The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1927-03-11
I GERALDINE
BONNER
COPYRIGHT By ne eoses co

IT was all right and he told her
She listened absorbed, eyes in
tent on his, now and then noddin;
her head I'm confirmation of tn
agreement in her own mind. Wifel
be bad finished, she sat lookin,
down, apparently lost in musin;
contemplation of the story.
rs it all right for you to tel
me9"
1t was all right and he told her
$50, as it turns out, Anne, dear
est, all that misery you and l went
through was unnecessary"
YES" she said slowly. al
wasn't Joe, he wasn't in 1t at all
But l don't understand. I've been
sitting in my Dom while you were
with Stokes thinking about it, and
l can't make it out. Hugh"-she
leaned forward and rested her
hand on his knee, dropping heI
voice, though no one was there TO
hear-'this is what l can't explain
who did l see in here last night?'
Bassett's answer was prompt, de-
livered in the brisk tone of COM
mon sense:
81 can. It's very simple. You
didn't see anybody"
You think / imagined it?'
II know you did. Just consider /:
You were in a wrought-up condi-
ton, you expected to see him. came
down for that purpose. The room
vas almost dark under the gallery
where you say he came from. After
what you'd gone through-frst a
murder, then a suspicion that would
have undermined the strongest
nerves-you were in a state TO see
anything"
She continued to stare at the
light. her face set in troubled
thought.
~ suppose that could be-"
"Why, Anne, dear, it must have
been, 1t could have happened TO
anyone. And there's another point
If it had been Joe, wouldn't he
have spoken TO you, one question
even to find out what was going
on, what we were doing?'
Eyes, yes, I've thought of that.
1t didn't occur to me at the time.
But he would have said some
thing"
"Of course he would. You never
saw anything more substantial than
q shadow in the moonlight"
She was silent for a moment,
then said:
We'll, where is Joe? What's he
doing?'
Gone off on some business of
his own. You were telling the
truth when you told Rawson and
Williams that Joe's actions weren't
always calculable, weren't your
He saw her answering nod. well,
he's evidently chosen the occasion
Of leaving the island to light out
IN ONE new direction. You can't
tell what may have been in his
lead-a joke on Jimmy Travers,
on us, any sort of lark or tomfool-
cry. Wen find 1t all out soon.''
He had his own opinion of Joe's
behavior, which he was not going
TO tell her now. The boy, found
out in his spying, knowing himself
condemned by his associates and
blacklisted in his profession, might
departed for good, taken the
opportunity TO disappear from a
part of the country where closed
doors and averted faces would be
his portion. 1t would be like him,
and Bassett fervently hoped that 1t
might be the case.
Come he said, rising and draw
ing her to her feet. There's no
good %bothering about that any
more. Leave 1t to me, and when
we've got through the rest Of this
horrible business I'll look around
for him. And anyway, he'll see it
10 the papers, and if he wants to
up, he'll do it himself with
Ia the next few days. Now you
must go to bed and let your poor
tired brain rest"
They walked to the door and
there he caught her against his
breast and looked into her face:
Its all oyer-that fighting and
alone, Anne. After this
ven be together, as soon as we
IAN get away from here and find a
clergyman to marry US"
They kissed and parted. Bassett
going to his room-he could sleep
lOw-and Anne faring slowly up
he stairs to hers.