OCR Text |
Show JOSSELYN'S WIFE CHAPTER XVI Continued 18 To Ellen the air wraw suddenly thick ami Knit: the felt It pressing gainst her. "No wait a minute, Ai:ntle! Gc.fge finrl Joe, too come Id here don't cJ !" she stammered. She aalf-dnigjrrd, half led them Into the little parlor. "All stay," she said In a dry whisper. Joe had run for a glass ef water, and now beside the chair Into which (h-orge hal put her, and hehl It to her IIj.h. "Thanks, dear," Bhe whispered. Hit eyes moved ahoiit from face to face, and her lips moved drily. Then suddenly she made a Rreat ft niggle, as If for air. "My find, she's dying!" Mrs. Baldwin Bald-win ex.-lalmed But Ellen her.-,elf an-iwerod an-iwerod her: "No. fiuntlo no, I'm all right!" And tightening one tiand on Joe's, and with the other clinging to George, she mild at last: "I've f;mnd out who did Ir, (Jenrct I know who fired that shot !" A silence spread Ilka a fog over the linle nit i i ng room They all looked at her without speaking "I'll 'ell you about It " Ellon said, after "mother drink of water. "I! happened I mean rny learning about It half an hour a.'o. I;nt I didn't rlare do anything until (leurp got liere." She had so far recovered her composure (hat she could rise now, and she spoke In an almost oennal one. "floorge," she said, "I want you to sit here, and Joe and auntie, will yon tro hack Into the buck room: just behind the curtains, so that you can bear everything?" And, us tbey ho-wildercdly ho-wildercdly but eagerly obeyed her Instructions, In-structions, she stepped to the hall door, and called "Lizzie!" Immediately Lizzie came downstairs, down-stairs, as white as Ellen was. with Tommy clinging to her band. The little boy came running In to his mother, and Ellen caught him In her arms. "Here's Uncle Clonrge, dear!" she Raid. Tommy Indifferently felt himself him-self drawn between the man's knees, floorge looked dazed at Ellen. "Now, Tom," his mother said casually, "I want you to do something for me. And If you do It nicely, I'm going to read to you for one whole hour tnpltrht !" "Will you really, moth?" Tommy asked, his eyes dancing. "Yes, I truly will. Tommy, I want yon to tell Uncle George about that night nt Whealley Hills, when you came down you know tell him nil about It!" Tommy was looking at her with a guilty child's doubt of his reception. "Grandpa told me to!" he asserted, In self-defense. "I was a captain, and he told me to!" George glanced fit Ellen: they exchanged ex-changed one look. "I was telling Tommy a little about the reason why we left Whealley Hills," Ellen explained. "And he told , me why he liked Whentley Hills. Go on, dear." Tommy, encircled by George's arm had his mouth close to the man's ear. lie spoke In a half-proud, half shamed voice. "I said I was sorry nbout grandpa, because I liked to play In his study! And I said he let me fire his pistol." And the man and woman exchanged ex-changed a look of consternation. ."Come! A kid like you couldn't I flre s real pistol," George said scoff- "Well, I did fire It!" Tommy burst . out boastfully. "With two fingers on the trigger! I said I was a captain and he said I oughtenter be afraid of my gun. I fired It two times. He told me to !" Tommy Illustrated with a dramatic gesture. Ellen saw George swallow, with a dry throat. She heard him whisper "My Ood!" "But, Tom how's that? You mean to tell me you fired the revolver like that about the room?" he asked the child. "Well-a," Tommy stammered, "it never went off those first two times ; It didn't make any noise. And lie said 'Good boy, old Tommy!'" Ellen caught a quick breath. She bad heard him call the child that a hundred times. "He said 'Good boy!'" George repeated, re-peated, "and then you pointed at him?" "No, then he told me about spies, lie told me all nbout them. And then I said, 'If you were a spy, grandpa, I'd fix you!' And he said, 'All right. 