Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-07-23
CHAPTER XVI
ID


Brena Selcoss raised her head from
Colby Pennington's desk and stared at
Peters lawyer with an expression of
terror in her parted lips, in her eyes,
in her white hands, held out as if to
ward away a hideous idea.
'YOu let him go!" she exclaimed In
a breaking shaken voice.
Let him go?" asked the astounded
Colby. "Why shouldn't he go? Is there
any reason"
1t was evident to Brena that this
man had not been in Peters conf
dence: he could no. know that a call
like this had come to the other two
men and that Peter might be the third
TO go. She interrupted him with
gesture of impatience, saying, "He left
no word--nO address-nothing with
which to trace him?'
mot with me-"
Leaning forward he pressed a pearl
button on his desk, then seized a cigar,
nipped the end off with his large white
teeth looked again at Brena, lovely in
spite of her grief and terror, and threw
1t back into the box. Usually Pen
nington was the master of any meet
ing with a stranger, but now some
thing Of that immortal personality
which was hers, something in her
bearing, something in her eyes, some
thing in that calm of distant noun
tains that she had regained, held Colby
silent until the door Of his office opened
and the chief clerk stepped in from
the cork composition flooring outside
onto the noiseless padded green car
peting inside.
Erred 70
eyes, sir"
did Mr.. Devote say where he was
going-did he leave any word with
us?"
Eyes, sir"
'What?"
"Why, If I'm not mistaken, Mr.. Pen
nington, he said that he was going to
New Orleans, Fort Worth, and place
called Kremlin Wells, Texas. He was
10 be there Excuse me-"
The chief clerk picked up from the
desk the bronze-framed calendar and
moved his pencil on it. He said, "He
was to be there on the oath, but gave
no address there. The twenty-fourth
is four days from now"
'Kremlin Wells, Texas? l never
heard of such a place." said Penning-
ton scowling after the manner Of one
who dislikes any fact not within the
swing of his own radius.
Nor had l. looked 1t up. Not In
the geography. But it's In the railroad
guide-a way station, probably with
water tank, on the Texas Central and
New Mexico-on the desert near the
border between the two states, Mr..
Pennington. That was all that he
said. He left some papers to put in
our safe and asked me to open them
and attend to them if he was not back
In three weeks"
"Thank you," said Pennington.
"Tha's all, Fred"
'Wait !"
Brena had spoken in a low tone, but
with that authority sometimes heard in
her voice.
The chief clerk stopped as If her
word had been bullet in his lungs.
"Will you help meY she said to Pc
ter's lawyer. Il assure you that he
would wish it."
Colby looked at her as one would
look at new model Of some automo-
bile; at last ne nodded.
II want to know the first train Ieav-
ing New York for st. Louis and Tex
as" she said. II want some one to
go for a ticket and reservations to
Kremlin Wells or the nearest point.
want taxicab. / want you to do
everything in your power to get me to
Kremlln Wells before the twenty
fourth. 1t must be donel"
Pennington stared at her.
VERY unusual" he muttered. "But
said we'd do 1t, Miss Selcoss."
Partly because of the assistance Of
his office force, Brena was on her way