Show DEPUTY D 0 v D EVIL by amen ames wil Willias fias service f copyright ben ames amas willann SYNOPSIS dr a wealthy find and talented middle aged suK surgeon geon Is possessed of seemingly supernatural powers occasionally he C can 0 n wish h for or something to b happen appen and have the wish fulfilled greed ing meets ira jerrell a wealthy business friend of his own age who tells him he loves oves his daughter nancy kancy and woul me like to marry her dr Gre breeding eding Is pleased and tells jerrell he be has a clear field nancy bo however wever Is in love with dan carlisle n assistant professor at the university who has little blue means they discuss marriage 1 but ut decide to delay talking to her father about it nancy who has been playing tennis with dan that afternoon tells her father the had bad been playing with a irl liend filand breeding Gre eding knows this Is untrue and iq I 1 secretly en razed stepping into his cifes room his eye tails falls on a marble statuette which he be dislikes he picks it up wishing he be could smash it to bits suddenly it Is snatched matched from his grasp as by an invisible force and ana burst asunder mrs Gr Gre ceding eding Is greatly disturbed over the mysterious destruction of the statuette the doctor reveals that ira jerrell wants to marry nancy on the dav to a dinner party a car cuts in front of af Gre breedings edings he angrily expresses the wish that the driver would break his neck an instant later an accident occurs in which this very tiling thing happens at the dinner the greetings Gre edings meet prof Caf carlisle lisle dans tatter father and his daughter mary ann dr breeding Gre eding is intrigued by wary mary ann who is a surgical nurse mrs Gre breeding eding tells prot prof carlisle about the destruction st ot of the statuette and he indicates it might have been caused by a poltergeist a racketing mischievous spirit CHAPTER II 11 continued he said quizzically not the same judith plank with whom you played tennis this afternoon judith she repeated in astonishment ish ment forgetting her mendacity and then suddenly she remembered and her cheeks were crimson she retreated from him white and startled turned and ran up the stairs he had only meant to tease her but by her flight his al n most cist forgotten anger was a little revived nancel Nan cyl he called she stopped half turning you ever lie to me nancy he said sternly she hesitated facing him doubtfully but after a moment she descended to meet him ascending on the step above him she said appealingly ly 41 im sorry father I 1 a girl s she he laughed in confused dismay well a girl instinctively wants to keep some things secret she confessed happily and before he could speak she added youre right it judith this afternoon it was dan carlisle when you asked me who was here wed only just found out that we love each otherl other 1 that was why I 1 fibbed bibbed to you doctor breeding Gre eding touched tou cd her shoulder Ider affectionately guarding his tones no reason why you tell me and your mother is there he asked quietly 1 I was afraid you never be afraid of me lancy he urged always find me on your side 1 I then you dont mind my loving dan an 1 11 I mind your being afraid of me lie he kissed her again and he added judicially As for dan I 1 hardly know him nancy bring him around more often let your mother and me get acquainted with that young man and he suggested after all theres no hurry you and he will want tc treasure this s new happiness in secret for a while then before she could either assent or demur he said good night its late my dear she hugged him warmly youre sweet she whispered good night eatherl Fa therl and ran up the stairs he followed more slowly and n his bis own room the door closed behind him he stood fixed and rigid frowning but in the end he dis m essec nancy for the present from his mind and opened the volume he be had brought bi ought upstairs CHAPTER III next day doctor breeding Gre eding was not his usual self while in the op aerating room ordinarily he worked without conscio is effort smoothly and swiftly out cut today each procedure required a conscious concentration doctor mayhew his assistant observed this and miss rimes the surgical likewise felt it and reacted to ductor doctor breeding Gre eding s tension by a definite failure in her usual efficiency once when without looking toward her hei he reaches reache for dissecting scissors she offered him the knife instead and the point punctured his glove so that tie nc had to change such accidents had before but today toda doctor breeding Gre eding was in no case to meet the incident equably and calney for una tely the skin was not even pricked yet many a surgeon had lost a finger or a nand or an armas easily as this anti anil he told miss runes rimes so in dry cutting tones even while he spoke he realized suddenly that he disliked miss wines rimes intensely she was mas tin an edi cicet nurse but he recognized now that she was a dark daik unloved un lovei loveo worn wom an he had never before thought of her except as an automaton and his physical distaste for her lent an unintended heat to his rebuke she made no defense but afterward in the corridor he saw her talking with doctor bayh sw and there was a hint of tears of hysteria in her manner so doctor greed