Show amb ft W amft 1 M to 40 josara asara ware bassett right by the penn pub co 1 W NU service SYNOPSIS future of the still youthful and ajl marcia ilowe recently ia by death from roni her idling idline self liband tand Is a conversational conver sati onal tit bit chous I 1 housewives elives of 0 the I 1 little itile hamlet bachelors and wid ion on eligible marcia deer interested also aiso are unfortunate matrimonial exe finds pleasure in her life but ly at times and has hai invited tier her ue us bands niece sylvia hayden she ehe has never seen been to visit her rl arrives and marcia takes to once while sylvia expecting to one orne what elderly aunt finds ir marre r sister A stranger on e like a 4 r finds ills way abe I 1 go of ex exhaustion ha biag home ile he e explains api ains that hla his boat ran aground in the toe fog y ht he asks barcla to tilde hide a pick pack ning jewelry she S he does so winslow town cheriff herl ll brings brines ot f a jewel rob robbery ery on a neigh estate the at stranger ra gey gives elves his as stanley heath 1 capter IV continued 41 5 from demanding explanations solved she would give him no aosved t to make them when his meal was ready aery last inviting touch had been athe tray she said casually to 1 p pose ose you take it up dear 1 why not do you mind y at all I 1 just thought perhaps rather p eia ia shook her head rant to stir the and see nt int catch she explained avoid e girls eyes we alq ar too hunt risk having our dinner spoiled light just wait and cut tile the chopa r heath and fix ills his potato find po 0 it if there Is anything more lie he you hurry backi back IT ill tailo things S hot ol 01 task taik suggested did not alpar displease sylvia re goes red Riding hood she aired taking up the tray traci all Is ont come back I 1 know loov the fias inas eaten me pite of herself lier self marcia smiled i opened the dor and stood watch bile the girl irl ascended the stairs the e hall was unlighted and the T leavy eavy i safe called a merry voice the topmost stair rela came back into the kitchen finished preparing the lobster the sitter silver on the table t in prince ir ince hal i 4 minutes passed I 1 seen e e n I 1 f an hour went by 1 I fidgeted and stooped to pat the then she went to the wn win slowly the fogs fog was lifting dy by loon ioan the weather would be fine he right sort to get the boat oft off fould go up the beach and watch pen anen while they worked the was close she longed for air bellg bi reaches of the out of doors ingle of glass and silver it was I 1 1 returning with the tray tier her wera 1 are shining tate ate acry bit site she cried you T oi d have seen him marcia it ft I 1 1 have done your heart good the lamb was almost starved lie ile faor you the first thin thing I 1 don dont he altogether liked your your not ing n up the tray although of e he e was as too polite to say so iu in explained explain eq I 1 was busy s but at first he seem led with the excuse however on forgot about it t and became is as a lark you hear bear us ing the potato would fall oft off ark im not as good a nurse as my hands so steady im back again for lus his wet clothes in an dry them here by the fire farci can t is s indeed rs Is a pity there a tallor tailor at I 1 ills sult suit ought to be pressed cau can do it t marcia declared with ness ae ss J im quite used to pressing clothes clot lies I 1 at always ays pressed J ja a ii i Is time the name dropped unno from her lips indeed she was ons lons clous she had uttered ii it she not at thinking of jason 0 0 0 4 0 ala ia was glad heath was asleep calad glad indeed she did not bee fe him a moment of his slumber ahat a delight til person he was chat awake 1113 eyes were wollar io 0 daik and penetrating they right through you and then ilenea with such intentness w wath atch every curve of your lips as if jig to lose a wood word such attention distinctly flattering even though Jc chatter batter was trivial he dignified d transformed it into something id rp ortance A interested for example he had tin ita Ild il arcla rela in learning she had married and now lived a widow ae old daniel Ilowe homestead 1 and fa a host of inquiries lie ile had made it Jason son the bortoff fiort of man lie he was bow long ago lie he had died ivia had haa not been able to answer r ja la questions but of course she had 1 ted cited that marcia had adored tier her md because well not so much bucl ase ase she actually knew it asbe 1 widow d 0 s allays did certainly shad bd b d dec declared hired she lovedy tile the tead ad so 0 deeply she never lui ini t it to leave it and was not that tl eally the same thing as saying baying loved coved jason too byway a tie the thin thing that really mat jowas a mr deaths heaths interest in her la in her trip cast