Show DEPUTY OF 01 THE DEVIL DEVI L BEN U AMES r WILLIAMS WILLIAMJ A C tN WILLIAMS SERVICE CHAPTER I 1 1 events to be related began go II a certain afternoon and early ig g when Doctor beI be- be I for almost the first time Ume Inc ine in e c furiously angry Call these thue coincidence yet ret it is perIC perble perle per- per ble le IC to suggest that If It human tins ns be supposed sometimes to toa tola la a force of their own se BO so that tha t tent ent lent emotion in one individual any physical action on rt project Itself and Impact other individuals then these will fall faU into an or- or pattern tor own had persuaded him that Inci I do occur and conditions do for which there can be no noal noal al 1 explanation Certain eplin cpI epi- in his life lite certain unique which he recognized In him him- bad ad long since convinced hIms him s s. s b s his sense of smell was far acute than normal If U he Into an empty room roam he knew who had last passed h that room In the same ame perhaps from a peculiarity of i Sure ure which his oculist early reed re reo ed d he could see with some gome Ion slon in the dark Incidentally Ires es sometimes shone like those animal and Mrs be startled when they both at lit night to see her busEs huss hus- hus Es s eyes thus gleaming tor G reeding cultivated these al I 1 capacities taking capacities taking care for force ce not to smoke lest he blur nse of smell but this was a ar ar ar r as much of inclination as as s of b for he had a dogs dog's distaste bacco Mrs G reeding and anda a Nancy respected this Jg g on his part Mrs smoked at all Nancy never I she was near him he had other gifts not so defy def def- physical For instance he times knew what a person was to say before the word was pd d. d Or when he approached a corner comer or a closed door be he find himself perfectly sure sureen hen en cn he lie turned the corner comer or ord of or ord d the door he be would discover tain tamn person or scene b. b he had had occasionally the fence once ence of wishing very much entirely out of the thery thery fry ry run of expectation would wouldn n and and having the wished-for wished occur But this he be attributed luck Doctor was wast wasa t t a child of good fortune Life tell ell for him He had bad married She he deliberate Intention of turg fur fur- jig g his career the girl eIrl he heI I and their life lite together had bad tall all that he had bad hoped He one child chUd a daughter was their only child chUd He hadt badt had bad bt t material and professional ss and found ILin it IL itin in other ways in fn the small nb of daily life lite luck was r to break in his direction His IDs Ber she er-she she was a simple woman woman- I told him that be he had bad been born borna fr a caul So 50 you'll always be s. s she explained fc thing began with Ira Jerrell JerreD althy business man maa near Doc Doe reeding's reeding own age whose life lite Doctor actor had saved by a difficult lion From that day as a not ural Rural consequence their friend friend- had steadily deepened py ay Jerrell Terrell had telephoned Dr ing and made an appointment ch cli with turn tam l m. m at their club g the luncheon they spoke of I l matters maUers Afterward Jerrell d to light a cigar elgar then heal hesi- tint It it Ira the Doctor bade smiling The window windows open fi t f any tobacco can ean be tolerable I sensitive nose it is yours Jerrell scratched matched a match He a mar mar- physically fit lean and B- B Hi Iii thick hair contributed to of his appearance her etc rl were betraying lines at of his mouth lie He said laid a moment quietly I want to have a talk with you H about bout Nancy There was a color In his hll cheeks e Doctor nodded Y Yes s I Irell ell rell looked at him curiously can you know he asked or only smiled and el eli U n said laid Ned I always have ling WR in talking with you that know what Im I'm going to say lay re f f. f a curi curiously understanding lie It chuckled I should not to toi try to keep P a business secret YOu I f I 1 could read your mind Id I'd been able to retire Ure long ago or Gr remarked ell ou 11 speCUlate dont Peculate do you inquired lie He had never Inthe In- In the he other to participate In any ess affair m shook hook jj his head No u. u ash nev never have nave Im I'm natural natural- I ly cautious and and t it hasn't been essary Jerrell finally spoke poke again Well WeD youre you're r ure right Ned he said It Is about Nancy She's a beautiful a lovely girl girt Why yes Doctor smilingly assented rather amused at the others other's Indirection I think so 0 After a moment Jerrell Terrell came to the point Ned he said laid here It Is Is In words of one syllable If well U well I should like to marry Nancy Doctor heart quickened quick ened its beat but he be held his tongue Jerrell went on hurriedly Of course I haven't spoken to her Jerrell explained It seemed to me that under the circumstances I ought first to come to you my you my old friend and Nancys Nancy's father fattier And he continued I see quite clearly the difficulties in the e way I 1 am twenty years older than she Is Is two twenty or three years rears older That bat Is an obstacle Then ben I have known her as a child and