'm a spy. I surrender.' And he said to me I must say, 'Have you anything to say for that," Tommy stumbled. "Why he shouldn't be shot, you know," he explained. "I see," George said, glancing nt i Ellen. "So I said that, and he said no, he didn't have, and I took the pistol npiin and shot at him. But that time," Tommy went on serenely. "It did go off! I thought it had burst. And some snume came out. And grandpa sat like tins " He dropped into a chair In terrible verisimilitude to the still form they bad found in the study three months ago. Ellen glanced again at George: he was as paie as she. "nd then what. Tom?" "Then I went over to him. and shook his arm, and he didn t wake up. I t nought he was fooling. And I took the pistol and threw It away In the basket. I said: 'Grandpa, please vake up!' but he wouldn't. So I nm " the door and called for Lizzie. I called seventy r twenty-five times, I - By KATHLEEN NORRIS Copyright by Kathleen Nonl "I see I see, of course, but tell roe," said George, "where was Lizzie?" "Why, she was up In mother's room I wasn't sure that grandpa was fooling, fool-ing, though maybe he was. I was afraid purraps I'd hurt him " "Then why didn't you run and tell mother at once If you thought so?" "Well-a I didn't think I could have hurt him much because he didn't say 'Ouch' or anything," Tommy elucidated eluci-dated cheerfully. "And then I thought maybe Lizzie would be cross at me for getting out of bed." "Get ring out of bed?" "Yes. when I went downstairs. But she was still In mother's nom when I got upstairs, so I got Into bed and thought I'd tell her grandpa wanted to see her when she came back." "And why didn't you. Tommy?" "I don't remember. I guess I went to sleep." "And what made you go downstairs In the first place, Tommy?" bis mother asked, her voice trembling in spite of her effort for control. "I couldn't go to sleep because yon and Lizzie were talking so loud and Lizzie was crying. I looked out Into the ball, the door was open and grandpa was there and I asked him what be was doing and he said he was sending a telegram" "Yes, that's perfectly correct," George said. "We found It on the ball table." "So then he said, 'Come on down and pay me a visit, old scout!' and I went. And mother told me next day he was sick," Tommy went on pleasantly, pleas-antly, as he worked busily with the swivel of George's watch chain, "so purraps that was when he was beginning begin-ning to feel n little bit sick. If I was a spy, and they caught me," Tommy added va inglorlously, "I'd shoot so fast, and my horse would ride so fast, that I'd get away from them, whether they liked It or not! I'd " "Listen, Tom," George said. "Down at my place at Sands Point, do you know what I've got? I've got a shaggy little gentleman who came from the isle of Shetland " "A pony!" Tommy whispered, his eyes alight. "Mother, ns he really got a pony?" he asked, digging his dark hair Into his mother's shoulder, and smiling in bashful delight. "I suppose he lias," Ellen answered, smiling. "And that pony," George said Impressively, Im-pressively, "will be your pony If you'll do something for me. Tommy glanced at his mother, actually ac-tually pale with Joy. "Mother he Is going to give me that pony!" he said, on an excited breath. "Oh, mother, can I have a pony? He can stay at Hewlett's." he decided swiftly. "Until we can have a little stable built for him! I could build It or if a man came to do some of it. I could help him. All you need is planks and nails " "But how about doing something for me?" George asked. "Sure!" said Tommy, in the manlike, man-like, careless voice befitting the owner of a pony. "I'll do anything." "I want you to come over to Mine-ola Mine-ola with mother and me," George said. "And tell all this to a man there a friend of mine all about your grandfather, you know, and the whole thing!" "Why?" asked Tommy, round-eyed. "That's just what I don't want you to ask, Tommy, and just what I can't very well explain to you. I don't ask you why you want this pony," George said pointedly. "Now, this man will ask you lots of questions," he went on. "and you must answer them. And If you enn't remember anything, just say so." "All right !" Tommy agreed indifferently. indif-ferently. "Has he got a saddle?" "Mother's going to give you n saddle," Ellen promised. She called Lizzie. "Lizzie, will you take Tommy upstairs and rend to him. and talk about the pony?" she asked, with a significant look. And when they were gone she turned to George, and she and George and Joe stared at each other. "That is the most extraordinary thing that has come to me In the entire course of my profession," George said, slowly, as If he had been stunned. "I must get hold of Ryan at once. There's a point or two what do you make of his saying he fired the pistol twice?" "Lizzie's story agrees with that 1 She had loaded It with only one shell." Ellen supplied quickly. "All the chambers but one were empty ;" "It was like the old man I could hear his voice," George