Show 0 L I 1 V et arm ato 0 b U 41 4 1 D vim E lac h CHAPTER vil VII continued why youre nothing but a ladys dnald jane youve youre been I 1 home I 1 ome tire five days darg and I 1 bad a chance tj ti say ray ten words to you now dont mis mia understand d I 1 ers land me im fond of aunt josephine VI se alne great brent fun but hang it til all right smack in the lie center of f the stage nil the tinie time it fair tune you yon cant go eo on being a slave to her she she has bus always had bad some one to walt wait on her oliver said jane 1 I dont mind I 1 am reales very fond of her and she la Is just beginning to care for me at first I 1 think site she was nias a little afraid of me she believe that I 1 was real the other day in chicago she suddenly derAy reached out and touched my arin and said it seem po possible sIble that you ever equalled Equal led and made the ill hideous for me and your poor father I 1 cant believe that you ere the same little baby I 1 used to fondle and spank when I 1 any older than you are now besides oliver I 1 like doing things for iier her it makes father happy but it make roe me happy he be grumbled then his big face brightened she great lost last night when she he pot got started on uncle norace and and all this hullabaloo hes stirring up the fourth day after his cifes return to Ru rumley niley sir lit sage blurted out the question that had lain captive in his mind lor for weeks it if it Is a fair question my iny dear would you mind 1 we me just why you came back to me she leaned back lit iu her chair and studied the ceiling for a few minutes before answering 1 I may BB as well be hone honest st about it herby she said changing her position to ld meet his perplexed gaze with one that was absolu absolutes tey free from guile culle 1 I came back bach because they were through with me aver there I 1 was getting passe in fact I 1 was quite passe they were be beginning inning to cast me for old women find anil character parts two or three years ago they started my funeral services by seeing what I 1 could do with shakespeare I 1 was through sly MY musical comedy days were over the stage was crowded with young women who could dance without wheezing like a horse with the heaves and whose voices crack in the middle register people want to see me aie in musical comedy any longer and they see me in anything else im fifty three herbert clerbert between you and me mind you and just the right age to be a preachers wife so I 1 made made up my mind to retire you notice herby I 1 cable to ask it if I 1 could come home I 1 cabled that thai I 1 was on the willy way now you yon know the secret of 0 my homecoming by the way ive put by a I 1 little money quite a sum in fart fact so you mu sint regard roe me as a charity patient well pool our resources ind and when the time comes for you to step down and out of the pulpit for the same reason that I 1 chucked tile stage why nell is have daou b raf lite lire on for the rest of our dayt days you wont have to write sermons and preach em and I 1 thant shant have to listen to them its an a adful ful thing to say but well both have to mend our ways if we want our grandchildren to lo 10 love ve us ul ile he laid his arm itani over her shoulder and and 2nd gently caressed her cheek you are still pretty much enuch of a lagan jo was all that he be taid bald but lie be was smiling dut cut you are jolly wel pleased to have me back arent you more overjoyed than I 1 can tell you no doubts no misgivings no uneasiness over what I 1 may do or say to shock the worshipers 1 I have confidence in your ability as ea an ac actress treEs josephine he said 1 I nm am sure you can play the part of a lady us its well as anything else she ald bed score one ode she said then file sprang to her fee act A the old light of mischief in her whid wonderful erfal eyes but going 1 in happen when I 1 spring all my spangles on the innocent pub public ll 1 I shudder when I 1 think of it bald sald ile he lifting 1118 eyes heavenward 1 I saved every respectable costume co ie worn in the last ten years and some that are shocking TN twelve eive trunks full of them never mind old dear I 1 shant disgrace you ive got a few cost costumes unies I 1 will put on in private tor for you bless your heart herby dont look so hor rifled rif leil ive still got rny ray marriage certificate though god only knows where it Is he cleared his throat ive got it my dear you neglected to take it away with you when you von left