Evening star., 1923-12-24
ABOVE SUSPICION
BY Robert Orr Chipperield.
Aushor Of THE Second Buues," unseen Hand,'
"The Trigger OF Coincidence" Etc.
by Robert " MeBrd 4 Co
Continued from Yesterdays Star.)

II don't believe Mrs. Cayley would.
scandal! Rupert flushed. II know
that sounds csddish of me, down
right rotten. but she wouldn't care
whom she sacrificed az long as she
snd ksep ssaS on on cmoss tine sseial lahasf aonf
suppose you understand what l meah
and / wouldn't Ia k this way only II
dead sore! / guess You know why
Gecff nodded as he drew on his
"Since you speak o. it. Mr. Ashe. ]
reckon I do. Seems 'sif the lady'd
ruther have an Old high-fyer for a
n-in-law. so longs he's got money
and a place amongst the. big bugs
than somebody else that she was more
than satisfied with afore he come
long"
That's it. exactly" the young man
cried. You know how 1t was between
Miss Mildred and me last summer
until that Woertz woman invited her
Lane was there! She calls herself
Van Vert since the war and she got
her money back from the alien prop
ortv custodian--n
suddenly.
You mean that rich widow who
bought the big Durant place over to
ST yer Bay and wants lot o plaster
images stuck up all over the
grounds?"
the whole thing started at her house
party st Silver Bay" responded Ru-
pert. IT could tell just shade of diff
ference almost imnlediately--not In
Miss Mildred. bless her. but in her
mother and her uncle. They weren't
mean"
reckon I took time to 1t
could figger 1t out" Geoff remarked
dryly.
well. I couldn't, not until we all
got back to town, and every time
boys voice was bitter. Then ther'
came to be all kinds of excuses why
Miss Mildred couldn't go TO matinees
or tea dances or ball games with me.
no matter who chaperoned them. and
half the time she never received the
flowers I sent her, or the books OF
candy I heard, too, that her uncle
and Lane had got thicker than thieves
down in Wall street, and then they
took her south for three months
Mildred's got spirit, though, il she is
such a little bit of a thing. and they
had nothing actually against me so
they couldn't refuse to let her re-
ceive me. but they've made 1t mighty
uncomfortable and difficult for us
since her people and mine came out
here again this season. / told you
dired with them last Wednesday
night. but I didn't say why ! left
early: it was because Mrs. Cayley
brother and Lane practically insulted
me, in a half-kidding way. 1 went
home rather than Jose my temper and
give them the chance they were wait
ing for--to order me out OF the house
and forbid Miss Mildred to speak TO
rrra average
awful thing. Geoff but l cant say I'm
exactly grieving in this case, and as
soon as the whole miserable business
Is settled up and she can decently
Miss Mildred away. Maybe I oughtn't
to say all this. but l feel as though
I'd just about burst II 1. didn't talk
to somebody"
Its all right with me: I've seen
you summer after summer down here
ain't forgettin' that you cured up
replied. Reckon you'll have to wal
some time -afore this business Is
clared up. though. Doc Hood
tive from the county seat is joke"
Rupert stretched himself lazily
There's one thing sure: with Mr.
Bernhard dead. Lane won't have any
Miss Mildred tells him where he gets
off, and she promised she would at
the first opportunity"
1T don't s'pose." Geoff paused to
knock the ashes from his pipe, Il
don't suppose you remember who
twas that told you bout Mr.. Benk-
ard and Mr. Lane gittin' to be so
thick last summer down to the stock
market? Seems to me / heard tell
they'd been ready to fly at each 9TH
er's throats for years.
"Old Mr.. Robbins tod me. He used
to be in Wall Street, Robbins & Boone
but you wouldn't know anything
about that. Father never bothered
with the market, OF course, but our
the failure came-it killed Mrs. Rob-
bins-he took the poor old chap on