The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-05-01
CHAPTER III-Continued

~ - LIN
s.
RhOda read the thing straight
through without making any pauses
for reflection and analysis, and il
wasn't until she got to the postscript
that the false note began to sound
loud enough to arouse her suspicion.
Down to the first signature she never
thought of doubling that the woman
had worked for her father and had
given him a paper to take care of for
her. She wondered how the woman
had found her and noted the fact that
this wasn't explained, but she put it
among the details that had been too
numerous and complicated to write in
letter and assumed that it would
be explained as soon as they met at
lunch.
But with the beginning of the post
script she began to feel herself bris-
. Ting with suspicion. Nevertheless she
went on and read it through to the
suddenly affectionate yours. Claire"
before she let herself begin picking
1T to pieces.
This treacherous trick that some
man had played upon her father. in
order to make himself rch-had such
thing ever happened? In itself, ii
sounded fishy. Her father had never
told her anything specific about his
affairs, but she knew he must have
been trying to discover or to invent
something. The man might have
stolen her fathers discOvery-if her
father had ever succeeded in making
it. But he hadn't succeeded He'd
gone on hoping to make it right up
to the day he died.
When she reread the Injunction not
to answer any communication of any
sort, the heavily undersigned words
flashed like real danger signal The
communication of any sort" was the
advertisement for RhOda Mcfarland
She knew who the woman was now;
the woman Martin had treu tn tell
her about last night who'd been afraid
she would answer the advertisement
in the paper before they had time to
take whatever steps they meant to
take. She wished she remembered
better what Martin had told her.
Who was the man Claire wanted to
force to make things right-"as far
as money could make anything right?
(The Shiny hypocrisy of that after
thought turned Rhoda a bit sick.)
Wasn't he most likely the Mr.. Forster
whose advertisement she was not on
any account TO answer? Wasn't he
the &c. J." whom Martin had heard
them talking about?
Well, one thing was settled, anyhow.
She'd see Martin and get the details
all straight before she went to lunch
at the Tip-Top inn. If he happened
to be waiting again at the foot of
the elevated stairs that would make
everything easy.
Martin was waiting at the foot of
the elevated stairs, but beyond that
point, everything in Rhoda's program
went as badly as possible. To begin
with. she and Babe didn't come down
the stairs but descended at the curb
from a lordly limousine, instead 1t
was Babe who'd accepted the offered
lift, but RhOda had on this occasion
followed her companion gladly enough.
since they'd been hurrying and had
seen their elevated train pull out of
the station just about a minute before
they got within running distance.
Stopping his car for them must have
been an act of pure benevolence on
the part of the owner, respectable
old gentleman with a beard AS he
sat. he took up most of the back seat,
and instead of moving over he had
had them turn down the two folding
chairs to ride in. A pair or rubber
shod canes in the corner gave Rhoda
the idea he couldn't move about very
easily. He asked them where they
wanted to go, instructed his chauffeur
to drive them there, and then appar-
emily forgot all about them, submerg-
ing himself in his morning paper. He
acknowledged their thanks at the end
of the ride with gruff, half-embar-
raised nod, and that was all there
was to it.
But when Rhoda turned from smil-
ing goodby after him to find herself
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 a justly to be
demanded explanation. There was one
ready to hand as far as that went.
Shed never have got into that car If
Babe hadn't already committed her to
1T. 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 a negligent hello to Martin.
"What do you suppose the old billy