Evening star., 1936-07-23
that Patsy was flushing beneath her

ltS MEMBERS.
AS Patsy confusedly thanked the old
lady for her kindness, Miss Mitchell
came around from behind her big desk
and laid a OBTAINING hand on her arm
She said, in her usual brusque fashion
II can't understand girl like you
Miss Warfield, getting mixed up with
a man like Victor Caldwell. You see
here in the hospital we see life as
few people ever do. We've had dam
gerous criminals coldly murder pa
tients who might, if they survive their
wounds, turn out to be squealers
We've seen hideous things happen to
people who innocently interest them
selves in such characters. Two of the
men who tried to kill Victor Caldwell
got away that night. The other seven
were killed by the police. Caldwell
is the only man left now who could
talk. And with you taking an interest
in him it might put you in very
dangerous position"
Patsy, wide-eyed, her lips apart
her heart pounding. said. quickly
II don't understand! I was told
that Mr.. Caldwell has pneumonia.
Pneumonia, yes" said Miss Mitchell
equally. Pneumonia brought on by
a gunshot wound above his heart"
"Oh, there must be some mistake'
Patsy cried, her lashes winking. "I've
known Mr.. Caldwell ever since I wa;
years old! Surely you're confusing
him with some one else?" She waited
then, her breath short in her mouth
Hardly" said the grim-lipped su.
perintendent. And she lifted a crum.
pied newspaper from wire basket
and showed it across the desk to Patsy
Its obvious you haven't seen the
newspapers during the last four days
Victor Caldwell is an ex-convict. He
served term in prison for bank rob-
berry and as an accessory to a murder
There's the story
Patsy had not seen the recent
papers. Worry over Lee and the de.
parture of the expedition and her owr
preparations for sailing to Italy hac
left no time for reading anything
She glanced at the headlines now, tht
two pictures of Victor with long mum.
berS across the breast-prison identifl'
cation. She had the usual capacity
for belief in what was printed, yet she
cried out, II can't believe it! can't!
But she did believe it. All the ole
gossip of Annapolis, the suspicious anc
the memory of the strange, enigmati.
cal Victor in the long green room with
the cherubs dancing on the ceiling
Victor, who had struck Kitty Caven-
dish and had almost killed her-sWept
painfully through her mind. She be.
lieved it and was terrorized.
Miss Mitchell shrugged her thir
shoulders and gave Patsy a hard
sharp glance. well. just as you say
Miss Warfield. I only hope that your
foolish generosity won't involve you
in something that may prove danger
ous." She paused and moistened hei
pale, dry lips. Then she concluded
Mr.. Caldwell's been asking for you
ever since the police brought him in
He moaned for days that there was
something he had to tell you, some.
thing you had to know"
Patsy froWned. People rave like
that when they're desperately i'll
don't they Suffer hallucinations-
wild ideas?"
Miss Mitchell said in her thin voice
"Yes-yes, they do. Only somehow
believe he has something he wants
to tell you, Miss Warfeld"
Then she thought: II suppose
should telephone her grandfather ir
Annapolis. suppose it's my duty tt
save her from this folly" But ever
as the thought raced through her gray
head she knew that she wouldn't cal
Admiral Warfield The long, hare
years in hospitals among the sick ano
dying hadn't been kind to her. She
was old now-old and withered and
tried. He might not remember her
that was trtue. He might not even
remember that one night in Shangha!
when she had been young, pretty
Navy nurSe-when he had held her in
his arms and had sailed away with
the feet the next day and had for
gotten her. But she remembered him
She would die remembering and low
ing him.
Patsy left the little old woman then
She realized suddenly that she was
desperately worn in body and mind
too tired to talk any more-too tired
to even try to solve the mystery of
Victor or what had made him cry out,
day after day, that he had something
to tell her.
She walked slowly down the corri-
dor, looking about her uncertainty.
Suppose some thugs, as Miss Mitchell
had warned, were watching Victors
ward. had seen her with him and be-
lieved that he had told her too much
about that awful night when they
had tried to murder him-suppose-
suppose?
A cold fear gripped her and beads
of ice broke out on her temples. She
was very close to the breaking point
in that moment and tried to calm her
Jerking nerves by telling herself that
a whole night of sleep, of complete
rest, would restore her peace and
equanimity-would even ease the pain
of knowing that with every hour Lee
was sailing farther and farther away
from her
Still, her legs were so weak and
trembling beneath her that she could
not go on. She stumbled blindly into
the sun parlor, where countless people
have sat, wide-eyed and stricken,
waiting news of beloved ones on the
operating table. The room, fortunate
ly, was dark and entirely deserted, and
for that Patsy was thankful.
With a little sound-half sob, half
cry-she fell miserable and exhausted
into a deep leather chair and buried
her face in her cold palms. She was
never to remember just how long she
sat there like that. She would never
know either just how long it had been
when she heard stealthy footsteps in
that long white corridor, footsteps that
ran and then stopped short at the sun
parlor.
Patsy didn't look up until she heard
heavy breathing near and instinctively
felt the presence of some one. She
= H.