The Indianapolis times., 1931-11-16
9E2 By N9 Nax Inc

Adl iduSllCuS SOOG-nuilfOIe GUY.
Were considering it"
The countess was twisting bread
between restless fingers, affecting
an indifference Mary knew she was
far from feeling.
Yes, you make a very we'll
matched pair" the older woman OBJ
served dryly. And only Mary, per-
haps, was fully alive to the venom
GUS implications of that remark.
But she had no time to waste in
resentment of Louise cattiness; she
was wondering how soon she could
manage to leave without arouSing
De Loma's suspicion.
He seemed to have joined the
party permanently. Just why, she
did not know.
But the countess made it easy
for her. She professed a headache.
From watching thJse silly
horses" Bruce remarked. Never
again for me-"
You should have worn glasses" "
De Iona chided her, taking pair
of colored lenses from his pocket
ard Offering them to her. you will
need these if you are here long.
The sunlight is very strong
60 that was how she had missed
- him, Mary decided. His face
was half hidden with the glasses on;
and it was his eyes that one could
not mistake-aS black and soulless
as marble.
-"Give them to Miss Harkness,"
the countess grumbled. "She is the
one who takes us there. She likes
the races; I do not"
"You like racing?" De Iona asked
quickly, looking sharply at the girl.
Mary shrugged. 1T is a famous
track, and 1 never have seen a race.
1 don't like it much, no. Why should
I? I bet on the horse every one
says will win, and he falls down.
Il hardly have the luck to make
racing enthusiast, should you
say?"
"Ah, the clumsy fool De Iona
exclaimed before she had finished.
Plainly it enraged him merely to
remember the afternoons debacle.
She's q jinX, that horse. She al
ways brings me bad luck. Well, she
won't any more, damn her
why don't you change her
name?" Bruce suggested indiffer-
emily. Sometimes that helps"
Mary knew the remark was inno-
cent, but she held her breath. De
Iona might not take it so. She
began to regret that Bruce had not
been taken into confidence about
the identity of the man they were
after.
Fearful of Bruce's headstrong i'm
pulsiveness, she and Mr., Jupiter had
decided to keep the essential facts
from the younger man for while.
But he could hardly have made
a more unfortunate remark if he
had really intended to. And as if
that were not enough, he blundered
on
La Mosca Why, that's"
QUICKLY, desperately, Mary set
~ her French-heeled slipper on
his foot and stepped-hard. Bruce
looked at her angrily, his mouth
open to protest-but something in
her face stopped him fortunately.
eyes, yes!" she teased, in loud,
brother -and-sister style, "that's the
horse you lost your money on! But
you needn't insult Mr.-Count De
Loma."
She was almost shivering with
relief that he had not gone on and
said what she guessed he had start
ed to say" that's Italian for The
Fly"
Once that word was spoken. she
knew the jig would be up. De Iona
never would believe that was acci-
dental.
Bates, who had been smoking and
idly looking out over the harbor,
now shifted lazily in his chair.
"Oh, is La Mosca your horSe?" he
grunted affably as if just becoming
aware of the conversation.
De Iona looked from Bruce to
Bates and back again He was taut
as spring, Mary could see-suspi-
ciou5. She could hear the beating
of her own heart in the tense 81
lence.
"She was,'' De Iona answered,
after a moments hesitation.
you've sold her then?" Bates
spoke casually, apparently without
interest.
"She has been shot, De Iona
snapped. Every one at the table
stared at him, surprised out of the
roles they were playing. At the
horror in their faces, De Iona
caught himself up quickly.
1.-THE injury" he explained Suave-
ly, made it necessary"
There was a concerted exhaling
of breathS. Mary looked into her
plate, not daring to lift her hot
eyes to the mans face,
Yes, what he said was the truth;
but it was not the injury sustained
on the track that had made death
welcome to the courageous little
animal! She had taken a bad
tumble, but she had struggled to
her feet again and ran the race out,
game to the core. And she had not
even limped!