Evening star., 1934-10-23

yer. She hadn't been mis-
taken, there it was, The Maddern
Construction Co." and, just below in
smaller type, Office of ]. c. McSwain,
general manager"
Marian leaned back. j. c. NC
Swain was Silver's father. Cliff had
written something about Silver's
thinking more of her father than OF
him. and Silver had said no one but
cad would condemn a girl for want
ing to help her father.
But why, wondered Marian, should
J. C. McSwain, head of company
handling such an immense contract,
need help? She hadn't thought much
of that angle at the first reading of
the letter. She would read it again
carefully.
She read, and when she reached
the last of the second page, studied
each word carefully.
Don't blame me, it's your own fault,
unless I'm at fault for never having
refused you anything I could give.
You seemed to figure your Dad and
his reputation more important than
me you were right of course
only oh well"
Marian turned page, thick page.
She thumbed it a moment, then
gasped in wonder. There were two
pages there. Now she separated the
pages and found the inner one marked
with the same Scrawling writing:
Silver, if l hadn't been softheaded
as we'll as softhearted, would have
kept my money and not put it into
the Maddern to save your father. He
says I bought a title; that's really
humorous, fourth vice president with
the right to use desk space in their
office and their stationery.
you pretend to know nothing OF
business, but you're canny, you know
as well as I, that he shouldn't have
bid in that school contract at such a
low figure. Even with labor and COM
modities at new low, he couldn't fill
such a contract and not crash fnan-
cially, unless he used the cheapest
material on the market; material that
can't pass inspection. He thought
he'd offset that da lger when he
bought the inspector with that 10
thousand; I could have saved myself
with even that. It's lost money now,
for even if the man is cleared, the
political faction pressing the charge
will watch the Madden work. He's
going to need every cent gave him
to break even. 1t looks as though
you're in line to find new rich hus-
band You will and he'll give to
you just as have. Just as Lawson.
the poor, smitten fruit rancher. gave
the use of his name and his bank
account to save Brown and indirectly
your father for you
Marian fingered the page with
trembling hands. She held here evi-
dence which might have sent Brown
to the penitentiary; which might still
send McSwain there, and Lawson. too,
for perjury. She knew Silver had
never read this page, for if she had
she would have burned it inlme-
diately.
1t was a wonderful story. Marians
first impulse was to telephone the
Office at once. But dare she? Aside
from the havoc it would bring, would
scrawled note miraculously found in
reporters pocket be enough evi-
dence? She would wait.
No wonder Silver hadn't been sorry
that Hondon might die. With his
death came certainty of silence on the
bribe That hysteria had been half
relief, half shock. But what a self
centered person she must be to have
demanded the sacrifice of Hondon's
money, only to leave him when it was
gone. And how sure of his honor
both she and her father had been.
But how had that letter reached
her coat pocket? She had thrown the
letter onto the chair in which she
was sitting, her coat had also been
there. However, letters didn't up and
walk into pockets. Hamlin had taken
her coat from the chair to hang it up.
He must have thought the letter part
of her notes and crammed it into her