Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-06-25

that when I, who am the only one
who could know, and who have just
come direct from England, know it
to be untrue. Don't you see, Polly?"
He had drawn her head against
his shoulder, stroking back the hair
from her forehead. She raised 1t
now quickly.
Yes, guardy!" she said eagerly.
II see; and I'm SO glad 1 came
to you at once. But-but it is so
strange, and-and it still frightens
me terribly. 1 don't understand. I
can't understand. Why should
room at this hour, and-and tell me
a thing like that if it were not
true?"
''Or even If it were true-at such
an hour, or in such a manner" he
injected quietly. Tell me exactly
what happened, Polly"
Il think I've told you everything"
she said. Il don't think there was
anything else. When I answered
the phone. the voice asked if
were Polly Wickes, and kept on re-
again in a horrible, crazy, sing
songy way, and then heard a
sound as though a door had been
blown open by the wind, and I could
hear the waves pounding, and then
the door was evidently slammed
shut again, and the voice said
what II have told you about
wearing black for my mother. And
then ! couldn't hear anything more.
and couldn't get any answer,
Though I called again and again into
understand! I'm sure it was the
same voice as that other night.
What does it mean? Guardy, what
should we do? Who could it be?"
A door blown open by the wind.
The pound of the waves! Where
was there a telephone that would
measure up to those requirements? ?
Not in the house. Captain Francis
Newcombe smiled grimly in the
darkness. The private installation
was restricted to the house and its
immediate surroundings. Therefore
the boathouse! The boathouse had
phone connection. And there was
still an hour or more to daybreak,
But first to shut Polly's mouth.
Polly" he said gravely, measur-
ing his words. II haven't the
slightest doubt that it was the same
voice we heard in the woods; in
fact. I'm quite sure of 1t. And In
equally sure now that 1 know who
it is"
She drew back from him in q
quick, startled way.
But, guardy, you said it was only
some one cat-calling To-
seriously. But 1 did not tell You
what l was really suspicious of all
along. With what l had to go on
then. 1t did not seem that 1 had
any right to do SO. It's quite a
different matter now, however. after
what has happened tonight"
yes" she prompted anxiously.
There can be only two possible
explanations" he said. Either
some one is playing a cruel hoax:
or 1t Is the work of an unhinged
mind. an irrational act, a phase of
insanity that"
"Guardy." she cried out sharply.
You mean
Yes" he said steadily; 81 do.
Polly. And there can really be no
question about it at all. Can you
imagine any one doing such a thing
merely from a perverted sense of
humor?-any one of US here for
it must have been one of us who
is connected with the household in
order to have had access to a tele-
phone: 1t is unthinkable, absurd,
isn't it? On the other hand, the
hour. the irresponsible words, their
crazy mode of expression, as YOU
yourself said, the motiveless decIar-
alton of palpable untruth, all
stamp 1t as the work of one who is
not accountable for his actions
OF one who is literally insane. And
then the fact that you recognized
the voice as the one we heard two
nights ago is additional proof, if
such were needed, which it very
obviously is not. You remembe,
that we had seen Mr.. Marlin in his
dressing gown disappear under the
Neranda a few minutes before, we
heard the calls and cries and wild.
insane laughter. My first thought
then was that it was Mr.. Marlin,
and l was afraid that either harm
mad, or might, come to him. l sent
You at once back to the house. and
[ ran into the woods to look for
him. l did not find him; and there
fore. 8 there was always the pos
slnlllty then that / had been mis-
taken, felt that I should not alarm
any OF you here, and particularly
MISS Marlin. by suggesting that Mr..
Martins condition was decidedly
worse than even 1t was supposed to
be. Is 1t quite plain, Polly? l do
rot think We have very far to look
1or the one who telephoned you to-
night"
He could just see her in the dark
ress, little white, shadow form
as she stood slightly away from him
now. One of her hands was press
ed In an agitated way to her face
and eyes; the other still held tightly
to the throat of her dressing gown.
."Oh. yes. it's plain, guardy," she
whispered miserably. "It's-its too
plain. Poor, poor Mr.. Marlin.
What are we to doo It would hurt
Dora terribly II she knew her father
bad done this. IL can't tell her"
or course. you can't" said Can
tain Newcombe gravely Your
position is even more delicate than
mine was the other night. do not
see that you can do anything-ex-
cept to say nothing about it to any
one for the present"
Yes" she agreed numbly.
She began to move toward the
door.
It's not likely to happen again."
SAID captain Francis Newcombe
reassuringly; land anyway, you can
make sure 1t won't by just leaving
Polly" And then. solicitously:
But you're not frightened any more
now. are you. Polly? A mystery
explained loses its terror. doesn't
it? And. besides. the main thing
was to know that our mother was
all right"
MY mother"
He thought he heard her catch
her breath in a quick, sudden half
sob.
It's all right, Polly" he said