The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-02-27
coDyrisn. BY It'd nobss-M.rri,l O..

standing face to face with Martin. she
perceived at once from his flush and
his frown Of annoyance that he hadn't
liked It. He had even the air. she
thought, Of waiting for justly to be
demanded explanation. There was one
ready to hand as far as that went.
Shed never have got into that car IL
Babe hadn't already committed her to
it. But she wouldn't have told Mar.
tin that for anything.
Babes contribution didn't help mat
tiers either. She said to Rhoda, after
tossing q negligent hello to Martin.
"What do you suppose the old billy
goat picked us up for, anyway, making
us sit on those folding seats all the
way? Mostly they want you to cuddle
up little, no matter how old they
are"
She didn't wait for any answer from
Rhoda, and left them.
''rm glad you happened to be here"
Rhoda said to him in the coolest tone
she could produce. Il wanted to ask
you about the woman you heard talk
ing night before last at the Alham-
bra"
If he'd answered her properly she'd
have forgiven him for looking annoyed
over the limousine. She would have
told him, when she got around to it,
how 1t had happened. But he didn't
answer her at all-flashed back at her,
instead, with two questions of his own.
whats she been doing since last
night2 Was there letter from her
in that bunch brought upstairs?"
1t was annoying to have her thun-
der stolen like that.
II don't know" she said. '"That's
what I'm trying to find out. There
was letter for me from some one
who signed herself Claire Cleveland,
and I thought she might be the per-
son you told me about"
He asked three questions, all in
breath.
"Why did you think she was? What
did she say she wanted? Have you
got her letter here with your
She answered them, still trying to
be cool about it, in reverse order.
"No, naturally not. put 1t away.
Why, she said that a couple Of years
before my father died she'd given him
a paper to take care of for her, and
that now she needed it terribly, and
she thought ! might be able to help
her find it. don't know exactly why
| I thought she might be the woman
you told me about"
"Well, she is, all right. Anybody
could see that"
This, she reflected, was as much as
to say that she was fool not to have
seen it for herself at the first glance.
He really was infuriating. He was
staring at her now In blank abstrac-
ton, as If he didn't know she was
there. When he walked up it was to
ask further questions.
"What does she ask you to do? Let
her come and see you and go over
your fathers papers and pick out
what she likes?"
"All she asked me to do" Rhoda
told him. resolved to stifle her wrath
until she burst, twas to come and
lunch with her at the Tip-Top inn
today as soon after twelve as could,
so that she could tell me all about it.
And before went I thought I'd ask
you to tell me :"
'Rhoda, you're not going?"
He had had the grace to put an up
xfxlv oy.t ho To- -.
it sound like a question, but he'd
started, she thought, to tell her she
shouldn't.
"Of course I'm going" she said.
"She may be all right even IL she is
the woman you heard talking to Mr..
Lewis. Anyhow, I'm going to find
out"
"You won't, find out a thing from
her. That woman's eleven Rhoda, and
she's dangerous. You'd better let her
alone. Why, she's got you half fooled
already"
At that. since 1t wasn't feasible to
shake him till his teeth ratified, she
turned and left him with a rush.
Unreasonabiy she was a little dis
appointed that Martin was nowhere
about, not even in the offing, when she
set out at noon to her rendezvous.
She mustn't waste time thinking about
him now, though-except as warn
ing not to lose her temper again. Her
only reason for going to lunch with
the woman was, as she had told Mar
tin, to discover what 1t was all about |;
why these people she'd never heard of
before wouldn't let her alone. She'd
get nowhere by acting suspicious or
by asking skeptical questions. The
/ more confidently this Claire Cleveland
took her for a light-wit the more she'd
be likely to give away.
L HHY a RAHxrNsNn HHY