| Show imi elsom M THE r v CLEAN ID X SP IF P A AN 0 by DOUBLEDAY DORAN inca SYNOPSIS sam flam stanley wealthy owner ot of the th desert filoon ranch informs inform his hi housekeeper mary filary bl blangin aigin who tells falls the story that his til formet former wills twin daughters dap dan toile lelle and gabrielle are ara coming to the ranch to lo live their mother being dead and their father daniel who hail been the ame abuso of sam beims dl divorcing v ore his wife in tho the penitentiary sam ham ha adopted a boy john now grown to manhood and girl martha twenty one phyl cally healthy but weak minded mrs mr ollie ricker kicker bt martha arthas nurse lives live with them hubert hand fland a wan wanderer derev and Cau neld johns john wartime budd who Is IB an expert ventriloquist aro are the ho other nem Mern berr berv of tbt tb hou hoire h old hold the girls arrivo arrive mrs mr alag n he ha an uneasy t thai hl the there r to la a 81 cloister n alst 1 motive live 1 in 0 tb the twin tylnn n pre presence e a at t t the he ranc ranch h and rid her elors ere are stron irth nod by the kids mysterious lour ioup prow prowling lins around the place john jobb becomes engaged to daniell caufield Cautle ld shown how a pronounced lib ilk ing tor for gabrielle heoe to win john from her sin ter and john disgusted tello telli mm magan the girl Is ie a trouble li makr and tin he would like ike to choke nor hr Gabri elles acolon when a aha he receives a felt tetter e r fro from t 1 france arouse and mystify mr i magan CHAPTER V 4 an insight flint evening the second ot at jul the two girls alria came down blaip lato to get gether lier danny was valet paler than usual and her face had a drawn hurt look which witlie she bhe explained by saying baying chrit bho alto had a severe headache onby was gayer than guy bay I 1 kept watching tier her trying to catch tier her face in repose to see eee if any trace remained of that ex pro pres aslon slon I 1 had bad seen UP lo the afternoon iller her face nor one bit of her was to in repose for a minute train from the tirrie time site tie canio came downstairs until she bhe went upa again after twelve that night she put la Palo antonia niall on the phon ozroph ogro and did a spanish lance clicking her heets and snapping tier her infers until they sounded tike like thre ire crackers crac kirs she bhe did ari ad dance stinking blinking about ani and contort loning it decent mra alm ticker ricker was dolne doing some tatting As A 11 ll 1 watched tier lier I 1 decided that cara barg orno orno aars ears she bhe was not the woman I 1 had heard talking talk lne that afternoon up to ID the cabin flutie rt hand had bull eald in id to 6 that woman thoi she had find attempt ed murder site sli could not have been alm nicker not our mm It leker the file thin silent woman who had lived so decently w with ift us rot for so ao long lone those tight wrinkled lips find nevor never said 1 I 1 would kill her and you too john had nover never sald said I 1 shivered wicked thoughts and wicked words breed wicked actions and I 1 knew it then aa now barttin lart tin came crying to mrs ricker kicker juliy hurt chad she antil 1 I 1 wish she would dlo we could make her a weil nice funeral fiers tickers fingers darted bastai back and forth danny spoke poke from the davenport you talk like that martha dear it t la Is wrong her voice rolce sounded bounded as aa it it ached ohe line looped looked lying in a huddle huddie over there as miserable as aa I 1 felt I 1 was drawn to herb her I 1 went and not beside tier could I 1 do anything tor for your head ache achel I 1 asked got get you sonae some arpir im tn maybe no think you mary blary there was 0 so o to in tier her big darl eyes e yes tor for nothing but common decency oo on my part that I 1 felt downright ashamed of myself danny I 1 sala said straight out never cli tring much about mincing words 1 I know that 1 ib troubling you why dont you yon tell teil john or sara or even me about it itt just tell us 09 the truth troth wed all go ter to help alp you joa it if wo we could let eyes oiled filled with tears team bleas your heart mary 4 she ha said bless ill all of your hearts you xou are all so 60 good food here I 1 was enough annoyed with john for coming up right then to have slapped lapped him I 1 answered his question tor for danny there Is plenty you could do tot toi her I 1 said you could abut us off that screeching radio tor for one thing 1 danny hear to johns atoo pins iding the racket every one was hav ing ng such it a good time bed was wall the place for her she near toy any noise to lo her room with the door shut andoff and off she went ii I know now that thai she would rot not hive told me anything that could i have helped matters but I 1 did no know it then and awas st arcely rely for those sudden tearay stars ila in t y nor her eyes end and her voice when she had bad sold bless your alart 11 had bad convinced oie me tint thit there was sincerity behind them and honesty and good in file black days that followed when all ol of us ua were living in the dark shadows of doubts land and contu slona anil fears and suspicions I 1 was thankful time and benin again for or those certainties for that one fleeting but sure insight into dannys soul the morning of the third was a biting hot with