The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-11-19

me-"
 He gave 8 mild little sniff.
 "It's not a joke to anybody" he said. But femme tell you this. baby--and try to remember it." He leaned across Eve Brady and tapped Jean on the knee with a massive fist. Where we go, you go. It's to late to back out now. You're in with us, and you stay in. Seer"
 Jeans heart felt like a lump of ice in her breast. She turned away and stared out of the window. It was all so incomprehensible! She heard Eve say: "Oh, lay of of her, Red. She's all right. As soon as she sees Sandy again."
 "Sandy?" said Red. "Oh. You mean Oklahoma" He chuckled, and there was something in the chuckle that Jean liked even less than she liked this forced auto trip. "Oh. Well. Let her pipe down for @ while, then"
 They rode on and on, skimming over the concrete road with effort- less, unslackening speed; five silent people, one bewlldered and fright ened and lost, the other four grirnly purposeful; and Jean huddeled in her corner, looking out at the fields and woods and farmhouses and lit- tie towns that shot by them, seeing nothing, unable to speak, hardly conscious of the passing of time.
 Noon came; 6 hot blistering noon, with the sun beating down from a cloudless sky, and no wind to cool the air. They reached the great National Highway and turned to the east, and for moment Jeans heart leaped up - Dover lay to the east, and this road, she knew, led to 1t. But her joy was short-lived, for after half an hours travel the car slowed down and swung to the north again over an unpaved road that wound in and out through @ tangled stretch of woodland.
 A mile from the main highway the road bore to the right, and @ little lane continued on into the woods. The lane was nothing more than parallel ruts in the soil, with the branches of the trees meeting overheard and brushing against the sides of the car, but they followed a brook for hundred yards, then went up over 8 hill, descended on the other side-and, unexpectedly, came into @ 10-acre clearing that faced @ little lake.
 A large, rambling house in the architectural style of the 1870s stood near the water, surrounded by an tlnkempt but spacious lawn. The car pulled up beside what had evidently been @ carriage house, years ago, and stopped. The car doors opened, and Jean automati- cally followed the others out. Eve took her arm as she got out, and gave it a little squeeze.
 "This isn't going to be so bad" she said gently. Besides, Sandy's here, waiting for us."
 They took their baggage and fol- lowed Red along a gravelled path to the house. Jean looked at 1t curiously. Once 1t must have been Q handsome country retreat - iso- lated, with neat lawns and gardens fianking the little stretch of blue water and 6 belt of woodland sur- rounding it all. Now 1t looked gone to seed and dilapidated. The house with it's multiplicity of gables, its conical tower at one corner, it's elaborate fret-work on porch rail- ings and its general air of Mid- Victorian responsibility, had gone long unpainted. The gardens had been permitted to grow up in weeds and rank grasses years ago, and the lawn needed care very badly. A little boathouse down at the edge of the lake had been allowed to col- lapse, and 1t leaned crazily awry, seemingly ready to fall over at a touch.
 As Jean noticed these things they reached the front of the house and went up a little flight of steps to @ wide, sagging porch. They followed Red into the house, into the cold dusk of an inner hall: and that she was to go on in; then the flight of stairs and obediently fol- lowing someone to room. A door was opened, and a voice n1umbled tha tshe was to go on in; then the door closed behind her and she was alone.
 The room was in Q side of the house overlooking the lane by which they had come; and 1t was furnished with an old-fashioned double bed, an equally old-fashioned dresser with q marble top. Q vast chest of drawers and three horse hair chairs. She put her bag on