The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-07-05
CHAPTER XII. A Guna At Hast


 For a long minute neither man spoke and it was Jimmy who broke the pregnant silence with a long sub dued whistle
 "A -scar on the left thigh! By Georg-You get it, don't you Buck % Macartney's eyes shone-
 sYou just bet your bottom dollar T6o This O'Connor nut spoke about that I could kiss you, Virginia ed my help to straighten out mis- era.ble mess of some sort
 ''Very we'll" hurnbly. 'I won't. But you are a trump. That seems to prove conclusively what we all be- 1ieve, that O'Connor told the truth when he said that Thelma was his wife. How'd you happen to be in the room with her, Virginia?''
 'I pretended that had a headache and wanted to lie down. She-she isn't at all a bad sort, Buck
 Mccartney shook his head in pug zIed fashion.
 That's what I can't understand. In spite of myself I rather like her. But that Stratford fellow gets on my nerves He don't say much. but he struts around there like he owns the earth. I don't understand any of it. Especially Thelma's reason for com
 
 Charley could consent to try and buy her off,
 He won't" commented Shannon briefly. There's something be- tween him and Thelma."
 You could help us there" pleaded Buck to Virginia, "by finding out what the something is.''
 i've tried" she confessed, and I can't make head or tail of it. l am sure that she has some sort of hold over him; but it strikes me that she isn't acting entirely of her own voli- tion. Have you ever thought that Stratford is behind this thing in some way?''
 That's what I've thought from the first" said Shannon. Intuition, guess. But I don't like that guy He looks to me like a high class crook And if you'n pardon frankness, I don't like Howard Manning, either"
 Wait a minute, shannon" broke in Buck quickly. ''I can't let you say anything against Manning. He's friend of nline-'
 'T don't care if he is six friends" persisted Shannon doggedly. T don't think it was the act of a friend in the first place to allow you to marry this woman last night-or at any rate to go through with the ceremony which he then thought was bindins Would you have allowed him to do it if the positions had been reversed ?' 'T-I-don't think so. But man can't tell what he'd do under given circumstances unless he was tried" You're loyal,'' said shannon, but foolish. There's something wrong somewhere, and if we don't suspect some one how can we ever arrive at a, satisfactory conclusion?''
 "1 don't care" returned Buck a bit warmly "I won't even do Man ming the injustice of suspecting him of duphcity- Why, it's absurd-'' ., 'Nery we'll" the reporter shrugged. Supposed you go and try and pump something out of Uncle Charley. Buck. I've something I wish to talk over with Miss Earle"
 Alone with the girl Jimmy Shan non put the question direct.
 Do you think I am unjust in say ing that Manning has acted peculiar 1y?"
 I|-hate to say"
 This is time for absolute frank ness, Miss Earle. If I could put my finger on motive-Is there any way that Macartney's marriage to an- other woman could benefit Man ning?"
 ':No-o-o. hardly know what you mean"
 This, for instance: is Howard Manning an old suitor of yours?''
 Silence and then:
 "Ye-es!"
 H-m! I thought so. That ex- plains why he was willing to con hive at the marriage of his friend and this actress. I'm not-I might not be doing him an injustice-b,It lacking all other evidence facts point to him.
 me first thing which crystaillized those suspicious was the fact that O'Connor went into the little room with him raving about Thelma, being his wife After a few minutes with Manning he came back with the astounding statement that he had