The Daily Alaska empire., 1932-10-28
asaa Ilz|Ia Nothing Venture .A~ by PotricTG Wentworth ]

might have taken him away sud. I denly?"
 Mrs. Mellisla considered this ir silence. She had been brought ur to tel the truth, and classed lying vith dirt, unpunctuality, gossip | and communism. There were per. hars verse sins, such as stealing atheism, and immortality, but they hardly came within the purvieW of the respectable After a minute pause she compromised by saying
 T can't say that I do."
 you'd tell me if you did - wouldn't you? MT. Francis ha; gone to New York to make in ouiries there, butt don't feel as If Jervis had gone to New York
 Nan turned away and walked to the end of the room and back again.
 Mrs. Mellish never moved at all. She was sitting there because she had been ordered to sit; other wise, she would have risen when Mrs. Weare had risen, but, hav- ing been ordered to sit, she would wait until she was ordered to rise. A stubborn sense of her own su- periority upheld her. She knew her piece, if Mrs. Weare didn't know hers. She looked up to see Nan standing over her.
 Mrs. Mellish-you know some- thing. What is it?"
 Mrs. Mellish reinforced her dig nity. This wasn't any way for a mistress to behave and she didn't hold with it.
 You know something.-"
 Indeed, ma'am-"
 Yes, you dol" The urgency of the tone melted into appeal. Oh, won't you tell me?"
 Mrs. Mellish sat up little more stiffly.
 If I may put the question, ma am-what makes you think as I have anything to ten?"
 You have-havent you? I want you to tell me what it is. It may not seem important to you-it may seem very, very little thing and ycu may some reason for not wanting to tell me; but won't you please tell me what it is? We've got nothing to go on, and it's like being shut up in a pitch dark room-even the least glirnmer of light might show us where the door is. Don't you see that?"
 There was another pause and Mrs. Mellish said:
 No, ma'am."
 The tears rushed into Mans eyes. They were so hot with anger that they burned there. She step- ped back because the impulse to take Mrs Mellish by those plump cushioned shoulders and shake her until her eyes bulged and her teeth rattled was simply overpow- ering. After a moment she said. You do know something. I know that you do! Why won't you tell me what you know?"
 The subtle air of offense which had accompanied Mrs. Mellish to this interview become more mo- ticeable& It wasn't for anyone that knew her manners to color up and behave historically like Mrs. Weare was doing. Mrs. Mellish thanked Providence she was not as other women were. The thanked Pro- v.dence that she'd been brought up respectable At her husbands funeral she had shed widows decorous tears but she had been careful not to let them spoil her crepe. She deSpised Nan good deal for her changing color and the culver in her voice. She did not speak.
 Nan went back to her chair and sat down. It was no good appealing to Mrs. Mellish. She knew very well that she was being desrised, and the Forsyth pride stiffened her back. She allowed the silence to lengthen. Then she said, in a voice which Mrs. Mel fish had not heard before:
 I'm waiting"
 T beg your pardon, ma'am?"
 I'm waiting for you to tell me what you saw or heard on Tues day nig'ht!" Mans voice had nc
 l.. c. SMITH and CORONA