OCR Text |
Show 1 By eIiLIE LOmGfi - ' kJAjLZ- WNU Service. LA "vi-Xt! 1 SYNOPSIS THE STORY SO FAR: Running away from marriage to Ned Paxton, rich but a gay blade, Janice Trent becomes secretary secre-tary In an Alaska wilderness camp over (the protest of Bruce Harcourt, a long time friend. Bruce is chief engineer, succeeding Joe Hale, deposed for negli fence. Miliicent Hale, his wife, Is also attracted to Bruce. Janice tells Ned Paxton she is married to Harcourt. The Latter overhears her and Insists on an immediate marriage. The newlyweds are Interrupted at home that night by Mrs. ! Hale who says her husband has been I shot dead. She exclaims: "If yon had I only waited Bruce." Bruce spends the night Investigating the murder. When Jimmie Chester, Millicent's brother, runs off In a plane Bruce brings him back. In the meantime, Ned Paxton Invites ! the women to his yacht. Janice and he, and two natives, leave in a launch fto view a volcano closer. Suddenly It erupts. The boat is stranded on a lonely beach. The two natives run off with the launch. Paxton and Janice spend a fearful fear-ful night. Their fire keeps the wolves away. Bruce comes to the rescue finally. Now continue with the story. di. W : The Indian bared yellow teeth In a woifisa smile. 1 ' CHAPTER XVm V Harcourt's voice shook. "Nothing up my sleeve, dear, but eats in the cockpit." "And smokes?" Her voice spoke betrayingly. "Ned has suffered untold un-told tortures since his last cigarette. ciga-rette. He has been wonderful, Bruce, but he is so exhausted I was frightened. Thank God, you've come. You're so so staunch, so brown, so so heart-warming." Bruce Harcourt tapped on the door of Janice's room. No answer. He glanced at his wrist-watch. Ten o'clock. He tapped again. Dead to the world probably, tired child. Immediately upon landing on the flying field soon after dawn, she had gone to the H house, two of the men had rowed Paxton out to his yacht. He hated to waken her, but the Commissioner wanted to push the investigation. Chester was up, bandaged, grim-lipped, ashen. They " needed Jan to take stenographic notes. He lifted the latch, entered the room. She lay as in a rosy cloud, bare arms outspread as if she had flung herself face down In utter exhaustion. Her hair which waved to the shoulders of her orchid or-chid pajama blouse still showed damp traces of a shampoo. Her hands were scratched and burned. On one a circlet of diamonds emitted emit-ted tiny sparks. His ring. With a sudden surge of love and longing he pressed his lips to her ' bare arm. He spoke softly twice before she stirred. She opened the one visible eye, gazed up at him unseeingly, as though her spirit were struggling back from a far country, sat up with a start. A delicate flush spread to the little damp curls at her temples. "Bruce! What are you doing here?" He felt his color mount to match hers. "I knocked and knocked. You i didn't answer so I walked in. The Commissioner wants you to take notes. Feel equal to it?" She was pulling on a satin coat colored like a Persian amethyst. "Equal to it! I? The silly season must be on when you ask me such a question. I'll be with you in just ten minutes." As he lingered at the feot of the bed, she added crisply, that is, unless I'm detained by Hers." He laughed. "I'm going." As he strode along the board walk he relived the few moments before the charred shack, when he had held Janice in his arms. Did her motion at seeing him come from any deeper feeling than relief at being rescued? The question lay like an undertone under-tone in his mind as he conferred with the Commissioner and his deputy dep-uty in the Samp living-room. Jimmy Chester appeared unconscious of the black-robed woman beside him who clutched at his hand with its dark seal-ring. The Commissioner sensed her appealing loveliness if Jimmy didn't, Bruce Harcourt told himself, him-self, as he noted the official's furtive fur-tive glances in her direction. The eyes of Martha Samp were on the same business, as she sat stiff-jointed as a marionette in the wing-back chair. Miss Mary, in a low rocker, ! " ' was darning a sock. She looked up ai Janice entered in a navy blue frock with collar and cuffs of exquisite