Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-06-23
xxx


The sedan drove off, with Stella
following closely in the Ford.
Martha, standing on the platform,
saw him glance back. Then the two
cars were lost TO view in the traffic.
Martha ran over TO the corne Of the
platform. Here she could just make
out the beacon az the street crossing.
The traffic was streaming by. east
and west, along the state road. II
stopped, and the north and south
lanes started up. Martha swung
herself up on the wheel-hub of a
baggage truck. Now she saw the
green sedan. II turned around the
beacon. westerly. A car or two back
the little Ford turned after il.
Martha looked at the card in her
hand. She found a pencil IN her bag
and added TO Stclla's notation.
"Stela Bagot IN Fort coupe" also
jotting down the license number.
Then she hurried outside. In a mo-
ment a small car pulled up. and a
quiet-appearing man got out, in
civilian clothes. wearing a cap.
Miss Bagote' he asked, crisply.
Then. at her nervous nod: "l'm Mr..
Wilbraham."
Quickly she gave him the card.
"They turned west on the state road.
A green Buick. Stella is following in
the Ford.
"Please wait here and tell my men
TO take the left turn" he said. Give
them all this information"
He was gone. Racing up the left
side Of the road. and taking the turn
on the wrong side Of the beacon.
On a momen two troopers in KHAKI
came roaring up on motorcycles. She
ran to give them the message. They
nodded. and roared off. Then
Martha entered the women's waiting
room. shut herself in one of the
booths. and called a number.
Stella. following the green sedan.
observed the driver waving at the
traffic officer there as he rounded
the beacon. And the officer %grinned
and shouted a greeting. This was
Phil Janney. She remembered him
from high school days. Curious, that
friendly grin. The thought arose
that the man wouldn't be difficult 70
identify. II he was known about
town he couldn't wen give a false
On the state road the green sedan
shot ahead. cutting in and out Of the
traffic. she couldn't keep UP III the
Ford. Soon she lost sight OF ii. But
she pressed on as rapidly as she
could. The dwellings. half a mile or
more from the Center, thinned out.
There were truck gardens and dark
pine groves. On Rams Hill. the
eminence that separates the region
about the Center from Ackiard Cor
ners, she caught n monientaIy flash
o. green. far ahead. then lost il.
Just beyond the hill, at the foot If
the long grade. there stood an ugly
cluster of filling stations and hot dog
stands, set back from the highway,
with parking spaces about them
Here. peering anxiously ahead, she
saw something green. He had pulled
out OF the traffic lane BIZ the largest
Of the stands, the one blatantly adj
vertised as "Pete's Place" She
turned out. too.
The sedan had come 10 rest n rod
or 50 beyond the gasoline pump. A
man, also swarthy and fo%reign-ap-
pearinr. serving a group Of dusty
tourists at the stand. waved. The
man in the green car lifted n careless
hand. then lighted a fresh cigaret.
Driving up behind him. Stella noted
this much. Then she ran deliber-
ately alongside. She had no plan:
but her blood was up. her mind
feverishly active. There was a
space Of little more than a foot or
two between the cars. The man
glanced about. Stella lowered her
window and leaned toward him. II
was an insignificant face. Just one
Of the Poles or Slovaks you saw
about the town. Several hundred OF
them had settled AT the Corners in
recent years. They worked in the
factories there. or raised vegetables.
"She asked: "Can you tell me the
best road to" her mind was
working a. an abnormal pace; she
must involve him in a complicated
set az directions "to Walpole7 -
She didn't like the way his sharp
ewes took her in. But she must take
whatever might come impersonally.
He opened his door and rested a
well-shod foot on the running board.
She was listening for that husky.
high voice; bracing her nerves
You're off your way" He stepped
down, with an ~impudent grin, and