Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1921-01-20

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fore long. I'll wait-thanks
For Gods sake, Red"
"Ah, shut your trapw He cast her
arm free violently and stood back.
$50 you thought you could gyp Red
Carnehan and get away with it! You
little fool"
She attempted no reply. The first
spasm of CONSERVATION passing, the
faculty Of concentrated thought re-
turned. She entertained not the faint
est hope of escaping her fate at the
hands of Red Carnehan. Whether she
lived or died, she conceived, didn't
matter. But 1t was otherwise with
Mario. Him she must save somehow,
by some heroic exercise of wit and
spirit =.
Yet in the beginning she cast about
in vain for ruse or vile that might
serve Alone, defenseless, in the COM
pany of a man armed and determined,
murder in heart and mind: man in
sane with jealousy and hatred, alike
bred of sheer fear the fear of the as
sassin living moment by moment in
the shadow of arrest: what could she
do against such odds?
She could think Of nothing, positive
ly nothing. And yet, she knew, there
must be some way out. If only she
could find it =.
She knew herself to be clever, far
cleverer than Red-as she had once
boosted to his face. Her wits had
yet to fail her, however extreme or
exigent the occasion. Give her time
to think and she could circumvent
him. But now that one essential ele-
ment. time, was lacking. Impossible
to guess how soon Mario might return.
And then there was Reds Impotence
to be reCkoned with .
Her look of trapped animal faded ;
in its stead her face reflected con-
centratiOn Of thought amounting al
most to abstraction. She seemed to
consider Carnehan out Of a fathOm-
less composure, rs she might one fac
tor in an engrossing problem in whose
solution she was Sitallv Interested.
This change in her annoyed the man
intolerably. Not only was any sem
blance of indifference offensive, but
he had learned to distruSt the girls
moments of thoughtfulness. If his in
telligence was not of high order, he
had at least cunning, with acumen
enough to feel and fear the finer met
tie of her mentality. lnstinctively he
sought an outlet for his eXasperation
in a burst of lurid blashphemy
"Whyn't you say something" he con-
Guided, gesticulating wildly with the
pistol. "What you standin' there for,
dumbs cat. Whyn't you try to come
clean by lynn"
She responded quietly: "Whats
the use? Even if told you the truth
it wouldn't do any good. You've made
up your mind"
you said it. I'm wise, and I've
got you where I want you. If you
think you can put anything over on
me now--well, try it. That's all: try
1t. I wish you would"
She shrugged YEARLY, then inquired
in tone of moderate curiosity:
"Where's Inez waiting for you?"
"How dyou know" He was OBJ
viously posed. whats Inez got tc
do"
you know well enough it was hel
that told you ! was here"
"Well What if she did?
"Nothing-only she brought me here
first"
like IL"
"Yes"-the girl ignored the inter
ruptiOn-"I didn't even know where
he lived, no more'n I knew where t.
look for you. SO 1nez framed me
just to put me in bad with you"
"Ah, tell't to Sweeney"
"Ask Charlie, if sou don't believ,
me-ask him after he comes to a
Sing Hos tomorrow. He'll tell you h,
promised to meet me there tonigh
and bring me to you. But when
got there Charlie was dead to tn,
world. Inez said she'd show me tn,
way to where you and Leo was layin,
up; and when I said all right, sh,
brought me here, left me at the doc
and blew. And then :. What coulC
I do? I didn't know where to find yo,
and I was cold and wet and tired"
Her statement carried conviction
Against his wish the man believe,
her; and because 1t was against hi
wish he was the more irritated an,
chose to deny his belief. His glar
was ugly.
$50 that's the stall, is it?"
"You ask Charlie. He'll tell yor
the truth-you needn't look to get |
out Of Inez-only he'll tell you to-
late"
what do you mean, too laee?"
"Too late to stop you making
d-n fool of YOURSELF
FLOWS that? How'm goin' {
make a d-n fool out Of myself?"
81 don't know yet; but I hope yo
don't think I'm such a fat as to thin
you've come here tonight just for
friendly talk"
you're dead right there" Iii
laugh rang with brutal scorn. ~,
| say | didn't come for no friendly tol