Show 43 W RI A p I 1 t az rc t copyright by frank A munsey company CHAPTER IX continued 9 ask him I 1 suggested meaning that you dont think I 1 can ill bet my seal ring against yours that I 1 can make him propose before dark mine Is a very curious one too A russian duke gave it to me I 1 never met him but he sent it to my dressing room with some flowers it seemed to me to be a possible way to gain a little solitude for reflection and I 1 assented to the wager you dont intend to tell him then that you are engaged already oh no not until he proposes of course I 1 might like him better than I 1 do ned then id never tell him I 1 could see that ned blaney was going to have the time of his life immediately after he found himself hitched more or less for ute life to this volatile young person vida was not one of those who would pass by an inviting pasture lot simply because she was in harness the rest of us went into the house As we came in the telephone was ringing asking Lu lucilee Luc lles ciles permission I 1 answered it hello I 1 said a male voice speaking with staccato sharpness may I 1 speak to mr lipton S clair claerr I 1 put my hand over the mouthpiece and turned around luclle lucile had bad gone upstairs but bopp was gazing idly out of the window la Is mr clair still there in the yard I 1 asked him no he went off down the beach with miss dunmore hello I 1 spoke gain again ag into the telephone mr clair was here a moment ago but lie he has just gone for a walk with a young lady impossible the voice at the other end shot that emphatically at me its so clair Is a woman hater what if he is this one as is going to convert him humph she cant do it who Is 13 she her name is miss yida vida dunmore vida dunmore there certainly thank he heavenly heave averil nl he be ejaculated fervently ive been waiting for hours for her to get here how does she come to be there I 1 explained to the young man who proved to be ned blaney as I 1 had already suspected suspected all about the wreck of the mary bell and tile the casting ashore of her passengers thanks very much said blaney with considerable relief in his voice ill come right over after her dont tell her that I 1 called up and I 1 will surprise her goodby he haug up before I 1 could tell him that he probably get any kind of boat to come over to the island but I 1 judged that he would find fand that out soon enough for himself wheres miss green I 1 asked bopp 1 I advised her to lie he down for a little while and rest this search is wearing her out she is leaving everything in my charge 1 I presume that congratulations are in order I 1 said extending my hand with as good a show of cordiality as I 1 could muster 0 1 I do congratulate you mr bopp were not regularly engaged Cn 11 bopp said sourly she has promised to be mine it if I 1 can find her mot mother h e r that makes me just about as a s near engaged to her as if we had never met so lucilee Luc Lu lles ciles promise had a string tied to it my heart leaped exultantly there was a chance yet lets have a drink on the strength of your engagement anyway I 1 said starting toward the kitchen water queried bopp hoping against hope why yes no thanks my is looking for mount ararat now lie he sank disconsolately consola tely into a seat scat in a moment he rose wearily ive got to start out again I 1 promised jiromi sed lucile I 1 would search while she rested hardly had he left the house when the telephone rang again I 1 answer cd c edit d it hello s hello Is that you mr blacney Bl alney Y will you call luclle lucile to the telephone telephoned I 1 want to told the voice ceased abruptly hello I 1 called hello hello there was no answer the voice I 1 hind had just been listening to was that of mrs green after awhile I 1 got centrals attention and demanded to be told why T I 1 had been cut off on that party called up from a private at telephone sold said central centra I 1 sweetly she bad no right to it use it Is a su summer lilmer telephone only and th the e instrument Is to he be taken out next week eek 11 1 but I tut it wa was S mrs green who was tilak talking ing it be central was po s vve you aro are speaking from mrs U rs greens Your yourself belf 1 it was mrs green I 1 recognized recognize her voice justa usta minute therea there was a pause then hello that party called up from Hunting dons what could mrs grew be doing there on a stormy day like this I 1 I 1 could not explain to a gossipy telephone t ele operator what had really happened to mrs green I 1 did not know much about it myself and the few facts of her disappearance that I 1 was cognizant of would hardly sound well if repeated 11 mrs green I 1 hazarded went ont one walking and I 1 eshe stopped in at mr Hunting dons do you know asked central that Hunting dons is on a small island three miles south of where you are and three miles from the mainland the walking is not very good I 1 felt as it if I 1 had bad stepped off into space from a high platform probably that is the chances are I 1 floundered the chances are that she decided to row and the wind may have carried her out of her way I 1 finally persuaded central to call up Hunting dons I 1 think it was curiosity that made her relent I 1 could be sure that she would be il listening to whatever might be said by mrs green and myself hello hello mrs green I 1 this is mr blainey blacney Bl alney 11 hello mr blainey Bl fliney there was a ring of ladylike indignation in her voice can you explain to me mr blainey how I 1 happened to find myself in a rowboat out in the middle of the lake wearing my red silk dress and a nightcap tied under one ear wait a minute mrs green central is listening I 1 1 I dont care she always does she probably wants to know just as much as I 1 do whdeh What happened app ened was there an earthquake I 1 remember the island was sort of wobbly and hard to wallon no there any earthquake I 1 answered we were fasting you remember yes I 1 remember that but im not any more the first thing I 1 did when I 1 landed was to break into this houte house and cook myself a can of baked beans its funny it if there any earthquake I 1 remember the floor of the house all running in funny little waves im afraid our time must be nearly up I 1 suggested in the hope of turning the conversation central will w I 1 cut us off no I 1 wont interposed a third voice the sweetly professional one of the operator talk all you want to there aint