Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1933-11-22
CHAPTER /
Death In the Study.

COMElHlNG mad gone wrong
- The bridesmaid on the left
Cardigan did not know her mann
then-glanced backward. hesitant
ly. The procession slowed its sol
emn march.
A stir Of uneasiness was some
how transmitted to the crowded
pews. There was a vague busting
throughout the church, even au
dible against the majestic organ
tones Of Lohengrin's wedding
March,"
Peter Cardigan sensed 1t from hi:
pew deep In the LAY of the church
and smiled at the fancy he thought
had betrayed him. What could BIZ
wrong? His novelist's mind pic
tured the main services conjureC
from the M of the world by
Carmody wealth to insure the per
lection OF detail which had been
the heritage of Carmody brides
since New York was young.
1t had seemed strange to Cardl-
gan for Jim Franklin to be marry
ing Ambrose Carmody's daughter.
But then. Jim had been a stranger
TO him for seventeen years. When
Peter Cardigan knew him, Jim
Franklin had been a young attor-
ney, just out of law school, laying
the first foundation of his career In
the harsh experience of the police
courts. Peter, without realizing it,
had been laying some foundation
stones of his own in those days, for
that was when he was a police re-
porter and before he had become
famous as a writer of best-selling
mysteries. as well as for the occa-
sional solving Of one In real life.
That was seventeen years ago.
Now Jim Franklin was marrying
Doris Carmody. II there was any
thing to those newspaper stories,
he would be the next governor Of
New York, too. Ridiculous to think
that anything could be wrong And
yet the procession was scarcely
moving now.
Doctor Alternately, rector Of st.
Matthew's, stood by the choir steps
and wondered. Everything had gone
off well at the rehearsal. What
had happened nowY Where was the
bridegroom
The rector was troubled about the
quarrel he had witnessed In the sac
risty, too. What an odd setting for
a QUARREL The sacristy of a
church, just before a wedding. Too,
he had tried to question the strange
woman who had q%uarreled with the
bridegroom. For a moment his sus-
plcions had been aroused. But
pshaw, Franklin was all right |
Nothing like that could happen to
Doris Carmody. The generosity of
her ancestors had made this fash
ionable old church possible.
No, there could be nothing wrong.
Things like that didn't happen to
people like the Carmodys. The sus-
picion with which the good doctor
had momentarily regarded that
scene fickered brightly, for a mo-
ment, and as quickly died. But not
died, either. The distrust with
which he had regarded that quarrel
was recalled very wildly now. What
should he have done? Notified the
brides father? He had thought OF
that-and yet-what could he have
said? The circumstance of a quar-
rel vas not sufficient to question the
propriety Of a wedding, at least
where there was no question of
morals involved. No, the rector re-
fected, there was nothing he could
have done.
Calls Shipley was worried. What
had happened to Jim FRANKLIN?
Where was Nick Royce? Calls was
the first bridesmaid on the left. At
the rehearsal, the bridegroom and
the best man had entered at the
first notes Of the organ, and waited
at the choir steps for the procession
that moved slowly down the aisle.
Why hadn't she thought to see If he
were there before she started? She
had been a third of the way down
before she realized he was missing.
Several seconds slipped past, and
stlll he did not come. Calls glanced
back hurriedly. She suddenly real
lied she was afraid. Where was
Rylie Carmody7 What had Web
Spears meant? Something terrible
had happenedl She knew It'll
II she only could have found Ry-
Outside. on Carmody avenue, a DO
liceman pushed back the curious
throng that waited to glimpse the
bride. A Carmodyl And Jim Frank
lin. He'll be the next governor, too.
You'll have to keep moving,
Miss" said the officer. The pretty
woman In blue struggled through
the jostling crowd.
Doris Carmody was thinking of
Webster Spears-"Web," whom she
had known all her life, whom she
might even now have been marry.
ing, II things had turned out only
a little differently. Why had Web
walked out of the church, without
remaining to see the wedding