Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-09-24
IOLDINCA
HUSBAND
Adele { sixon's
New Phase !, Of.
REVEAL TONS
ORA WIFE
WHAT GRACE DRAPER TOLD
MADGE AND WHAT MADGE

II OU6SS6O.
i Over my baby,s pitiful little play
thing, clasped close to my lips, stared
wildly at Mrs. TIGER, trying dumbly to
comprehend what she was saying to
me. Then, as the terrible import OF
her words struck me, caught her arm
| fiercely.
you found this in the hands of the
baby. of the man. across the road!' |
shrilled: Then he must. have carried
off Junior. Oh-h!"
! could not repress the shrek which
tore through the house and brought a
swift staccato of feminine feet down
the stairs. The next second Edith Fair
sitting ROOM, with CONSERVATION writ
ten on their tense. anxious faces.
What is it," they exclaimed sinful
taneously. gestured feebly to Mrs.
TIGER.
'Tell Them" l choked, then strange
" out of my subconscious self came
er's face, and for a fleeting instant, as
Mrs. TIGER repeated her statement,
fancied | saw look Of panic leap into
her eyes. But the next instant she
had spoken calmly. with note of ac-
tual derision in her voice.
What nonsense! Junior lost that
two days before he strayed away. /
remember, because he was asking for
it. He had walked down this road
with his father. No doubt the other
child found it, and, Of course. picked
it up"
You" l began, and if my voice
could have expressed my emotion she
would have dropped dead at its sound.
The convictions had swept over me that
at last l was on the track of Juniors
fate. and that the girl before me was
involved in it. For only too distinctly
after bringing me his drawing, had
started back to the corn crib studio for
his Daniels picter," there had peeped,
as always, above the pocket Of his lit
tie romper, the familiar outlines Of his
beloved celluloid humble fish" IN.
"You Are Sure?"
mo matter what developments, stick
outwardly to your theory that the child
wandered away and is lost"
AS clearly as if Hugh Grantland had
spoken the words close by, this frag
ment of the note he had sent me
sounded in my ears. / saw clearly
that premature explosion of the aw-
full wrath which was consuming me
| might spoil all his plans for finding
out the truth, so | nerved myself to
!, play the part of unsuspecting ac
quiescence in the accepted theory of
Juniors disappearance until Hugh
Grantland gave me permission to do
otherwise.
"Iou-you are sure?" I stammered,
as if pleading for her assurance.
"Of COURSE" she returned But,
Madge, you're fearfully upset. Don t
you think you'd better lie down.
Just come right in my room. Mis-
Graham" Mrs. TIGER promptly inter
posed '.and I'll make you cup of
tea
l followed her passively, furtively
watching Grace Draper and Edith
Fairfax as did so. There was knot
hole in the door | shut behind me,
and l unblushingly looked through it,
as soon as | closed the door.
I saw Edith Fairfax shrug her
shoulders, touch her forehead signif
| icantly, and heard her say contemptu
ously:
Don't mind her, Oracle. Come back
upstairs and lie down, and I'll rub
your head. Her screeching like that
hasn't done it any good, you know
The utter heartlessness of her words
as applied to me brought no resent
ment to my mind, only wild, fantastic
surmise Could it be possible that
Edith Fairfax was also involved in
this horrible tangle of which l was
beginning to clutch only the most slen
der thread? Mrs. TIGER stopped all
speculation by Selling my wrist and
drawing me forward.
| Those girls know something, Mis-
Graham" she whispered AT least
the Draper one does, ] can't tell you
how I know, but | just do, someway
Oh, I'd like to tear her eyes out. But
| / haven't time even to talk about it
now. Don't you see that we've got to
get this man across the road put
away before he runs off? He isn't
home just now, but when / snatched
that little celluloid mud turtle from that
/ baby. an older child looked at me SO
! frightened, and then ran to its mother
And she's hitching up the horse this
minute so as to get word to him to
| run. Ill bet cookie. Don't you see,
| if he's arrested, maybe he'll talk"
"PIease Wait Here"
HE won't get away" | said grim
", galvanized into action. but please
remember not even to hint to living
being that we want to arrest him until
I give you permission. And pretend
to those women in there that Won be-