Show Z 0 fa WILIE LORING 1 I i 0 service THE STOUT STORY SO FAR janice trent sans runs away from roin wedging ned paxton rich but a 1 ray gay blade unbeknown to bruce harcourt it a family friend the he becomes secretary of 0 an alaska camp ot of which he li is chief engineer end neer mitti cent nale hale wile wife of 0 the man whom he itic inc ceedee to li alto also attracted to him bruce at first brit wants want to send end janice bath back on a trip to the city she encounters encounter paxton and tells um him she li is married to harcourt the latter hear bears it and insists on a wedding that day that night after a wedding party arranged by the samp sisters elderly owners ot of the wame waffle shop mrs mn hale breaks in on the newly weds wed with the cry that her husband had been shot dead she also says it 11 you only had waited bruce bruce spends the night investigating the murder A commissioner arrives to conduct in an caal probe jimmie chester mr alts isales brother who hated her husband runs run off in a plane bruce and the commis stoner set out to find him now continue with the tory story CHAPTER XIV A yell of horror cracked in braces throat he seized his rifle climbed down from the cockpit stumbling slipping clipping raced toward the man wielding a gun like a club a as S a great polar bear charged at him another smaller bleeding roaring horribly was struggling up from the ice harcourt stopped raised his ri rifle fired his gun cracked again again both animals crumpled into ma mounds ands of white fur the man who had been defending himself jumped back turned brucel brucel bruce the universe steadied panting bleeding ashen dripping with moisture chester stumbled forward his eyes were the eyes of a man who has stared death in in the face just in aimel I 1 shot the cub know there was another and and he swayed harcourt caught him take it easy jimmy till I 1 can get you into the cockpit with moans chester pulled himself up As he climbed into the cockpit chester mumbled deliriously take me back chief crazy stunt to td run away milly heard me threaten joe ill come across with his face contracted in pain ills his eyes closed grants usually clear voice was toneless did you get those notes typed yes at ile he picked up the sheets janice indicated dica ted youre good you are certainly good when you leave us better take a turn at the reduction of the public debt leave I 1 what do you mean dont like the way this guy paxton has been hanging round since ince si our hero left he and his foot yacht with its twin horsepower engines make headquarters look as bare and unlovely as a plucked chicken ill bet bruce would be fit to tie if he knew that bozo was here ned arrived before he started he did I 1 and he went off and left you of what importance am I 1 in cb comparison m job says you grants always ruddy skin took on a deeper tint he clearly gave her the impression that in his opinion harcourt was deeply in love with her but he quickly changed the subject 1 ive ve just found out that kadoyama di nt appear at au all at the squaw dance the night hale was shot ile he told the marshal that he was there after nine ile he sure did but he where was he what I 1 mean to find out youre the only person ive told dont breathe word to anyone the commissioner and harcourt are sure that mrs hale knows more about the late unpleasantness than she is is telling they radioed that they would be back at headquarters tomorrow say whether they were bringing chester get her up to the 11 house for a cup of tea this afternoon cant you ill drop in philo vance stuff if your former fiance comes all to the good I 1 suspect that the sunshiny presence of a multimillionaire multi millionaire might help dispel her gloom As ab she walked the short distance to the samp cabin janice marshaled her memories where had pasca pa sea been the evening of what he called the marriage party ile he had welcomed bruce and herself when they landed on the flying field she remember having seen him even for a moment during the festivities tivi ties she paused abruptly on the threshold of the samp living room ned paxton was beside miss mary at the table from which books and lamps had been removed to make space for a profusion of photographs martha in in the wing chair white feet on a stool shoes on the floor beside it peered from behind a newspaper sakes alive arent you through work early janice mr grant closed the office domce early I 1 had finished the work he left I 1 suspect that h hsi want to be bothered with me immediately I 1 thought vf rf a tea party where is mrs hale martha samps voice voice was grun grim I she what call cheerful kal q 1 44 V A L 1 I will take you down the coast in my yacht I 1 kinder think Milli cents going goin to enjoy widowhood like some folks enjoy poor health ashes an awful lot about joe now makin allowance for the shock an terrible unhappy with him you dont understand folks who arent hacked out of plymouth rock as you are martha if one of the scarlet coated hessians on the hearth had slashed with his gold saber janice have been more surprised than she was nt at the younger samp sisters outburst martha stared at her with faded agate eyes mary samp what foolish falkl have you gone plumb crazy crazy 1 ive just come sane ive spent over two years of the precious few I 1 got left cookin waffles up in this wilderness where you dont ever see anybody when I 1 might have been seeing places real places an having clothes real clothes great things are goin on in the world an all I 1 know is waffles an then more waffles martha samp opened her lips mary samp your heads been turned those fashion magazines foolish things they aint foolish like fairy tales to me when I 1 read bout slim slithery women bome n I 1 in n trail in silver dresses an ermine ermina capes an emerald bracelets glitter gleam in on their arms im them you an I 1 are not poor you like to pile up tip money I 1 dont im going to spend my half ill stay here till the last boat goes out then im through with pots and pans