anybody waiting for the line 1 I suppose I 1 must have got into the boat when the earthquake commenced persisted mrs green but how did I 1 get on the red dress and where did I 1 get the nightcap I 1 have not worn that dress for ten years I 1 told her that we would have to walt wait until she got home to explain a number of thin things S lucile will be very glad to know that you are safe I 1 added casually as if she had just gone over to a neighbors hoping to deceive central she was afraid you might get wet did lucile know I 1 was going 1 inquired 11 the startled mrs green gr en who apparently did not catch on 0 to my acting no not until after you had started d 11 I 1 said skirting the edge of the truth neatly deatly she will be very glad to hear bear that you are all right ill tell her as soon as she wakes up she is now sleeping igo now w what for why by I 1 explained she was 10 up all night what mat and au all alone on that island with you two young fellows and no chapero chaperon nl lIl oh no op I 1 hastened to reas reassure ure her and central not alone with us there ale aie a lot of people here her I 1 six alx or seven I 1 should say holding a convention of earthquake sufferers I 1 suppose Osep mrs green macd all ed caustically sur gur what sort of people ale aie they oh very v ary nice t people I 1 answered all promptly one or of them is a lady how do you kno know W she is a lady inquired mrs airs green grcen just juat because she happened to be wearing she arrived skirts when lybe sa oil s1 I 1 sald said hastily I 1 r teu tell this na how could elderly dignified 1 rhay our on her feminine arrival guest had not worn lady SL that II humph mrs green ticul arl arly Y impressed impress Od was not particularly the back the letter better sooner aget I 1 get have to send some one over after me because FT any oars iq in the boat I 1 there in I 1 came go out in a rowboat rows again anyway send a big boat wont leave here or I 1 til 1111 send for you just as soon as I 1 slad glad to have the can an I 1 was conver bation draw to a close it had been oad bad enough already but who could tell ell wh what at else might come out it kept apt on talking the storm ought to quiet down soon now goodby for tile the present walt a minute I 1 want to ask I 1 arn am afraid I 1 was guilty of rank dis dig courtesy sour tesy in hanging up the rece receiver lver before I 1 heard beard her question but I 1 knew I 1 should be unable to answer it any way and I 1 had bad to have an opportunity tunit to think what it was all about first of all lucile must be told and an end put to her anxiety I 1 wg went upstairs and called lucile CHAPTER X tho the clam huntor hunter ED RR was no answer and I 1 stepped to the door of her room which stood open she was ay lyl ing on her bed dressed with her head on her arm sleeping the dead sleep of utter exhaustion she seemed very small and childish and her fin gers curled adorably like a babas i have the heart to waken her a so I 1 tiptoed out the news would be just as welcome when she wakened of her own accord and sleep bould do her much good when I 1 came downstairs I 1 saw bopp go through the yard looking under every bush and into every gully i went out to tell him that mrs greer was located he stopped when he saw me 1 I see clair has cut you out with your actress friend he be said 1 I saw sav them arm in arm on the beach a biln ute ago theres no use talking monty you cant seem to hold a girls attention long enough to slip a ring on her why dont you try advertising la in one of those matrimonial papers I 1 made no answer but turned around abruptly and went back to the house I 1 was angry enough myself to let him hu hunt until the crack of doom before I 1 would tell him that mrs green iva was found when I 1 entered tho the house the telephone was ringing again I 1 took oft off tile the receiver hello I 1 said hello He Holl 1 said a masculine voice q 1 I am a newspaper man re presenting representing tha the haninian haniman syndicate I 1 understand that you had an earthquake over there this morning and that mrs green the wife of the president of the first national bank made her escape in an aeroplane dressed in a spangled red ball gown I 1 want to know it if I 1 have these facts absolutely correct before I 1 r I 1 carefully lowered the receiver un no til it hung bung suspended from the wires and tiptoed away flow the telephone letting him talk to the empty air the story was out when I 1 went out af after ter leaving the reporter holding the wire so to speak I 1 took tootles for a walk and I 1 then rn t elfa are you still looking for mrs green clair called callad out turned my attention to the undeveloped food supply which I 1 had discovered earlier when walking with vida there were hundreds of fresh water claws clams on the beach and it was possible to dig them in vie the cove when the water was not particularly rough I 1 spent the afternoon wading compensated for the cold discomfort of the performance by the thought that by providing food I 1 would win back I a large share of the favor I 1 had lost with lucile not that she would admit that she needed food notsie not she vida and lipton S clair strolled by white while I 1 was wading it seemed to toma that she was making rapid pro progress giess toward Wi winning her bet are you still looking for mrs green clair called out as I 1 ns under water curiously no I 1 replied shortly 1 11 I am teaching a pet fish to swim 11 you look as though you were tote tak ing in g one of those t h 0 SO barefoot b a ref CO t cures 1 I know you could cure baro bare feet supplied vida by the wa mr blarney blainey does your ring COMO come off 06 easily r it would from your hand do YOO wish to wear it oh no not yet not until I 1 am en el titled to you can begin to work off though did any one call me up on tile the phone asked mr clair yes I 1 said why you call me he de banded crossly 1 I been bapa i away 11 the self assurance of tills ibis man enraged me here he was an uninvited vItO guest complaining that he was paged as he would have been ln in a hotel tl 1 I 1 wondered where he be got his hia idla of the bocim relations of modern pel pie who could have spoiled hiru so sometimes the ad adulation of will put an ego on the bias that war hut but clair was a professed hitter hiiter I 1 only hope that som somia 0 day will write a play which it N 11 I 1 be rss pleasure to review TO BE CONTINUED |