The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-05-01

1t was the worcester again ana ne
asked for Mr.. Forster's apartment. He
recognized the answering voice, for he
said, "Conley? Take this message for
Mr.. Forster. Say that Miss Mcfarland
has recovered her fathers trunk and
If the contents of 1t interest him, as
we believe they will now we've ex-
amined them, be can come to her, stu
dio this afternoon at three o'clock and
discuss what's to be done about them.
Find out if we're to expect him, will
youT There was breathless pause
Of about minute. Then Martin said,
"All right. Three o'clock" and hung up.
There was queer, rather scared
look in his face as he turned back
to her.
MARTIN" she cried, 'have you found
it?-have you found the thing he
wants?"
He shook his head. II haven't found
a thing" he told her. "But now, you
see, I've got to find it. There's moth
ing like a deadline to stimulate the
wits of a reporter"
AS soon as he had swallowed what
was on his plate he took his cup Of
coffee and went back to the floor.
He was still there when Uncle Will
liam came; SO strangely transformed
an Uncle William that Rhoda forgot
all about Martin for several minutes.
There wasn't a trace of the ogre left
about him. He loosely claimed the
right to kiss the bride and did 1t, said,
as he patted her on the back, that he
thought she was going to be very
happy, and reproached her playfully
for having kept him in the dark about
something, though what it was she
couldn't at first make out. 1t was not,
it seemed, her unprecedented marriage
this morning. He said he quite under
stood their acting as they had done
about that and thought that In the
circumstances 1t had been wise.
Then he began apologizing to Mar.
tin. He was afraid his manner last
night when he had been quite in the
dark as to who Martin really was. he
having merely been told that he was
reporter, hadn't been quite appropriate.
"But," said Rhoda blankly, "he is a
reporter"
"Yes, yes, of course" Uncle William
agreed uneasily at sudden movement
of Impotence on Martins part, "but
I want to acknowledge. that my mo-
mentary suspicion that his interest in
you was heightened by his knowledge
of the possibility that you might turn
out to be, so to speak, an heiress, be-
came grotesque as soon as I looked
up what he spoke Of on the way home
as his references and learned that he
had an independent fortune Of his
own"
She turned a bewlldered look on
Martin.
"It's nothing to bother about, dar-
ling" he said. II wasn't keeping any,
thing dark. I'd have told you If there'd
been time. But there's always been
something more important to talk
about. AS matter of fact, there is
now. Forster will be getting here any
minute. Rhoda, what was the date
Of your fathers death? Do you re-
member exactly?"
She did and she told him.
He looked down at the papers again
with an intensity Of concentration.
After perhaps minute he drew
long breath. Look here, darling" he
said. "Look at the date on these
sheets. They're carbons, you see, Of
the last notes he ever made. See
what he's written on the bottom of
this page. It's the last page of all.
TRY this tomorrow. Think it's right
at last Well, it was right. Those
few hours he begged the doctor for
were all he needed, but the doctor
couldn't give them to him."
Down at the foot Of the long flight
of stairs they heard the street door
open. Martin turned suddenly to I'm
Gle William. "Have you got that con-
tract with you, sirf Right here in
your pocket. meanf Because if that's
Forster coming up tic stairs we're go
ing to need it."
Uncle william, SpeecnleSS Tor once,
felt in his pocket and NODDED.
Martin went out into the entry and
looked down the stairs. tits Forster"
he said as he came back into the
studio. "Conley's carrying him up"
No one spoke after that and the
wait while Conley struggled with his
burden up those long straight flights
of stairs seemed endless.
Forster, by the time he'd been de-
posted in big chair, was as breath
less and as nearly exhausted-with
terror that he'd be dropped, most like
ly-as the man who carried him.
SWELL" he painted, I've come-on
some FOOLS errand, I expect. I can't
think Of anything among the pro-
fessor's papers that I'd be especially
interested in, now" But his look,
darling rat-like about the studio, be-
lied his words, and when it lighted
upon the little hat trunk surrounded
by the heaps of yellow sheets, 1t re-
manned fixed, fascinated.
II thought" Martin observed, shat
you'd be interested in these notes.