Show Aw t tw w I S A OVA ITT y WN U STORY SO FAR Judy Jason 1 telling the story receives as a. n anonymous letter and ask uk k- k ta tag In her bee to bid for lor an aD abandoned church to be auctioned d the next day Judy bids for lor the church and jets gets It It only to find n In an old chest the body of a man Identified fled fied as Roddy noddy Lane The body P pears ars a few hours later A fish shed burnt ap apparently killing an old man named amed Brown who Is It supposed to have and there When the anonymous letter lettu Judy tells Victor Quade While exploring the Pirates Pirate Mouth for clues Lily Uly Kendall sees leU something which frightens her ber With Victor Judy U Is looking for tor her bat bar Now continue with Judy's story CHAPTER XU II III I Td rd d thought It a wild cry coming from the sea Victor heard It too Just a gull probably They sound like that He was halfway hallway up the stairs Come on Judy I saw him hesitate run a little way back and Inspect the waters around the bluff then just when I Iwas Iwas Iwas was wondering I if he were going to togo togo togo go down Into the Pirates Pirate's Mouth after lifter whatever was there he be came back and made for the Inn two steps at a time I could hardly keep up with him Only a gull he reiterated No body's been down there evidently Our guests had scattered I could see Bee Bessie Norcross' Norcross white coat disappearing disappearing disappearing dis dis- appearing Into the house with some man holding the door for her Hugh no doubt The others were out of sight eight save the minister He had stopped by the fire ruins and was waving something at us k know k Lily Kendall thinks you i something s about about- Victor was way ahead of me By the time I caught up with him all thoughts of what wha Lily had hinted were driven out of my mind The minister was Waving a worn much-worn brown hand hand- bag Theres your bag Judy Victor called Where did you find It Mr DeWitt Why right there He pointed out a young juniper bush beside the path which ran in back of where the had stood Wed We'd all been on that path Innumerable times and not hot seen my bag thank Th you very much I bunted for Bessie's Bessle's key Yes there it was Now she could lock her bedroom door and I could give the artist back his key My coin I purse was O. O K too with a n little change In it Also I saw at a j a glance the lovely compact a girl girlfriend girlfriend I friend had sent me from Florida I was torn between going to assist my poor aunt and the desire to see I If the money was still in my room Victor had had bad plenty of time to I get into the storeroom so I didn't feel afraid Besides the wind had blown my hair hah till it was as a sight I needed a couple of minutes before a R mirror Not mine Id I'd only scout a moment and then go into Aunties Auntie's room Hugh stopped slopped me In the ball hall Wait a minute Judy I was just going back to the church for you Do you think its it's safe for you to hang around that Quade fellow alone He tried to hold me by putting putting put put- ting his hand over mine on the newel post I yanked away I was so mad madI I forgot he was a guest Suppose you attend to your own affairs And your sisters The thrust shot home He stepped back I was only considering your safety Judy You You You-you you know I I- I Bessie and I like you Well thanks Hugh Dont Don't mind me Here give your sister her key Where Is she Ill I'll do It myself powdering her nose Then were we're going down to the bridge with the gang Will you come too He was being decent after ater Id I'd been pretty rude You bet Im I'm coming Wait Walt for forme forme forme me too Well dont don't be long Some of em have already started Poor Mr Quincy Is IJ wheeling himself Go help him then Bessie Beule can come with me I tore up to my myr r rc r rr and after a trembling mom moNt mo- mo mome m me Nt t went boldly in The money was still there beat it came from a crack In the storeroom door How can I ever trap anybody with you you you- ou ouI I ran ran out and closed dosed my door again You wont won't They're all going to the bridge I I-I I I only wanted to powder my nose I opened my bag and took out the powder pouch pressing the lid Then I nearly catapulted catapulted cata cata- putted down the stairs Roddy Lanes Lane's square cut diamond gleamed pinkly through the powder Obi Ohl ohl old obI oh ohl I slumped weakly down on the top step groanIng groan groan- Ing lag aloud Victor came out of his hiding biding place and told me to shush I handed banded him the pouch just as 1 Bessie Bessle Bes- Bes sic sie Norcross peeked around the ban ban- asters the matter Judy You Yourick sick rick a little faint and no DO wonder