quiz-zical. "(Hi. no, you don't see. Well. I met him on the rocks beyond the , Little club one day -he is very nl'-e, I so gentie. gentlemanly, sympathetic so I brought him home, and we had a long talk lie was thinking of buying" up part n( the island for exploitation, to build and sell, you know, things like that. He is very nice." j Hand s face was very stein. " In 1 didn't you tell me al1 this before?" hf I demanded curtly. j "Because if you want to be so '. iani"d close about everything. I Rill i he darned ,,;e rn.vself." she said j smartly "Kami, he fell terrible nb'iii' the sketch. oh. I didn't tell you about that " "What ? What about it ? What did i i he police---" ".Vow Kami, now Is your chance to ( decide once arid for all thai I : j f-nlireiy out of mv head-am siill ;er I I hfip I ''! I Autir.-n-iiiry can sw.-ar to j I part ot it if she will, though she ! a.ado nie p:-nmi" h" in tell She ! i rMn folks would think queer ot It" ! "Gay- (TO BE CONTINUED- |