Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-04-28

the tap-tap-tap-tap of a poicemans
night stick rafting on the curostone
Hes calling help"
~ can explain how it happened"
mo. He wouldn't under stand. They'd
hnd YOU guilty."
To a manservant standing In the
background the young woman spoke.
''Jenkins, have Nora clean up the hO0r
and the steps outside. And remember
Il don't want the police to know this
gentleman is here"
"Yes, miss"
Gomez said the girl to her guest
Clay followed his hostess to the
stairs and went up them with her, hnt
ne went protesting, though with a
ehuckle of mirth. He sur ruined my
clothes a heap. | amt fit to be seen.
The suit he had been so proud OF
Was shrinking so that his arms and
legs stuck out like signposts. The
color had run and left the goods a
peculiar bilious-looking overall blue.
She lit a gas-log in a small library
den.
Just a minute, please"
She stepped briskly from the room.
In her manner was a crisp decision, in
her poise a trim gallantry that Vol
him instantly.
"Ill bet she'd do to ride WITH" he
told himself in a current western
idiom.
When she came back 1t vas to take
him to a dressing room. A complete
change of clothing was laid OF for
him IN a couch. A man whom Clay
recognized as a valet-he had seen his
tiers at Tucson-was there to supply
his needs and attend to the tempera-
ture of his bath.
Stevens will look after you" she
said; when you are ready come back
to dads den."
resilient step. Once, when he was a
boy, he had seen Ada Rehan play In
"As You Like It." Her acting had en-
tranced MIN. This girl carried him
back to that hour. She was boyish as
Rosalind, In every motion of
her slim and lissom body.
At the head of the stairway she
paused. Jenkins was moving ~hurriedly
up to meet her.
Its a policeman, miss. 'Es come
about the-the person that came In,
and 'e's talkin' to Nora on the steps.
She's a-jollyin' i'm, as you might say,
miss"
His young mistress nodded. She
swept the hall with the eye of a gen
eral. Swiftly she changed the position
Of a Turkish rug so as to hide a spot
on the polished floor that had been
recently scrubbed and was still moist.
Then she opened the door and saun-
tered out.
"Does the officer want something,
Nora" she asked innocently, switch
ing the end of a crop against her rid
ing-boots.
Eyes, miss. There's been a rufian
batin' up Swedes an tyin' 'em to posts.
This officer thinks he came here" ex-
planned Nora.
"Does he want to look In the house?"
eyes, miss"
"Then let him come in." The young
mistress took the responsibility on her
own shoulders. She led the police
man into the hall. II don't really see
how he could have got in here without
some of us seeing him, officer"
mo, ma'am. 1 don't see how he
could" The patrolman scratched his
red head. 1.-THE janitor's a Swede,
anyhow. He jist guessed it. l came
to make sure av it. I'll be sorry for
troubling yuh, miss"
The smile she gave him was warm
and friendly. "Oh, that's all right. If
you'd care to look around . But
there really is no USE"
mo" The forehead under the red
thatch wrinkled in thought. "He said
he seer him come in here or next door,
an he came up the steps. But nobody
could have got in without some of
youse seem him. That's a lead pipe"
The officer pushed any doubt that re-
manned from his mind. "Only a mud
dle-headed Swede."