Show im E it LIFE L 11 PA dy V J VV N NU U S G V I 1 C 0 APPLETON CENTURY C 0 I 1 N C SYNOPSIS young rex hale calls on casper kneeland friend of his father in new york and finds him proudly successful but strangely preoccupied he tells hale of his cifes death while insane invites him tor for the summer to halcyon camp his home on long island and promises him he will be useful as his secretary there hale Is joined at lunch by fred ainsworth an unpopular college mate also at halcyon who leaves him with a premonition of unpleasant mystery he Is met at the train by mrs wllbur wilbur nash whom he be questions about the menage and experiences a disturbing premonition the premonition Is barely eased by the comfortable hospitality of hosanna Kne elands elderly sister and her friend ruth forbes middle aged sophisticate in his room hale finds a soiled paper printed this plase dan jerus hale meets the rest of the strange group eol dr craig psychiatrist friend of bert abeland Ae ee eland and nervous young son of 0 casper 1 bid beautiful but moody joan kneeland niece of the house CHAPTER 11 II continued hale studied young kneeland he had been four years old when they had last met a yellow haired rather delicate child he had developed into a brown haired haidea rather delicate young man with ordinary features feature s a weak mouth and an expression made up in equal parts of boredom anxiety and irresolution hale suspected that the boredom was a mask for the other emotions his head and eyes were like his fathers it was plain that he had inherited none of the older mans driving energy miss hosanna had been warning her companions at the table against eating the food she had set before them now she developed her theme bread hale heard her say weve always been taught that its the staff of life instead its rank poison I 1 would never serve it if casper so funny about his meals he actually suggests our menus he would eat bread three times a day if I 1 would give it to him I 1 don dont its very bad tor for his arthritis I 1 never touch it myself As for starches anil and sugar and alcohol I 1 never touch them either I 1 offer them to others when casper here if ruth and mr ainsworth make such a fuss about their meals they seem bent on destroying their health ainsworth looked at mrs spencer forbes 1 I dont care much what I 1 eat mrs spencer forbes said wearily but at as meal time is the only bright spot in life at halcyon camp I 1 dont see why it should be ruined by your hosanna your brother is ahat hat is known as a good provider your cook knows how to prepare what he buys why you cant leave us in peace while were eating it without plunging into these distressing hygienic details I 1 shall never understand it was certainly amazing company he had joined hale dismissed the reflection and ceased to listen to miss hosanna he had always been interested in unusual types of human beings he realized that most of these men and women were unusual not miss hosanna of course in appearance an and d manner she ran true to her new england form though her admiration and affection for mrs spencer forbes seemed deeper than their object justified mrs rs spencer forbes was an easily 1 e sifted type she was the burned ka woman of the world whose opportunities port unities tor for burning were growing rarer with her years she muad mus be fifty she was still as greedy tor excitement as she had been at thirty probably more so but she had a saving stock of common sense that accepted even while it resented lifes soft pedaling joan kneeland was normal of course she must be he robustly told himself he suspected that she was not very well neither was her cousin herbert ainsworth was a straight cad deliberately making himself objectionable tio to everyone craig was probably eight tenths scientist and two tenths human a good doctor of the coldly impersonal type he was not quite as impersonal with joan kneeland kneela nd as he was with the rest of the group even with her his attitude was not that of a normal man admiring a charming girl it was what was it watchful that was the word he was conscious of her all the time even when he wai was talking to others his manner with mrs spencer forbes was also interesting it was accepting accustomed even a trifle amused in a different man it would have seemed indulgent there was nothing in it she could reasonably object to but it was clear that it annoyed her in fact it was already very plain that most of the inmates of halcyon camp were more or less on one an others nerves mrs spencer fortes forbes was especially irritated by craig and ainsworth miss hosanna also disliked them both possibly in sympathy with her friend hale could imagine her ruths caustic comments on the two young men when the women were alone joan kneeland disliked and despised ainsworth and was doubtful of craig her cousin despised most of the others and at moments appeared to share his cousins feeling about craig hale had already learned from their talk that herbert and the young psychiatrist had been close friends