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

for it, l mean. OF course you can't
tell how long it will take you to find
it."
NO." Rhoda assured her. "Tll go
at it as soon as get home this after
noon."
"That certainly is mighty sweet OF
you," Claire burst out, with a sudden
suffusion of warmth. ut seems a
sham to make you so much trouble
I'll tell you what we might do" she
added. LET me go along with you
and help you look. l could probably
find it quicker than you could because
l know just what to look for"
The attempted casualness of the sug-
gestion may nave been little over
done. Whether for that reason or an
other there flashed into Rhoda's men,
DRY, as clearly as if she were hearing
it over radio, question Martin had
asked ner that morning: what does
she want to do; go over your fathers
papers and pick GU. what she likes?'
1t was a moment before she could
trust her voice to answer and even
then ii didn't sound quite right.
"Oh, that won't be necessary" she
said. I'm sure | can finu it if it's
there. And it won't be any trouble
at ALL"
Claire glanced at her watch and
started little. "Will you excuse me
a moment, dearie?" she said. IL told
friend of mine that | didn't know
whether | had a date for lunch today
or not. l didn't, of course, until |
knew whether you'd come. And said
I'd cali them up before one O'Clock
and let them know"
Her departure worried Rhoda a
| little, principally because she had only
| two dollars with her. What If Claire
| had fled and left her with that enOr-
nous lunch to pay for! Really Claire
wasn't gone very long but her return
when she came was such relief that
for a moment Rhoda almost thought
she liked her.
But that state of feeling didn't last
long. Claire's manner had changed a
| little and had become vaguely dis
quieting. She talked between and dur
ing mouthfuls all through the rest of
! the meal, about anything or nothing.
The meal seemed interminable. 1t
dragged to an end at last. But when
having set down her empty demi-
tasSe. Rhoda moved back her chair a
little as preliminary to saying she
must go. Claire suddenly found that
she had something left to say.
Il said in my letter." she began
that if any stranger tried to COM
municate with you in any way, |
hoped you wouldn't answer him until
you'd had this talk with me. You
haven't have your
mo, | guess not" Rhoda told her,
alert again and answering as casually
as she could. 81 don't believe l know
what you mean. What sort of COM
municatiOn?
"You haven't seen it, then" Claire
said, with a sigh of relief, cor you'd
know. 1t was just guess Of mine
and maybe I'm all wrong. This dirty
old goat that I've been telling you
about, the one that made me all my
trouble-Tve sort of got him on the
brain, guess. ~ This much of
what she was saying, Rhoda reflected,
was probably true. The hatred in the
womans voice sounded genuine, any.
how.
Maybe he isn't doing it, Claire
went on. "but it's exactly the kind of
H. do IA'c, al hot,
got rheumatism so bad he can't walk
without two canes, but | bet he still
likes young girls as much as he ever
did. He always has got them when
ever he could"
Rhcda found herself getting fright
ened. The old man who had given her
and Babe lift this morning had two
canes with him in the car. There was
some horrifying admiXture of truth in
the lies the woman was telling her.
"He must know about YOU" Claire
went on smoothly, because he was in
business, in way, with your father.
| don't know very much about that
except that he played your father
about the dirtiest trick that man
could play on another man. For any
thing know he may think your father
left you something that he wants
something among his papers-but
don't believe it's that. / think it's be-
cause he knows you're young, and
pretty. and have no one to look after
YOU. Anyhow, when | saw the ad in
the paper for RhOda Mcfarland, it
came over me like second sight that
that must be Forster up to his old
tricks again"
"Forster?" Rhoda asked. Her lips
felt stiff but she seemed able to talk
all right. HAS he been advertising
for me? What sort of advertisement? ?"
"Oh, the regular sort that's in the
personal columns, saying you'll learn
something to your advantage by apply
ing to so and so. That's good, if it's
Forster who put in the ad OF course
l don't know that it's him. 1t hasn't
got his name on it; just letters, like
XYZ. That's enough in itself to show
that he isn't on the level. Didn't your
father ever tell you about him? l
don't suppose he would. though"
Rhoda shook her head 1t was I'M
der the fascination of terror that she
asked, almost involuntarily, the ques-
ton. "What sort of trick was it that
he played on my father?"
"Why, it's my personal opinion"
said Claire, though Of course don't
know anything about it. 1t happened
long before your father and l got &C
uuainted-but it's my private opinion
tbot Forster was somehow mr. other at