mused, "'I surrender!' If I can get hold of Ryan ! Ellen, could you take the child over there at once?" "Anything anywhere !" Her face clouded. "But, George, they won't take that baby into court they won't cross-examine Tommy?" "No no!" he said, smiling. "He'll simply talk to him. and it w-)!l he taken down. You may trust Tjmmy to me." "And, George do y-.a think? Is there any hope? Might they really clear Gibbs for a thing like this?" He put a hand on her shoulder, as i he stood looking fearfully up at him. I Ellen never forgot the joy. the tenderness, ten-derness, the sympathy In his eyes. "My dear girl my dear girl I think that In a few days Gibbs will walk Into this house with iou , have dinner with the captain and Aunt Elsie!" The ecstasy of real hope, after the weeks of pretense! The joy of action ac-tion and hurry after so many days when there had been nothing to do! It was a lowering winter day, but to Ellen It seemed as If the sun of June were shining. It was a strange drive, over snowy roads, and between bare fields. It was Sunday, and In the villages young people were laughing and talking, talk-ing, as they lounged about station platforms and candy stores. Tommy talked incessantly, ami everybody ev-erybody talked to Tommy with unusual un-usual graelousness. Every foot of the eight-mile trip had long ago become drearily familiar to Ellen, on her dally drives to and fro, but It had never seemed as long as It did today. to-day. "George," she said, at parting on the courthouse steps, "I bad better not say anything to Gibbs?" "I certainly would," he answered, lifter a moment's thought. "Then then you're pretty sure, George?" They exchanged a long look. The man nodded. "So sure," he answered, "that I would not take Tommy to see him today. I wouldn't have that association associa-tion In Tommy's mind, it seems to me." "Oh, George but I can't believe it!" she said dizzily. "If anything happens now I don't think I can bear It !" "1 don't think anything wlii, Ellen," be said in his quiet way. "Lizzie had I f ""-V y ' "My Cod! My God!" He Whispered. better come with me, for they might keep us waiting, and I don't want Tommy to be frightened." He gave the child his hand. "Come on. Tommy !" he said. "You come w ith us, Lizzie, will you? By the way, what are you going to name your pony?" Ellen watched them up the steps. Then she turned to Joe, and went quickly through the familiar doors and gates. "Will you wait here, Joe?" she asked, as they came to a sort of central cen-tral hallway where a sergeant sat reading at n desk. "Y'ou haven't got the little hoy?" the sergeant asked. "No," she said, flustered. "I we thought It better not to bring him I" The man looked grave, came nbout his desk and said something in a low tone of which Joe only caught the words "tomorrow morning." Ellen answered an-swered with a nervous murmur of assent, and went hastily away. Joe watching her go: the big jail was very still in the winter afternoon. She was familiar with every step of the way, now, the small corridor smelling of cement, the longer corridor cor-ridor beyond, the door of Gibbs' cell. It was unlocked for her. she always went Inside. tie was sitting on his bed. in the narrow space, and she sat beside him. He looked ill and wretched, and did not rise as she came in, nor move except ex-cept to raise his haggard eyes. The guard, nt the door, walked away. "Helio, dear." Gibbs said lifelessly "Did Tommy come?" "I had an order from the court that you might come into ihe sergeant's office to see Tommy," Ellen answered, trembling so violently that she was hardly conscious of what she was saying. say-ing. "But, Gilihs. we thought It best not to bring him." He nodded, looking down nt his clasped hands. Ellen gave the dropped patient head, the beautiful idle fingers and the whole drooping figure a look of Infinite compassion. "Gibbs. dear." she said, her tone quivering treacherously. "The reason was that George thinks he has new evidence." "I knew he w-as trying to find some," Gibbs said wearily. "You know, I'm so afraid of going !n:o hysterics, or fainting, or something," some-thing," Ellen said childishly. "That I want you not to say you don t believe be-lieve me when I tell you something. Look at me dear." taking both his I hands. "Look at me. Try to understand under-stand what I am saying. We think we think that the the murderer has confessed." "Y'ou think V he ernciM, Ms roue suddenly harsh. "What do