Show fill SANDS by sara ware BASSETT copyright by the penn pub co service afu inq SYNOPSIS the future of the still youthful anil and comely marcea howe recently released by death from her idling selfish husband hubband is III a conversational tit bit amone housewives 0 of the little hamlet ot of wilton bachelors bach elora and widowers widower also alo are interested marcia despite her unfortunate matrimonial experience peri ence ce finds pleasure in her life but late I 1 lonely at times and has ha invited her I 1 late husbands husban niece sylvia hayden ayden II whom the she has never seen to visit her the girl arrives and barcla takes to her at once while sylvia expecting to see a somewhat elderly aunt finds mare blare cla la more like a sister A stranger on the verge of exhaustion finds his way to marcias Mar clas home CHAPTER ill III continued 4 what disaster had find laid him hero here bel helpless pless before them As it their questions penetrated his the stranger slowly opened his eyes sorry to come here like tills this he ha murmured the fog was so thick I 1 lost my bearings and my powerboat power boat ran a aground ive been trying hours to get her on off sites hard and fist fast orl oa your sand bar ile he struggled to rise end and XI Il arcla kneeling beside him helped him into an upright position where he sa sat leaning against her shoulder 1 I seem to have brought in about half the sea with me he apologized looking about in vague halt balf daze i fashion no matter W were ere used to salt water here she answered how do you feel I 1 youre not hurt only a little nothing much ive done something queer to my wrist I 1 was trying to push the boat oft off and something suddenly gave way turning his head aside he be bit his lip as if in pain well telephone doctor stetson meanwhile you remain in these wet clothes there Is no surer way or of catching cold D do 0 you tbell you could get upstairs it if sylvia ani I 1 guided you 1 I guess so if it far im absurdly dizzy I 1 dont know why I 1 suppose though I 1 must shed thes i wet togs you certainly must come sylvia lend a handl hand I 1 well help him up oh im not in such a bad way as all that I 1 can get up alone he protested only please wait just another minute the whole place has suddenly begun to pitch again like a ship in mid ocean perhaps I 1 may be fain I 1 eaten anything for a day 0 or two why you tell me the son soup quick sylvia I 1 only wish I 1 had somo brandy well at least this Is hot and will warm you up ill feed you hand me the cup and sylvia pat nut I 1 feel like ille a baby fretted the stranger no aint matler ler we roust must get something thin hot inside you right away dont 0 fuss about how its done dole sald said tho ali practical minded marcia therel there I 1 you look better already later you shill shall hae be a real honest to goodness meal run rain and call doctor stetson sylvia and open the bed in the room opp opposite nIte mine you might light th heater there too As the girl sped away turned toward her visitor I suppose we try to make the rocking chair now shall we cut but what worries me Is your net clothing im afraid take your dea death t h of cold let me peel off your shoes and soch q I 1 ran can do that and I 1 believe I 1 coull coul l get you out aut of your water soaked sweater if I 1 were to cut the jay hay I 1 try we mind wreck ing it for I 1 have bare another I 1 can give you the man did not answer instead he be sat cat tense and his big penetrating brown eyes fixed ow on Ilar cias face apparently the scrutiny crystallized in him some swift resolution for after letting his glance travel about the room to convince himself that no 0 one ne was within hearing he be leaned forward there Is something else id rather you did for me first he whispered drop dropping drippin pin 1 his big voice until it became almost inaudible ive a package herfi wish take charge of its in side my shirt but for this infernal wrist I 1 could reach it ill get SL it id rather you talk about it continued he be hurriedly just put it in a safe place will you please certainly puzzled but unquestioning thrust tier her hand beneath his sodden clothing clot liln and drew forth a small lit flat box v rapped wrapped in a bedraggled handkerchief if look out for it ill be ubil god of course I 1 will smiled marcia ld kuok here Is my pet liet hiding bling ailace ali K brick in the hearth Is loose and airier it Is plenty or spare space for this his rutial m a lint jinx ill t in there just juat hold it a second until I 1 pry the brick ill p there we are arel I 1 now glye give it to tile me slie she reached hurriedly for the package but as their hands met the moist elang clinging ing handkerchief became euten aled in their fingers and slipping from lis its coverings a leather jewel case dropped to the floor out of at it rolled a lashing flashing necklace and a confusion of 0 smaller gems marcia