The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-05-29
HAPTER h72

CHAPTER 61Z
 | Copyright, 1920, King Features Syndi- | cate, Inc.
 During the few days following the | lunchean Mabel Storms and I had 1 with Tom Mason, I went about the 1 business of living in a state of nervous l tension. This was rooted in the events | of the past weeks But I became | aware of it when Tom told us that
 Evvy was off on Dick Vests trail It | tensed to a climax when we left the hotel to ruch off to the station. It is fortunate that I've come to trust Miss May absolutely, for a couldn't stay in my office much of the | time during those days of waiting, ow- ing to the demands of the Derring- | forth Shoe Co.'S advertising campaign. For a time nothing happened. Tom had persuaded that it would be wiser for neither Evelyn nor him to comm unicate with us In any way. If they succeeded in capturing Dick West, we'd receive word of their suc- cess at once of course. If it appeared that Dick had doubled back to the city a message would come. But a word telegrapher or telephoned to us might betray more to Dicks spies than 1t could tell us-so only vital meSsag ges
 were worth risking.
 No message came. I flung myself
 into my work and tried to conquer the
 nerves which made sleeping pre-
 tense and eating an agony, felt my
 self growing thin and jumpy.
 Added to the ugly uncertainty about
 Dick West, there was the nervous
 tension connected with the arrival of
 "R. Cordova." I couldn't keep from
 puzzling over which of the family was coming. Nor could I view the
 matter with the calm indifference which I 1onged to achieve in place of the ugly pealousy against which Ma bel had tried to arm me.
 My own business was beginning to worry me. The head officials of the Yelda Go. had gone across the country to buy in some goods at government auctions. There was no one in town to whom I could turn with a request that my bills be paid at once. The Derringforth shoe people hadn't any ready cash. Money was going out in a steady stream and coming in from only one account. Max Hoadley's.
 With Tom and Tony out of town, Carl Booth strangely silent and Pat sharing, no doubt, Virginia's feeling of arrangement from me, there was ab- soIuteIy no one to whom I could go to for advice-or cash. I had a hunted feeling, and added to that a sense that must manage somehow for Jfm's sake to keep up and be ready to stand by when needed.
 Finally after almost a week had elapsed, a strange-lookfng letter, post marked here in the city and scrawled in faintly familiar hand greeted me one morning on my arrival at the of flee. With a feeling amounting to premonition, I opened it and read: Dear Daughter:
 '@When this gets to you we'll be out to sea where your tools won't be able to follow us. I'm sorry if this causes you any disappointment or inconven- fence, but had to stick by my friend Dick. He needs me to save him from the prosecutions of your friends"
 He got away!" I gasped, staring bitterly at the paper in my hand.
 Then I looked up from the letter with a sense of unreality This is not the way Dad Lee writes of talks. l felt at noce that the letter was written at Dick Vests dictadon. But l couldn't believe that Dad Lee had managed to get away, and that all the efforts Tom and Evvy were making