wonder won won- Victor answered for tor me I 1 der never saw anybody recover himself BO so quickly as ns Victor Quade Dont try to show me the plan of the house boose till tin you feel teel better Miss Ja Ja- yon IOn be he said laid solicitously knowing full tull well B Bessie had bad caught him up there Shall I call your aunt I 1 bad had presence of mind enough to tomy my Dy hand against my side aide Its nothing Just a stitch in my side Getting old I tried to laugh I saw Victor putting my pouch In his pocket Would he be think Id I'd stolen stolen stolen sto sto- sto- sto len the ring from that awful hand Your key Here it is Miss Nor Nor- cross I tossed it to her ber as she came part way upstairs Hugh is waiting for you You two go along You too Mr Quade Ill I'll be allrIght all allright allright right now The pains pain's gone Let her think what she wanted to it couldn't be helped By the time we e reached the piazza our guests were ambling toward the bridge Uncle Wylie had bad already gone down my aunt said scolding because I put off setting the luncheon dishes out Hed He'd beaten the whole of ot us taking the ministers minister's car as he explained explained explained ex ex- ex- ex later when hed he'd seen a truck skimming along the Neck Hugh Norcross was helping Mr Quincy into another car Potters Potter's presumably over near the garage De Witt already had a 8 front seat Wait for us Victor called but they didn't Perhaps they didn't hear him Anyway they were started started started start start- ed before we were down the walk Why dont don't you go back Judy No no You dont don't think think- Ive I've got to know You couldn't believe Id I'd touch touch- touch touch-If Of course not my dear girl Some friend has not only made a Lt-J Lt fv r rm m 3 r t 1 evi evl- been down there dently tool of you but now is trying to Im im- implIcate Implicate plicate you further That's the same ring Looks like it N Not at sure of course Victors Victor's stride In Increased Good grief Look that Look that first car Is coming com corn ing jog back again The car with my uncle in hi It And the truck was rapidly disappearing down the long curving Neck Wont be long now Keep mum about the ring Judy We hurried alon along to meet the two cars which were now stopping midway midway midway mid mid- way and holding a powwow Everything jake Victor shouted shouted shout shout- ed as we came up They didn't answer but kept talking talkIng talk talk- Ing among themselves in a puzzled manner Everything O O. O K Victor repeated re re- re- re Dunno Dunn Uncle Wylie who was leaning against the steering wheel of the ministers minister's car opened the thedoor thedoor thedoor door for us to get et inH In He H Isn't sure lure the feller teller heard him Hugh said laid Milkman MID wasn't it IU Uh Uh huh Him all right Uncle Wylie Wyli said Nearly ran the truck over Into the gap I shouted to get ret the police Been a murder I yelled We want the police I But Buthe Buthe Buthe he answered sort of queer What What did he say Cant hear you youl Winds Wind's agin me too strong Jokes Joke's on you youl Uncle Wylie scratched his scraggy gy head windblown every which way Aint sartin he understood I yelled Murder again Order he yells back plain as day count of at the land breeze Here Us Howll I git it over And you told him to get the poUce police police po po- po- po lice Uce Sartin Git the police I nearly nearly near near- nearly ly split my throat Cupped my hands bonds and hollered My uncles uncle's eyes twinkled He didn't often get the center of attention Do hurry up Uncle Wylie What did he say I implored Hold your bosses Judy Lets Let's get this straight he be said and my uncle began to chuckle What makes you so co polite all of a sudden Wylie Ill I'll leave the order right here bere and you can git Itin It ItIn itin In a boat That'll learn you not to bust any more bridges on the Fourth Then he went off of laughing laughing laugh laugh- ing But surely hell he'll tell everyone he be meets about the bridge Victor said Even If it he be believes eves It was a prank Win Will if it he thinks of It It my uncle said lighting his bb old corncob pipe Hop In you folks to do here I got some clams to shuck We got In If you'd only waited for Mr De Witt I said he could have made them hear way down to Rockville you tell him we didn't have a boat Hugh and Mr Quincy asked the same question that was In my mind Dont knows know's I did Why should I U Uncle could be so exasperating sometimes Got a boat bont aint we we up in the loft of the garage Well for the love of Christmas why why didn't you ou say so Drive on screamed the minister say so because she she she-she she leaks Their car