The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-08-13

There Wasn't the LittIest Thing"
braith for three o'clock, and he had t.
go to keep it. But he ought to be
| down again by this time. Don't wait
for me if you want to 60 back to town
can get lift from somebody"
THAT would be nice. wouldn't it?'
was the good-natured retort. ITO make
, you tie up your own horse in town
and then leave you stranded away out
here three miles from nowhere!
think l see myself doing such thing!
Besides. ! haven't thing to do but
| wait"
! Broffin shifted the extinct cigar he
! was chewing from one corner of his
, mouth to the other and pulled his soft
hat lower over his eyes. He, too, could
wait. There was little stir on the
veranda; rustling of silk petticoats
! and the click Of small heels on the
hardwood floor Broffin could not for.
bear the peering peep around the shell
tering window draperies. Miss Grier-
son had left her seat and was pacing
slow march up and down. That she
had not seen him became a fact suffi.
GENTLY well.assured when she sat
down again and began to speak to
Griswold
How is the new partnership going,
by this timer" she asked, after the
manner of one who rewinnows the
chaff Of the commonplaces in the hope
OF finding grain enough for the immedi-
ate need
so far as Griswold is concerned,
you wouldn't notice that there is a
partnership" laughed the iron
founder 81 can't make him galvanize
an atom of interest in his investment.
All l can get out of him is. Don't
bother me; I'm busy
Mr. Griswold is in a class by him.
self. don't you Think" was the cues.
tioning comment.
"He is all kinds of a good fellow;
that's all I know. and all ask to
know" answered Raymer Loyalty.
81 believe that-now,' said his com.
panion, with the faintest possible en-
phasis upon the time-word
Broffin marked the emphasis and
the pause that preceded it, and leaned
forward to miss no word.
Meaning that there was a time
when you didn't believe it?" Raymer
asked.
Meaning that there was a time
when he had me scared half to death"
confessed the one who seemed always
to say the confidential thing as If It
were the most trivial. do you remem-
Der one day in the library. when you
found me looking over the file of the
newspapers for the story of the rob.
berry of the Bayou State Security bank
in New Orleans?"
Raymer remembered it very well,
and admitted 1t.
Yes; I remember it all very clearly.
Also l recollect how the second news.
paper notice told how the robber es.
capped from the officers at st Louis.
But you haven't told me how you were
oCdTeu, nay ueF SuSSeSteu.
I'm coming to that This escape
we read about happened on a certain
day in April. II was the very day on
which poppa met me on my way back
from Florida. and we took the eleven.
thirty train north that night You
haven't forgotten that Mr. Griswold
was a passenger on that same train?"
But, goodness gracious Miss Mar
gerry! any number OF people were pms
sengers on that train Gu surel,
wouldn't
"Hush! she said aud thioash tn.
lace window hangings Broffin saw her
lift warning finger. What l am
telling you. MIR Raymer. is in the
strictest confidence, we mustn't let a
breath of it get out But that wasn't
all Mr.. Griswold was dreadfuly sick
ana. of course he couldn't tell US any.
thing about himself. But while he was
delirious he was always muttering
something about money. money; mon
ey that he had lost and couldn't find. or
money that he had found and couldn't
lose. Then when we thought he
couldn't possibly get well. Doctor Ber-
tie and l ransacked his suitcases for
cards or letters or something that
would tell US who he was and where
he came from There wasn't the lit
TEST thing!"
And that was when you began to
suspects" queried Raymer.
That was when the suspicion be-
gan to torture me. fought it; oh.
you don't know how hard I fought 1t!
Iaara. he was Eins>sick>and helpl,ss;