The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-04-24
Henry KitcheIl Webster
Copyright by The Bobbs-Merriil Co.
WNU Service

would rise to his bait or not.
He knew the contract wasn't In the
trunk. But didn't he believe that
something else was, something that he
wanted very much, something, per-
haps, he felt he couldn't be happy
Without
That seemed highly probable to Mar
tin. Why, unless there was some
thing among her fathers papers that
he wanted, had he spent all those
weeks advertising for Rhoda? Why
had he sent his man Conley to run
down the tip Babe Jennings had given
him over the telephone? Why had he
himself taken the trouble to lie In
wait outside the studio in order to
identity Rhoda for himself and find
out where she worked?
The only answer Martin could see to
all these questions was that Forster
believed Rhoda had something he
wanted. He looked up at her doubt
fully, torn between his. impotence to
examine the contents Of that little
trunk tonight and his reluctance, after
all she'd been through today, to SUBJ
ject her to any more experiences, pos
sibly narrowing. To his surprise he
found her looking at him, with eyes
alight and faint flush of color in her
cheeks.
Martin" she asked, twill you do
something for me tonight? I know
it's getting late and you must be
tired
''I'll do anything" he said. "Rhoda
dearest, you know I will. Any pos
sible thing that you want me to do"
"What / want to do" she said, "is
to write the whole story tonight: what
they did to father six years ago,
Forster and Stafford and Claire SO
that it can be in tomorrow's paper"
The look in his face must have an
swered her, for at that point she broke
off to ask incredulously, "Why not?
Martin, do you mean you won't even
write it tomorrow"
~ can't write it," he said. "Or If
/ did the boss would kill it."
"Why" she asked blankly.
at isn't news. News is what hap
pened today. If there's a peg to hang
it on you can go back. But there's
only one peg ! cap think Of strong
enough to hold that story: if we could
go before the grand jury and get
Forster and Claire indicted for con-
spiracy. But don't believe we could
get the states attorney to listen to 1t.
Claire couldn't testify against Forster
without discriminating herself, and he
couldn't testify against her without in
eliminating himself. so the fact that
they hate each other doesn't do us any
good. And the go-between is dead. If
we ran the story without something
definite like that to hang 1t on we'd
be in for million-dollar libel suit be-
fore night. His shooting her would
make 1t news If she'd talk; but she
won't. She's got him-as long as she
keeps STILL"
Rhoda didn't protest nor argue the
matter with him, but he saw the light
die in her eyes and the color fade out
Of her cheeks again. He struggled
miserably on for while with his ex-
PLANTATION, but he could see it was
nothing but words to her, words hardly
worth listening to. She asked him at
last not to talk about 1t any more;
told him she understood and said she
wanted to go home.
She helped to gather. up the scat
tered contents Of the file and as he
was putting 1t back in the drawer she
patted him on the shoulder and told
him not to mind.
II think there must be some other
way" he told her hesitatingly, "of do
ing the thing we want to do: of set
ting your fathers memory right before
the world. I think I've got the be-
ginning of bunch how 1t can be done.
I'm hoping for light on 1t tomorrow
when we go through that trunk.
Rhoda dear. don't worry any more
about 1t tonight. You're all in and
you're half starved. Let's go some
where and have good dinner"
II don't want to go to a restaurant"
she told him fatty. II want to 60
home"
"All right" he agreed, and they
started down the long flight OF stairs
in silence But before they got with
in range Of the night Waterman at the
! door she stopped and faced him.
II don't know why I'm so beastly,"
she said. Il suppose it's because I'm
trying not to cry. I'll go anywhere
| you like, Martin" She gave him q
rueful heart-twisting little smile as
she said it. but she walked straight on
without giving him chance to kiss
her.
1t was with notion of giving the
old Waterman tip, as he sometimes
did, that he put his hand into his
| pocket and thus made the disgusting
discovery that he was penniless. So,
out ON the sidewalk as they were
looking up the street for taxi. he
asked Rhoda, rather diffidently, if she
could lend him any money. He'd given
/, his last dollar to the taxi driver who'd
brought them here.
But she told him, with momentary