Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-02-22
THE BPEAKING POINT
BY mary ROBERTS RINEHART

He turned his horse and rode beside the
car to the house.
Comes little late to do Henry Living
ston much good" he said. He's been lying.
in the Dry River graveyard for about ten
years. Not much mourned, either, He was
about as cIose-mouthed and uncompamon-
able as they make them"
The description WATSON had applied to
Henry Livingstone the reporter himself ap-
piled to the two ranch hands later on, dur
ing their interview. 1t could hardly have
been called an interview at all, indeed, and
after a time Bassett realized that behind
their taciturnity was suspicion. They were
watching him, undoubtedly; he rather
thought when he looked away that once or
twice they exchanged glances. He was GER
tain, too, that WATSON himself was puzzled.
Speak up. Jake" he said once irritably.
This gentleman has come long way. It's
matter of some property
what sort of property" Jake demanded.
Jake was the spokesman of the two
TThats not important" Bassett observed,
easily. What we want to know is II Henry
Livingstone had any family
He had a brother
"No one else?"
mo"
"Then. it's up to me to trail the brother"
Bassett observed. Either of you remember
where he lived?"
Somewhere in the east"
Bassett laughed
That's a trifle vague" he commented
good humoredly. How about the mail?
Didn't you boys ever mail any letters for
him."
He was certain again that they exchanged
glances, but they continued to present an
unbroken front of ignorance WATSON was
divided between irritation and amusement.
"What'd 1 tell your" he remarked. Like
master like man. I've been here ten years,
and I've never got a word about the Living
stones out of either of them"
I'm a patient man." Bassett grinned. Il
suppose you'll admit that one of you drove
David Livingstone to the train and that you
had fair idea then of where he was going"
He looked directly at Jake, but Jakes face
was a solid mask He made no reply what
ever
From that moment on Bassett was certain
that David had not been driven away from
the ranch at ALL What he did not know,
and was in no way to find out, was whether
the two ranch hands knew that he had gone
into the mountains, why. He surmised
back Of their taciturnity a small mystery OF
their own, and perhaps fear.
He gave up at last having learned divers
UnmpOrtant facts; that the recluse had led
; a lonely. life; that he had never tried to make
the place more than carry itself; that he was
a student, and that he had no other peculiari-
ties
Did he ever say anything that would
lead you to believe that he had any family,
outside of his brother and sister? That is,
any direct heir?" Bassett asked
He never talked about himself" said
Jake. eff that's all, Mr.. WATSON, I've got
steer begged down in the north pasture and
I'll be going.
On the Wasson's invitation he remained
to lunch, and when the ranch owner excused
himself and rode away otter the meal, he
sat for some time on the veranda, with Mrs.
WATSON sewing, and his own eye fixed spec
ulatively on the mountain range, close, bleak
and mysterious.
Strange things" he commented. Here's
a man, a boOk-lover and student, who comes
out here, not to make living and be a USE
full member of the community, but to bury
himself alive
"a great, many come out here to get away
from something, Mr.. Bassett."
Eyes, to start again. But this man never
started again He apparently just quit
Continued in the Next Issue)
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