you mean! Don't you know?" "We will know," she said, trembling. "We will know in a little while dow. Gibbs. I'll tell you Just how it all came about. Liz.ie and Joe and Tommy came down from Bridgeport this morning, and it was while I was keeping Ton, my quiet for It's a long trip for a child that be suddenly said something about grandpa. Lizzie and I were not listening exactly, but the words seemed to come back to me as words do. you know, and I said, as quietly as I could, 'What did you say grandpa let you do?' "He said, 'Eire his revolver." Ellen's El-len's words fell In a tense silence. Gibbs looked at her with awakening eyes. "My God my God!" he whispered. "Weil, we looked at him. and I was so afraid I'd frighten him, or make him self-conscious, that I could hardly get any voice. But Lizzie asked him when tills was. and he told us the whole thing. That lie had wandered to the top of tiie stairs in his nightgown, night-gown, and grandpa was walking across the lower hall : he had just put a telegram on the hall table, for Tor-rens Tor-rens to take in the morning, nnd he called Tom down. Tommy said that he wanted to play with the chessmen, and he opened the table drawer Gibbs, you would be amazed how clearly he told It! He said grandpa was sitting in that very chair, and Gibbs, he even took the" attitude 1 He said that he saw the pistol, and grandpa said, 'Take It out, Tommy, it's not loaded.' " "He couldn't possibly have loaded it, dear, with dad looking on. And my father surely wouldn't have hud it loaded !" "But, Gibbs, Lizzie had loaded It that morning!" "G d !" Gibbs said again, under his breath. "And this part, Gibbs, is so strange! He fired it twice, your father directing di-recting him. He fired first at soruo target over the mantel, and then somewhere some-where else " "Couldn't pull the trigger I" Gibbs said breathlessly. "Oh, indeed he didi He fired twice, but you see those chambers were empty. And, Gibbs, he says that grandpa said to him, 'Good old Tommy!' You remember how he used to say that? Then they had some talk nbout soldiers, nnd finally your father was a spy and the amazing thing Is, Gibbs, to hear Tommy tell It every few minutes he would put in something that the testimony had developed, de-veloped, and Lizzie and I would look at each other! I couldn't realize It the Importance of it, but I knew George was on his way, nnd that lie would know! Well, and then Tom got frightened, and he tried to rouse your father, and threw tiie pistol In the basket, and ran out and called for Lizzie. But Lizzie, of course, didn't bear. He wasn't sure whether your father wan fooling or not, but the noise of tue report frightened him. He was nfreid he'd lie scolded for getting get-ting out of bed nnd going downstairs so when he found Lizzie was not In the room, he got into bed and before she came in, he fell asleep. The next day, of course, we carefully kept any of the excitement from him " "What does George think about it?" "Well, I don't know. But he telephoned tele-phoned the district attorney immediately, imme-diately, and Ryan is here now talking to George, and to Tommy. Oh, Gibbs Gibbs!" she broke off feverishly. fever-ishly. ' "It's made me I can't tell you so nervous ! I can't tell you " "I know!" he interrupted nervously. "We mustn't allow ourselves to think about it !" "Could a child Tommy's age testify, Gibbs?" "I don't know, dear." "And if they believe this, does It mean a new trial?" "It might, I don't know." "We can only wait." Ellen tightened tight-ened her fingers on his, and they sat silent. A messenger came to the officer at the cell's door who spoke a moment later to Ellen. Would Mrs. Josselyn step into the warden's office a minute, to speak to Mr. Lathrop? Ellen, with one quick flutter of breath, smiled a goodhy to Gibbs and was gone. (TO BE CONTINUED.) Appreciative r.etly Blyllie was preparing for one of her personal-appearance, tours and as she wanted to make a good impression impres-sion she studied her monologue every chance she got. Her opening line began: be-gan: "My name is J'.etty Illylhe." "While walking down Hollywood boulevard she was still studying, saying her lines over and over again with the result that she bumped Into three young men. Betty was so startled that sha blurted out: "My name is Betty Blythe," at the top of her voice. "Thanks," laughed one of the trio, "and while you're about It, what's your phone number?" Los ADgelea Times. |