Evening star., 1931-06-24
NsrALMENT XVI.


'Where was she?"
INSTALHIENT XVI.
<<TF yeu1l give me . chance" Ariel
IS interrupted the interrogation
with bitter patience, "I'll try to
4 tell you. But can't get any
where IL you keep looking as II
I'd done all this as joker
Phil said dryiy as II thinking aloud,
Heaven knows it's no ioke!"
WAS the Moss child walking, Ariel2''
No of course she wasn't walking
She was in their car, with her mother
and father. They were driving the
same way we were, only on the out
side line. She was on the front seat,
and when the car swung round she
was thrown out. didn't see 1t be-
cause / didn't see anything at first.
But afterward I saw them picking her
said my car did it. It all happened
like lightning-"
Your carl" Dick echoed.
You weren't driving, ArielS" Gail
asked in . sick tone.
"Yes, was"
"You don't know how to driTel"
"Oh, yes, do"
"Ariel-not when it happened-you
weren't driving then?"
IT say was, Gail" Ariel's weary,
colorless face cracked with an up-
circle scornfully, almost sneeringly.
You all look SO funny!" she gasped.
shaking, trying to laugh. You all
ake-things-so darn seriously"
Gail frightened an arm about her
shoulders.
pull yourself together, Ariel" she
said sharply. You've got us all into
horrible trouble and been partly respon-
sible for q little girls death, and If
you can't take it seriously, why, we can,
that's all"
The reproof stung Ariel into sobriety
as no soothing would have done. She
looked frightened, subdued, young again.
i didn't mean it. Gail!' she vhis-
pered.
well, of course you didn't mean it.
But it's too late for that now. Wen
have to go on from here. What were
you doing driving Buddy Raisch's car?
Are you crazy?"
eve told you what was doing. We
were coming back from Monterey, and
Buddy was sleepy and so was Larry,
and was driving. We were in the
middle line, and the bus was coming
up when this drunk came lunging out
from behind. the bus straight into my
face. and of course I had to jerk right
1 couldn't jerk left into the bus and /
couldn't stop because of the cars behind
me.
IT didn't think I'd bumped It very
hard, it sort of showed the car over, it
swung around, it didn't turn over even.
The car--the car this drunk Miller vas
driving came head on, and hit our
guards and smashed the headlights"
why wasn't Buddy driving, Ariel?"
Gail asked.
"He was sleepy, told you. We we're
all up late last night dancing at
Monterey"
Are the Camps staying there?"
mo. We just went there for dinner,
and then we stayed and danced. We
were going to come home last night but
it was so late, so we staked. Buddy
felt sort of sick anyway. He had some
oysters or something"
Mrs. Camp wasn't there?"
No Dorothy and I were there"
she said pointlessly, unfathomed things
in her eyes.
After Gail went to Los Gatos, you
said you were going to Santa Cruz to
have lunch on somebody's yacht" Edith
put in, anxiously accusing.
YES. Well, we did, we had lunch
on the Howard'S yacht in Santa Cruz.
We we're coming right back, and then
Larry said he dared us to go to Monterey
and have dinner and dance. So we
went to place in Monterey, a nice
place, too, and We all wandered up and
down the street and bought and had
fun"
"Go on" Phil said.
well, then We cleaned up for dinner
and dreSSed-our suiteases were IN the
car-and we went over to the hotel
and had dinner, and fooled around.
But then the boys got sort of-silly,"
Ariel explained scowling, "and we didn't
know what to do with them. Dot and
kept saying that We ought to start
for home, and we had oysters some
where. Then Buddy said that If we'd
rush us right home after, so we agreed.
But at the hotel he disappeared and
didn't know where he was. Dorothy
was dancing with Larry think they're
engaged, Gall.
The forlorn attempt at diversion fell
hat. Calls face was stern.
II don't know what ! would have
done" Ariel went on. "f Van Murchi-
son hadn't come up. We went out
and sat on the porch waiting for
Buddy to show up. And then Van said
that If he didn't have to play in
tournament there the next day he'd
run me right home. I told him poro-
thy and / were all right at the hotel
and he said he blamed Mrs. Camp"
"I hate that womanl" Gail said pas
sionately.
Van took me home about half past
l. to the Monterey Hotel" Ariel said,
"and Dorothy was there"
And what had happened to Buddy?"
We'll, he'd eaten these oysters, Phil.
and he felt sick. Dorothy and were
so scared we cried, and she was going
to telephone her mother. But we
thought that wouldn't do. So We
locked our door and went to bed, and
we made up cur n1inds''-Ariel added
in suden viciousness-"th we'd never
speak to those boys again, and I never
will. eitherl"
Never mind that now" Phil said
gravely.
Arial gave him frightened look and
spoke more quietly:
I'VE hoped that that would be all
there was to it, Pail Dorothy and
went to .sleepl don't know when the
anyway. We got up early this morn
ing, and walked around Monterey. We
thought we'd come home on the train;
but there wasn't any train except the
one in the afternoon, so we walked
over to find out about the bus. And
we met the boys and they felt so sorry
that we sort of forgave them, and we
all went to breakfast and then we we're
coming straight home. We got started
about IL. but We stopped at the Del
Monte links to see some of the golf"
She fell silent.
"Van wanted me to wait and &one
home With him this afternoon" she
said. "I wish now that / had!
we had some sandwiches at Los
Gatos about 3 o'clock and we came
on over the Dunabarron Bridge. and