made the difficult about face on the narrow road and I held my breath while Uncle Wylie followed followed followed fol fol- fol- fol lowed suit I didn't want to plunge Into those swirling waters danger danger- dangerous ous at any time despite the peace peace- looking ful-looking marshland beyond I was wondering why my uncle hadn't spoken about his boat be be- fore He could repair any leak that ever sprang I was also beginning to wonder If U hed he'd told the truth about the milkman Nobody else was present It was quite possible Aunt Nella had him on to being Horatio at the Bridge just to keep the police away a little longer in the hopes that some of the mystery mystery mystery mys mys- tery would solve itself I said as much to Victor He yes and his wife too cant can't wish to keep quiet about what's under under under un un- der the tarpaulin Aunt Nella was standing in the doorway waiting for the milk for tor her chowder Did she think they could throw it across You might have rigged up a breeches buoy she accused There Shed She'd struck It If U nobody nobody nobody no no- body came to the bridge If it the boat couldn't be made seaworthy right away couldn't we rig a breeches buoy of some sort But Victor didn't listen to me He and the men men went across to the old barn where the boat was stored in the loftI loftI loft I loathe steamed clams Bessie Norcross grumbled when she heard my aunts aunt's luncheon alternative Bessie Bessie Bes Bes- sie sic had bad been cleaning the spot on her coat with some smelly fluid Now she draped It over the hammock hammock hammock ham ham- mock to dry Personally I thought shed she'd made it much worse with the encircling yellowish gray rings I stooped to pick up a couple of Lily Kendalls Kendall's crystal beads Lovely Lovely Lovely Love Love- ly beads they were ere expensive I hoped shed she'd saved enough to have them It was then I realized realized real real- realIzed she hadn't been with us on the Neck I ran up and knocked on her door but receiving no answer answer an sn- Iwer hurried down again Wheres Miss Kendall Bessie shrugged seen her Been locked In La my room Hughie called to me not to bother about the old bridge so Ive I've been right here He thought Id I'd been overdoing Look they're coming back from the garage Hows the boat Any good They all answered together I 1 gathered it was Hole In her big as a bucket bucket Mr Q Q shrilled gleefully Somebody chopped it on purpose purpose purpose pur pur- pose Potter added If U I find out who In n dared to do sech a thing thing- thing I I Poor Uncle Wylie He looked like a little mad bantam rooster Hugh went up and sat beside his sister Glad we came by train Sis Our car wasn't in that barn Neither of us had occasion to enter enter en en- enter ter it itI It I saw the clergyman turn so purple purple purple pur pur- I thought hed he'd have an apoplectic tic stroke when the artists artist's jaw dropped ludicrously Open all the time Isn't it Victor Victor Vic Vic- tor saved the day Sartin Copt when I lock up at night Keep my own old Fordie in there when she hain in hi the back backyard yard You can see her now with a busted axle et Anybody seen Miss Kendall I cut cut in She not with us and she's not In hi her room That was odd In hi Itself Lily LUy Kendall Kendall Kendall Ken Ken- dall never missed anything She was as Thaddeus Quincy had bad put It ubiquitous Well she wasn't ubiquitous now She wasn't in La sight Make sure Judy Victor said Look all around will you His face race was waS' clouded with anxiety He started down the path as if U he be were quite sure I wouldn't find Lily In Inthe Inthe inthe the house Will you wait He nodded Ill walk slowly You call yes or no from the door Im I'm going to look at the the the-the the ruins oi of the fire Aunt Nella called me to come and help her Was Miss Kendall with her I asked No No nor in hi the pallor par pal lor bor Nor her ber room Nor the bath room Nor the lavatories I tore out to tell Victor Oh Mr Quade Quade that that cry cryl You said it was a gulL Nonsense It was a gull But ButhIs Buthis Buthis his eyes belled belied his words Norcross Norcross Nor NoI cross crossl Potter I De Witt You too Wylie Please make it snappy Victor Vic Vic- tor was positively running now with me at his heels and the rest after us As I hurried along I was con conscious conscious that the tide must have bave turned and with it t the wind for s I refreshing salt breeze changed the theair theair air nIr Into one of New England's England perfect per feet summer days day It wasn't sui sultry to any more I didn't feel teel so 10 tired do spite all the racing around Id I'd dons don that terrible morning TO DE BE CONTINUED |