The Coolidge examiner., 1936-09-18

tomorrow morning to drive up the
coast to your home. You may ex-
pect me at the latest by Wednesday
noon. unless | meet with unexpected
difficulties along the road.
Yours sincerely,
STUART OGDEN GRAHAM.
.Bryn folded the letter. Tubby
thrust his hands into his pockets
and began to saunter up and down
the room, WhiStling beneath his
breath. Simon put his hands be-
hind his head and stared at the
ceiling. Sally was trembling with
excitement and clutching Simon's
knee, and Madeline walked slowly
across and dropped down beside
Deborah.
WELL" Tubby said, buttoning his
coat and squaring his shoulders, III
he's got to be kept away, he's got
to be kept away, and that's all
there is to it. After all, there are
four men of us here, and Burch
Five against one. That ought to
be easy"
You talk as if we were going to
fight about it," Sally said tearfully
with guns. 1t isn't half as blum.
dering or easy as that"
Not half" Madeline echoed
This is going to be strategy. And
strategy, Tubby, never was your
strong point, if you will remember.
She smiled up at him, warm ten
! der smile that made him blink and
| look as if he saw her for the first
time. But you're a darling, Tubby
and you're loyal and strong, and
worth a lot more than one of those
slippery strategists."
"Well, gee," Tubby said, bewil.
| dered, and sat down.
I'VE might bar the road" Tubby
said hopefully. "Put gate across
it, you know
Somebody would have to guard
it, of course" Bryn said thought.
fully. "And he'd want to know why
| he couldn't pass. If l stayed there
myself and had a talk with him
explaining the situation, it might
help; but 1 wouldn't trust him not
to pretend to go away and then to
sneak back when we weren't watch
ing just to see what harm he could
do"
What you're limiting at" Tubby
said boldly, ''is that we've got tC
capture him, then, and dispose OF
him finally, once and for all. Muir.
der, 1 suppose. OF course, it doesn't
matter. Any Of us would gladly
oblige, but it would be nice tC
know your plans first. We might
draw lots to see who would stat
him. That's the fairest way, really
"What we've got to dO," Bryn
said, disregarding Tubby, lis to lei
| him come here, all unSuSpecting
but we've got to know ahead OF
time. We've got to let him come
here to make sure of getting oul
hands on him Inside our own
gates we can be sure of being un,
disturbed"
II know" Deborah said suddenly
Joe"
"Joe"
She turned to Bryn. "Yes. Joe Is
our nearest neighbor's boy. Before
you came" she explained, when
Joe's father brought us any mail
from town, or anything We didn't
expect, he used to sound a call on
a horn he has there. A kind OF
hunting bugle he made himself out
Of a deer-horn. He's terribly proud
of it, and he loves to do it. He's
taught Joe, too, and you can hear
it for miles. Why not why
not have Joe watch the road? Moth.
ing could get past him, especially if
you told him enough to make him
see how serious it was. And the
minute he sees the car he car
sound the horn, and We'll have al
most fifteen minutes to prepare"
"Well, there you are" Bryn said
smiling down at Deborah. Were
all right, aren't we?"
"We're all right" Deborah
said. and her lashes dropped to her
cheek at the look in his eyes.
Bryn, very boldly, had proposed a
starlit walk to Deborah, and to his
surprise she had made no excuse
She had been pale and weary after
the excitement of the letter, and
now that some solution had been
reached, she put it behind her with
relief. She walked along beside
| him in silence, holding to her face
from time to time, the sheaf of
clove-pinkS he had gathered for her
beside the walk. Their perfume,
heady and sweet, drifted up to him.
Its a beautiful night" he said
steadily.
Eyes"
"What's it like up here in the
winter time, Deborah?"
"Oh," she replied, "it's beautiful.
love it. We get ever so much
snow, just here in the valley, but it
doesn't last long. When it comes.
1t makes me think of Lorna DOOne.
Do you remember? When the snow
was so heavy and thick, and they