Show H OS ale VA am W EY by copyright by ben ames william service BEN K ff 4 N AMES AAMES W WILLIAMS I 1 L L I 1 A M V SYNOPSIS at a gathering in the village of 0 lib erty arty maine jim saladine Salad lne listens to the history of 0 the neighboring hostile val ley and the mysterious enticing hul hut dy wife of will ferrin perrin interested he be drives to the valley tor for a days day s fishing and to see the glamorous huldy ferrin perrin old marm P erce and her tin nineteen eteen year old granddaughter jenny live in the valley since childhood jenny has deeply loved young will ferrin perrin older than she and who re garda her as still a child will leaves to take employment in augusta his father a death brings him back to the valley but he returns to augusta still unconscious of 0 jenny s womanhood and love bart carey something of a ne er do well Is attracted by jenny the girl repulses him definitely learning that will Is coming home jenny ex tilting sets his long empty house to rights and has dincer ready for him he ile comes bringing his wife huldy the girl s world collapses huldy be comes the subject of unfavorable gos elp nip in the valley entering his home unlocked unlooked tor for will finds seen angly damning evidence of his wife s unfaith falness as a man he knows Is seth humphreys breaks from the house will overtakes hin hi TI and chokes him to death although hun shatters his leg with a bullet at marm alarm pierce pierces s house the leg Is amputated jenny goes to break the ne vs to huldy huldy de clares she has no use tor for half a man and leaves will Is legally exonerated end and with a home made artificial leg carries on hiring a helper zeke dace months later huldy comes back will accepts her presence as her right two years go by saladine Salad lne comes to the valley bad roads cause him to top stop at ferrin s farm where he meets huldy saladine Salad lne caught in heavy rain takes refuge at marm pierce s bart carey arrives carrying huldy whom he claims had fallen from a ledge and seemingly Is dead marm P erce de clares her dead but while huldy and jenny zenny are alone the woman with her last breath asserts will killed her horrified jenny decides va to tell no one of the accusation she goes to notify will with him jenny returns to marm pierces she has told him of huldy s death and he be Is bewildered zeke dace cannot be found saladine Salad lne in forms sheriff by phone of hul dy a death the sher ft if comes to marm alarm pierce a farm CHAPTER IX continued 16 rainea 1 hard last night cart bart re minded him they was fresh today I 1 see them myself when I 1 fasl ed down ahe sheriff asked carey you got any idea want to hurt mis ails ferrin bart hesitated I 1 t go to say be said lie ile added w th a deep reluctance hot not unless it was zeke beke dace works for will zei zel e was hind kind of crazy about her and jealous of her lie ile migi t have got mad at her yet he added honestly bur but will do it 11 low that zei zel e would touch her v I 1 ere is zeke the sheriff asked bart shook h s head dunno no blodys seen him sence marm alarm I 1 erce came out of the din ing room she told the sl ariff she was glad to have him here he ile nodded and asked slowly was mis terrin berrin dead when hen she got here ma maam am As good as the old woman as h in m she was all broke I 1 pieces and bled white and she died before I 1 got around to it D t come to ho no marm alarm clerce told him Is no I 1 lou ou lo 10 k her ov over er d dd d you the sheriff urged he explained I 1 guess likely III want a doctor to see her ber but you might I 1 lave ave noticed some special Bp ecial hurt on her the old woman told him why she abe was hurt cruel sheriff looked like beed she d fell on her head and side tl TI ere was scratch es and cuts all over her and a deep bad cut on her neck and her face was banged where shed she d bit hit a tree or a rock or tl ti e like I 1 mean to say he persisted noth ing to show the old woman shook her head nothing that she could rit t have got from falling the way she did the sher ff sighed as though aged and marm alarm P erce asked you alt dian didn t know huldy did you sheriff I 1 ve heard tell of her he answered guess the whole county has it if li it comes to that the old woman as scented but you can see for your self a lot lotof of things might have hap bened to a acoman L I 1 ke he her it was account of her bart re minded aalt K that will killed seth dunno as I 1 blame him I 1 unno a he went to kill seth but seth had a gun and will with his ie le shot to p aces he had to ban hang on to seth s neck or get another bullet in him but huldy was back of that I 1 heard she shed d left will sence the sheriff reflected she come back bart explained she took a shine fo 0 o zeke zele and de elded to stay will take her back d d he dunno as he could help it bart confessed and he said slowly wll will he helwa vs stood a lot from her sl st er ali if I 1 no matter what she did I 1 dunno as he bed d harm her lie ile added harshly but if he be d d I 1 wo ilan t blame himl him I 1 the old w oman s sl st arn ey ees es filled on him lou on trying to let on that will killed I 1 ler er part she ed in a mit 0 ter of fitt tone 11 S eik out no sense sene in till vill in ing aro ind corners i not pit ns ng on a thing about it pi it assi no i c td