she smiled well I 1 daresay it was safer with you than it would have hae been with me it wa was tile the four fourth tb week eek 1 in september when the detectives arrived to in tile the city editor of the dt despatch s interviewed detective I alone the chief operative in charge of 0 what hat the newspaper man was jocosely Joco lelY inclined to ej classify as tile the expedition where do you intend to begin excavating cava ting mr malone inquired tile the editor notebook in hand mr air lalone was mas aery frank shout it in ill china chill bald aid he be were abing to work ork from the bottom up if go 90 out to tile the swamp tomorrow and ant put your ear car to tile the ground aull hear gneiss voices but you wont understand 4 word they say ay be sp speak eakin ln Chin chinese esp 11 tile editor yea rei him in a cold dal s ml chi dunlin I 1 he grunted alt cintr il noti notebook bholi that shut its f sy by george harr barr mccutcheon service copyright bell syndicate good thing youve got your chinese army because you wont be able to get anybody to work tor for you la a this I 1 town own 11 1 I guess gness up to the authora ties said the detect detective Jve coolly im i here to boss the job all that afternoon the sheriff and the prosecuting attorney stopped election beering long enough to pay a hasty visit to oliver half an hour later they left detective malone and bis big partner who lind had joined the lie county officials at the baxter house remained behind they we were re smoking olivers cigars ilow how long do you figure it will take you rou mr malone to finish up the job inquired the young man malone squinted at the treetops tree tops our instructions are to work slowly and surely it may take six or eight weeks in other words you are not ex pecked to be through before election day unless Un leis we find what we are after before that time mr baxter said the other iab its a big job as you can see for yourself like looking tor for a needle in a haystack ell eh Cliar lIeV nis his partner nodded ills his head in silent assent well go out and take a walk around the swamp tomorrow said malone if youve got the time hine to spare mr baxter you might nit lit stroll out with us now to the lie place where you last saw your tather father then ill want to question your servants it seems that he be Is supposed to have come home to change his clothes after be said goodby good g by to you ile he did not say goodby good by to me corrected ed oliver we parted in finger anger do you know a man named peter nines mr baxter Baxt erTl 1 asked malone abruptly pete sines certainly lie ile Is a tenant of tny my fathers lives in a shack up at the other end of the 1 W 1 14 V atje R 10 As I 1 understand it its you and he sat for sprite same tone time on that log over therel there t swamp ue ile has done odd jobs for us since I 1 cla cin remember lie he also does most ot of the he drinking fur the estate he be concluded dryly A coupe sour e eh eb ive never dever known him to be completely sober and ive ine never heard of him being completely drunk 1 cy by tle way have you ever seen me before today not to my knowl knowledge edke well bald malone SI alone with a twinkle twill le in ills his eye ive boon been around fill this bins since last monday five days in all 11 im tile fellow that sold sirs mrs grimes the beautiful r set et of jane akstens Au works borka day before yesterday I 1 RISO also sold an unexpurgated ret net ot of the arabian nights to mr I 1 ar samuel parr lie tells me your father carried raeda a life policy I 1 tried to r sell e I 1 I 1 a 11 set ot of dickens to rev nev sir mr sage and succeeded in having a long talk with lifs ills daughter ive had dealings with mr gibes and mr air link bankw Ban lerLan lansing lancing john phillips and a number ot of other citizens male and female he laughed quietly of course the books will never lie be delivered mr baxter shall we stroll down to the swamp mr baxter baiter or would you rather wait a day or two were in no hurry burry you see P this Is obvious said oliver curtly 1 1 I I inus inest t notify you mr air malone Maloi ie that it if you or any of your workmen slip blip into one of those pit pits of mire out there and never come up tip again I 1 am not to be held accountable ol o 1 said malone cheerily tilley were well veil around the corner of the house on their way to the swamp s w amp road before oliver spoke again you are at liberty to jo so go as far out as you please however mr malone 