Show MURDER masquerade MASQUE RADi by INEZ HAYNES IRWIN copyright inez claynes irwin service WEDNESDAY 14 my sleep tuesday night was so soft and sweet it was the rock garden I 1 am sure which produced tills this result that when sarah darbe brought my tray into my room I 1 was conscious first of self reproach I 1 thought at once of bessie oh sarah I 1 exclaimed 1 I feel more like myself today than I 1 have since saturday how did bessie sleep not at all well mrs avery sarah declared whatever it was that doctor geary gave her it strong enough she sort of dozed off the first part of the night but she waked up before midnight and I 1 think she walked the floor the whole rest of the night inside something soni ething seemed to break oil off from my psychology and disappear in the depths of my mind As though that mind slide revealed a writing on a wall conviction took look hold of roe me held hed me close something will be done sarah call up doctor geary at once and tell him that bessie slept no better last night than the night before tell him to come again after Hop estill had departed for tennis with caro and after sylvia and nancy burton burlon had withdrawn to their favorite playground I 1 found myself sitting idly in a chair waiting it was no use to start working in my old garden it was no use to start working in my new garden for I 1 knew that the instant I 1 got started patrick obrien would arrive I 1 did not mind his coming day after day like this I 1 welcomed it and so all I 1 said when patrick came into the room was good morning comrade ive been waiting for you for the first time patrick showed signs of inward stress his face was as fresh as ever but his eyes looked a little hollow Is there anything now new today I 1 asked im giving my whole thought now to finding out who it was if anyone any one hiding in the bushes when margaret fairweather left the spinney if I 1 can lay my hands on that guy I 1 think ive got the thing sewed up you see its getting pretty close to midnight now ive been over mattie stows list backwards forwards and every which way ive been over the list of people who live on the head similarly ive talked with every member of the force until begged me to lay off them they saw tonys car come over the head and saw it go back the they y saw walter treadway and molly leave in her car they did not see them come back and there yo you U are nobody has mentioned seeing margaret except tony but that was easy enough the force extend down to her house and she all in black and the moon behind a cloud could easily enough slip along the road into the path which led into your spinney im going around in circles mary nothing I 1 think of makes sense no I 1 agreed nothing has seemed to make sense so far and yet every day something occurs that makes the whole situation a little clearer yes I 1 think of that a lot and it helps to think of it at this precise moment sarah entered the room there was a strange look on her face for the first time in my life I 1 saw sarah darbe frightened mrs avery sarah said bessie has just asked me ne to ask you if she could come in and talk with you and mr obrien I 1 looked for what seemed a long interval straight into eyes by this time sarah had got herself under control never has that affectionate gaze met mine with so neutral an expression tell her to come in patrick and I 1 said together in a moment the two girls appeared in the doorway I 1 had been shocked by bessiea Bes sies appearance the day before but I 1 was doubly shocked now her face had gone dead sit down bessie I 1 said sarah darbe started to leave the room dont go sarah bessie screamed and then immediately reverting to her normal soft voiced accents can sarah stay with me mrs avery it will make it so much easier for me of course sarah can stay I 1 agreed sarah you sit on the couch beside bessie I 1 dont have to warn you I 1 am sure that you must not speak unless mr obrien addresses you oh I 1 understand perfectly sarah darbe assured me you have something to tell me bessie patrick said in his kindest tone he smiled never is patrick so celtic as when he smiles I 1 have never known a man to be so beguilingly winsome I 1 could see bessie relax a little yes mr obrien she faltered well now patrick said in a wheedling tone tell me your story in your own way take all the time you want dont be frightened I 1 feel quite certain nothings going to happen to you bessie I 1 see you think you can tell me something that will help me in this matter I 1 hope you can assist me lor for bessie I 1 need help it is P he went on patrick wa was s rambling but deliberately Fam rambling bling I 1 saw that he was trying i rg to put bessie at her ea ease se how important little things are sometimes in matters of this kind and how unimportant big things your story as a whole may not mean anything and yet there may be one tiny fact that will point to others and they will point to still others and before we ve know it bingo the whole mystery is solved so bessie as I 1 said tell your story in your own way but dont leave out anything dont leave out things that you think are unimportant by the time lime patrick hod had finished this address bessie was I 1 could see a little reassured she was ready to talk yes mr obrien she agreed in a faint voice you see mr obrien what I 1 have to tell you and mrs avery happened a long time ago oh in the spring it was decoration day I 1 say anything about it because happening so far back it seem to me that it had anything to do with what happened to doctor blaikie but I 1 got to thinking about it nights and it worried me and worried me and worried me I 1 sleep doctor geary gave me some medicine but it help any ive got to tell somebody ive got tol to ive got to her voice ended on a wail but it had grown shriller sh riller sarah reached out and took her hand she held it the rest of this session patrick spoke at once there there there he soothed bessie exactly as though she were a geething Je ee thing ething baby all right to 1 1 1 71 0 they saw tonys car come over the head and saw it go back its all gone now youre going to tell us on your mind and tonight sleep like a top doctor joe wont have to give you anything tonight As though this in spirited her bessie started her narrative fairly composed too on decoration day I 1 went with big hattie in her car to the cemetery in marshbank she had some flowers