Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1923-05-03

you were in the pits, or l wouldn't have
lone it. That crippled crook in the
cave got over me. They've got him for
five or ten years; and he's earned It,
But he was all broken up about his
wife. Neither of them deserve a scrap
of sympathy. But-the poor devil was
In such a state, that somehow l fell for
1t. He never whined IN his own ae-
count he was thinking of his wife. 1t
got me on a raw spot. He knew l u
have tracked him through her-he
begged me to say nothing about her.
"And 1 didn't. l gave him that much
rope. Never told the police I'd seen
her close by. Running down women Is
their job. If it's got to be done, let
them do it. They haven't any choice
but 1 had. All the same" said Billy, IF
I'd dreamed for a moment you were In
the pits, I'd have chased fifty female
thieves sooner than you should take o
chanceI 1 ought to be horsewhipped
for riskin' It,"
II think it was fine Of you, Billy"
cried Aimee with sparkling eyes.
"No!" he said. "It's you that were
fine"
"This," said Aimee, SIS what comes
of growing sentimental. Neither of us
would have dreamed of making such
such fools of ourselves q week ago.
What will become of her? Will she
get away?"
81 don't know or care. If she made
the road, there's juice enough in the
Sphinx to take her a hundred miles
from here. l only hope they don't find
her with the machine. But I'll bet they
don't. She'll get clear and cover her
tracks-she's the sort that does"
"But the Sphinx" said Aimee, with
intense remorse, "our Sphinx, Billyf
I've lost her for your
Billy laughed.
"We'll mighty soon have another
there's two hundred landed at the
docks last week-same model; and a
factory being equipped to build the new
model over here. Mass production"
"What! You never told me it had
got as far as that! Butt wanted the
old one, Billy-our Sphinx"
maybe you'n have her yet. Only
I'm not going to let her make trouble
for you. We're pretty near done with
trouble"
"But how"
"Never mind. I'll tell you some time
Gee! how you'll laugh! But Pm CIV
ing you the cinch-it is So"
'Billy!" she cried, isn't that splen-
did! Though IL"
"Well?'
IT haven't been worrying so much
about it lately" said Aimee swiftly.
'But it's good to know. And what's
going to happen nowT"
81 know one thing that's going to
happen now," said Billy, and he kissed
her with-as de Jussac would say
empressement.
Billy !" said Aimee a little breath
lessly. "Aunt said We had to be
tiecorous! ~
$50 we are" replied Billy. He kissed
her again.
Half an hour later Billy, passing the
main porch, encountered Lady cry.
thea.
Spencer" she said, 81 was about to
send for you. The person from Scot
land Yard, who mas just left, Informed
me that he had not only captured one
of the thieves, but that you had rem
dered him invaluable assistance. 1t
really seems a remarkable ending to
the affair-but it does not surprise me
In the leastl l said from the first that
you we're more likely to make a sue
cess of this problem than all the po-
lice in the country, if they would only
consult you. l was perfectly right
my judgment, in fact, is never wrong"
"Yes, my LADY,
Il am quite capable of reading be-
tween the lines" said Lady Erythea
with suppressed triumph. at is my
conviction that the capture of this
abominable thief was due entirely to
you. The police are imbeciles."
Billy shook his head.
"On the contrary, Inspector Ark
wright is an uncommonly clever man,
my lady," he said respectfully. "As for
me, 1 had-luck. Luck's a queer thing.
Even cleverness won't always beat it"
Lady Erythea looked a little out of
her depth.
SIN any case,'' she continued, 81 am
very pleased that this absurd suspicion
of the police regarding you is cleared
up, and that you come out of the affair
with such credit. 1t confirms my opin-
ion of you"
Lady Erythea contemplated Billy's
tall figure and s~erenely handsome face
with a certain regret.
81 am sorry" she said, "that you are
leaving Jervaulx."
Billy smiled.
'The week l have spent in your lady
ships service" he said gently, "has
been the happiest time of my life"
Lady Erythea was not given to ex-
pressing her emotions. But her aus
tere face positively tinged a faint pink
color with DlQocl1rn