and waffles she sank back visibly shaking her sisters voice was as sharp as a razor though janice saw the glint of tears in her eyes sakes alive mary I 1 know you had so much spunk an here ive been kayin awake nights wonderlin won derin what would happen to you tou it if I 1 died I 1 guess im not so important lm as I 1 thought I 1 was probably get on a heap sight better without me if the way you feel you wait for the last boat go as soon as you like I 1 dont need you paxton who had been standing by the mantel smoking flung his cigarette into the fire he laid his hand on mary samps heaving shoulder call her bluff I 1 will take you yo down the coast in my yacht ill q give you the time of your life I 1 will take mrs hale too if shell come mary samp wiped misty eyes with a shaking hand id like it mr paxton millicent hale was seated at a desk littered with papers when janice entered her cabin in her black frock she seemed passionless remote intangible as a shadow the fire cast rosy shadows on her skin without warming it flashed reflected flames into the strained eyes without lighting them janice felt her color rise in the face of her well bred surprise mrs hale touched her black frock you are inviting me to a party her pained surprise made janice feel like a worm 1 I mean a real party merely a cup of tea I 1 thought coming to the H house for a while might shorten the day for for you it must seem horribly long millicent hales shudder was slight quickly under control this day is neither longer nor harder than many other days have been in this horrible country has bruce been heard from they radioed that they would leave the northern camp early tomorrow would reach headquarters in the afternoon have they found jimmy nothing was said about mr chester at least mr grant told me nothing with a sob relief perhaps millicent hole hale laid her face on arms on the desk janice tried to comfort her 1 I wish that I 1 might help you help the woman rose with a hasto haste which catapulted the somnolent pekinese pekingese Pe kinese to the rug her voice shook with anger helal youl youve snatched all the good in life there was left for me you knew bruce years ago I 1 hear met him again ran away from the man you were to marry disguised yourself as a boy b oy brought a truckload trunk load of seductive clothes and came hotfoot after him you and got hiell him I 1 janice banged the door behind her humiliation succeeded fury if moments of crisis revealed ones true self she and millicent hale had not shown up well under the late passage at arms two tenement 11 house women fighting over a man would have stripped down to the some same basic frenzy and got himl what would bruce think if he heard what she had claimed the du question estion which haunted danices Ja nices waking hours intruded on her dreams bobbed up again was bruce in love with millicent before I 1 came As she opened the 11 house door she heard a thud pasca his plaid shirt of a blinding brilliance was laying a log on the fire set up the card table she said lay the cloth and arrange the chinese pewter tray the way I 1 showed you be sure that the water tor for the tea has been freshly boiled grate cheese on crackers and brown them put others together sandwich fashion with ith guava jelly and chopped nuts nut s the mans stolid face brightened brighten aed in in a childish smile how many tea one two tree four cups put on your white coat As she removed a faded flower from the bowl on the table desk which had been full of red roses the first time she entered the cabin she asked casually you like ke the white coat dont you what do you wear when you go to dances faath feathers and blankets or just ordinary clothes perhaps you dont dance perhaps you at the squaw dance the night the samp sisters had the party for me ile he stiffened into immobility long before she had finished speaking before he answered he shuffled across the room removed the embroidered broi dered tea cloth from the dresser dra drawer iier 1 I not go to dance no sirree work all time at waffle shop tell kadoyama Kad yama you help then I 1 get through much quick then we two go squaw dance ile he say no lie he plenty lazy all time he spread the cloth carefully and pattered into the kitchen later seated on the spavin legged stool before the crooked dressing table janice thoughtfully buffed hex already polished nails had the party come janice hung flung 0 pen open the door in response to a knock her smiling lips stiffened ned paxton alone she feigned enthusiasm come in where are the others coming im the vanguard As the relations between the samp sisters seemed a little strained I 1 left them to fight it out back to the fire he lighted a cigarette janice was conscious of his critical scrutiny of the room as he inhaled and exhaled a long breath of smoke his cynical eyes came back to her in the fan back chair so you chose this in preference to what I 1 could give you his amused incredulity stung her she struggled to keep her voice as lightly contemptuous as his but you see I 1 have to take yuu you with it couchel Tou chel score one for you janice asked with honest cu curiosity r why did you want to marry me ned I 1 am different in all my tast tastes es from the girls with whom you play round he frowned as he regarded her with appraising eyes be surprised if you knew how many times I 1 have asked myself that question I 1 went out of my way to meet you I 1 was curious I 1 had heard that in spite of the fact that you neither smoked drank gambled nor petted anen men hung round you in smitten swarms that you had more friends than any girl in your set I 1 believe it but I 1 fell for you like all the rest smoking for some inexplicable reason makes me dizzy and cutting out the whoopee stuff was no virtue in me I 1 tried it all I 1 dont like the ugly and sordid and more particularly ticul arly the cheap things of life they leave tarnished memories my inhibitions ought to prove to you that I 1 woud nt fit into your scheme of living TO BE CONTINUED CONTINUE DJ |