stifled an involuntary cry she neither looked up nor delayed sorry to be so clumsy she muttered as she swiftly scooped up the jettis it was well she had made haste for or no sooner was the clasp on the box snipped snapped and the treasure concealed beneath the floor than sylvia returned and a moment later came both doctor jared stetson and anisha winslow Mor 1 fornin Sl marcia arcla nodded the doctor elsh happened to be in the office when your niece called up au an hearin licar ln you had a man patient he debbe he might be of use what pears to be the trouble sir ive done something to my right wrist 11 11 ll II m nil ml willi skilled ham band he pushed back the dripping sleeve youre a mite waterlogged water logged I 1 notice observed be been overboard something of 0 the sort returned the man with the flicker dicker of a smile mr tor for the fraction of a second barcla hesitated continued in an even tone mr carlton grounded his bis boat and bad to swim ashore you dont say bayl I 1 well I 1 aint surprised pirl sed taint no day to be afloat lou cut this fog og with a carvin knife how come you to take your boat out in such weather the doctor demanded 1 I was was crul cruising sing oh an the fog shut down on yon isee I 1 see fog has a trick of doln that unless one keeps an eye for fog symptoms now whit what id recommend for or you first of all mr carlton la Is a warm bed you look clean beat out getter better let elsh an me help you upstairs an out of your wet things cause with a wrist such as yours I 1 figger you won wont be very handy at buttons not that elsh Is a professional ladys maid that aint exactly his callan still in spite of byln town sheriff he can turn his hand to other things its lucky lie he can too for he dont get much she rIffin down this way wilton go in for crime in fact wi w was laughin laugh ln bout that very thin thing this noon at the post office tears pears theres been a robbery at one of the long island estates quantities of jewelry taken an no trace of the thief the alarm was sent out over the radio early yesterday an Ils in lis elsh here got quite hot bet up nn an not a little JIM envious ile he said he most wished the burglary had took place in our town excitement abeln at a pretty low eb ebb now Nl arcia standing by the stove spun a bout about now ellsby Ells lia dont you run daiv down wilton why I 1 have twenty five dollars in my purse tills this minute she asserted taking a worn pocketbook pocket book hook front from her dress and slapping it with cb challenging at len ing candor down upon the table 1 I keep it in that china box above the sto stove ve that might serve as a starter remarked war ked the stranger regarding her quizzically she faced him chin drawn in and head high and def defiant lant besides that in my top burean burcan drawer Is a string of gold heads that belonged to my great grandmother she continued daring laughter currlin curling her lips they are very old and ar are really quite valuable well make a note of those too nodded tile the man his eyes on hers ini im afraid all I 1 can offer in he way of burglary inducements that bein tile the case spose you an me start gettan the patient upstairs elsh broke in doctor stetson Si etson if we dont next we know hell be havin pneumonia as well as a bad wrist tile the strangers adall admiring ring glance falej itself on marceas Mar Alar clas what Is my pelt next move he be in quiren 1 I told you before you roust must olt off your wet things and rest she repeated you still prescribe that treatment 1 I still prescribe it in III spite of the the symptoms why not was her quick answer very well I 1 am ready gentle gentar lien inen erect even with a hint of deliance defiance delien in his mocking smile the man rose to his full height before we go however I 1 roust must correct it slight silent error you misunderstood my name it Is not carlton it Is heath stanley heath CHAPTER IV and yet you told me alar cla tills was a quiet place burst out sylvia the instant anstr ant the dour do or had bad closed it seem so to ne me when shipwrecked mariners marinero ma full into your arms entirely without warning I 1 call it thrilling who do you suppose lie he Is ile he told us his name of course ileath heath stanley heath its quite a romantic name too but I 1 mean lacan that I 1 mean where did lie come from and why he be tell you not a word obviously the girl was disappointed 11 1 I thought peili aps he might have while 1111 le I 1 was upstairs I 1 was gone ions lot enorah h for him to pour out to you his entire history at least it seemed so to me I 1 ransacked every closet and irner drawer in sight trying to find something thing for him to put on it until I 1 struck that old sea chest in th the hall ball that I 1 discovered pajamas and no an I 1 hope you dont mind my mi taking thim A shiver passed over marda no they were jasons jasona I 1 ought to have live told you they were