Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1920-05-27


81 tell you 1t won't do" he inSlsted
eff either of those women at the house
is Raymond BashfOrd's widow, it's the
one who calls herself Farnsworth.
They're playing game of some kind,
and it's no laughing matter, but 1t
won't take long to find out what
they're up to-"
you'll hardly go the length Of hav-
ing them arrested as imposters, Tor
rence-not without some data to work
onw
"CertaiGly not. You seem to be hit
ting it off with both Of them, but I ad.
wise you to be on guard. Are you sure
your uncle never sent you his wife's
photograph? That would have been
perfectly natural thing to do"
IF I'd got a photograph, l should
have headed for Japan, not for
France" laughed, but I was thinking
deeply. His line of reasoning as to the
incongruity of the marriage was not
SO different from my own that l could
sheer at his suspicious. l shrank from
telling him that / didn't care hang
whether the widow was fraud or not
If the two women who had settled
themselves on the Barton estate were
impOsters, they were extraordinarily
daring and clever.
We were nearing gateway where
his car waited, and saw several OF
the guard hanging about at a discreet
distance Look here, Singleton" ne
said angriIy 'you don't seem to take
this business very seriously. You don't
want to make the mistake of letting
pretty girl pull the wool over your
eyes," He lowered his voice and added
tensely: "Those women are under suS-
picion of something more serious than
an attempt to rob an estate. An agent
| of the state department called on me
Yesterday and asked embarrassing
questions about Mrs. Bashford. Not a
secret service man, you understand, or
anything of that kind, but an impor-
tant man in the state department"
"Of course you knew nothing to
tell" suggested.
II took chance at lying to him
about her expected arrival. / thought
1t only decent to have a look at the
woman first. He told me nothing ex-
cept that the British embassy had
made inquiries and that the matter
was delicate and must be handled
carefully"
"Was this inquirer lame-a small
dark man with q black mustNche" l
asked, suddenly interested. such q
person has been hanging about here
so the boys tell mel"
"Not at all! may as well tell you
1t was Raynor-yOu probably remem-
Der him. He's q specialist in interna'
tional law, and they took him into the
state department just after the Lusi'
tania business. He's a gentleman and
good fellow-Tve played golf with
him a good deal-and hated to lie ia
him, but l thought I'd see this woman
before telling him she had reached
America"
l confess that I was a triie dis
mayed by this. Raynor knew slight
ly. Professionally and socially n
stood high, and even without the pres
tige of his official position he was no
a chap to sneeze at; but l didn't wan
Terrence to know had any doubts al
to the perfect authenticity Of my un
cle's widow.
"Oh. every transcontinental pilgrim
ia probably scrutinized closely thes
DAYS" l remarked carelessly. "Mrs
Bashford has lost brother In tn
war. and l haven't heard anyone tall
more bitterly against Germany. An
her companion certainly has no illu
sions about the kaiser"
81 don't like the business" he at
clared stubbornly.
Lets do nothing foolish" insisted
"If Raynor has reason to suspec
either or both Of these women, WEI
hear further from him."
"Tve put myself in hole" he sai(
|. angrily. "Of course I've got to advis
him Immediately that Mrs. BashfOr
Is here"
"Just wait few days; undertak
: to keep them under surveillance; 20
: can put the whole responsibility Q
3 me. II they attempt to leave, I'll war
you and RaynOr instantly, but the
D have settled themselves as thoug
e they expected to spend the rest
0 their lives here"
e told him of Mrs. BashfOrd's adveI
/ lures in reaching the house withoV
L convincing him that there was an
Q thing funny in her experiences. and ;
left on my promise to report to hi
e daily at a given hour and instantly
d anything unusual occurred. ] was q
my way back through the groun'
q when Antoine arrested me.
d "Pardon me, but I'd like to ask VIII
4 you think of 1t, sirf" he asked hoars
", falling into step.
IF you mean what do / think
Mrs. Bashford," l replied sharply,
3 think she's quite charming and d
llghtful and all any one could ask
= every way"