The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-05-29

Jury, out Finally managed 10
SHUTTER.
her so that she couldn't get up out of
the heavy chair. What | ought TO
do" he concluded, glOwering down
upon her, "is to wiring your neck"
1t came to her that 1own inside he
himself was frightened; bewildered.
anyhow, like bull with lot of darts
in his shoulders. gazing about the ring
not knowing exactly who his enemy
was. If she could just keep out of his
way. Anyhow, ii was plain he didn't
quite knoT what he wanted to do with
her. She scrubbed her lips vigorously
with her handkerchief before she
spoke
Il wish you'd sit down where l can
see you" she said. what harm do
you think I've done your
what did you come here for?'' he
asked.
unless to make trouble for me"
she supposed he meant. You mean. :"
she said, you're afraid I've come to
tell your uncle that / think you stole
my three hundred dollars and my
trunk"
He was almost inarticulate with
fury, but finally he managed to slut
ter, Never mind about that. What
did you come here for?"
She decided to evade that. "Your
uncle sent for me-" she told him.
If she'd been a practiced deceiver
she'd have stopped there. Not being
one, she felt that the explanation
sounded rather bare and added to It,
II don't know how he found out where
l lived? Did you tell him Because
of course you did find out from Babe.
He sat dowr in the chair that she
had sat in during the talk with
Forster.
NO." he said. II didn't tell him, but
I happen to know how he found out l
guess I'm beginning to catch on to
some things, toO," he went on, still
cycling her intently. "Sha's quite some
girl. that Babe Jennings. How long
have you known herr"
"Quite WHILE" Rhoda told him.
''Got sort of an idea she's a friend
of yours?"
No." Rhoda answered, 81 know
she is"
He gave a short laugh. ibid you
know" he asked. that she left for
New York this afternoon"
She smiled as she shook her head.
"Well." he asserted, 81 saw her off
on that train, myself"
The lie was so childish that Rhoda
almost laughed as she said, That's
very interesting"
'Don't you believe it?"
"No."
Her skepticism didn't seem to irri-
tate him. He stared at her thought
fully a few seconds and then said.
"Well, maybe I've got you all wrong.
| thought you and she were teamed
up in this business. Now I've got a
notion that she's burned you just like
she did me-"
slow did she burn your" Rhoda
asked.
Never mind about that That's nv
end of it. Say, what kind of a trunk
was it you lost? Because she took a
trunk with her. | helped her check it,
What sort of trunk was ii that you
checked?" RhOda asked him. It didn't
seem possible that even he would be
fool enough to fall into that trap.
He did give his answer a little UNI
easily. "Why, l didn't notice IT espe-
cially," he SAID. 1T was sort of a
square leather trunk
She sat for while in puzzled
silence. How could he have hoped
she would believe story like that?
Why hadn't he seemed more disap-
pointed that she didn't believe it?
Was it possible that he really thought
Babe had taken a train to New York!
"When did all this happen?" she
asked at last what lime did the
train leave?
"Five-thirty."
"what did she do? Call you up and
ask you to see her OFF,"
The uestion startled her little as
she asked it. Ii made her think of
the anonymous telephone message that
had come TO Claire Cleveland just as
Claire had locked her in the bath
room.
tTO BE CONTINUEDJ