that stinging piercing hoot heat that we hae ha e when we have heat tit at all in fit this high altitude the sixty mile nil ie trip across the deserts to telko on a day like this would he exactly the same ns its a sixty mlle mile trip through ian oven at the right heat heal for a roost roast of at beef nevertheless before seven koplock that morning every tun manjack man ajack a jack of a puncher on an the place with 01 of his trimmings and trappings including wives squaws squads papooses oses children and had set off it in flivvers or on horseback bound for the celebration leaving the place hole empty as an sam said when ho he came into my katch kitchen n with it ft gallon of cream from the da dairy I 1 ry lie ile pulled the stool out from under the table perched on it tand remarked mar keI im not going to he be sur if we have another vl visitor aitor one of these days the warden of the penitentiary told roa me that buntel inn can tie zInno waa to he released on the morning of the fourth of july I 1 dropped into a chair feeling sort bort ot at weakened from the news you mark my words I 1 said all these queer actions around here have something to do with that mans re lease I 1 know what id do about cow con ne ziano it if he be shown up opi here yes yea I A know but he to la dannys tattler and danny jnnny Is kolas going to marry john after all money to Is not much good unless you take it to market it if I 1 could come to a decent agreement with the follow fellow and it if hed take that diaby with him film im tend dead certain hint flint her hanging bringing around nere here going to contribute any to johns and dannys worried married life what do you mean eno by that sam saint gaby naked asked the te question wal walking kinst right into ibe kitchen I 1 was all to taken it en aba cit but sam seem to be eavesdroppers my guy girl tie he said hear no good of I 1 mean I 1 dont think any girl who want ed to net right would treat her ela ter s betrothed no as you treat john you she said very slowly to basteen baste each eb word are a d d old fool sam Rt stanley anley I 1 shook la in my shoes I 1 had not that there was nas a living hu man being who no would jare say that in ahat hut tone of voice to sum stint lie stood up lip lie he put his bonds on tier shoulders dem gently though and turned tier her aro around unil you ure tire a had wayward girl he said march out of here bow and yet get your manners mended before I 1 see you yiu agnan lie cohered even tier her for a minute atie he walked to the door without an all other word there ghe aha whirled around like a cr crazy azy thing and I 1 do da ciaro to goodness I 1 dont doi know what she sold it was he sort of talking I 1 find never heard in my life my ears were mere not enough to tho the wor j to take tn in their meanings nut one ode thing that she kept sciez ing screaming so loudly lordly that she could be heard fill all over the place was that sam no and threatened her one once too often sam stood there paralyzed I 1 I 1 think us as I 1 was for perhaps a couple of minutes before he turned and walked off into the backyard hubert hand caroe came rushing tn in oaly gaby threw tier her arms around tits ha neck and kept oo on with the xe reaming and sob binz chad came in through the pun pan try hubert hand lel led gaby into the dining room and through it into the living room wiant in gods goda name dome happened happen eoll chad said to me chad I 1 said gabrielle Can canneti nezi ano has lost her mind she Is insane his face went white as lard 1 I 1 dont believe it either that I 1 said or else she la is the wickedest wick edest the stop it he be shouted at me you nor anyone can tax lk to mo me like that about the girl erl I 1 lay love none of you son understands her not nor wes tries to sue she Is in some sort of trouble terrible troa ble anyone can see that id give my y soul to help her to serve her tf if you arg are so crazy about serving tier I 1 said you might go into the dining room and set the table und and belp me serve her and the rest rem of you some ome breakfast he be went into the yard like a tot lot of mm I 1 thought who went to give their souls ind and to BO on to women he care to be bothered with smaller let details such an n feeding them I 1 wronged him whether or not a aina halt hac the ot of his soul aul lu la bl own bands I 1 do not know A man can give nta his life that Is a what chad cave after dinner john surprised us as all by saying that be wan wall going to take the sedan and drive down to rattail hastall for the mall mail I 1 right then that he was ivila up to something ue ile could not fool me into tL inking that he be would take a trip twenty five mites miles each way through the desert heat beat for no othir other reason than to get the mall mail when danny seemed hurt and troubled about him going and when tie fie went riding right oft anyway I 1 decided that sam must have sent him hill expecting some word concerning Cann edano I 1 was wrong it was too hot to do anything but try fry to keep beep cool I 1 stacked the dinner dishes to fitall was in the evening and joined the others sitting around in the living room with the electric fans fana going full blast I 1 was expecting every ever minute to see eee onby break out again shu she she yawned dawned around and fussed