Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-30
MY
wi PROBLEMS
Adele Garrison's
New Phase off,.
REVELATIONS
OF WIFE
THE WAY "THE EVENING BuSi'
NESS" BEGAN

al Eht AZ" ~
was a signal, / dropped my cards nerv-
ously. and felt suddenly ashamed as
I saw that the other players OF the
bridge game held theirs as casually as
if there had been no interruption II
was only another instance of the polse
which wears of work like theirs Drlng
to women like Lillian and men like my
father and Allen Drake. | was more
akin TO Katie-I told myself contempt
uously, as the girl gave a little cry at
the tapping, then clapped her mana
over her mouth and looked at Lillian
a%ffrightedly.
.Ts that your idea of being an &C
t~ress?" Lillian demanded sternly. put
ting her finger unerringly upon tne
thing best calculated to stimulate hatie
and to Danish her tremors. My niue
maid threw her head back at the ques-
ton and looked at Lillian steadily.
Il no open my mouth again tonighC
unless you tell me-"
Good, See that you don't" Lillian
reioined. She had risen when she re-
buked Katie, and laid her cards upon
the table carelessly. At the girls prom
Use she had moved toward the library
unhurriedly, with the same effect OF
c~asualness, and her last remark was
made with her hand upon the door
knob.
We heard Lillian open the door the
length of the short bar-chaln which
we keep upon it after nightfali, u
then there came to our ears the SOUND
of ~low-voiced but staccato questions
and and the subsequent shut
ting of the door.
The Moment Approaches
/ could distinguish no words OF the
low colloquy, and / think my fathers
older ears were no better than mine.
But Allen Drake has the hearing of a
North American Indian, and he a
doned his apparent study of the nand
upon the table, laid his own cards down
beside them, and rose from his chair.
Il fancy the bridge game is off for
an hour or two" he said with an en-
tirely different voice from his usual
drawing tones.
/ looked at him with the amazed
curiosity which always comes to me
when | see Allen brakes reaction to a
coming struggle. 1t is like seeing. a
lazy, aristocratic, pampered house dog
turning before ones eyes into a gaunt,
keen-eyed and relentless hunting ami
NAL.
NV father remained seated, but l
saw in his eyes the same tense alert
ness which Allen brakes mirrored.
And when Lillian returned to the room
with her face slightly paler than usual:
and little lines etched at the corners of
her mouth-the invariable signs of re-
pressed emotion with her-I knew that
the evenings business was indeed at
hand.
"He's Started"
| realized another thing also. With
characteristic modesty, Lillian had re-
ferred to Tom Chester's arrangements
of signals under Aliens direction"
Yet when the signal had come it was
she. not Mr.. Drake. who answered it.
She it was whose brain had planned
everything and was directing every
thing. up to the time when Allen Drake
should take over the handling of the
man Smith for the purpose in Lillian'S
p~hraseology of putting the fear into
him"
She stood just inside the door for a
tense second or two, breathing a bit
rapidIy-something she never used to
do. no matter how exciting or Ian
gerous the task confronting her. AS
watched her / felt my own heart con-
strict with the sudden thought of the
auricular weakness which has developed
in her during the last year. She has
been decidedly better during the last
few weeks, but / dreaded the effect OF
the coming encounter upon her.
as everything jake!" Allen Drake
asked.
Absolutely. He's started, but he'll
meet the supposed stick-up men dowr
the road, and be disarmed before be
gets very far. Come, Katie, put or
your cloak, and we'll mosey down the
| road to our trysting place"
Katie rose obediently. reaching fol
| the cloak with fingers that | saw trem.
| bling %nervously. | crossed the room
quickly, took up the cloak and put il
around her shoulders.
STEADY, dear" l whispered. "There's
nothing to be afraid of. And don't LEI
MI. Drake guess you're nervous"
She flung up her head as if ] haC
slapped her. j had struck the right
key, l noted with satisfaction.
Don't you worry" she whispered
back. Dot bunch of soup green's, h
get no chance to laugh at me-"
Lillian swept her to the door, ther
turned for a parting %admonition.
'In about Is minutes from now
! Madge, you can take your station il
the hall off the library. But you',
better put all the lights out now excep'
| the ones we always keep burning al
night. Good luckf'