Show 2 t IN bellore glenn KIX rile STORT THUS US F faill A ri todd aleli lou wietti and small daugh barby were mrs tty try bg at t to a tolvo solve the burder of adeline till CHAPTER alx REAT IREAT GOD he is crazym crazy thorace GH orace said he pushed the hair hack back and got up with no risible risi ae unsteadiness trying to laddie me with this nonsense rhe cho easy smile came once more 0 his lips it sounds so darnab y convincing you know I 1 sup ose I 1 could 11 have ave done all that lut iut why should I 1 7 1 I had nothing 0 gain not right then said edid todd pla wildly but his face had the woodin look of strain did no one ver iver figure out how the inherit inces would work eventually very ery simple after all if miss adeline died first the judge got ill III her real estate that farm property fro perty that has been rising so phenomenally in value for the past ast few years if she outlived the fudge shed inherit his property is 13 the eldest member of the fam ly and to whom would shi she leave t to gilbert her next of kin ind to whom would the judge eave it to his own collateral descendant you could afford to et him live for a while mr tillit said todd smoothly once he had got hold of the bulk of his listers property you knew it would be yours before too long nd ind you can wait you can be parent ent if youre sure things will some ome to td you in the en end d that afternoon though you had to act to 0 o do your your best to insure that miss adeline would not outlive her brother 1 a perfect tissue of lies laid horace contemptuously so then lets face facts gil port art brought her the diamonds late ate in ia the morning according to four story the first time you saw tier her that day was late in the afternoon when she was unconscious lust just when did your great aunt tell vou FOU that shed hidden the dia bonds where no one would ever lad ind them unless it was during secret visit at two kni if you made an innocent call in n her then why you admitted tt it there was a brief silence the controllable Bs red came up again horace mary helen said in a dreadful whisper she shrank from him slowly retreating across the room it it was you t never saw that I 1 never thought of todds dodds eyes rested on her for a moment you mrs crane he said remotely well I 1 believe better sign that brother find and finish up the bustness business youve admitted its true you ou know not in so many words E but t your blood vessels give you away when anyone hits on your ule lile secrets people have been convicted of murder said todd steadily on evidence ivi ovi dence thinner than any writer would dare to use ive made out a better case for instance than the one against oscar slater was prison horace struck the table with the flat of his hand who do you think you are talking about prison you cant do anything to me nobody can touch me you suppose I 1 dont know that im TO nobody sald todd and his teeth showed white in a taunting smile touched you my friend for now youve admitted your guilt in words tits THE HE crimson flush spread until its color could be seen through horaces thinning h hair air his companions were frozen in silence he glanced round the rown rouin once and seemed almost physically to stoop under the impact of their espres biens you cant pin a thing on me he be said thickly theres no proof there never could be what if that yarn yam of yours does come near enough confession before witnesses said bald todd looking far away and what of it if I 1 signed that thing if I 1 went so far as to writs write out a statement in ia my own words and sign it you c ant take it into court it be evidence and your lies are even less nothing ive said has a slip of the tongue ton gue Ms hia voice fell off into silence he looked terrifyingly like judge at the beginning of a fit dt todds dodds agate hard eyes flicked him he tore the other typewritten sheets across and across and dropped the he fragments into his pocket lie he was still smiling faintly youre free my friend you can go anywhere you like in this country no police officer will ever tap you on the shoulder for this offense you can stay here if you like ike and try to brazen it out nobody can punish you but never again be able to lay this crime on the shoulders of a man chos with the armed forces in the th south pacific its yours youra to cany now I 1 lit it the evidence pointed to ev every cry beor em her er of at tho the family todd finally d JC Vere that six diamonds diamondi dla vert mere being worn 1 la a small gaall bax bag around mrs reab odys neck lad and that alary helon aided by the norms mime horace swung away from the table and plunged blindly from the room the door went back against the wall with an earsplitting crash THEY went quietly downstairs they got into tha car with no ceremony whatsoever and drove away she even the spirit to feel rell relieved eved walt wait a minute she said as t the h e car turned into the mai main n street did you pay horace for all those supplies the other night ta come to think of it I 1 As I 1 said before todd remarked the question of who owes whom what is a lile involved the car stopped in front of the drugstore theres plenty there he said handing her his billfold while youre inside hows about abou buying the cricket a new flashlight her old one was broken and I 1 left it behind at the house vol no barby shrieked flinging herself round in the seat 1 I dont want a new one toddy you said you had mine cousin dyke scratched my initials ou on I 1 wont have another pickling okay okay barby said todd c chuckling dont strangle me well go back if you insist pick you up p here in five minutes georgine all right she sald said plodding across the sidewalk would you get our bill mr kinter she asked the assistant im sorry if youre busy but im in a hurry 4 akl it I 1 thank you I 1 hoped clear that up the