as al ayoung a ayoung young y woman for years rears but she has thought of me as an old man man man- who grew lIew older older for for as long That Thatis is another obstacle There bere may be still soo others It may be that she is in In love with some one her own age ale and it may be that even if It she were not you rou and Mrs would object to her marrying me either because Im I'm so much older or for some lome other reason He hesitated and when Doctor still soo held silent he went wenton wenton on I dont don't want to to distress distress her if she she already already loves some lome one else some youngster her ber own age And AndI I dont don't want to embarrass you or Mrs by putting you Inthe in inthe inthe the p position of opposing her marrIage marriage marriage mar mar- to me He hesitated said then the situation Nd N.-d. What do de you think After a moment Doctor Greed ing chuckled Well Ira Irol he said laid I cant can't pretend to be be surprised Ive I've not been blind to your new Interest interest interest in in- terest in Nancy in these recent months Mrs has told me some things about your visit with them in Georgia He added calmly calmly calm calm- ly And Nancys Nancy's fine I should have been more surprised It if you rou bad failed t to discover th the fact He lIe went on thoughtfully Nancy has friends of course course boys boys her own age A girl of two twenty is very much a young ayoung woman but a aboy aboy aboy boy of that age is still a boy She has a troop of these youngsters at ather ather her ber heels most of the time Urne but no noone noone noone one of them more often than the others He smiled I feel sure the field Is open he be said How about you And Mrs Jerrell asked bluntly The Doctor hesitated then went wenton wenton on The difference In your ages may seem to her an obstacle as you say lay She may feel It a barrier too great to be surmounted On that point I cannot speak That Is for Nancy to decide Jerrell said simply Of at course in the last analysis But would you and Mrs Greed Greed- ing tog tog- The be Doctor met the other mans man's eyes straightforwardly I know you rou pretty well Ira he replied If Nancy loved you and wished to marry you Mrs and 1 I would be be gratified Jerrell Terrell chuck chuckled ed with a quick youthful pleasure but he sobered then and he said gratefully Thanks Ned I appreciate your attitude And after a moment he added I I Ilove 1 love Nancy Ned And Im I'm not so old as my years year Ive I've lived decently taken care of my my- self sell I believe believe It if she came to love me me-I me I could make her happy Doctor nodded I know as much about you you physical physically ly as ly-as as you know yours yourself ell lie He was proud of his tone It was dispassionate and calm with no hint In it of the excitement he felt Jerrell JerreD colored There bere was wu always al ai way ways in fn him something deep deeply lik Ilk able He lIe said laid awkwardly I know this thIl Is 11 an old old old-fash fash coned proceeding my speaking first to you And I dont don't want to be rebuffed Are you sure lure she is Is- Is free Perfectly sure lure Doctor Greed Greed- ing lag promised I I have her conti dence If U there were anyone I would surely know Jerrell smiled and his eyes light ed Thanks Ned he said laid IshaD Ishall I J shall shaD bank on what you say Doctor drove back up town in a complacent triumph He lIe had no least misgiving of what was to come Edward was the only son 1011 of a Maine farm er ere Even as a boy on the farm arm he revealed some lame unique and unusual unusual unusual un un- usual quality and his mother mothers pride furnished a driving motive force By Dy his own labors he put himself through Bowdoin and aft att afterward erward through Harvard Medical school where he ranked second in his class Dy By the tune time he had finished his hospital ew work rk both his father and mother were dead In Cambridge he had learned to value the atmosphere atmosphere atmosphere at at- of dignity and pride which surrounded some lome of the fine old houses house there In one of them that that of Doctor Bendon Bendon-be Bendon he was a welcomed visitor and he shrewdly decided that if It Myra Dendon Bendon were his wife his bis career would begin under good auspices He lIe wooed the girl she gIrl she was a little taller taUer than he be plain and awkward not beset by by suitors and suitors and won her Later when Doctor Bendon died Doctor and Mrs came to live Uve Inthe in inthe inthe the old house bouse that had been built by her ere great grandfather great a hundred hundred hundred hun hun- dred years before Mrs would have preferred preferred preferred pre pre- more modern surroundings but her husband insisted There bere F e t Thanks Thank Ned He De Said I IShall IShall 1 Shall Bank Dank on aD What You Ton Say were in the old house many things furniture silverware and the like which had been old and fine when the house was new and Doctor Gr eding had a keen appreciation of these possessions He took pride in them took pride in having achieved them But Mrs kept the old things from a sense lense ol of duty There Ther were a few things things things-a a vase a modem modern painting or the