there I 1 kept them because I 1 thought they might sometime be useful well they certainly are replied sylvia they will exactly fit it mr heath where do you suppose he bo came from and how bow long has he been knocking about in that boat I 1 wonder how do I 1 know dear marel it 61 sighed glied its as it if determined to control her patience you know as much about him as I 1 do I 1 mean she corrected honesty forcing her to amend the m assertion sert ser tion lon almost as much I 1 did to ti be sure talk with him a little while waiting for the doctor but he be did not tell me anything about himself the moving of chairs overhead and the sound of feet creak creaking lm down the stairway heralded the return ret ira 0 of jared stetson and ellsha I 1 nent to in meet them taint Tal nt a broken wrist barcla was the doctors greeting on entering the kitchen leastways I 1 dont think it Is ive bandaged it an lish an me have your friend snug an warm la in bed tomorrow ill look in again for tonight the bandage will do A hot water bottle be amiss nor a square meal neither beyond them two things there aint much you can do at present pre tent but let him sleep seems a nice goit of known him long not so very long why clarcia broke in sylvia ones one sometimes comes to know a person rattier rather well though wen even in a short time went on the older woman ignoring the interruption spose a comin to eee bee you yott that brought him down tills this way ellsha volunteered somehow I 1 dont recall meeda him before ue ile been here before was the measured response oh ob so BO lies new to wilton waters eh ehr that grobly accounts for his aground fine lookin chap has quite fin an air to him Not liln cheap bout his clothes neither they was al quality clear through to hla his skin silk with monograms mono grams on em cm must be a man of means silence greeted the observation likely be Is havin harln a powerboat power boat an leisure to cruise round in her persisted the undaunted ellsha 1 I really say well apparently be aint one that thai boasts of his possessions an to his credit interposed jared stetson good E elyshas Ells has interest la in the stranger was not however to be so easily diverted seen the boat he inquired ko oh yon aint I 1 I 1 forgot to ask heath the name of her im sort of a crank ank on the names of boats it always riles me to have a foolish name naine given a boat no matter how bow small the he is her is all that divides her owner from fathoms of water an in view of the fact hed oughter aughter regard her soberly an give her a decent name well I 1 hope the name of mr II eatha boat will meet with your approval 11 ventured sylvia archly 1 I hope twill was the glum retort as the sheriff followed doctor stetson through the doorway the moment the door banged behind them salla turned toward marcia SI arcla forgive my butting in dear apologized she but I 1 was so sur surprised you did say you know mr heath beath you yes ies but but sometimes its just ns as well not to tell all you know especially in a place like this was the evasive response was the reply a rebuke or merely a caution sylvia did not know and what was the meaning of the rose color that flooded the elder worn wom ans cheek had really meant to give the t ie impression that site she knew stanley heath arid and if so why sylvia wr whacked wracked aked lt her r brain for answers to these questions she would have hare been interested indeed n had she known that while she wrestled with the enigma Bl barcla arcin to all appearances busy preparing the tray for the invalid upstairs S was searching her heart for answers to the same questions why had she sou sought bt to able shield id thia stranger I 1 the man was nothing to her of 0 his bis past she had bid not the sal slightest beest knowledge indeed he be might be the greatest villain in the world in fact circumstances almed hloi him a thief nevertheless th eless she did biot could not bellee believe it there thereas as something too fine la his face his eyes true he had made no attempt either elther to defend himself or to explain away the suspicions he must have known would arise in her mind on the contrary hian a devil may care audacity that fascinated her he actually appeared to have tried to deepen la in her mind the impression of his bis guilt still site refused to believe even in the face of overwhelming evidence she cl ungto her unreasoning unreasoned unreason lD faith in him suppose he had bad stolen the gems and fled with titers from long island suppose he had lost his bearings in the fog tossed on the sea for a day and a night and then run aground at her doorstep it was possible quite possible even probable yet was wag it not tor for a man like stanley heath marcia stubbornly IDS insisted ISted so deep was the conviction she shrank lest tie be should feel called upon to ju justify or dere defend n a ill himself ms TO HE BE CONTINUED |