Evening star., 1922-10-01


floor. The baby had had the Group:
it had given her an excuse for being
up, for the roaring kitchen fire and
lights.
Early in the evening she had sent
over to the doctors for medicine. The
drug store was closed. and curious
crowd had gathered in front of it.
The doctor dispensed his own pre-
Scriptions and had sent back with the
bottle a kindly note:
Dear Molly: II we can do anything
let US know. Would you like Ann to
spend the night with your
The eight-year-old girl had trotted
back with a message that she thought
she could manage nicely. The thought
of AIMS prying eyes made her shud-
der.
Then the quiet night had settled
down on them. Some time after
IL. moving about the room. she
had glanced out of the window and
had seen glowing in the darkness
lighted cigar
She knew what It meant. The house
was being watched.
BY l o'clock the baby was breath
ing easier. A light snow was falling;
frozen hard, it beat against the win
dow panes with little. sharp crack
lirgs In the next room the eight
year-old girl was sound asleep. one
arm thrown up over her head.
She went to the window and looked
out again. The man across the street
moved uneasily. hesitated. came over
and signaled her to raise the window.
"How's the boy?" he called through
the snow. She knew him then
Cooper. one of the county detectives.
Better; the doctors medicine has
helped him
He hesitated awkwardly. You'd
better go to bed he said at last.
'There is no use of two of US staying
up. 1 guess he won't come back while
I am hanging around"
NO" she replied YEARLY, "he
won't come back. Mr.. Cooper. That
was the last word he said"
The detective coughed. cleared his
throat. spat.
I'VE are all mighty sorry" he OBJ
served. using carefully conVersa-
tional tone. "These-these things
happen now ana then.
II expect you are right cold out
there
We'll. I am not warm" he replied
eheerfully. Il am burning up con-
siderable fuel. but it doesn't seem to
heat much" To show his ease he
lighted a fresh stogie. The match
fare showed his good humored face
drawn and strained in spite of his
tone.
You wouldn't care to come in and
warm your feet, would you?"
He hesitated. The village street
vas quiet. Owing to it's semi-iso-
lated position. he had commanded all
approaches to the house from his
vantage point across the street. Once
inside But then again-the house
was small and lightly built; one could
hear a football through it. A man
ought to be able to thaw out now and
then.
II don't know but will for a min
ute or two, Mrs. Carter" he assented,
"if you'll unlock the door,
CHE came downstairs very soon,
y shawl over her thin wrapper, and
set a match to the fuel ready laid in
the parlor stove before she admitted
him.
She was a pretty. slender woman
still in her twenties-an ultra-refined
type of the village. Indeed, she had
known better things than this thin
clapboard house. She had taught
school at the county seat before her
marriage. The village had always re-
sented her shy aloofness. the books
on her parlor table. 1t had predicted
calamity from the marriage, and
now it had come.
The detective eyed her with ap-
probation as he drew up his chair
to the fire and warmed his numb
fingers.
How did it happen. anyhow,
Nolly?" he said at last. He had
known her for a long time. Had he
been drinking?"
II don't exactly know myself" Her
tone was dreary. Il had asked him
not to carry a gun-but when you ask
Jim not to do thing. he wants to
right off 1t was over a woman"
The detective was uncomfortable.
He had known about the woman, of
course. Molly Carter went to the
foot of the stairs and listened. All
was still. The baby slept. So small
was the house that she could hear
his slightly stertorous breathing. The
base burner was glowing now. She
did not sit down again. She rolled
her arms in her shawl and stood look
ing at the blaze.
ut was the girl at Heideger's.
He's been hanging around her for
quite a while. Jim was sociable. you
know. and lately. with the baby and
the house, 1 haven't had much time
for him.
The detective nodded.
And he went out. I suppose?'
well, you can hardly blame him.
I guess here in the town they'll say
I drove him to it. I have the reputa-
ton of thinking more Of my children
than do of my husband. In the
evenings I liked to read. Jim was no
hand for reading"
TN her nine years in the village she
i had adopted many of its colloquial-
isms.
From what gather. because with
everybody talking at once I got kind
of mixed up, 1t seems that the clerk
from the drug store walked into
Heideger's while Jim was there and
asked the girl what she meant by
fooling around with a married man.
Then he told Jim to come home be-