Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-20
CHAPTER v.

CHAPTER v.
~ ETER surveyed the girl with one
- rapid glance. and took chance;
I'm a poor man, your honor,
i he began.
The girl took one step back
ward and stopped. The backward step
was the first reaction of one startled
bv an unexpected voice at her elbow.
But Barbara Cavanaugh was girl
who usually stopped to look things over
before running away from them.
She saw before her tall young man
in a baggy blue suit. His thick black
hair sprang up recalitratingly from a
center part. His long face was slit by
wide, intelligent mouth which divided
determined, outhrusting chin from
bright and peering gray eyes.
Barbara hesitated for moment, then
grinned back.
you're very poor speaker" she
capped. "And while you're undoubt-
edly mad enough, you'd never do for
the Mad Hatter-With that hat"
Il knew it," Peter croWed. you
look so exactly like Alice in Wonder
land grown up that I had to risk 1t.
1 really am in hell OF hole, but II
you'd said 'Sir!' or Who are you?' l
suppose L Juot Ao'S Aiou W "'oJ 49,
it,"
Peter forebore to tell her that he
had diligently studied photographs of
Barbara Cavanaugh in the HeraldS
morgue, and had already decided that
she looked like Alice in Wonderland
grown up The clipping at present
crumpled in his coat pocket had led
him straight from the city editors
desk to the library's photograph files
but there was no use exposing the ma
chinery behind an inspiration.
Barbara did indeed bear o resem-
blance to Tenniel's immortal child
She was very straight and slender, and
so short that her face was habltually
lifted a little. Her straight hair, yell
low verging to soft brown, was combed
smoothly back from her forehead and
lifted behind ears that had nothing to
fear from exposure. She achieved the
difficult feat of appearing quaint"
even with shingled couture and at
tired, as now, in white tennis dress
rumpled from active play and sweater
of vivid rose. Perhaps the effect was
unconsciously favored by the shy and
dazzled look in her wide-Set brown eyes.
Barbara had lived in an orphan
asylum until her fourteenth year, and
wonder of life, which had begun as an
memorable mechanism and had miracu-
lousy taken on the aspects of fairy
tale.
She stood tapping the tip Of her
tennis racquet up and down on the
sidewalk
But you couldn't have been after
seeing mel" When agitated or puzzled
Barbara's voice-a low and somewhat
breathy, voice, like the beginnings of
wind in leaves-relapSed into the die
ton of her orphan asylum days.
Il just was, thought" Peter asserted.
I'm a newspaper reporter, God help
it, and I'm out on the Ellsworth case"
II know nothing about It'll" Barbara
said sharply.
Peters eyebrows lifted slightly. She'd
been rather too quick about that. He
swiftly reviewed in his mind the in
formation contained in those clippings
pasted to colored slips of paper, with
the typed heading, "Cavanaugh. Bar
bara" 1t was a slim little file as COM
pared with the bullying manila envelopes
devoted to the exploits of her father,
as chronicled in the press. From it
emerged a general conception Of Bar
bara as a member of the younger
country club Set" more addicted to
athletics than to formal social func-
tions. Barbara with a silver cup or
two, Barbara as runner-up in the inter-
club tennis tournament. Barbara ar
rested for speeding and naively telling
the judge as she paid the fine that
she'd like to leave something extra for
the cop-he was such a pleasant cop
and absolutely in the right" CA good
little freak story, that had been).
Barbara's name underlined in red pen
Gil in the society chatter of Suzanne"
What did this engaging youngster have
to do with Sheila O'Shay who must
have crossed the forty" line Though
dates were very hard to find in all the
stories about herr, who boosted In
Paris that two men had fought duel
over her and another had committed
suicide in despair of winning her
favor all on the same day.
And yet-there was that bit about
course; Ellsworth, wrapped in the
glamour of his fabulous wealth, was
always copy. There was EllSworthS
sudden unheralded marriage to Sheila
O'Shay little less than year ago.
and the equally sudden omission of his
name from the lists of parties where
Barbara was to be found. Sheila, of
course, in her own sphere, was glamour
Gus enough for anybody. In these days
only the most faded of dowagers would
decline to meet the latest successor of
Helen of Troy. Had Ellsworth purpose
ly kept himself and his wife out of Bar
bara's way? All this was the vaguest
speculation-but Barbaras quick and
unnecessary disavowal had given him a
lead"
"Of course, you couldn't possibly
know anything about the Ellsworth
case" he agreed. as If so foolish a no.
ton had never entered his head.
Nevertheless, it's because of that case
that I've looked you up. There's a
point on which I think you might help
me. If may talk to you for just a
few minutes?"
And why should II" Barbara said