d her I 1 im in tring to see tl i li it i it f r nv tl e same as you I 1 can see a plenty she said crisply the clerff st er ff said floundering id I 1 d like to tall to this zeke might alight be he d know something may MB be will he 11 fetch him looks ike I 1 ke I 1 d have to talk to that man gut but when will and jenny presently d d return they were alone 1 this I his I 1 loir 0 ir she spent with will wa wai i for jenny deeply comforting huldy s accusation hid faded into a cloudy un reality it 11 e the substance of a dream dreim put jenny now more than any other emot on felt a grI grievous eNous sympathy for will for the remorse sl e knew he must endure and she strove in small ways ays to reas reassure gure and comfort him nor not by words but by her steady sup porting presence at its 1 is side ride they tramped in silence through the w woods the lintern lantern sw nging in wills lind mil ing the mack shadows of the trees along tt tl e w way ay sw swing ing I 1 ke he somber pendulums tl TI ey crossed tl it e brook and climbed tl ti e steep trail and came up uli the orchard to the barn and wh ie jenny held the lantern will let the cows into tl ti e t e up and secured them there he ile pulled down hay for them and went to tl it e kitchen for the pall and returned to milk jenny stood silently by wille wl lie he sat his leid against the warm arm flanks of the co coas s the lantern I 1 ere bes de him on the floor lie ile spoke only once of that which filled both their minds id ike 1 ke to know ft 1 I 1 ere zeke s gone to he said he ile 11 be around by and by jenny prom sed him it s all right will but her own words faintly startled her since clearly if will must live with the secret I 1 knowledge now ledge that he had killed huldy the world could never be all right for him again and she ed suddenly to take him in her am arn s and tell him that she knew and held him blameless but she per leiven that to do this to confers her knol knowledge of his guilt wo lid be to pen between them a gulf never to be bridged so she was silent and later when they came back through the wet woods together she decided that this was a matter none should ever khow and thus resolving she found strength for the before her and was at peace again huldy was dead let it be by accident ahe world would preen 15 for foret et that huldy had ever lived when with will she came back to the little hoise ho ise in the valley she had somehow st lied tied I 1 er fears till 11 she saw raw the st ariff there when tl it ey came in st e felt her strength dia dian n away but then and by will himself her foreboding was turned into fearful certainty for will sa d to this man why sheriff what fettled you here ahe sheriff hesitated J kind of hoped you d bring th a zeke dace back with you he said evasively will shook head I 1 dunno where zeke s got to he admitted in troubled tones he ile want wa n t to home and he persisted but sher tf if what fetched you jenny was breathless waiting for the answer ta tien en Sal saladine abne said gravely I 1 sent for him will will stared at salad ne tie what for he protested bewildered and then the sheriff said why will the thing Is it looks to every body as if maybe mis nils I 1 errin didn dian t just fall off of that ledge they think someone maybe thrower her off jennys jenny s throat constricted strang lanly the hounds were on the trail As though tho agh from tar far away she heard will stammer killed hilled her you mean something like that will stood with his head bowed I 1 guess not he said firmly at last who d do that I 1 was ing maybe this zeko dace suggested but will shook his head no sher ff he insisted whatever d d happen it wa want n it zeke he ile wouldn I 1 go to hurt her and he continued I 1 alf to himself chere m have I 1 t een some to hurt huldy b it not zel ele e I 1 why I 1 id d as soon think I 1 did it myself he said jenny felt the shod of a great blow then bart led and will turned to look at him thi matter bart he ed funny what you said bart told him that s a joke will I 1 mean to think hurt huldy he explained and I 1 I 1 e added hotly not that anybody d blame you I 1 she needed it I 1 he ile spoke to tt tie e sher ff if anyone aro ind here will say the same I 1 will moved a I 1 atle toward him I 1 don t take that kindly bart he said I 1 don t want that kind of talk from you or anybody not about halda H ilav not now tl TI ere was briefly silence hut ut after a moment the sheriff slid ha ka f to him self in almost querulous tones its it s a pity she didn dian t come to long enough to tell what happened to heri herl and it seemed to jenny suddenly that this thle familiar kitchen was very small and crowded and stifling stiffing hot she felt strangled and her hand flew to I 1 er lips and stark terror choked her alen she saw marm alarm pierce watching her w th eyes suddenly keen and shrewd and she felt smothered simoti ered and shrank bade back nto the corner by ohp th door A after the sheriff spoke there was silence tor for a moment then jenny had a respite for joe matthews the undertaker came out of the dining room lie ile spoke to will there will he said ive done all that needs doing tonight and it if you want I 1 II 11 carry her home he hesitated added but if you take my advice let her lay here ton I 1 can tend to everything a sight better