ing elatedly belatedly repented his heat and back in his office lie he summoned doctor mayhew and by way of amends bade him grant miss rimes a months full pay vacation doctor mayhew suggested doubtfully im afraid after her mistake this morning she may feel fee this is a reproof not at all doctor breeding Gre eding insisted it is simply that I 1 think thinh she is overworked tired but the other man persisted in his view and doctor breeding Gre eding reluctantly luct antly summoned miss aliss rimes himes and in doctor mayhowe May hows hews presence made amends 1 I owe you an apology miss kimes himes he confessed 1 I was tired this morning nervous and I 1 blew off steam at your ex dense im sorry she assured assure him eagerly 1 I was clumsy but when he spoke of the vacation he proposed that she should take she protested oh I 1 cant just bowl with miss johnson ill theres no one to handle work and im not tired really nonsense he said in fraternal kindliness well manage 1 I after she had left the office dr mayhew asked who will you use in her place miss ryan doctor breeding Gre eding hesitated he had not considered this problem but now he smiled in swift appreciation of the fact that luck once more had played his game but he only said guardedly 1 I have some one in mind let il I rest for now but when doctor mayhew was gone he rang for his secretary will you phone miss mary ann carlisle he directed and gave professor carlisles name and address ask her to come in and see me if she can say I 1 may have some work for her an hour later miss carlisle was announced our meeting last night may have been fortar fort urite te for us both miss carlisle he said to her 1 I dont know if my secretary told you why I 1 wished to see you she shook her head and he explained pla pIa ined my surgical nurse miss rimes has been working too hard ive given her a vacation and that leaves us shorthanded short handed naturally I 1 thought of you I 1 believe you said youve had some experience in assisting yes she agreed 1 I worked with doctor homans his specialty was the brain of course doctor breeding Gre eding commented in no hurry content to watch her to go slowly my aly work v ir more general he added however a few days will give you the routine im sure and he smiled im proposing you understand der stand tand that you come in and work with me 1 she said ive been doing special nursing but I 1 should be glad ot a more steady income she smiled family faintly As you vou in may ay imag imagine with two rather improvident professors in the family he chuckled naturally they discussed finances then suppose w wa try it he suggested it if we are both satisfied there is is no reason why you should lot sta on indefinitely even after miss rimes returns you can alternate with her and there are a lot of details outside the operating room which you can divide between you she asked calmly shall I 1 start now or report in the morning and thus swi Sivi tily the matter was arranged doctor actor breeding Gre eding drove home that afternoon in his usual easy mind the tragedy of the day before he began to dismiss as the coincidence it had appeared to be he could ignore the formless terrifying shapes that floated in the background of his so soon as he came home he alkek for nancy ashes gone into the country with uin mrs Gre breeding Grew eding ling explained to some little inn for dinner she watched her husband doubt fully lly but he said in a disarming tone 1 I 1 saw her for a moment last night when she came hone bone we had a little alk myra probably I 1 was wrong to be dogmatic yes berday to play the angry parent dans all right I 1 expect lie he hesitated conscious ot of a faint contusion As a matter ot of fact lie he said smiling at his own thoughts 11 1 I think better ot of the carlisles than I 1 1 did yesterday I 1 even engaged miss carlisle adi lisle to take miss rimes place this afternoon she stared at urn frank doubt in tier eyes neil was that wise she wondered alter after all while she may be a charming dinner partner oh I 1 shan t keep her on unless she does her work he said casu ally she s entirely enli reli too attia atti artive tive to be I 1 a nurse mrs breeding Gre eding insisted mary ann is one of these independent young women perfectly sure of herself and ot everything else resentful of conventions you make her sound dangerously fascinating he said amused and touched her arm affectionately youve always had the notion some siren would carry me away myra in spite of the fact that none has ever even tried 1 she smiled at him nonsense ned you know I 1 never worry about you my dear you never need to he be assured her gently so mrs breeding Gre eding was silenced but there was not long any doubt in doctor greetings Gre edings mind that mary ann was competent she was like a second pair of hands at the operating table she anticipated his desires before they took shape in his mind she watched his fingers and the progress of tho the operation and when he was ready for knife scissors snaps retractors he found the desired implement in I 1 her hand awaiting his grasp he found the mornings work left him fresh and free from fatigue lie he thought his own technique improved and told her so miss rimes was excellent he said but 1 I shall be tempted to overwork you even after her return you