for years that was interesting because there must be five or six years difference in their ages herbert was only twenty two craig must be about his hales age he had dropped enough in his dinner table talk to show that he was in his second year of practice he was professionally obsessed inordinately ambitious it was hard to understand the close friendship that was said to exist between him and casper Kne elands only son thus hale summed up his companions in the first hour he was with them he did it by the cold light of reason with no hunches now to help him the instinct or premonition he had felt on approaching pro aching the house had died the setting of the big dining room was very pleasant the guests around him were unusual enough to interest anyone like ainsworth he should have been at peace with the world but he was not in quite that ideal state young kneeland had cast off his depression and was talking now rather well and with more interest than he had yet shown he was a nice looking chap with that new animation in his face he was smooth shaven immaculate and he wore his evening clothes with accustomed ease after dinner hale craig and the cousins played contract mrs spencer cef forbes and aunt hosanna played backgammon the former with an eloquent look at hale which informed him that this diversion was not her choice ainsworth pointedly ignored by his compan ions read react and smoked ancier a reading lamp miss hosanna alone gave him a kind word as the party ebbed away from him when casper is here we can have two tables she promised it was the triumph of hospitality and breeding over mere human nature her pale blue eyes hardly touched his face as she spoke to him she liked him no better than the rest did hale was glad he had bad not let his contract game grow rusty in spain he had played there a good deal with some fellow engineers who were experts he liked eked playing with miss kneeland it gave him opportunities tuni ties to look at her and to meet her lovely eyes also she played a good game and had a fine sporting spirit she had not turned a hair when earlier in the rubber he had heavily 7 set her and himself by over optimism the game broke up at halt half past ten he was not sorry the day had seemed long the party separated almost at once its members seeking their individual rooms upstairs hale was glad to get into the quiet of his quarters the windows facing the sea were wide open and a salt breeze came in mingled with the sound ot of pounding waves his bed was ready tor for him the silk cover was folded back over the footboard the pillows were inviting the upper sheet was turned over a light blue blanket no soiled little billetdoux billet doux waited tor for him this time he was on his way from his bathroom to his bed when he heard a light tap on the door he slipped on his dressing gown and opened the door ainsworth very wide awake and still fully dressed strolled into the room saw a light under your door and thought rd id pop in he said got any cigarettes I 1 forgot to bring some upstairs hale forced a smile and pointed to a box on his smoking table hope im not disturbing you 9 ainsworth purred as he helped himself not at all sit down ainsworth sat down lit the cigarette and ostentatiously relaxed hale had no choice but butto to sit down too and show decent courtesy to his unwelcome welcome tm visitor he did not speak it if ainsworth had any purpose in this untimely call let him get it off his chest hale filled the interval by selecting and lighting a cigarette well your opinion of us ainsworth drawled youre a reasonably interesting group he said when he was ready to speak granted but what do you really think of espo us you do me too much credit ainsworth I 1 dont form definite opinions so quickly 19 again ainsworth proved that he could not take a snub give me some offhand ones then he be invited lets have your first impressions oh well rather chaotic I 1 find and aunt hosanna very cordial and hospitable mrs spencer forbes mildly amusing young kneeland rather Pi pathetic craig self ab sobbed and scientific and miss kneeland that was a purr lovely and charming of course of course do you happen to know that ashes quite an heiress no I 1 know that she had almost a million before the crash she inherited it from her father who struck oil out in oklahoma and died soon afterward apparently of the joyful shock uncle casper has had the handling of the estate so some of it may have disappeared during the depression but joan is of age now I 1 fancy she has enough left to maki make herself and a deserving young husband quite cuite comfortable he waited a moment hale made no comment and ainsworth went on od t f young kneeland wanted to be the deserving young husband she have any of that this may explain the pathetic quality you discovered in him 1 I dont think I 1 care to talk about miss private anaias at lairs hale said stiffly all right just thought id give you a UP tip great opportunity for ambitious youth craig is in the running too but only mildly I 1 dont think