like which she had bad bought and against the Doctors Doctor's protests insisted on keeping and her own dressing- dressing room her particular domain was decorated and furnished in n a modernIstic modernistic modernistic mod mod- vein The be house bouse stood on half haIt an acre of well landscaped grounds with a afine aline line fine bay hedge in front and flowers flower and a pool where goldfish swam and a tennis court The tennis court was at one side and the wire screen designed to catch stray balls was itself overgrown by vines so that tha t the court was hidden from the eye of anyone not actually within with with- in the enclosure This afternoon it it was a day in May when spring was already full fuU blown and the sun was and and only a little while after Doctor had assured Jerrell that thai Nancy was heart heart free free the girl was playing tennis with Dan Carlisle This young man was an assistant professor of economics in the university university university uni uni- and his book on the business bust busi ness cycle had already won respectful respect respect- ful tul notice and was used as a text in inthe inthe inthe the business school lie He telephoned Nancy soon after lunch asked I whether she were free tree She told him eagerly to come and at a I little ittle before three he arrived to find findler her ber ler driving balls against the batter batter- board oard at the end of the court Doctor did not suspect that hat those great plans he had hador for or Nancy were guessed by y half the world but they were n not t as 81 secret as al he supposed Thus bus when Dan arrived he peered through the g ca gale ta te tan teIn In n the screen creen around the court and hissed biased sharply Nancy heard hurd and called Oh hello and she came swiftly toward him Sh Sh hl hl h he warned her finger finler on his bis lips Ups and he looked right and left eft cautiously Are we alone alond he 10 whispered Idiot she laughed Yes Yea of course courle Mothers Mother's gone cone to play wont bridge ridge wont won't be home till 00 late Ahl Abl Dan sighed contentedly And your father wont won't either So Sots Sot's its it's perfectly safe for me to show myself I Dont be silly Dan Nancy indignantly In In- dl protested Youre not exactly an outcast you know lie He insisted with mock gravity Indigent Instructor plays playa clandestine clandestine clandes tine tennis with daughter of wealth and beauty lIe He shook his hIa head That bad he said Nancy cried irritated half Just for that I shall shaU beat you youl She spun her racket Rough or smooth Rough said Dan and the I racket fell Smooth she announced tri trl- Ill IU take the servel So Dan stripped oft off his sweater water and aid crossed to the farther court and Nancys Nancy's racket rose role and swung wung in a free full fuU circle The ball baU clipped the line went untouched into In Into in in- to the tho backstop you ready she called S Sorry he be confessed with a agrin grin You Vou ought to wear a veil veU or something Nancy or black your teeth How now can a man keep his hJ eye on the ball bam better watch this one onel she retorted her cheeks bright and served again But the ball came back low and fast fait on her backhand and at her feet and thereafter Dan managed to keep his attention on the game Yet Yet inattention Inattention might have been forgiven him Nancy was slender with loose dark hair and she wore one of those scant tennis costumes calculated to permit the greatest possible freedom of movement with no sleeves sleeve and a skirt which even evenIn evenIn evenin in repose scarce reached the knee Her lIer bare legs were golden brown from three months of southern sun and her arms and throat were the color of honey Dan thought her like that classic figure of Diana with the stag Her movements were liquid and effortless her body flowed through a succession of postures postures pos pos- tures tires each beautifully composed like a fine work of art which the eye recorded and remembered Dan himself was no work of art artHe lIe He was taller than Nanc Nancy but so 10 broad of shoulder and heavy of leg kg that he seemed short and almost chunky He moved about the court with a robust zest and a reckless waste of energy His IDs stroke seemed awkward but had a surprising efficiency ef and power Nancy had learned her tennis in a good lood school and played easily and well and she shedid shedid shedid did in fact win that first set let from him though by sheer stubborn persistence per per- he carried it thrice to deuce i But in the second set his superior pace began to tell teU the balls he hit bad had a steam behind them which when they struck her ber racket communicated communicated communicated com com- the shock to her hand to her wrist and arm ann Little Littie by little lit Ut tle tie her returns began to drift drItt faintly to the right of the spot where she aimed them she made errors lie He broke her serve Golly Nancy he protested youre blazing bluing I Too hot bon Of course not noU I She laughed at him Youre no iceberg yourself she retorted Youre red as beef It It makes me hot just to look at you Want to call caU it of off om he urged No sense killing ourselves III II I TO BE DE CONTINUED |