Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1934-06-29

The pocket of her light sports
coat bumped clumsily against her
as she stepped down. She stood
very still for a moment, with an
odd, arrested look on her face.
Then she thrust her hand into the
overloaded pocket and drew out
the thing which had weighed it
own.
Starlight had all but vanished
before the stealing mist, but oven
in that obscurity it was a bright
and lovely rifle, a woman's jewel
ed bag, extraordinarily full. The
strained catch must have been too
hastily snapped shut, for it yawned
open at a touch, and thd bullying
|%contenss oozed into view. Bills.
The bag was fairly stuffed with
them, high denomination bills,
tightly crammed in. =.
The girl in the red beret stared
at it soberly. 1t seemed to give
her no pleasure, lot evdn any par
ticular sense of the risk she ran in
carrying such a sum with her.
through lonaly roads and at all
hours of the night. She just let
the bag lie there on her open hand,
looking at it.
There was a faint aversion in
that look she meant deliberately to
let hat opulent roll slide to the
dust at her feet. Then with a briet
|grimace of distaste she righted her
hand again, thrust the bag deep
the Goa pocket and turned, a
little blindly, back to the car.
The girl looked very small be-
side the big car, very young and
troubled, yet somehow determined
and every move now was brisk
and efficient. A vigorous tug.
and a smart travelling case came
out of the canvas hidden behind
a mass of shrubbary.
Lucky" she reflected, that ]
was all set to stay -. If there is
any luck in such a miserable snarl
as this"
She slipped quickly into her sea,
again, and the engines heavy purl
cut abruptly into the stiffness
The roadster swung smoothly ou'
of the shadowsd drive and dowr
toward the highway. The fot
had thickened perceptibly and tn,
road was dark, but she drove with.
out lights. Time enough to switch
those on. There must be no on,
who could remember, later, a dis.
1ant glimpse of flaring lights.
On tho last turn she had a gooe
view of the main road in both di
rections. No dazzle of oncomin,
lights showed either way, blurrin,
through the fog. She swept GU.
into the highway, and her owl
came on.
There was no placid strips o:
beach here; only rough ground ant
dark rocky headland, now fairl.
close, now farther away, croppin.
sheer. About an eighth of a mil
beyond there should be a plac'
where it jutted boldly into the SCI
! There it was. A queer littl
tingle went skipping over her a
she caught sight of it, vaguely out
lined. How much distance woul;
she need? Ten-no, twenty fee
before striking the incline. l
would be too dangerous beyon'
that. She brought the car slowl,
to a standstill. Shut off the engine
For a moment she sat listening
every nerve alert. There was no
"a sound except for the heavy muir
muir of the sea below. Eve
Though fog might muffle distan
sounds, it wasn't dense enough we
to matter. She started the engin
again.
Her heart was beating fast a
she slapped down. The roadste
was pointing at a strange angle. l
looked so sleek and beautiful, AM
she let a hand rest on it softly
This was a shabby trick to play o.
a good friend, but it had to b
done. She would miss it, too.
There was no time to be wasted
She stepped up and leaned in, an
her hands moved swiftly and com
petently. She gave a last tug an
IA hasty glance toward the make
ledge beyond.
The car lurched and started, an
left the smooth road with a pro
testing heava. 1t was gatherin
speed, humping over the uneve:
ground. She jumped, staggere
for a few steps and fell.
Huddled there on hands an