Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-06-04
CHAPTER VI-Continued

This was the man who withheld his
questions, bided his time and gazed
at Brena Selcoss with frank admira-
ton on his absurdly youthful and aca-
demic face. He turned away from her,
walked to the window and looked out
at the night, at the wall Of the neigh
boring house upon which the light Of
the full moon was BLUSH white, and
then, like an actor who has rehearsed
the part of cool and collected man
he walked toward Brena and said
clearly and calmly, "I've come for In
formation"
He could not see the slightest CULVER
In the girls eyes, though he looked
for 1t.
'Yes," said he. "May 1 close this
door?"
Mrs. Wilkie, who was outside pre-
tending to read the names in the tele-
phone book, saw the front room door
gently swing to and heard the latch.
How ola ara your" Parmalee was
asking Brena
Eighteen this month"; she said
well, that's surprisirg-very, in
deed" he said. you are more Of a
woman than a girl"
Brena was not pleased by The pat
ronizing manner of this rich cotton
man. She said promptly:
"The information you wanted? Was
1t about me?"
Parmalee looked up with a single
sharp thrust of his glance; he adjust
ed his tie and his opinion OF Miss Sell
cosS at one time. He put upon his
unErinkled, clean-shaven face a typ
zeal ingratiating SMILE He took his
pointed chin, which, combined with
his upslanting eyebrows to give him a
satanic expression. not unpleasing, in
his small, white, cold hand.
He said: ooh, no; the information
4 seek is about a certain man"
She glanced around her quickly, as
II to be sure that no one else had
come with him and was sitting out
side the circle of radiance from the
gas mantle that made the faces of
human beings suddenly turn livid and
CHASTITY as Permalee's had turned and
as she felt her own had turned.
Eyes. You want me to be more spe-
ciflc," he said in low voice. 81 will
be. The man is
He stopped, Stimulating perhaps
reluctance to speak the name.
Brena held her breath.
Jim Hennepin," he said "An en-
ployee-or perhaps a better word is
associate"
Without a futter in her dark eyes,
Brena said:
"Oh, then you do not want to see
me-you want to see Mr.. Hennepin's
aunt-Mrs. Wilkie.'
Parmalee shook his head from side
to side. Perhaps we'd better sit
down." he suggested.
Her face flushed as she told him
she would prefer to stand, but he only
shrugged his shoulders.
HAS she heard from himY' he
asked. "Today?'
No." said Brena, "she hasn't had
line from him since he left Dallas.
There isn't anything at the officer"
No, hi accounts are all right" re-
piled Parmalee. 1T appears that you
are anxious on that point-in his be-
half. Are you fond of him?"
Not in the slightest Brena nm
swered with voice which showed no
emotion whatever: she might have
been asked whether she liked cold raw
sliced tomatoes.
''Well. that's surprising-very. in
deed" he said with thrust of his
glance. "YoT were friendIy?"
'Yes," she said. II suppose that we
were very friendly. / do not know
why you are asking me these ques-
ss0ns"
that will appear" he said xravely.
ssYou Will see that I am your friend
in this, Miss Selcoss. think you will
say that / came here to do YOU a
service"
For just flick of time something
rose from the depths of Compton Par
malice and Brena saw it. 1t was al
most an effiuvium of the buried best
in him-the stir of dying thing try
ing to come to life. 1t was half q
benevolent love of his fellow man.
half the call of an isolated, warped
and lonely soul, 1t was the thing
which she saw later and to which she
gave in her folly, but now it fiickered
Tor a mc9-.-snt on that strange esthetic
gamblei's face and was gone.
You telegraphed to Jim Hennepin
from ST. Louis" he said "That tele-
gram was opened"
'When?" asked Brena. when it
sa1Iet OF course"
He did pot deny it. He said: at