and her de on of alton city tile little told mid western town which was tier lier home how he had laughed at her ter rebellion at being a school teacher and how insidiously he had hinted she might not always be one I 1 oil oh lie he knew what to say knew much better than billie sparks the soda fountain clerk or even horatio fuller the acknowledged beau of the town lit in fact he made both of them seem quite coin commonplace mon place even II orlle fancy it probably that was because he be had traveled apparently lie he had been almost everywhere except to alton city olid odd he be should nover neier no ver have been there when lie he had visited just about every other corner both of oc america and europe not s ot that lie ile had deliberately said so ile he wits was far too modest for that tha t it t was while trying to find out where aher e his home was that she had bad st stumbled umble upon the information and come to think of it site she did not know now where lie lived she suddenly remembered she actually did not know whether lie he had a father or a mother a brother or a sister oster so occupied wits she iab with her thoughts slie she lind had not thought once of prince hal in fact she and supposed that lie ila had gone lip the lie beach with marcia SI arcia now kow she suddenly became aware that lies he tood stood sni fling about the hearth scratching at its surface ce as if he bencalla lh scented something bencal ile he must fiol no do that and she told him so in jio u uncertain tain terms ancer the loss in spite of tile the rebuke lie he continued t to poke away at the spot whining faintly until ills persistence aroused her and she icat to see what disturbed him what Is IC t P princea i rance the matter whis whispered tiered slie delighted to lt have re gained her attention the dog barbed oh you bark darll darling ng she cautioned muzzling n his nose with tier her here goes red Riding hood 11 hand wake 3 clr 1 r heath tell missy what tle the trouble is do you smell a mousie under there for ans dog wagged his tall 1 I dont believe it sylvia demurred youre only bluffing well to convince you ill tak take euli up the brick fetching from the pantry a steel fork she inserted tile the prongs in the crack and pried the offending brick out of its hole Instant lythe dog snatched from the space beneath a handkerchief containing a small hard object sylvia chased after him bring it here hat hal I 1 a good do dog I 1 bring it to missy the setter came fawning to her side and unwillingly dropped his prize at her feet As it fell to the ground out rolled such I 1 L ch a 4 glory glork ot of jewels the girl could cely bellve believe her eyes there was a string of 0 diamonds hazling as giant dewdrops a pearl ind and sapphire pendant several beautiful rings and an oval brooch its emic emerald center surrounded by tier after tier of brilliants brilliantz brilli ants r sylvia panted breathless sh she e had bad patr spen seen such gems much less held them lit in her hands how ged ed tu to slip the rings upon tier her fingers a and nd iry ry the effect of 0 the dl amonds abut about lie her slender slender throat prudence however overmastered over mastered the impulse marcia might return and nd sur I 1 prise rase tier li er a nt at any moment before that the treasure must be returned to the alie place from which it had been taken rang the rainbow heap tog together geth iii she reluctantly thrust it into its blue leather case snapped the catch and placed it once more under tinder the brick then with relief she stood 6 up and anil wiped the ahe perspiration from rom her farll forehead etwas riot pot until she was again in in her chair hook book in hand and struggling to quiet hersuick her quick breathing that sh sho di discovered she still held in tier her hand band the haager handkerchief calef that had been wrapped about tha UK jewel case it was a mans handkerchief of fiest linen and ope corner b bore ge tile the eln cm brol dered cruls S gusi C ia ir tl she had abow it au all the alme there wa was s no no need to be told boid the jewels were ills his what lice her was when lie he had found time to hldi hide hem ahem ile he had not so far as she knew been left alone a moment and yet lien heri was his booty llor bloor she rated was it as booty because there could be no doubt he had stolen it lie ile had stolen it from that long island estate escaped in his speed boat and here lie ho was here under this very root roof A robber that was what he was I 1 A robber a bandit such as one saw in the ni moilis oNles that explained why inay he was so well dressed I 1 re ased so handsome had such fascinating cina ting manners ue ile was a gentleman burglar all up to date villains in these days were gentlemen not that she had bad ever