he has much chance youve got a pretty clear field it seems to me hale set his teeth im afraid you get my meaning ainsworth he brought out between them 1 I said that you want to talk about miss kneeland I 1 know all right but theres one more interesting fact you ought to know it if joan kneeland dies before she marries young bert gets practically her entire estate her father made that provision originally and it seems that she repeats it in her own will hale remained silent and ainsworth asked conversationally Is there any objection to talking about mrs spencer forbes only the lateness of the hour ainsworth laug laughed hid 1 I always envied en vi ed you your way of putting things you can make a snub sound aano almost si suave but im not sleepy I 1 1 I am ainsworth shook his head at him hi m that as subtle as your usual methods he said reproachfully but I 1 want to tell you about mrs spencer forbes you dont appreciate it old man but im trying to put you wise to conditions here mrs spencer forbes for example theres tragedy for you why ashes down and out its the old story good family fine position plenty of money to begin with nothing left now supposedly she lives in a back room of some new york lodging house in reality ashes here most of the time sponging on the Kne elands casper kneeland stands it because hes impressed by her social position he likes to be shocked by her talk too miss hosanna encourages it because ashes fascinated by the creature always has been it seems the one big friendship of her life and a mighty lopsided affair it is all ruth spencer forbes cares about is a snug haven and plenty to eat and drink once in a while as a matter of form she goes back to the for a week or two that must be pretty ghastly for her your manly sympathy tor for her show much when you and she are together hale commented ainsworth laughed no we hate each kotlier other he admitted even though we speak the same language and have known each other all our lives just the same its damned interesting to see her wriggling on the hook rather your specialty it watching people wriggle yes ainsworth said simply theres a grand and glorious opportunity port unity tor for it right here at haleyon halcyon camp why im staying on besides there will be an added interest now in watching you watch them wriggle im quite loo looking I 1 k forward to that all right hale laid down his halt half smoked cigarette ainsworth you wont mind it if amsk you to clear out willylu wil lyou you he added ive had a long day and im all alf in convalescent vale scent you know 1 I know but you H brace up here ainsworth predicted did anyone tell you we bathe on the beach at eleven private beach AU all to ourselves unless mrs nash and her cub show up they often do she likes this beach better than her own and god made the kneela Knee linds ads to be imposed upon the real reason were all here you too old man ill toddle now goodnight see you at breakfast hale closed the door behind him and threw open the third window of his bis room A place ainsworth had been in seemed to need special ventilation ti he went again to a front window and stared out over the sea to calm his nerves As he looked two figures detached themselves from the sheltering trees at the left of the house one almost immediately turned back into the woods the other moved toward the house he looked at it idly it was not yet midnight probably some ot of the tha servants had been having amoon a moonlight rendezvous hale stiffened the figure approaching the house was nearer now it was not anxious to be seen it kept as close to the trees as it could but hale recognized I 1 it t it was could it be miss hosanna yes her plump figure was unmistakable and now he saw her face quite clearly in the moonlight her companion had been a man not one of the guests at halcyon camp but a stranger he had been a lean fellow with a narrow unpleasant lace face there was something furtive about the meeting the man might have been a servant but there was no manservant man servant at the camp in addition to banks and joe what was he and why was mits miss hosanna meeting him in a lonely wood toward midnight abruptly hale decided that it was none of his business he threw off his dressing gown switched off the tha electric light and jumped into bed A few minutes later he be heard beard soft quick footsteps passing his door and going further along the hall miss hosanna no doubt but what the devil had bad the woman been doing with that unwholesome human specimen she had met hale awoke to an impression ot of gorgeous sunshine and a singing sea he had slept from two on without turning and he felt like a fighting cock he looked at his watch half past eight he sprang out of bed hustled into the bathroom and made a quick toilet if U kneeland had bad been in camp he have thought much of a new employee who showed up at nine on his first morning it was exactly nine when hale entered the dining clining room he found it empty save for rose who looked very smart in a fresh pink uniform TO BE CONTINUED |