to put on her mothers grave about four we stopped at the cutter house big hattie wanted to see jennie snow for a moment mrs cutters maid when she got there she found that her cousin was calling on jennie she stopped to talk with her I 1 could rt stay because sarah and I 1 were going to the early movies so I 1 started to walk home instead of going by the road I 1 cut across lots because it saved time well as I 1 came through mr air days woods towards locust lane I 1 heard voices loud voices I 1 listened and I 1 recognized the voices right off they were doctor blaikie and walter treadway well I 1 know what to do I 1 want to listen to white folks fighting and I 1 want to step out onto the road sos know I 1 was there and I 1 want to go back so I 1 stopped jess where I 1 was and waited for them to go by 91 they were walking then patrick put in had they stopped yes walking and talking at first bessie answered then they stopped where they was but they kept right on talking their voices was pretty loud I 1 help hearing every word they said one moment bessie patrick interrupted again you say it w was as doctor blaikie and walter treadway are you sure 1 I saw them bessie said with finality they passed right by me they see me they was looking at each other but I 1 saw them plain lain as could be youre sure patrick said quietly im sure bessie replied go ont patrick ordered well I 1 think they was talking about miss molly bessie went on they mention miss mol lys name but it have been anybody else from what they said As I 1 stopped mr treadway was speaking he said never marry he her r by god never marry herl her doctor blaikie says says lie he and how are you going to prevent it you know what I 1 can do and mr treadway says says he 1 I dont know how im going to prevent it all I 1 know is that I 1 am going 0 to prevent it if I 1 have to kill you ace blaikie doctor blaikie says says lie he you the guts to kill anything walter ard an you know it my mind snapped back to walters well known tenderness so far as animals were concerned he was the only boy in his group who would not hunt mr air treadway cadway Tr said said he be surprised what I 1 could ki kill 11 to s save a ve her from you and an d ill do it if its necess necessary aryl 1 then they went past me down the road and I 1 hear a single word more but those words seemed to burn into me yes they burned in ive never been able to forget them when doctor blaikie was found murdered of course I 1 thought of them at once I 1 want to tell anybody I 1 was afraid it would get mr air treadway cadway Tr into trouble but I 1 had to tell I 1 go through what I 1 was going through any longer patricks first comment was an oblique one now you feel better bessie he said dont you 1 I sure do mr obrien bessie agreed and indeed her whole tense figure had begun beguin 0 to relax the tightness was flow flowing ing out of her look patrick asked bessie many questions but he approached them by circuitous routes he threw in comments by the way he even told stories by the time he had finished one of bessiea Bes sies clim dimples plas had actually reappeared aut he managed to make bessie tell her story three times and he had not managed to shake her in any detail that brief conversation between ace and walter had indeed burned into her well now I 1 guess you can go back to the kitchen patrick concluded it if you think of anything further please tell it to me otherwise put it out of your mind I 1 think sleep all right tonight and now mary patrick turned to me ive got to get walter and molly over here patrick and I 1 sat in complete silence the few minutes that after patricks telephone call it took walter and molly to get to my house brief as the distance was they came in their car automatically I 1 wondered as I 1 had so often wondered before if the younger generation would ultimately lose the use of its legs but that wonder merely filled the surface of my mind underneath I 1 was thinking so many things that virtually I 1 thought of no one thing my thoughts cut and slashed and jagged each other in their maniacal way of the last few days over them all too like the poison gas over a modern battlefield hung a cloud of sick foreboding the effect of my sweet nights sleep seemed to disappear again I 1 felt myself trembling on a huge abyss what patrick thought I 1 dont know lie he sat with his head back gazing at the ceiling of the room his face blanked with his grimmest grimmeit grim expression presently hollys roadster curved up to the door there they are patrick exclaimed sarah ushered the treadways Tread ways in it seemed to me that day that every time I 1 saw holly eames molly treadway I 1 mean she was wag more beautiful than the last tims time I 1 saw her something splendid had flowed into her psychology of course I 1 know now that it was the certainty that she and walter belonged to each other forever almost as definitely but not quite so obviously walter too had become another person happiness seemed to have cleared all kinds of mists from his mind he walked with a different step he met ones eye with a different look authority that was it authority as definite as a golden aura exuded f from rom him sit down children I 1 said patrick wants to talk with you I 1 myself did not sit down 1 I think perhaps id better leave you alone involuntarily patrick made a restraining gesture he started to speak and then apparently thought better of it he looked inquiringly at the treadways Tread ways oh no aunt mary molly remonstrated rated oh not no there was unfeigned ned emphasis in that second no and walter reinforced her with please stand by aunt maryl mary I 1 we need you of course ill stay then I 1 sat down making myself and that huge uproar in my psychology as quiet u as possible patrick began walter when was the last time you come came to previous to your coming this time walter answered without hesitation not quite three months ago I 1 should say oli oh I 1 can tell you exactly it was memorial day how long did you stay that tha t time just a dayl did you spend the night no I 1 came in my car by night and I 1 returned to new york by night did your people know you were here no you see them at alap all 1 I saw them but they see sea me Wh where cre 1 I came up to the house bouse at night and peeked pecked in the windows I 1 wanted to see if mother looked all right TO BE CONTINUED CONTINUE DJ |