1 I said gald malone crisply 1 I am an old hand at this business I 1 dont believe such a thing exists as a I 1 0 it a bottomless pit Now Just where w waa as it that you and your father parted company that night As I 1 understand it yon and he be tint slit for some lome time on 0 that log ing over there it was a cleat clear night and the rood road was wa very dusty there had bad been no rain in over three weeks ant am I 1 right oliver stared at him in amazement the ills other detective had bad turned down the slope and was striding off toward the nearest ditch you toil seem to be pretty well posted 1 said bald lie ile bis big eyes narrowing well I 1 am an inquisitive sort of cuss drawled malone at and I 1 d im not eliat flat call an idle person who told you we were sitting on that log we did sit there for 10 or 15 minutes that was before we began to quaff quarrel el then we got up and walked on a 4 little farther down the road we stood there arguing for nearly halt half an hour hone cut but I 1 nho lio told you we sat on that log if you dont mind ril not answer that question said malone you asked me a while ago it if I 1 had bad seen pete nines hines that night was iva it peter nines malone hesitated well it was pete illges who Is supposed to have seen you ton mr air baxter but it was not lie he who told me about it CHAPTER vill VIII ablow A blow for sammy malone changed the subject abrupt ly a great fish figh story they tell about tile the gypsy prophesying be huns hung before you were thirty 1 if you will excuse me mr malone I 1 must be getting bock back to the house its nearly 7 and I 1 am expect Ing people to dine with me said 01 oliver 11 a little coldly im sorry ive detained you said bald the detective apologetically ill stroll back with you if von veil dont mind where Is your partner inquired oliver looking out over the swamp charlie oh hell be along directly lie ile is seeing about it how OW long it would take a man to walk out to the edge of the mire and back said bald malone coolly oliver looked at him sharply so the idea eh be remarked after a moment we intend to conduct this investigation ga in an open and above aboveboard board manner mr baxter and I 1 shall be open and aboveboard with you mr malone said bald oliver a trace of irony in his big voice 11 1 I hope therefore that you wont take it amiss if I 1 suggest that the sensible thing thin for your man to do would be to make his calculations at night when progress would naturally be a great deal slower and infinitely more hazardous 11 aie taken that into account announced the detective looking straight ahead 1 I was about to say that lt its g going to tah take e a good deal of tight squeezing mr baxter to get you indicted tried and executed inside of 0 the next 30 days the vale time is pretty short eh lie ile lau laughed glied jovially oliver turned turied on him film ill knock your d d head eidd ON off malone if you make any more cracks like that remember that nill all youl you he cried hotly malone was genuinely surprised he went very red in the face yes lie he said thickly ill be sure to remember it oliver apologized to malone as they were on the point of separating la in front of the house they bad traversed tile the hundred yards or more in silence 1 I am sorry I 1 spoke to you as lis I 1 did mr malone I 1 hope you will overlook it malone held out his big hand band ive been spoken to a good bit rougher than that ID my time mr baxter and never turned a hair he sald said good 1 I dont blame you ton for calling me down I 1 guess I 1 was fresh but I 1 assure you I 1 moan mean to be A little later on oliver sat on Ms his front porch waiting tor for his guests to arrive mrs Gr grimes illies in lier her snug fit fin ting black silk dress rocked ampa in a chair nearby the guests wore late its josephine sage she observed crossly breaking a long silence shet the one making le cm I 1 I 1 late a te ile he looked lit at ills his watch its only aunt serepta only 15 lill minutes late ive been losing my tem per ir again lie he said bald gloomily probably made an enemy of that detective maluno what difference does that make iles hes not a voter in this county said the old lady composedly compose ily nere ere they come goodness the way that parr boy drives I 1 he ought to be locked up for but oliver was at the bottom of tb the steps waiting for the automobile it swung slung around the curve in the drive and came to an unbelievably gentle stop TO BE BB CONTINUED |