in the morning alarm P erce said she a welcome to stay will I 1 will nodded well niell likely that s sensible he agreed jenny while their attention was thus turned away from her opened the door and stepped out on the porch grate ful for the taste of cool moist air in the kitchen she heard the sheriff say doubtfully I 1 guess joe you 11 want to go along home poev I 1 don t know as I 1 bugl t to leave yet th u ugh h I 1 id d I 1 ke he to see this zeke dace first but I 1 aishi ish t you d bring doc harris in the morning I 1 want him molook her over when presently the undertaker came ca me out to depart jenny diew aside out of his way ray and salad ne crossed with him to where his truck tru el en L jenny stood silently by stood spoke with him alere tl ere then bart came out and said to jenny casually casualty hot in there aln aint t it and in a lower tone don dont t you worry jen jell I 1 nothing to be afraid of he ile too had seen her terror then I 1 it must have been plain for them all to see but even as she thought this she realized suddenly that she was no longer afraid and wondered why and then without speaking to bart she came quickly back in into to the kitchen where were marm alarm pierce and will her hand touched will wills s sleeve and peace filled her and a deep enlightenment and certainty 1 ike ke a revelation then the truck departed and bart and and salad ne tie returned in doors after a moment the sheriff appealed to saladine jim he be said looks ike 1 ke you could figure something out of this business I 1 guess you was vias the last one to see mis ails fernn ferrin alive saladine shook his head I 1 dont don t see into it at all he confessed bart turned to will how about you 11 ill he urged didn dian t you hear ner screech when she fell I 1 id d have said everybody in a mile could lave have heard that it sounded mighty loud to u mt will shook his head the noise wouldn t tarry carry up to the farm with W I 1 th the hill between and the trees HP U cooled 1001 ed at saladine I 1 in nd he be said when you went off with huldy zeke he come out of the shed ill e I 1 led e d go along after you I 1 stopped him made him stay behind and he continued after a moment seems like I 1 kep him there a sight longer n ltd tike you to get down to the brook sup slip I 1 osing you didn dian t stop any time on the ledge I 1 didn dian t saladine said there was silence for a moment then will spoke again grop n angly ly by the time I 1 figured you d be gone he explained I 1 left zeke and went into the house but when it come on to rain I 1 wondered where 11 illy iv as I 1 come out on the porch ant yelled for zeke but he didn dian t answer so I 1 went hunting hem theta I 1 started to go do doan n the path to the brook but tl en I 1 decided there wa n t any use in that he ile added with a glance at saladine I 1 see tracks w where here you d gone down where your boots had sl sapped aped saladine spoke quid quiet ly boots I 1 ive e got sa s1 sloes oes on it was as someone eise elre he insisted it want wa n t me will said stubbornly it was boot tracks that I 1 see somebody with boots on had bad gone down the trail And Bart spoke guess zeke zele had boots on d t he will considered and he nodded I 1 ike ly he agreed yes he did I 1 m nd now he ile did the stirred the way it looks to me be he de aided zele a the one to find and we ain t likely to find him long as were setting here herel I 1 nor you cant can t find him outside marm pierce cried sharply show some sense reuse sheriff I 1 you couldn coulden t see zeke ten teet feet away a night like this if he was a mind to hide tilde set down use your head stead of your feet I 1 use your eyell eyes what goods good s my eyes going to do me here he urged there S 8 been enough to see if you wa n t blind she told him and she looked briefly at jenny jenny she said sharply you were almighty scared seared a while ago I 1 think you know something more n you ve told you was down brook this morning did you see anything hear anything at all her tones ones were insistent jenny though her heart was pound ing spoke after a moment steadily enough the way was clear before her now ail all doubts resolved but she only said I 1 told you I 1 heard some one talking in the woods marm alarm pierce protested irascibly nothing in that to scare you jon I 1 she came closer to the girl jenny I 1 can see more than most but I 1 cant can t see everything what was it scared youa you a 11 while igo when the sheriff said that wit about wishing huldy had come to be fore she died what was it jenny she demanded ahe girl smiled slowly as at some secret thought go on jenny said old marm alarm pierce tell the truth and shame the devil I 1 jenny look at wills bowed head and her smile suddenly was rad ant as the sun it don t mean a thing to me now she protested softly because lean I 1 can geelt see it want aut guttrue true what was it jenny the old worn wom an insisted huldy did come to tor for a minute before she d ed said jenny then marm alarm pierce cried in a deep incredulity jenny sl e never did and bart exclaimed she couldn coulden t jenny I 1 why she was as good as dead before ever I 1 got her herel here I 1 jenny retreated slowly she did anyway 1 and for a moment she said no n ore she stood near the cabinet over the sink where knives and forks |