Show The Handsome Man Manby LJ by ct b dei reba lt CHAPTER IV Continued IV-Continued Continued 9 9 observed nob Quite a watchdog scornfully but she swung to her ber feet and went to the doorway and looked out Yes Tea It was wai Jack What was ai 81 he doing here She had written him that she could not meet him until next nest Monday Want to tend send him a message It Itcan Itcan Itcan can be done No said sold Rob Roberta feeling Instantly that he thought she was WaB afraid her ber father tather might see lee her sad and ask ques ques- I can manage my own owe affairs thanks and Absolutely agreed Sir George moved away To her astonishment he went through the doorway and toward the house bouse Roberta was so 10 amazed that o h d not t f i t t s ell e cou wear even un to a es smove move to stop him She was annoyed She Sto was quite unused to such treatment treat treat- ment Here lIere was she ahe the only girl he knew apparently this side aide of the Atlantic any way war the only girl he knew In this place and Instead of Improving improving Im im- proving the shining hour he came to her and delivered his message as casually as though h they were two schoolboys and then wall walked ed off and left lett her hell Roberta walked slowly toward the beach and the bridge Jack had hind seen her now He lie moved moed toward her lIe He looked worried Was he afraid of her father Why hadn't he be come directly to the Island and asked for her like Ilke any other boy she knew The sunlight sun light struck across his face and showed her lines Unes she site had bad never nefer seen before Why he tie was much older than she hind had thought He was not a bo boy he was a man Jack stood his ground near a tall sycamore and a thicket of ot sumac which screened him He lie beckoned to her eagerly Why couldn't he meet her ber In the open C e e e e eRobert Robert MacBeth was frowning when Sir George joined him lIe He looked up quickly as the younger man came toward him you like Uke to try a bit of ot exercise Sir George asked Suppose Suppose Suppose Sup pose you take my arm arm Maybe Td Id better MacBeth agreed reluctantly though Im I'm dashed unwilling un un- willing to stir Well ell once around If It youre you're bent for tor exercise Once around It Is Is Sir George told him en Well have hae you ou dancing In no time It would give the girl a chance Sir George thought to himself his eyes ees seeking the reeking the path to the bridge Yes there she went It might be that the wisest course would be to warn the father fattier but he could not bring himself to do It The girl was plucky She had bad not asked him to keep quiet or anything of that kind He lIe could either keep leep his mouth shut or go to blazes for tor all of liar her Well he lie would keep his mouth shut Slowly and painfully leaning heavily on the strong young arm orm that supported supported sup sup- ported him Robert tobert MacBeth made his hits way along the terrace When they reach reached Ill I'll his chaise longue again be lie relaxed gratefully as the younger man helped him Mm to a comfortable position and arranged his pillows There was a short silence Sir Fir George Geore lit hit a n cigarette and leaned 1 against the wicker nicker ch chair lr he be Intended I to slide Into In a lie He could not see ECO the girl now and the car had I u disappeared Robert Hobert MacBeth hud taken up a aletter aletter letter he ho had hind laid lahl down just before his promenade lie He handed It to tits his secretary What hat do you think of that It was a typewritten letter leller addressed to Robt Mac MacBeth and said suld Dear Sir Do you know the man mun manyour manyour your lour daughter Is meeting at different resorts on ou the Lincoln highway Many MOllY facts acts In your life lite are known to the time writer of this hits which you OU would not like Uke to find public property If It you wont want to know all the writer knows know tend send letter to the I I O. O Box given ghen below below below be be- low a aud abd d watt walt for tor telegram appointing meeting place All will be told you It was unsigned merely the number of or the post office box Oil In a small city cly being given ghen Sir George handed It U back bak Id throw It In the time fire Robert U MacBeth grasped the letter firmly where you ou would be wrong rong Suc Such letters should be kept and ant used to trap the writer or 01 writers writer TH Ill sent sell It to a 11 detective ete tl e agency It Jt Illustrations by ty byI I Irwin Ir r win Myers l b by Margaret TurnbulL W. W N N. U. U Service Isn't scandal fm Im afraid of or Ive I've never done anything to tn be blackmailed for tor forand forand torand and neither tins has Then should bother why you ou MacBeth turned an on honestly worried face to t the he younger younKer man im i'm pretty sure ore that the writer of ot this letter has some connection with the difficulty Ive I've been blEn having wit wl with h my payroll but butI I cant can't convince the police Payroll I Sir George looked at him himIn himIn himin In astonishment Do you mean the payroll for tor your employees In the city Robert Hobert MacBeth l shook his head Not the office A much bigger thing The mont money for tur the men on n the construction construction con con- job You will likely laugh tough at nt atthe atthe the Idea that this has anything to do with It but though Ive I've tried to to somehow somehow some some- how I cant can't succeed in III laughing very try hard I stave have a feeling these letters have hae some connection with a gang of ot otmen men men who mean to have a try for tor that payroll again If they cant can't get at me and my money this ay way He lie shook the letter Hut But surely youve you've taken precautions Why not pay the men nien by bycheck bycheck check Robert Hobert Mac MacBeth eth made a wholly y contemptuous contemptuous con gesture with his hand band which still held the letter ietter Use your head I 1 cant can't pay laborers by check Lots of the foreigners dont don't know what want to do with checks No weve we've got to tomake tomake tomake make and keep things safe ate ourselves lie He looked at Sir George and leanIng leanIng lean- lean Ing lag toward him And In III a low tone said Its all right In New York I Ican Ican ican can get protection armored armorell cars If Ir need be be but Ive I've a hunch theres there's trouble brewing for me and Ive I've got a great many thousands of dollars to nAV pay ml out nn on tho th hip hI big nl place nf of I ti lion work rk- rk b being I idO done up I ih the ri river Its It's how to get et the money there safely larely that Is la puzzling me now now lie He paused a n moment and said suld quietly quiet quiet- ly Iy I dont don't mind