The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-09-26
When 4 Girl
 Mnrries
By ANN LISLE.
CHAPTER CCCLXIX

CHAPTER CCClIX1X
 A conspiracy of silence seemed to fall on our group all during the long day when Val lay in the blue room, going from faints into mysteries and from mysteries into strangely calm ing for Jim and me. l wondered If, with him as with me, she seemed always on the verge of asking some thing and always drawing back.
 In the late afternoon Virginia de- cfded to walk over to Mason Towers with Pat.
 "what'n we do now that we find ourselves alone together for a change. Lilac Lady?" Jim asked.
 "If you don't mind, Jimmie boy" replied. "I sort of feel like getting out for a breath of fresh air.
 All right. I'll come with you"
 Please, Jim, I'd rather go alone"
 A trifle unified. Jim retorted;
 Don't care for a tete-a-tete with your old man. eh? Some day you'll
 "You say that in the hurt tone of the child declaring how sorry every body will be when he's dead and gling for a light tone to cover my earnest and gripping purpose. "But really do want to go out, Jin."
 Because your walk this morning had such pleasant resu1ts?" question ed Jim, tartly.
 "oh, boy-dear, that's unworthyl Can't you understand that want to get off myself and pull myself to- gether? ?,'
 .tNo, I'll never fully understand the modern woman-even though Pm married to her. But run along. Of course I know you don't want me to if it weren't for the fact that it's only decent for one of us to stay in the house in case Val needs us. ."
 Jim seemed to lay a. lot of stress T., II, :+ T., I,t 1@o1 me insist on going off and leave him but I hadn't time to puzzle about that All day long I'd been counting on the twilight hour and what I must do in it.
 I hurried to our room, donned a short skirt and heavy sweater and completed my costume with a pair of thick walking boots and warm tam Into my pocket I slipped a tiny cleo tric flash and a jack-knife I'd un- earthed in the big secretary down in the living room. With a ball of heavy cord to complete my ammunition, l started off.
 There was something shuddersome and ghost-like in the twilight. The little green path, down which had started so gafly only this morning, growth. But I hurried along, glad that there was light enough so I could trace my way without using the pock- ct flash.
 Instead of going all the way to the main road as I had done in the morning, I branched off about three quarters of the way down the path. With this climb down the embank- boots I'd bought for cross-country tramps. Steadying myself by the bushes that grew profuse1y on the sides of the steep bank, I let myself down cautiously.
 At last. just as I had calculated, I came out on the very plateau where I had found Val. Ahead of me bulk ed a dark shape. I knew well enough which Shelly had driven to meet his doom, but it looked like something monstrously strange and terrible Haunted A dreadful, impossible thing that couldn't be and yet was. A menace and a horror.
 It took all the courage I possessed to force myself onward. By now creeping down to the edge of the riv- CT, which was open enough so that even there at the bottom of the ravine it was still gray instead of black like the bank towering back of me.
 The beautiful estate knew so well looked sinister and strange. My feel ings were akin to the terrible dread and the fear experienced once as a child when I was sent to fetch some thing from the room where my grand father had died the week before. I had come to fetch something now too. So I steadied myself and with thudding heart I slid and clambered down the crunb1ing embankment to the spot where the big gray car lay overturned. Just beyond was the place where I had seen Evvy Mason with SheIdon's body clasped against her heart.
 'Don't think of that. Don't think of that,'' I admonished myself aloud: And then my whisper burst into scraaD m fnr something seemed to brush by me. I stood alone at the edge of the clearing at the foot Of the embankment. The path was wide enough for one-no more. And yet something heavy seemed to brush against me. It was nothing alive It felt like some inanimate thing in the hands of a crafty. hidden power. A moment and 1t was gone- turned to look up the ernbankment, but it was pitch dark and I could not see if the bushes parted or the leaves swayed. Suddenly I thought of my flash. I got it from my pocked,5 pressed my finger against the bottom and turned it up toward the top of the hill. But it's light was so feeble that I could not be sure if I saw. or only fancied I saw "a figure crouching at the top of the hill, where I had crept down from the path between the two es- tates.
 ''That's that. Now quit acting like a ninny and go ahead with what you came for" I murmured, but silently this time.
 Then I covered the few steps to the big gray car. I held up my torch and got out my jack-knife. opening the biggest. staunchest blade in prep aration for what had come to do. Then I stumbled back a pace, as- founded. The leather straps over the tank were cut. Whatever they had held was gone.
 (To Be Continued)