ex-quisite fineness. "My dear! My dear! I lived centuries cen-turies last night. I didn't know how you had grown into my heart until until " she wiped her eyes. "Martha was right when she said where you were was home for her and me." Janice left a kiss on her soft gray hair before she took the chair with a broad arm which the deputy fussily fussi-ly placed for her. The Commissioner looked up from his notes. "Bring in the Indian girl." Miss Mary padded out of the room breathlessly, her usually serene face crinkled with anxiety. . Tatima swayed in on the heels j ' of the younger Samp sister. Her . practical work-dress was a maze of brilliant color, her blue beads were . her only ornament. Her great dark eyes smoldered, she tossed her superb su-perb head as she met the Commissioner's Commis-sioner's grilling eyes. ; "Hear you've had a present late- ly." "Who, me?" "Yea, you. who gave you that silver jewelry you were swaggering round in?" "Who tole you I w'at you say, swagger?" "Answer my question. Who gave you the silver?" "Kadyama." "Is that true?" He turned to the lowering Indian, who stood awkwardly awk-wardly twisting a soft hat in his hand. "Yes. I geeve it. She marry on me." "Cost a lot of money, didn't it? Where'd you get the cash?" Kadyama shot the inquisitor a murderous glance before he motioned mo-tioned with his thumb. "Pasca pay money he owe." Harcourt stared incredulously at his house-boy. Pasca with money! "Is this true? Did you pay Kadyama Kady-ama money?" Pasca looked furtively at Chester. Did he answer with a slight nod or was it a figment of his own hectic imagination, Harcourt wondered. "Yes sirree. I pay Kadyama much money. Leetle game we had. I lost. He want long time I pay." "Where'd you get it?" "He geeve it me." All eyes followed fol-lowed his nod toward the couch. "Mm. You say that Mr. Chester Ches-ter gave it to you. Know where he got it?" "How I know where he get it? He mak much money p'raps. All engineers engi-neers mak much money." "Why did he give it to you?" "Meester Chester, he say to me, T geeve you two hun'ed dollar you help me.' He nice fella. I say 'Sure.' " "How did he want you to help him?" "He say he must mak quick getaway get-away in plane the fella you sen' for finger-print man go in. I help your man, honest lak, then Meester Chester Ches-ter pull heem out hard. I help Meester Chester get off, den lock up your man. Meester Chester pay me two hun'ed dollar. I pay Kadyama. Yes sirree." "Is this true, Chester?" "Yes." "Where'd you get that money? Hale's roll?" A contemptuous smile touched the corners of Jimmy Chester's blanched lips. "No. I've never needed to steal from my brother-in-law." "Then where " "Just a minute, Commissioner. I wish next you'd ask Kadyama why he wasn't at the squaw-dance the night Joe Hale was shot. Why he was hanging round the back door of the Hale cabin." Grant's voice caught in a gulp, his green eyes blazed with excitement. Kadyama started to bolt. Grant caught him. "Come across, Kadyama." The Commissioner sat forward in his seat. "Yes, Kadyama come across." A speck of foam bubbled at the corners of the Indian's lips, his eyes burned deep ruby lights. "Aw right, I tell. I went to Hale cabin good chance one, two dance goin', everybody there, he alone, to tell heem Tatima my squaw." "Did you tell him?" "Never had no chance. I go in back door. Look roun' screen. Meester Mees-ter Hale sit in wheel-chair countin' roll of money. I tink, now's my time. I step out not quick enough front door open, slow slow " "Go on! Who came in that door?" Kadyama pointed to the couch. "Chester! I thought so. What did Hale do when he came in?" Kadyama sniffed contempt. "You tink you pretty smart fella, catch me, huh? Not Meester Chester come in. She, Mees Hale." He pointed to the woman who sat, fair head bent, clutching her brother's hand. Miliicent! She had said that she had found Hale dead! Harcourt crushed back dismay, to listen. "Mrs. Hale. Are you sure?" "Let me speak." "Sit down, Chester, your turn will come. Go on, Kadyama, what happened hap-pened next?" "Meester Hale, he begin to talk loud an' hard. Vera fast. Mees Hale say nothin'. She open table drawer, tak out somelhin'. She laugh, she say: " 'See this revolver, Joe? I borrowed bor-rowed it. Bully in you skulk when Jimmy t'reatcn you. I try it. If you say one word more. I fire.' He curse, jump for her, he catch re volver way from her' han', it fire, he fall. I go." . The occupants of the room sat as still as though under the spell of a necromancer. Miliicent Hale rose, caught the mantel shelf to steady herself. "Kadyama is telling the truth. I had seen my husband cringe before be-fore my brother's threat. I thought, 'Perhaps I've been too easy, perhaps per-haps Joe will have more respect for me if I defy him." I had been frightfully unhappy. It seemed as though I couldn't go on another day. I was crazed with despair." Her voice, which had been broken, steadied. stead-ied. She straightened, cast off confusion, con-fusion, fear, like a princess discarding discard-ing a tattered . cloak. "Believe me or not, I had not the slightest intention inten-tion of shooting my husband. I didn't even know the revolver was loaded. I had never had one in my hand before I took Mr. Harcourt's Har-court's down from the wall and hid it in our cabin. Before I could make my grandstand play of aiming it, Joe had caught it. It went off. He fell. Terrified, I tried to lift him. Horrified, I realized what had happened. hap-pened. I would be accused of shooting shoot-ing him, I, who never in my life had hurt anything. What should I do? A roll of money lay at his feet. I tucked it into the bosom of my gown. Crazed, I picked up the revolver, stole down to the shore, flung it into the water. I raced and stumbled to the H house to tell Bruce Harcourt what had happened. He would advise me what to do. When he opened the door I remembered remem-bered that that he was married mar-ried I called out something, then the room went black." She dropped to the couch. Her brother put his bandaged arm about her. The Commissioner's eyes were points of steel as he regarded them. "If that's true " he held up his hand as Miliicent Hale opened her lips. "I believe you. Only a fool would doubt your story why in the devil did you make your get-away, Chester?" "It was a dumb move. When Harcourt Har-court told me that his revolver had been stolen, the remembrance of my sister's laugh after I had threatened threat-ened her husband flashed through my mind. I remembered the questions ques-tions she had asked, the interest she had shown in the holster on the H house wall the afternoon we were decorating for the party. I was certain that she had shot him. I felt responsible. I had put the fool idea into her head. I didn't realize it was an accident. I thought if I got away you would think I did it. It would give us time to figure out the best thing to be done." The Commissioner glared at Kadyama. Kady-ama. "Why haven't you told of what you saw?" The Indian bared yellow teeth in a wolfish smile. "Why I tell? Much obliged to Mees Hale. She save me much trouble p'raps prison. I help her. W'en you say I shoot heem den plenty time to tell." "It didn't occur to you that coming com-ing across with the truth was the best thing to be done, I suppose, Chester?" "Sakes alive, Mr. Commissioner, it occurred to me." Martha Samp's agate eyes sparkled. "You you suspected the truth all this time?" The Commissioner's diction suggested a skipping motor-engine. motor-engine. "I did. I told you I heard her and her husband quarreling. I didn't try to hear what they said. I slipped away as I told you, thinkin' that while ice-cream might be coolin' to the tongue, 'twouldn't do much to tempers. That night when I went j to the H house an' found her skirts j all wet and draggled, I suspected; when I found this tucked in her j bodice I knew." She drew a roll of bills from her pocket, tossed it to the table. Color darkened the Commissioner's face. His fingers twitched with anger. ! "You've let us sweat blood over this when all the time you knew! Why didn't you tell, woman?" i Martha Samp rose in impressiva ; dignity. "You came here like a lord. Just thought I'd see how a real live official handled a case I've got my knowledge from the papers, an' I'll say right now. reports are much more interesting than the real thing as conducted bv vou." (TO RE COyTIMEDJ j |