Show PROLOGUE 1 one of the morning trains that hint ta tup the little towns along the sound run rail into the llie grand central depot the passengers few to lu number for it wai midsummer rod and people were going out of town not coming in filed gilogly up the long ions platform to the alie exit exil one of then was a girl fair and young with those distinctive attributes of good looks and ant style that drew mens eyes to her face and to her clothes people watched tier her noting the lithe grace of her wove movements ments tier lier delicate sli slimness the froth of blonde hair that envied curled out under tile the brim of tier her lint hal slie site appeared to the interests site she aroused abou arou aed find and this india orence had once been natural for to be looked at and admired had been tier her normal right and become a stale experience now it was assumed an ail armor under i which aich she sought protection hid bid herself from morbid curiosity anti and eagerly observing eyes to be pointed out as sybil saunders the actress was a very different tiling thing front being pointed out as sibil shil saunders tile the fiancee of james dallas of the alie dallas parkinson case the dallas dalias case lind had been a ns ution three mouths hack back james jame dallas a well known actor had killed iworner parkinson Par kluson during a quarrel in a mens club rind and fled before tile horil fled onlookers could collect their ic mases uses dullas dallas IS a man of excellent character had had bad many friedda who claimed mitigating circumstances parkinson drunk and brutal had bad provoked the assault hut but the parkinson lau dau new rich oil people breathing vengeance had rl risen en to the cause of their kinsman poured out money in nn art efrost to 11 bring tile the aug fug fugitive etive to justice rind and offered a reward of text ten thou finial dollars fur for his arrest of course sybil saunders had figured in the investigation vesti esti gation she was the betrothed of tile murderer their marriage had been at hand she had gone through hours of relentless grilling grilli fig and lind had steadily maintained I 1 lier er ignorance of dallas whereabouts from the slight night of its his disappearance she hall had lichard nothing from him and knew nothing of him the Parkin sons did not belleve believe tier her statement ent the police 1 U were ere uncertain tier her taxi rolled out into the sweltering hent heat incandescent streets roaring boarin miller mider the lie blinding glare of the llie sun HIT her destination was tile ace office of if stroud and walberg theatrical managers nc rs mr walberg offered tier lier a friendly land hand and a chair mr air wal val lerg a kindly hebrew was kindlier llian ilian ever to this particular visitor lit lie was sorry for her as who in Ms ills was not rind and wanted to helo ln in tier along and here was lila ills apropo tation A committee of ladles a high dulety HM loty bunch summering up in maine to give a play for charity charlta thomas IN driscoll it llie ie spool cotton cotton magnate who was tit in california had littered them his place up there agull gull land was the name tor fol an outdoor no for formanek manee the ladles had wanted at 11 lassie classic which mr walberg opined opened was mil hit right seeing the show was wait for and people could stand belne tred t red tor for a worthy object twelfth alil was waa tile the olay they had selected 1 I llie lie ladles had placed the matter in ini clr r dalbergs Wal bergs hands and lie had at aico thought of sybil saunders for niola aoi she was in his opinion the ideal person compensation was riot nol 10 1 0 munificent but then miss e biti ars was not yet in tile the star cast and all expenses would lie ile covered in cli elbing King a week tit nt gull island ile II 11 had need no for further pers m shin ion for miss saunders rs accepted nt at idine slie site was wag grateful to illin him and bill bl d ro BO and looked as it site she meant it so in a glow clow of r r lih they walked to the door mr walberg telling tiler 01 er such met members abers of tile the ai Us as hail had already we bren en engaged grey grev for the Duke isabel bame onibell oni fell 11 for marts maria jolin john gordon tre or for sir tuby toby no one could beat |