Evening star., 1925-09-06

and she had made a beginning. And
so on Friday the 18th she had ventured
forth again and displayed progress
that should have won her commen-
diums from Dicky. But all he had
given her was a scolding and. unwit
tingly, a suggestion, which was that
one could skid on dry pavements.
But there was, of course, no chance
to try that before another Saturday
rolled around-the Saturday which
brought Lefty to Linford to investi-
gate Chelsea S hunch.
No one noticed Lefty. Least of all
Ann. She was looking for somebody
else. This was not Dicky Duer, who
passed her as she and Violet came
down Main street.
Ann ignored Dicky. Lefty did not.
rs he on the job" he wondered
apprehensively.
EFTY had no desire to cross
- state patrolman's path. He
breathed more easily when Dicky
passed out of sight. Then his eyes
came back to Ann just as Violet
came to a stop in front of Sears
newsstand.
The watering cart, as usual, had
sprinkled Main street. Ann could
have skidded easily. Her effort was
newsstand and continued on her way
her spirits began to soar. The man
with the Dashed nose and cauHfiower
ear was nowhere to be seen.
This convinced her that she had
been imagining things. But Chelsea
hadn't passed out of her life-yet.
That's what l told you" he was
to remind Lefty. The skirts got it
Just as I said We could have nailed
10 - l1aI ,,1- rox-l
for it,
We'll have it next Saturday, any
way" promised Lefty grimly.
No one had asked the State patrol
to protect Old Eph's pay roll. But the
State patrol, like all police units, is an
arm of that special Providence that is
supposed to watch over fools. Either
Dicky or one of his fellows was always
in the offing when Old Eph started his
Saturday morning pilgrimage. They
had no reason to believe that the pay
roll was not in Old Eph's possession.
This morning Old Eph had been
Dicky's assignment. But Old Eph
never went to the bank until 10, and
at 9, when Ann passed through, Dicly
had felt privileged to turn his rowing
eye on her.
THAT bus of hers" he had soIilo-
quized, certainly goes everywhere she
does. | wonder if she takes it to bed
with her.
This implied fresh criticism. Actu-
ally Dicky was, in spite of his private
impressions of her mental capacity,
inclined to regard Ann favorably. A
State patrolman in Massachusetts is on
call "a hours a day, save for two days
a month, which he has to himself.
This does not leave much time for
feminine contacts. Perhaps Dicky was
getting hungry for these. Anyway, he
was certainly thinking of Ann.
Even he could not have told when
or why personal and professional in
terest suddenly merged. But as he
pictured Ann, something in him quick
ened suddenly to the memory of the
suppressed excitement Ann had seemed
to radiate that morning. The same
quality that the Chelsea Cyclone and
Lefty had marked and interpreted.
Now Dicky came to the conclusion
with a bang. "Ill bet my shield she's
carrying the pay roll" he assured him
self. IF that's it, she's sure one game
kid"
None of the increased respect for
Ann this implied was to be marked in
his manner the next time he passed
her, however. This was the follow
ing Monday. AS their eyes met she
saw in his that which left her puZ-
ZlSQ. 1T was as IL Ihey SdlO. On,
what 1 know about you"'
X x X
OF course Ann couldn't understand
that. Hes the freshest thingr"
she thought, Indignantly, and invol-
unfairly expressed her righteous an
ger by stepping on the gas until Vio-
let was travelling at a prohibited 80.
This Dicky took official cognizance
of, starting in pursuit. Ann heard
him coming and checked her pace,
but he stopped her just the same.
" No person., he quoted, may OPP
crate a motor vehicle in Massachu
sets at a speed greater than is rea-
sonable and proper, and faster than
20 miles an hour for distance of
a quarter of a mile in sparsely set
tied districts is considered prima facie
evidence of what is unreasonable. :"
This was from the official rules. He
might have added, from the same
source: .''But the disposition of au-
thoritieS is to permit fair rate of
speed on boulevards that are free of
intersecting roads and curves.
To that Ann, simply seething, made
no reply. She registered utter dis
dain. But Dicky, SO far from being
impressed, apparently forgot he was
an officer and certainly proved that he
was no gentleman.