Evening star., 1928-11-14

"If he has any sense he'll have beat
it away from here into other spots ano
left no forwarding address" Peter in
formed "BosSy" severely as he swung
into the boulevard leading to the camp
grounds.
But despite his efforts to batten down
his enthusiasm with stern common
sense. excitement prickled up and down
his spine and frightened his hands on
the wheel It did not so much as
occur to him that he had set out un-
armed and alone. to pursue possible
murderer. He did not even wonder
how he would induce Orme to give
himself UP if he found him.
Peter was a profound believer in the
futility of crossing bridges before he
came to them-the bridges were so very
likely not to be where you expected
them or be missing altogether.
Despite his lack of sleep, ne was
buoyed up beyond the reach of fatigue;
his head felt little light, but u11-
commonly clear. "Bossy'' seemed to
dip and skim along the highway Ike
a gull coasting down the lanes OF air.
His cap blew off and rolled hoopWise to
the side of the road, but he did not
pause to retrieve it. There was no
left long since he was unlikely to get
away in the course of an hour-but
speed gave him the illusion Of pressing
on in an obscure race with fate.
Gee, If the luck only holds!" he
rlurmured once, and for a moment his
long face took on the look of one who
has uttered prayer.
If this man Orme was mixed UP In
Z. Barbara wasn't Perhaps she was
trying to shield llSworth-loyalty, the
impractical, incorruptible virtues"
There were things about Ellsworth
that certainly weren't clear, but Orme
was another line altogether. There
vas no connection between the two
men that Peter could see 1t looked
as if the mystery of Sf1eila O'Shay'S
death might be further complicated by
the mystery of her life. If there were
things that she herself had wanted to
conceal digging them out would not
oe so simple.
Peters eyes darkened as his mind
'-eered from Sheila's picturesque and
,olychromatic career to Barbara, fight
ng her was so gallantly, so foolishly,
through shadows.
Gosh, I'll bet that woman had a
7ast as checkered as Scotch plaid, "
tlG COIQ Tie WHEELING ldIluSCdp6 WIFI q
ialf grin. Then his wide mouth set in
q grim line. IF I'd had the chance
to marry girl like Barbara, I'd have
bumped of the old girl myself before
I'd have let her bulldoze me into mar
rying her. Ellsworth is the fool of the
world-unless it's Peter Piper"
For Peter was coldly, dismally con-
-cious that If he got Orme, and If Orme
cared Ellsworth he himself might be
caring the way for Ellsworth to marry
Barbara.
We'll. it can't be helped" he NUT
tered through clenched teeth. Bar
IRA, In the numbing chill of her or
ian asylum childhood, had found the
1ry of life in the vision of another
rid, where honor cleaned above
Ill, where loyalty fiuttered like a
nted banner at spear-head, where
n rode into death with the scarves
their ladies bound to the sleeves
their coats of mail.
There was nothing very knightly
about the battered "Bossy'' careering
along an asphalt highway guided by
a reporter in torn sweater And yet,
in that world of Barbara's, If knight
set out to rescue lady, he tied no
strings to 1t. He did not barter for a
reward, even in his mind. He simply
did it. And whatever the nature of
Barbara's folly, Peter knew that he
must save her from it.
For one split second Peter saw Bar
la3ra in that barred room smelling of