The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-10-21


 to ask us about Jim."
 With her foot on the bottom step, Caroline stood rigid. What had Rob- ert Arbuthnot wanted to find out? She made an effort and said,
 About Jim?" "Yes. Someone has told him about that broadcast. but they'd forgotten the name of the hospital. He wanted to know whether we had any reason to suppose that Jim was on the Alice Arden"
 And you said?" q said you thought he might have been. told him it was the Elston cottage hospital. and that you had been over and found the man wasn't Jim. told him the name wasn't Ran- dal at all--it was man called Rid dell, and his wife had taken him away"
 "He was quite satisfed?"
 "He went on asking questions. He's so thorough. 1 think it's won. derful to be so thorough and con scientious."
 Caroline leaned on the old oak balustrade. The cottage had been there for three hundred years. and for three hundred years the hands of men, and women. and little chil- dren had been rubbing the baluster smooth. Caroline's hands slipped on it now. She came down step and stood against the newel. What sort of questions had Robert been asking, and what sort of answers had Patsy given him?
 What did he want to know?" she said
 When you heard from Jim last and what his plans were = and whether we'd seen him since he l landed. :. !. Oh, and most particular ly, whether we'd heard from him, or about him. since the wreck of the Alice Arden. And of course said no, we hadn't. And then he said most awfully curious thing"
 WHAT .1' did he say" !, said as the way he said it. He coughed and cleared his throat. and poked the fire, and then he asked me whether we'd heard any rumors. What do you suppose he melnt?" What did you say?"
 "Well hadn't heard anything really so said l never listened to gossip. And he said. Quite right quite right and blew his nose and wouldn't say anything more except 1 vague things like not getting drawn into any scandal, and remembering that we were two women living l alone.
 And of course, after saying that l about not listening to gossip. didn't 1 like to ask what he meant = he l mightn't have thought 1t quite nice of me. You know. he thinks women ought to be protected from contact l with the sordid side of life. He said so at lunch. He said their place was the home. and that really nice wo-
 man asked for no higher or wider sphere. He said"
 "Why?" a
 That's the sort of woman he ad | mires."
 q don't mean that. Why did he say all that about a scandal?" q don't know. It sounded-well, 1t sounded as if Jim-" Caroline stamped her foot.
 "Patsy Ann!" "Well, 1t did sound like that-and of course when Mrs. Smith was scrubbing out the kitchen yesterday she did say--vou know her sister in.law's eldest girl is kitchen-maid at Packham Hall-she did tell me" ''Well?" said Caroline.
 You know how she talks-I wouldn't ask her anything. but you can't help listening-wefl. she says there used to be a photograph of Jim in Mrs. Van Berg's sitting-room
 "a big one like yours-" she paused. fsH 'T
 Caroline did not speak; she looked instead-proudly and a little con temptuously. Patsy's color rose. iss@ Its no use of your looking at me like that! And you didn't let me fn- ish. Mrs. Van Berg might have fifty photographs of Jim if she liked. and if her husband didn't mind. Even Mrs. Smith didn't mind her having the photograph" What did she minds" said Caro- line in deep. angry voice.
 Well. 1t isn't there now." said Patsy. Why should 1t be?" Tt isn't. But 1t was-it was there the very day Mir. Van Berg was shot, and it's never been there since and. as Mrs. Smith says. things like that are bound to make people talk. Caroline turned round and went up the stair. Ter door shut sharply. fCopyrioht. fsss. J. B. LippincoH Co.,