Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-08-22
The Honeymoon Thief e

Lois protested against her husband
manner. and Preach. not yet entirel,
reverted to the brute. cried. Sorry
darling. aeroplanes always upset me
and, anyhow, q man never is quit,
himself on his wedding day, Is hep
That seemed TO Farrant almost {
message of comfort. He guessed wha'
had happened. Because Matthias Nor
bert's return was SO imminent the crool
had managed to persuade Lois to marry
him post haste at a registry office anc
then 10 leave England at once by aero
plane for Cologne. Preach knew al
the moves of the getaway game. He
had timed things SO that he coulc
catch the train to the Balkans-tht
Balkans afforded such good hiding
places for criminals.
A vile business, but some relief in
it for Farrant. Lois was still only wife
in name to that BLACKBOARD, she might
be saved yet.
The train was under way again be-
fore that hope was dimmed. How
could n save her?
Even with hard and fast proof
Proof! He'd wire to DroStan first stop
of course. but even DroStan, who
wanted to arrest the fellow, confessed
he lacked proof. He almost wished
he was facing risks in China again
Even lodging several million Asiatic
killers was child's play beside the need
of tactfully separating n honeymoon
wife from a honeymoon husband!
He managed to sit back to back with
them at lunch in the dining car. and
he listened unaShamed. Lois, shaken
by Preach's new n and by her
runaway marriage, felt impelled to talk
about the latter. Farrant learned that
the hostility of the aunt, with whom
she lived, for Preach had been the
cause of the elopement-or SO Lois,
quite on the dark about Preach,
thought. Lois wondered if her aunt
had got the telegram they had sent
and If she were very angry.
shes such a Victorian old darling, y
she said. "She's got nothing against
you. Edward. I'VE that you fell in love
with me. In fact. she was more smit-
ten with you than 1. when we met at
the Decours'."
Walter Preach, then. had changed
his name to Edward something, and
they had met at Lord Decour's place
What chance had any trusting girl
against such a fellow, who obviously
won her first as a means to steal
from Matthias Norbert, and then as a
sure means to security and wealth
through blackmail in the future?
Preach had little to say. He let the
girl tackle a waiter about something
alone. Her schoolgirl German was
quite hopeless. Farrant did not miss
his chance. Like a flash he had inter-
vened and had things smoothed out
before Preach could speak.
He was rather startled when she
looked at him and said. THANK you
Major Farrant!" Startled that she
should know him. but pleased about il
later. Following them shamelessly as
they made their way back to the CON-
partment he heard Preach growl:
who's that chap? You know him?'
by sight only" said Lois, stifly
Hes the Major Farrant."
And what's the the for?" he
sneered.
Major Farrant of China. Don't you
remember his wonderful journey
through the Red army to SAVE the
white colony of Shoo-ping?"
I'm not having any bucko soldier
meddling in my affairs" Preach rasped
THAT, I should say, would be the
last thing a man OF Major Farrant's
character would do" Lois said.
"Thatll do" he snapped. You keer
clear of the fellow, that's all, n that's
an order"
She said evenly. you're not going to
talk to me like that, Edward. Not
even nerves can excuse such extraor-
binary behavior"
They entered their compartment then
and Farrant his. Truly, Preach had
reverted to the brute with a vengeance.
now his victim was trapped and his
SWag safe-aS Of course it was, in one
of the s~uitcases.
Farrant was boiling with rage, vet
the good wits that had carried him
safely through perils in China warned
him that impetuosity might spoil
everything. He must bide his hour,
content with the knowledge that two
things worked in his favor. One, that
Preach himself was shattering the
girls illusions and turning her against
her husband; the other, that Lois
knew him, knew he was there to help
if necessary.
At the next stop Farrant went
straight across the platform to the
telegraph Office and sent a wire to
Drostan. To his surprise Preach
came into the Office, too, and it was
only by acting quickly that he pre-
vented the crooks seeing him. Lois
was leaning out of her window when
he reached the train again, trying to
make herself understood to a boy SELL
ing postcards.
From the haste and anxiety in her
manner Farrant felt sure that a germ
of distrust had come to her and she
had begun to doubt whether her hus-
band had wired to her aunt as she
had assumed. Farrant helped her to
buy cards and stamps and the eager
ness with which she accepted his offer
to post the messages confirmed his
sense of her growing suspicion.
He did not post the cards. Preach
came up as the girl handed them to
him. The crook scowled and almost
snatched the cards away, saying he
would post them-and, of course, he
did nothing Of the sort. He man
aged to delay until the train had