other customers looked at her with covert curiosity but she paid no attention she had caught sight bight of her face in the mirrored stand in the rear no mo reason for me to look as if id died thought georgine at least I 1 could put on some lipstick the frosted glass window near the door was annoying she concentrated cent rated on smoothing the scarlet paste onto her lips came in here she said a harsh voice the other ones drove off round the corner but yes the woman are you pleased with what youve done miss coming to this town with your fancy man and tellin lies about my famil family she came round slowly and spoke with an awful deliberation you great turn lummox mox are you talking to me 1 I am women of your sort ought to be denounced in public forcing your way in on false pretenses wagging your lying tongue about matters you never had any concern with that ought to be left in the past where when they belong and now tiow MOW trying your best to ruin my grandson im afraid youre the one fooled if you insist your grandson guilty youve known all along you why else were you so frightened of eating a meal in the house where he lived except that you thought it might be your turn next I 1 wish wed said nothing but no not because we hit on the truth because id like to see you waiting for the blow to fall on you did you think it would save you vou to let your sisters death go uninvestigated I 1 know why you were willing to because you got her property you were glad she died BROKE in on her bellowing HII HE I 1 g this time to the open enchantment chant ment of the customers who S susie labare had been searching th the title 1 in an effort to lo ni them ve ile if finally ally teemed the content consent of th the family to settle lettle the matter by the galaty party signing statement still lingered about the front of the store by god if you lived in t this his town id see to it that there were measures taken and if I 1 did live here said georgine clearly do you think id be afraid of you you vil village lage mussolini why youre nothing to me but a low minded old 0 ga gaffer affer with the manners of a barbary ape she waited with quiet satisfaction while he allowed his face to swell and turn purple while the whites of his eyes showed at the bottom and he clawed at his collar and dont pull one of those fits of yours on an me she added she kept her voice pleasantly low but in the deathly hush bush of the drugstore it was quite audible youve been searing scaring people with them for years but just as phoney as your title judge Tills Till sit lt you judge a mothers sack race ill have you run out of town the judge bellowed with remarkable agility he wheeled and plunged toward the front door not one of the customers met his eye georgine climbed into todds dodds car waiting in mid street barbas face appeared bright with interest at the window she turned an and made some remark mamma does look pretty todd said gravely in reply as georgine hoisted barby aside and sat down something baidin laid in her arms and 1 I think ashes been getting mad at someone hat ha have li it worse in fact she glanced down at her child and spoke carefully in ia a language which would have baffled any continental though todd who also had been to an american america n high school understood her perfectly jal jai juste fafty said georgine un terrible scene en pub lique avee abec ce vieux chameau chabeau le ie juge she looked round with interest he is s going into the police station how do you suppose they run people out of this town with a mounted posse Is that what he thre threatened atene d to do said todd grinning what a pity were just on our way outi out anyway 1 I thought of that said georgine blithely and so of course there thera is ia only one thing to do dodge him somehow and stay here until weve finished all our bustness business his head turned sharply yes what I 1 mean youve got the ring and the license all lined up be sinful to waste them and seeing as its you todd were willing to take a chance with you a million times over arent we barby sure said barby uncomprehending but game todd complied his face rigid but his mouth mout h now and then twitching faintly all at once she was enveloped in a sort of emotional fog that nearly overwhelmed her but this is absurd she told herself just before her mind went blank i ive been married before I 1 sho ant be acting like then her hands and feet went cold as ice dimly s she he heard barby expostulating dimly felt a peculiar sensation as aa 1 of being taken away that must bu be her own voice miles away muttering some kind of response to urgent someone was gripping her hand s steadying tea dying her 11 man and wife said another voice through the mist an and may I 1 wish you every bapp happiness in ess perhaps like to sit down mrs mckinnon vision cleared she looked HEH down at the sapphires sapp hires on her left hand yes she must have got married her head turned and she caught sight of barby who stood blissfully clutching an armload of pampas grass they had it right hue here in the parlor mamma barby said and you have a bouquet but you promised me 1 I could hold yours ours when you got married ani and I 1 1 I see darling enough now pampas grass thought georgine Georg lne wildly and me in an old jersey dress ive worn six days something dignified arid and lovely it a simple ceremony that we could remember always well 1 that last part was true enough said todd heartily rev pat ton I 1 cant thank you elou enough gh for realizing the uh nature natura of the emergency finest wedding I 1 have ever been to the judge was siding on the sidewalk in ia front of the police station he watched the bridal car go 90 ly with growing incredulity with visible horror he be goggled goggle d a at t the three beaming faces turned toward him and his mouth dropped slowly open THE END |