Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-04-28
IN M M
MARY MzDTHORNE
GEORGE BARR
Author of "Graustark." "Truxton King" etc.
Copyright. 1911. BY Dodd, Mead & Co.
l!!! I'LL lIII
CHAPTER vI-continued.)

saw the point simultaneously and
laughed loud.
Ut would have to be a very big
needle or a very tiny camel" cried she.
Well leave that to the imagination,"
said he. as we do most everything else
that really doesn't matter"
Eric's eyes CLEANED with a sudden
discovery.
What are you doing in Tasmir. MIR.
Carr"
Il was looking for a much sharper
thing than "a needle" said Adam Carr.
Did you find it"
II did"
Eric's voice thrilled with excitement.
II know what you are now. Gee! He
gazed at the masklike face in OPEN
eyed wonder You are "A detective"
Sometimes L doubt it," was Adam
Carrs extraordinary way of acknowl-
edging his profession.
A two hours run brought the tug to
within halling distance of the heteroge-
neous fleet of small craft, cruising in
the outer bay. There was no mistaking
the business of these slow moving
boats. big and little. They were en-
gagged in the hopeless, the imbecile task
of dragging the bay, an undertaking
inspired by the of Horace
Blagden himself. Not that Horace, who
was a calm and sensible man, thought
that the bodies cOuld be recovered
from the ~boundless. shifting waters by
any such means. but that he regarded
1T as his imperative duty-you might
say his personal prerogative-to make
such "A showing of resoluteness, such
defiance of the utterly impossible-that
all Corinth would rise up and say in
the same breath hat he had at least
left no stone unturned, if the smile
may be applied to the case.
Dozens of boats of all descriptions
were plying the blue waters of the bay.
Recognizing the futility of their efforts,
the crews lay back at ease, smoking
and gazing complacently in quite the
opposite direction from that which
their business required; they looked
lazily at the blue sky from the flat of
their backs. instead of at the water
in which it was reflected. They were
being we'll paid for their efforts, which,
after all resolved itself into a sort of
special pageant arranged for the per-
petuation of Horace Blagden's name
for indomitableness.
The tug blew it's triumphant blasts
and even as the futile searchers awoke
from their lethargy. hurried past them
toward the docks, almost scornful in
! it's haste. Behind trailed the aston
ished, irritated boatmen. a long line of
odds and ends converging to a certain
point.
Call up my uncle's house and let
him know" said Eric as they clamb-
cred to the pier.
NO" objected Adam Carr. you'll
be sure to find him at the bank. A lit
tie thing like his wouldn't disturb the
habit of a lifetime
Sure enough, Horace Blagden was
at the bank. Over the telephone, in
response to the message from the dock,
he said:
Indeed. Well. 1 declare. Tell Eric
to go home at once. His aunt is wor-
ried. Who found them? Carr? Ask
him to stop at the bank in a day or
tv,n 0NhnV,11 ~, G~ol1
Fol two or three days after his re-
turn to the .'Ciiant's CASTLE" Eric was
vaguely aware of a troubled. pre-occu-
pied look in his sisters eyes; lark cir
cles began to appear beneath them,
came into their depths when he seemed
to be asking questions of her with
his puzzled, but observing eyes.
AT first he attributed these signs to the
worry and grief that must hav tor
tured her on hat eventful day and
night. but as her very gladness in nav
ing him with her once more seemed
tinged with a strange, unusual reserve,
he was at last forced to believe that
there was something else on her mind.
Her joy in seeing him had been wild.
almost to the point OF delirium. She
had sobbed in his arms for hours, 1t
seemed to him, and she was reluctant
to have him out of her sight. Her
somber, plaintive eye followed him
everywhere. until he began to feel q
haunting dread Of them.
She was paler than he a ever
known her to be. and she was spirit
less; a most unnatural condition for
her. who was 10 gay and volatile and
full Of the JOY Of living.
On the morning of the day selected
by the committee for, the awarding of
the prize, he bluntly commanded her to
tell him what 1t was that troubled her.
They had been chatting with old Jabez
Ind his son Adam, at the gatekeeper's
lodge. and she had failed utterly to
respond to the Jokes OF the perplexed
old man. who crustily demanded the
cause of her Crouch" Eric noticed
that Adam Carr studied her pale face
with peculiar intentness. The detective
had been telling him Of his interview
fore. At the mention Of Chetwynd's
name. the girl looked up with a quick.
| half frightened CLEAN in her eyes.
What il it. Mary? Tell me- pleaded
Eric as they were walking homeward
across the meadow.
IT'S nothing, Eric" she protested.
ever and 0vers again.
There's something wrong" he in
sisted. Il know 1t. You can't fool me.
grille. What's up?" He waited for a
moment and then blurted out: what
has Chetwynd been dOing?"
She burst into tears and threw her.
self upon the ground at the foot OF the
great oak rear the gate in the wall sur
rounding the Blagden place. He was
down beside her in an instant, pleading,
begging. urging her to tell him every
thing.
Then the story came out.
"She IL so cruel" sobbed Mary. "Oh.
Eric, I don't sec how she can have
the heart to think the things she does.
~ haven't done anything wrong. I am
La gO0d 3irl