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Show Last Game Takes All 0 g & By E. M. PARKINSON McClure Syndicate WNU Features. AS Clara Rivers parked her car before the Northville Farmers' Bank, William Hudson thrust his long face inside the window. "Car's gettin' kinda run-down, ain't it, Clara?" Clara laughed, a plump, middle-aged middle-aged spinster's pleasant laugh. "I'm not squanderin money on new ones. I learned a lesson, William, when my father died and I got that mean note from one of the bank directors, threatenin' to foreclose on I my farm. Lucky I found Pa's money In time. Only that letter rankles. I keep wonderin who done it." "When I find out, they'll answer to me!" William's voice dropped. "Ye know how I feel about ye, Clara. Any time ye say the word " "Shi Someone's comin' " William nodded contemptuously. "Dumbest businessman in the state." Big, good-natured Bruce Bigelow ambled over, grinning. "Mornin, Clary. Mornin', William. Well. William, Wil-liam, you sure outsmarted me last week. Heard you sold my hog for twice what you paid me." "Well, ye begged me to buy." "Dumb," Bruce chuckled. "That's me!" he turned to Clara. "Clary, I picked up a nice box of chocolates. choco-lates. Could I bring it over tonight?" Clara flushed. "Well, Will and me " "Sure!" William broke in. "I'd enjoy eatin' chocolates while I beat ye at smear, Bruce. Or this here old ladies' game, annygrams. Hear ye've taken it up lately." He went off and Bruce looked at Clara ruefully. "Clary, you ain't gonna marry William?" Clara snapped, "If so, I wouldn't gtarve. I admire a smart man, Bruce." "I know. Clary, but maybe I got reasons for appearin' so dumb!" "Then you better prove it, Bruce. You got just tonight." All the way home Clara fumed. She was so angry at Bruce that she'd almost have taken William Hudson, if it weren't for her awful uneasiness about the note. She took It from its hiding place back of the old Seth Thomas clock and read It for the thousandth time. It was typed in capitals on the bank's stationery, sta-tionery, and signed only DIRECTORS. DIREC-TORS. Every director had 'declared indignantly, "Clara, if we find out who did this, we'll oust him!" Well, after a year, maybe she ought to forget. But. . . At ten that evening Clara could have cried. Bruce had lost every game. "You boys play this final one without me," she said, looking straight into Bruce's eyes. "Last game takes all." The first plays went badly for Bruce. He held one word; BEAR. He drew A and made MA. "Take your A to make MASS," William said. Bruce drew and passed. "This is embarrassin'J" William's eyes narrowed. "Take your BEAR to put with MASS and make EMBARASS!" Clara gasped. "But" "Hush!" Bruce said, "No kibit-zin'I" kibit-zin'I" He acquired two words, RITE and STRING. "Take that RITE to make ENTIRE," EN-TIRE," William said. Bruce drew and passed. "Nice game, eh, Clary? Inte'restin'l" William leered. "Take your STRING to put with ENTIRE and make INTERRESTTNG." Clara was furious. "Bruce, that ain't " "No help!" Bruce said. Then, "Take your EAR to make FEAR." Losing a word upset William. "Come on," Bruce teased. "Don't take from now to February." "Thanks," ' William sneered. 'Til take your FEAR to put with BUY and make FEBUARY." Clara burst out, "That ain't the way to spell " "'Never mind," Bruce said sternly. stern-ly. William had nineteen words. "Twenty words out," Bruce sighed. "Last game takes all. I'd sure like to win. It's urgent!" "Urgent, eh? I'll jest take your CUR to put with my HINT and make URCHINT! Hate to win so easy, Bruce." Bruce leaned across the table, admiringly. ad-miringly. "You got a lot of big words, Will. Pushin ' 'em around, addin' a little here and there, you ( could make a little sentence." Suddenly, before Clara's eyes lay a familiar message: VERY URCHINT UR-CHINT YOU PAY UP WITH INTERREST BY FEBUARY OR SOMETHING EMBARASSING WILL HAPPEN. "Remind you of anything, Clary?" Bruce asked. Clara went to the clock and returned re-turned to spread a worn paper on the table. "What's that, Clara?" William asked hoarsely. "Just the note you sent me, WilL when Pa died." William's face purpled. "Look here! This ain't proof" "Tis," Bruce said quietly. "I tried out every other bank director, before witnesses. None of 'em's got just this way of fpelling these words. Maybe you'd like to resign, WilL without lettin' the town know why." He turned to Clara. "Sorry about losin'. Clary." Clara smiled meltingly. "You won the last game, Bruce. Last saint takes all including met" S N |