The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-07-14
A NOVEL A WEEK.
Next Week
1.-THE LITTLE GRAY SHOE"
BY Percy j. Brebner.

not right. And what did you tell
herr"
Nothing. I merely wished
Mary to see-well, as a stock
holder in this corporation, /
thought she had right to know.
such a mixed affair as we have
business and-er-love, and
all that kind of thing. / thought
we needed expert advice"
II Mary, gray-eyed, calm and suf-
ffcient, standing in the doorway,
was laughing with old friendli-
ness. Clell stammered a rather
causal greeting as he took her
hand.
Found her In the companys
office" Virgil explained. 81
went in there clean discouraged
1T was before I'd heard of the
case. And there was Mary talk
ing to young Kenner, askin' how
she could get out to our wilder
ness with the big news she'd just
learned. And then she turned on
me and said quite as II she's ex-
, paicted me: Virgil, we won the
easel l was clean foolish TO-
moment-yes, seh-winnin' that
case, and Mary tellin' it to me
first"
1.-THE attorneys had just got
their wire" Mary explained, 'and
had reached New Orleans that
morning"
The two men and the darby
were getting the boat away. Mary
leaned to me as the motor began
its humming.
Doctor Dick. why did you send
for me?"
"Your young man was liable to
mess things up. OF course, after
r all, you love him"
' She gave me hard look. mot
! necessarily. He is perfectly
, free"
Get busy-get busy I an
swered dryly. you cool, sane,
: practical modern women don't
know how to love a man."
She gave another whitening
look at me as Clell came aft
big, bronzed, complacent, and
with healthy and detached good
humor began to trifle with some
silver danglet hanging to her
handbag. There was no sugges-
ton of an appealing lover about
him now-and she saw it.
1t was almost dusk when our
little launch came upon the
sprawled lame monster of a
dredge. Virgil was on the greasy
deck with the line first of all.
you old hook" he cried buoy
antly, II just want to see," and
then stopped, staring up in the
twilight at the great derrick
which swung out over the saw
grass with the clam shell bucket
p hanging beneath it.
5 Your" he went on slowly;
what is it
! Laure was in the craneman's
seat looking down silently. l
saw, among the iron levers and
chains, the automatic rifle across
her lap. The boss eye was on
, it also.
"See here" he said. what is
! this fo'?"
Il just came" she answered,
"because-well, knew no one
was here"
you stole our boat" cried
Clell. "Why that"
II didn't want you to go in"
she said family. There was
much-much-the were very
angry-the men we had"
And you came here" put in
Virgil grimly, with your little
gun to watch tonight, TO- fear
} they'd turn trick on me?"
q" she seemed to shrink
from his directness, didn't know.
There was fight, you see, but
didn't want wanted it fair, you
know-after what you said before
about me-"
81 think" said Virgil dryly,
"you had better set down."
81 can It," she murmured
"When | heard your boat coming,
1 tried to slip down and to my
pirogue-and something jerked
on the little lever when I touched
it, and just then the chain went
across my foot"
She was not allowed to finish.
Those two men were forward and
swinging up the iron ladder to the
carneman's roost. Virgil was the
quicker. His voice trembled when
he touched her.
BE still, there" he ordered.
1.-THE racket wheel slipped. The
cogs on that reverse-well, be
still" He worked silently about
the girls feet. / could see her
staring down in the gloom.
ut hurts" she said presently,
cts tightening on my ankle"
II Clell had slipped down and
was in the engine room to get a
wrench at Virgil's command. He
whispered to me In the murk of
the shed.
you know the fix she's in?
There's a two-ton bucket hang
ing by the chain, and that over a
broken tooth on the cog. II 1t
drops it'll drag her down-smash
her on the gear like fly"
| He was gone with that, tiptoe-
ing to the derrick ladder, reach
ing up. Softly the two men
worked without a word, hardly
breathing. II she knew death
touched her, hung on the crumb-
ling point Of cog tooth, she did
not culver. Once the smaller
chain slipped, the gear shuddered,
and the Texan stopped rigidly.
BE STILL" he breathed, but no