Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-06-09

he doing IN Il SdHioiiN9
reached for the paper, but when she
had It the lines blurred before her
eyes. "Read 1t, please"
Whitford read the story to the last
line Long before he had finished, bis
daughter knew the one arrested was
CLAW. She sat down heavily, all the
life stricken from her young body.
"It's that man Durand. He's done
This and fastened it on Clay. Wen
find a way to prove Clay didn't 90
It,"
"Maybe. In self-defense-'
Reatrice pushed back her fathers
hesitant suggestion, and even while
h HI it a wave of dread swept over
her. The dead man was the same
criminal "Slim" Jim Collins whom the
cattleman had threatened in order to
protect the Millikan girl. The facts
that the man had been struck down by
n chair and that her friend claimed,
according to the paper, that the gun
man had fired two shots, buttressed
the solution offered by Whitford. But
the horror of 1t was too strong for
her. Against reason her soul protested
that Clay could not have killed a man.
It was too horrible, too CHASTITY, that
through the faults of others he should
be put in such a situation.
And why should her friend be in
such a place unless he had been
trapped by the enemies who were de-
termined to ruin him? She knew he
had q contempt for men who wasted
their energies in futile designations.
He was too clean, too much a son of
the wind-swept desert, to car any
thing about the low pleasures of in
decent and fuFtive vice. He was the
last man she knew likely to be found
enjoying a den of this sort.
dad. I'm going to him." she an.
nounced with crisp decision.
Her father offered no protest. His
impulse, too, was to stand by the
friend In need. He had no doubt Clay
had killed the man, but he had a sure
conviction it had been done in self-de.
Tense.
"Wen get the best lawyers in New
York for him, honey" he said. "No-
body will slip anything over or Lind
say If we can help it."
"Wfll they let us see him? Or shall
we have to get permission from some
onef"
"WeIl have tosget an order. l know
the district attorney. He'll do what
he can for me, tut maybe it'll take
time"
Beatrice rose. strong again and re-
silent. Her voice was vibrant with
confidence. 'Then after you've called
up the district attorney, We'll drive to
Clay's fiat in Harlem and find out from
Johnnie what he can tell US. Perhaps
he knows what Clay was doing in that
place they raided."
1t was not necessary to go to the
Runt. He came to them. AS Beatrice
and her father stepped into the car
Johnnie and Kitty appeared round the
corner. Both Of them had the news of
a catastrophe written on their faces. A
very little encouragement and they
would be in tears.
Saint it tur'ble, Miss Beatrice? They
done got Clay at last. After he made
'em all look like plugged nickels they
done fixed it so he'll mebbe go to the
electric chair and
"Stop that nonsense, Johnnie" or
dered Miss Whitford sharply, a pain
stabbing her heart at his words.
Don't begin whining already. We've
got to see him through. Buck up and
tell me what you know"
'That's right, Johnnie" added the
mining man. "You and Kitty quit
looking like the Atlantic ocean in dis
tress. We've got to endure the grief
and get busy. Wen get Lindsay out
of this hole all right"
you're dawg-goned whistlin'. Y'bet-
cha, by jolliesI !" agreed the Runt, i'm
mensely eheered by Whitford's conf
dence. 1--WE been drug into this an
we'n sure hop to it."
when did you see Clay last? How
did he come to be in that gambling
house? Did he say anything to you
about going there?" The girls Ques-
tons tumbled over each other In her
hurry.
"Well ma'am, 1t must "a been about
nine o'clock that Clay left last night.
l ~recollect because"
SIT doesn't matter why. Where was
he going"
ITO meet Mr.. Bromf1eld at his club"
said Kitty.
"Mr. Bromfeldl" cried Beatrice, sur
prised. "Are you sureT"
"That's what Clay said," corroborated
the husband. "Mr. Bromfeld invited
him. We both noticed 1t because it
seemed kinda funny, BIN and Clay not
bein'-"
Johnnie" his wife reproved, mind
full Of the relationship between this
young woman and the clubman.
did he say which club?"
Seems to me he didn't, not as I re-
member. How about that, Kitty?"