mind- telling you that I 1 have the sum um deposited In the nearest local bank Im I'm going to send some someone someone someone one down to collect It from the bank later and that some one may be you lie He looked nt lit Sir Geor George e questioningly Yes of course but when and how what I want w you yua to tell me Id I'd like you ou to go down with Roberta today and look over oer the lay of the land Cant your our man mall take me Sir Geor George e asked Might lIght find out more that way I dont don't want the servants to know or suspect anything about It It nor the people In tn the village In fact tact I 1 dont don't want anybody to know anything about It except possibly Roberta Must she know Why drag a girl Into this Roberta wont won't be dragged In her father tather promised hIm But Belt I want her to take you down the river to the bank and up the river to show you rou where the money Is to be taken By y motor Yes Ies hut But you surely wouldn't wouldn't let the girl drive If there was as likelihood of danger No but you could drive yourself once you yon ou knew the way was Oh yes Well go 1 with her to the village and to the bank where she will cash casha a check and Introduce you to the cashier Then tomorrow shell she'll take you ou up up the river have Hate you told her this Not yet et Why hy Its barely possible she may have hae made oracle arrangements of her own own that If I ask Shell change her her father tather said easily Ah h h Sir George Grorge was not aware himself of how much he put In that All Aim It was as sufficient to make Robert Hobert MacBeth MacBeth Mac Mac- Beth turn his head hlad quickly and survey SUf the lice young oung man laving Having turned turnell It he saw that the young roun mans man's eyes eps were fixed on a spot of blue MacBeth was presently able to observe that this was wall a a- a acar car on the high road over on the mainland and that opposite that car was wall a 0 dim blur Mur that had a bronze color lie remembered the color of or orthe the dress his daughter hod had been wearIng wearing wear wear- Ing that morning and turned his head so that the younger er man might not see his Ills face Sir George continued to watch the bronze bronie blur until It took shape and ond outline and began to look like Roberta Then lie he started aware that the silence had been long You were saying That Ill I'll tell Roberta what I want wont as soon loon as she crosses the rh ricer er Or meet her and tell her I want to see see lee her And take yourself off oft for tor fora tora a time Absolutely Sir George sauntered toward the river and ond met the flushed and exultant looking girl S III ing r rIlls Ills look was wall enough to make male her feel ashamed of herself Oh I t sa say she slie he said That was unfair and amid I didn't really mean It Sir George did not stop It U doesn't matter matler he said suhl stiffly Your father Is waiting to see sec you you ou The girl angrily kicked a rock off ort the towpath Into the canal Well ell If you want to he be hateful be hateful lie He turned If It you would only get et It Into limbo your our extraordinarily pretty little hp head tea I he told her not unkindly that Im I'm here because I have bae to earn my living and your our father has been heen good enough to give ghe me a post post thAt'S that's that As for tor you on and your our friends at atthe atthe atthe the risk of being thought rude I tell you that I 1 dont don't give he a tinkers tinker's d n d-n n whom you YO meet or where you meet him and that's thAt'll all of ot that There had hall been blen a quickly drawn breath breaths and then silence and he had hall walked on over 11 the canal bridge e to the highway feeling completely ashamed of himself Why had har he lost his temper Ills remorse gaining on him inn he was WAR about to turn once one more more when the sound of flying footsteps came to him Mm He lie turned to confront an on angry und and flame cheeked girl who told him vehemently Y Youve 11 0 Just got to know this You Tou dont don't hate me one degree less or more than I hate you you Well Weil since we know Its it's mutual said Sir George e ev nl suppose we wego wego wego hating each ach other as much go on as ns we like In III private and keep klep a n friendly smile to face the world lie He smiled at her now Oh youre you're hateful l the girl cried Just when I meant to be decent to you for tor fathers father's sake lake you make muke It Impossible I t promise you Ill I'll do du anything I t can to speed your return to bonnie Scotland Ah MAb returned the homesick Sir George his heart In his voice I If t you ou only could The girl looked at him speechless a moment and yet she did did not go lie He wondered why but almost before he had hod done dOM wondering he lie suddenly saw the answer to his question The blue car was some little way ahead of him on the tree-shaded tree cross road roud to the highway and HId Its owner was struggling frantically to start It That was os why she thought he was spying that was why she would not If It she could help It It leave lea him alone lie He continued to walk toward the car and to speak so 80 that the man whoever er he tie was might hear tear Surely you OU dont don't want to annoy your father and aud have e him question you do you As for the blue car and Its owner he continued It Is hardly my affair The man at the car jerked his head up op and nodded to the girl and then quickly turned his back and busied himself with the car again Sir George waited for a moment Surely any decent sort would be likely to come over oer over and speak speak make make It easy eallY for tor forthe the girl to Introduce him The Theman Theman man however after that one look Hurried hurried hur Hur- ried back to work at the car car his face tace resolutely turned from Sir George eorge The girl looking first at one and then at the other slowly turned and went toward her tier fathers father's house Sir George walked away past the car What hat sort of or cheap and awful person that tint little devil de had elected as hero of ot her secret romance he he now had hind n a pretty fair Idea The Time mans man's face though looking good In tn Its way uy W was S an open K hook ok ok to Sir George Geore Sir George Ceorge why the fellow had hind been hern f so O r e as ns to try to hide bide his face so dus cious to avoid old any speech with him lie He stopped lit dead In Inthe Inthe inthe the middle of or the road for a moment as the solution occurred to him It must have e been that he was afraid since he had seen spell Sir Geor George e first of recognition Then the fellow must be he some one whom he himself would reco recognize lie He walked on nn thoughtfully TO BE liE COSTI CONTINUED |