The Daily Alaska empire., 1932-09-21
|ll Nothing Venture
 E M~ by PafricTd Wentworth
WentWOrfh
by PafricId We

ICI0 " eUtWOIIN 'of her shaking.
 T don't understand" said Jer- wis. You heard these two mer talking?"
 Nan nodded.
 T ca ne up behind the taxi
 Tell me exactly what you ac- tually heard"
 She said it all over again.
 He said, its the four -fifteer all right. You'll have to hurry. said. Let him come out of tho station and get well away Ht said you were sure to walk, be- cause you had a craze for exer- else" M
 Jervis was bending forward look ing at Ter intently. You beard my name?'
 "No-not your name"
 Then what does all this amount to?"
 Please, please, listen"
 He moved inpatiently.
 Nan went on.
 "The driver said, suppose you took q taxi, and the other said Then yo;l must do the best you can Ard the driver said he wasn't keen; and he said, Take it or leave it' And the driver said was twenty-five hundred dollars was twenty-five hundred dollars and that jail was jail. But in the end he said, All right, I'll do it. ,
 And whats all this got to do with me?" said Jervis.
 T know they were talking about you"
 But why? What made you think of it2 Who were these people? Did you know them? What made you listen to what they were say ing?"
 T knew them," said Nan in a small, steadfast voice.
 Who were they?"
 She got out of the taxi. l knew her at once"
 She? This is the first time you've mentioned a woman. Who was she?"
 'Rosamund Carew," said Nan.
 Jervis threw back his head and laughed incredulously.
 Go on with your fairy tale"
 A fire of anger burned in Mans cheeks and frightened her eyes. She stopped looking at her hands and let Jervis have the full bene- fit of the blaze.
 'iMr. Leonard got out after her and went into the house. That was when I got behind the car. wasn'. going to listen-I just didn't want him to see me. Then he fl came out of the house and talked to the driver. told you what they said-and I told you before I began that you wouldn't believe me"
 What have you got against Leonard? Good Lord what a nest. What conceivable mo- tive could there be?"
 Nan looked up at him, white end steady.
 f.Who would come into your property if you were killed in an accident today?" she said
 lJervis did not start, he stiffen- ed. There was a tingling pause. Nan felt as if she had hit a lump of dynamite. She waited for the explosion but it did not come. The silence went on. She could not take her breath while 1t went on like that; and just as she was feeling as if something must give away, he said a low, concentrated voice.
 What a perfectly foul thing to say!"
 "Yes, it's foul" She paused. But not because I said it."
 He became vividly aware of her There was a bright stain of color high up in her cheeks--a round bright stain. Her eyes were bright and wide. There was something in them that winced and yet held firm. In his own consciousness an implse flared the impulse to beat down that wincing, resisting something. It flared, and went out.
 He rose abruptly to his feet.
 "I expect there's some explana- ton. Bits of a conversation are very misleading. Thank you for taking so much trouble about it. Nan got up too. His being po- lite was worse than anything. It made her feel giddy with pain The color went quite out of her face. She said.
 'sGoodbye-I'd better not come tonight"
 It was a relief to see him frown
 ''Of course you'll come. We set tied that. Give me your addres! and I'll call for you"
 He wrote 1t down on the bacl of an envelope with scrap O pencil which he fished out of trouser pocket.
 "Old Page will be ctrsing mel