Evening star., 1929-12-13
RHODA
A ARed-HeadedG Girl
By Henry Kitchell Webster
Copyright North America Alliance ana


Will you marry me?' instead OF DO
you want to be reScued?' I'd have nod
ded my head at you just the same. Any
how, I've known since then"
well, then" he said, that's settled,
anyhow" and he let go one of her
hands to fish ring out of his waist
coat pocket and slip it on her finger.
1t was a beautiful thing, and she sat
gazing at 1t, spellbound, trying to real
ize what it was and what it meant. But
when she turned back to Martin to
thank him with kiss, she caught him
in the act of looking at his watch. Even
without that she could have told from
the way his kiss felt that he had some
thing on his mind.
What is it?" she asked. "Are you
thinking about that old trunk? Does it
matter if We don't get it this morning?
Does anything matter?"
There's only one thing that mat
ters," he said, "and that's your father
1 think perhaps we can do something II
we strike while the iron is hot. You see,
the only person who can set your
fathers memory right is Uncle william
He knows the facts and think he be-
lieves them. But he won't do anything
until some one makes him."
who's going to make him?" she
asked. But when he answered Forster
she echoed the name in simple aston
ishment.
II can't guess what 1t is darling" he
told her, but there's something in that
little trunk of yours that Forster thinks
he can't live without. want to find out
what it is and hurl 1t at him while he's
still frightened. He is frightened out
of his wits. He's making Max marry
that Cleveland woman. I saw them this
morning down at the city hall. she with
her face all bandaged up and Max look
ing as glum as If he was waiting TO be
sentenced to a term in the penitentiary,
with Conley on guard to see that he
didn't do q bolt, waiting for the mar
riage license bureau to open up"
Gazing at him wide-eyed, she saw
him flush like schoolboy, and at that
she flew at him and hugged him. She
couldn't help it. did you get yours,
too?" she asked.
He nodded. "I thought 1t was bet
ter" he said, just in case OF emer-
gency. That's what told myself at the
time. But will you, Rhoda, now? Be
fore we go and get the trunk? St Tim
othy's is just around the corner,
know the curate, and he'll be there"
"I'll get my hat and coat" she said.
And it wasn't more than 10 minutes
before she found herself being married.
She wondered later. when she had time
to think things over, about how vague
an impression this service made upon
her. She was barely able to remember
ANYTHING about it. On the other hand,
every word Martin had said during their
walk to the church was etched deep
upon her memory. The force of his
plrpose to set up her fathers name
again in its proper place, cleansed OF
the mud of scandal and suspicion; the
fact that he had plan and that until
he had set that plan in motion every
thing else, even love making. would
have to wait. put a new dimension into
her love for him.
From the church they took a taxi to
the railway station, found the trunk
without misadventure. and took 1t back
to the studio. BY that time they were
both wildly excited over the mystery OF
its contents. Martin was trying to be
calm, and insisted upon being madden
ingly methodical about their prepara-
ton for opening it. They hal TO clear
everything out of one corner OF the
studio until they had 10-foot space
absolutely bare before he would let her
unlock it. But she saw his hanos
trembling as he tugged a. the straps.
What they found was just what she
dinnly remembered the contents to have
been. sheets of yellow paper covered
with notes, equations and diagrams.
Some of them looked to her like gigantic
magnifications Of childs game OF
naughtS and crosses. Pictures OF mole
cules, Martin said he guessed they were,
but it was all, he frankly admitted, con-