must protect yourself against my impositions she smiled and said 1 I never saw anyone whose work was at 1 she smiled and said 1 I 1 never saw anyone whose work was at once as unhurried and as swift as yours on once ce as unhurried and as swift t as YOU yours rs and he was b bi her approval absurdly pleased they progressed by degrees from acquaintance to friendship doctor breeding Gre eding committed to her attention the matter of that man whose death lie he aad mrs breeding Gre eding had witnessed 1 I saw the accident he explained pla ined it touched me for no particular reason I 1 am inclined to do something for his family if they need help of any kind he was not blind to the approval in her eyes as she promised to investigate vesti gate subsequently mary ann reported that the man was an automobile mechanic and he had been on that particular evening in haste to come to the hospital where his wife was about tu to be delivered but the accident has its compensations sat ions she confessed he appears to have been a worthless sort he used to be a chauffeur in a nice family and the daughter of the house eloped with him I 1 went to see her last night she told me that after they were married when her husband realized that her father would not support them he was furious and since then he has mistreated her abominably now that lies hes dead ashes going home forgiven happier than she could ever have been as long iong as her husband lived I 1 doctor breeding Gre eding found in this discovery a surprising satisfaction he had since the tragedy dovert warily like a stranger strange in a great plant who avoids contact with the machinery about him lest he loose forces beyond his understanding and control but now assured that this man for whose death he felt responsible was better out af the world than in it a treacherous leeling oi of infallibility took lodgment in his mind yet outwardly there was as no change in the routine of his days except anat he saw gyore and more inore of mary ann he no longari dis himself so muel about aboul nan cy ard and dan ganv nani v had ag agreed greed with him ES as to the wisdom ot of de laying for a while any tot trial an of aei engagement and he had always ba banike tike on his luck he did so now ferreh was seeing much of nancy for dan had gone to newfoundland to fish for salmon and nancys time was tree doctor and mrs breeding Gre eding kept open house every sunday aate afternoon r noon and evening and any number of people were apt to drop in casually without forewarning forewarn ine jerrell took look advantage of one of these occasions and after supper he and nancy disappeared together when later they returned jerrell joined doctor breeding Gre eding in the library they spoke at first of casual things jerrell said presently by the way nancy tells me she k knows dan dail carlisle doctor breeding Gre eding was instantly on guard you know him he asked only through his book jerrell spid that is an able piece of work A textbook not only for college classes but for business men and investors too tile the doctor smiled 1 I read it he confessed and turned the conversation into safer channels 1 I suppose youre as busy as usual just now yes jerrell assented and after a moments moment s hesitation he be explained im taping taking an interest in a new outfit associated cottons were proposing to cover the field from plantation to retailer in one way or another of course im not personally connect cd with the technical end only with the financing we issued the stock privately at ten and then had it listed its around eighteen now he looked at the ash on the end of his cigar its apt to sell off a bit this month and next he said but we expect it to hit fifty by the first of october your profession has always interested te me breeding Gre eding assented in an indifferent tone but he was not indifferent if jerrell said cottons would hit fifty it was likely to do so he filed the information in his mind 1 I never speculate myself he added unnecessarily but despite his disclaimer he telephoned next day an order to paul master who handled his investments to buy a block of cottons jerrell continued to see nancy frequently and doctor Gre breeding Greed eding mg N matching his daughter without seeming so to do thought that she was vas faintly ill at ease in the older mans company when dan came back from Newfound newfoundland iane and brought a thirteen fo arteen pound salmon to nancy doctor breeding Gre eding proposed to mrs breeding Gre eding why not invite the carlisles over for dinner well have the sal salmon salmen men I 1 mrs breeding Gre eding said sensibly 1 I expect dan would rather have steak after all he must have eaten salmon in newfoundland till he feels like one himself the doctor chuckled he wont care what he eats as long as he can be with nancy he pointed out mrs breeding Gre eding suggested 0 mr jerrell jarrell has been here so much while dan was away I 1 think nancy has enjoyed seeing him give dan a chance to repair his fences then doctor breeding Gre eding retorted he saw her surprise and said with a chuckle im not taking sides myra im for a fair fight and let the best man win dans probably all right if hes anything like his sister hes an able young man mary ann has done very well biti me ashes much the best nurse I 1 ever |