encountered a villain in the flesh S still till she had read romances about them and was there not one in every moving picture they were not difficult to recognize it was exhilarating wonderful A thief in the room overhead think of 0 it the very thief for whom all the police in the countryside were searching lie ile was no small cheap type of criminal ile he did things on a big scale so big that radio announcements had been broadcast about him and no doubt at this instant detectives and crime inspectors were chasing up and down the highways dashing through cities and keeping telephone wires hot in wild search heard for the gentleman asleep upstairs I 1 why that very morning had bad not ellsha winslow the lie wilton sheriff aberl ff wio who had frankly admitted he yearned for t helped undress the wretch and put him comfortably to bed the humor of the situation almost overcame tier her it seemed as if she must have someone to share the joke but no one should no nobody should be the wiser because of her the poor hunted fellow should have its his chance it was a little venturesome and risky she admitted to obstruct justice and should she be found out she would without doubts doubt be clapped into jail still she resolved to take a chance after all who could prove she had known stanley heath to be what he was nobody she would not even lot let him suspect it the important thing was to await an opportunity and soon before he was able to be about return the handkerchief kerch lef she held in her hand to its place beneath the brick then all aou would I 1 d be v well ell this should not be difficult ficula it would be quite easy to get marcia to take up mr heaths deaths supper in the meantime the situation was intensely amusing its danger appealed to her she had always enjoyed hairbreadth hair calr breadth escapades anything but dullness that had been the trouble with alton city it hall had been dull deadly dull but wilton was not dull in spite of the fact that only this morning ellsha elisha Wi lislow had complained the town was in need of a stirring up it seethed with electricity it if she chose chobe she could uld hurt hurl a bombshell bomb shell into its midst this very minute but she did not choose instead she intended to play her awu quiet game and keep what she knew to herself she wondered why perhaps she was falling in love with this adventures yes that must be it IL she was in love with him in love with a bandit sylvias imagination hd traveled so swiftly and so far that it came to earth with a crash in when hen marcia opened the door it was not alone the buffeting of I 1 the salt breeze nor the exhilaration of 0 walking against it that had transformed her into something radiantly lovely from within glowed a strange lire that made her another creature il altogether together why why marcial 1 breathed sylvia bewildered ine ie had bad such a glorious walk d eart dear cried marcia arcla XI the fog has lifted and the sky Is a sheet of amethyst and gold did the men get the boat off yes she rhe Is floating tranquilly as above a dove what Is her name my imy unknown lady mercy on list us that ought to satisfy even Ell ellsha shio it did said marcia CHAPTER V sylvias sylvia Is plans so well laid and ap P patently ardently ly so bo easy of execution lid did not to tier her ell a grin work out tor for instead of awaking and demanding supper stanley heath slept without a break until morning sun still was tinting the lavender sands to rose and gilding the water with its first leeks flecks of gold when she saw mareta marda standing at the foot of her bed mr heath has a high fever and can scarcely speak aloud explained she im afraid he la ia quite ill I 1 wish call up doctor stetson mercy on us the girl giri drowsy and heavy eyed sprang out of bed ill ile be down in just a minute she exclaimed how do you happen to be up so early ive been up oft off and on all night ans answered marcia mr heath was rest less aci and thirsty about midnight I 1 heard him tossing about and thinking he might tie be fi hungry I 1 heated som laro broth ati and took it to him ile he declares declare be he Is 1 golit going i mackto back to new york today it he cant lie he he ls I 1 determined ter mIned to ile he says lit in has hag soi something V very ery important to at t ten eid d to 0 o of course I 1 have no author ity over him bini but perhaps doctor stel son can exert ionic that is why I 1 an anxious to reach him before he be goe goc out explained marcia moving tottan the door 1 I call hamright him right away sill s ill go town down and start bre brealand then mr heath is doing ile he ha hot to getup for tit at least at ai hour we mut must hake hae the doctor lien hen that time ill tell hldi to hurry martin marcia down the talas ITO nl |