The Huttig news., 1916-06-24
CHAPTER XVII
 The Abyss

It was at early eandle-lighting in the evening of the day of renewed and unbridled speculation in Mirapolis front feet" that Brouillard. riding the p1ebald range pony on which he had been making an inspection round of the nearer Buckskin ditchers' camps. topped the hill in the new, high-pitched road over the Chigringo shoulder and looked down upon the valley electrics.
 Brouillard let the pony set it's own pace on the down-hill lap to the finish freshened himself at his rooms in the Nlquoia building, and went to the Metropole to eat his dinner with Mur- ray Grislow as his vis-a-vis The bug zlng throngs in the Metropole cafe and lobby annoyed him, and even GrisloWs quiet sarcasm as applied to the days bubble-blowing failed to clear the air At the club there was the same atmos- phere of unrest; an eXacerbating over charge of the suppressed activities im- patiently waiting for another day of excitement and opportunity. Corner lots and the astounding prices they had commanded filled the air in the lounge, the billiard room and the buff fet, and after few minutes Brouillard turned his back on the hubbub and sought the quiet of the darkened build ing on the opposite side of the street.
 He was alone in his office on the sixth floor and was trying, half absent 1y, to submerge himself in a sea of desk work when as distinctly as if she were present and at his elbow, he heard, or seemed to hear, Amy Mas singale say: Victor, you said you would come if I needed you. I need you now" Without moments hesita- tion he got up and made ready to go out.
 The Massinsale. town house was one of row of succeed villas fronting on the main residence street, which be- yond the city limits beeaEe the high road to the Quadjenai bend and the upper valley. Brouillard teok cab at the Metropole, dismissed it at the villa gate, and walked briskly up the path to the house, which was dark save for one lighted room on the second floor the room in which Stephen Massingale was recovering from the effects of Van Bruce Cortwright's pistol shot
 Amy Massingale was on the porch waiting for him, as he fully believed until her greeting sufficiently proved her surprise at seeing him.
 You, Victor?" she said, coming quickly to meet him. Murray Gris- low said you had gone down to the Buckskin camps and wouldn't be back for two or three days!"
 'I changed my mind and came back. How is Steve this evening""
 He is quite comfortable, more corn. fOrtable than he has been at all since the wound began to heal I have been reading him to sleep, and when the night nurse came l ran down to get a breath of fresh air in the open"
 No, you didn't come down for that reason" Brouillard amended gravely. You came to meet me"
 Did F" she asked What makes you think that?"
 T know what happened" said Brou. lllard, speaking as soberly as if he were stating mathematical certainty. You left that room upstairs and came to me. l didn't see you, but heard you as plainly as can hear you now. You spoke to me and called me by name"
 She shook her head, laughing lightly.
 ho something, or maybe you are just plain tired"
 You are standing me off" he de- clared. You are in trouble of some sort, and you are trying to hide it from me-"
 No, not exactly trouble; only a lit tie worry"
 All right, call it worry if you like and share it with me. What is it?'
 q think you know without being told. l am afraid we have finally lost the Little Susan.' That is one of the worries and the other I've been trying to call silly. l don't know what has become of father-as if he weren't old enough to go and come without telling me every move he makes!s
 Your father isn't at home?" gasped Brouillard.
 No; he hasn't been here since nine o'clock this morning Murray Grislow saw him going into the Metropole about one o'clock. but nobody that I nave been able to reach by phone seems to have seen him after that.
 q can bring the record down to two o'clock" was the quick reply. "He ate with me at Bongras, and afterward I walked with him as far as the bank And I can cure part of the first worry all of it. in fact; he had the money to take up the Cartwright notes, and when I left him he was on his way to