bussed about and then went and sat ant beside punny danny w who no was looking at the pictures in a magazine nad and put her arm around her and petted her up a little a roost most unusual performance for her when chad who had been monkey ng with the radio pot got a rip roaring patriotic program from suit sall lake the two girls went vent upstairs together A few minutes later I 1 had an errand upstairs a real one I 1 have taken myself up tn in that heat to satisfy my curiosity curlo sIty so out of habit I 1 she ah whirled around like a crazy thing I 1 stopped at bahya door to listen 1 heard the girls giggling in there und and knowing no great harm Is afoot when girls giggle I 1 went on got my scrap of pongee silk to mend sams shirt and come came downstairs again saro sam and hubert hand were deep in a chess game mrs illeker was tot tatting chad and murtha we were re playing dots and crosses the radio program had just that minute stopped martha who when she dlan 1 I forget it usually fed tier her rabbits clout that olne of day had rone out to do it flaby came downstairs humming a tune she had on the tomato soup colored wrap that she find bad worn on the train and the hat to co martch the wrap she was carrying a bag slie site never dressed up tip like that to tn go walking around the place a wrap even such a light one in the bent of that day was downright ridiculous iliad chad said all dressed up and no place to go sh she tossed her head at film und and hurried straight down the room find and out cut through the glass glasa doors chad followed tier they stopped together on the tha porch site she stood with her back to me chad faced me in a minute I 1 saw tits his mouth beno bend up into a grin of bliss nothing would have surprised me more inore par fm this reason As that girl had and walked through the rm I 1 had seen that she walked in mortal fear tn in spite ot of her humming bumming la in spite of tier her swagger fear was in her widened eyes in tier her drown in miln chin in the contraction of at tier her shoulders wherever it was that she was going she ahe wai wo afraid to go hut but where could she go john hod had the sedan except for the trucks which she drive and her pony she surely would not be dressed dres seil like that to ride bor horseback there was no way for tier her to let get off the place it must be then that someone was coming to the place and that she was going out alone to meet them who not unless sam lind been mistaken about the time when mien tie ha was wan to be released from prison usually when people think fit al all they think quickly quick il all this had gone through my mind while abehal she had walked the forty feet to the door gaby and chad stood on the porch talking tor for two or three minutes minutest minu tesa at very shon ahon time at toy any rate then elie alto went down the steps and child chad still ettl st came back into the room As bo be came in nanny danny called down troia from the tup top of the stairway gaby oh gabar she knows where aaby la is going and whom she Is going to meet and she too Is afraid I 1 decided because tit of the queer strained etral ned quality of tier her voice valm gaby has gone goat out I 1 called in answer and then since I 1 could still see gaby calking down dnn the path do you want her dannyl danny we could fetch her back noi no 1 danny answer answered dout doli lia bother thit III HI come down A I 1 had bad to reverse my drat decision about dannys being frightened at least her voice was natural enough eno now I 1 fancied faceted Ver perhaps haps a note of relief in it it have beep more than ten minutes after that when martha came running into the house bouse laughing and dancing aid wearing the gold bracelet with the monkey clasp gaby she said had given it to her just now out by the rabbit hutch while we ve were all still exclaiming over the monkey and praising it up to plea please murtha martha danny came arue down stairs she sold said tier her headache was was worse again and nhe ahe drew the curtains at the windows beside the big davenport to ease ane glare of the light before she alie curled up on it do yoi know where gaby claby was going this afternoon I 1 asked her for a little walk why did she wear her wrap and carry her beaded hug bug lust just to go out for a little walk danny sat ant up straight pressing her hands to her aching head fiend her wrap today iier her bended beaded bag surely not 11 thata just what she did you we see her before she left 1 I was lying duvo down she came to my door and said that she was going for a walk and asked me it I 1 cared to go will her I 1 said that my bea headache diche was waa too severe she went into tier her room and from there downstairs 1 I felt guilty about refusing to go with her after our talk i i thought that I 1 should so I 1 called after her but when you said she had gone I 1 was afraid ste ere would be annoyed at being called back I 1 had bad gotten up lip so since john will surely be home before long now I 1 tame down I 1 cant linder understand stand her wearing a wrap it Is so BO silly on a day like this it sounded all right but I 1 was not quite satisfied gutty gaby was frightened I 1 said something was waa the matter with her when she walked through room ill go bond chat hat wherever it was she was going she |
