Evening star., 1936-12-27

with you there. After that it's easy"
She laughed. against her will,
against her fears.
Packing. Gracia felt little dazed.
The way she let this man influence her
ideas, her ingrained attitudes, her
plans - Nassau. detectives
But at luncheon, under brilliant
awning on the turf-laced flagstones,
she knew only that she felt happy,
with an ever-deepening awareness of
John Terris's presence.
A bellboy edged over to their table.
"The cable Office just sent this over
for you, Mrs. jacquard" he said.
Gracia ripped open the envelope.
She read the message, reread it. She
turned it over. perplexed. read it
again. Il can't make head or tail of
it." she said, and handed it to John.
JACQUARD BERMUDA FIFTEENTH
WITHOUT FAIL
He read it and reread it too.
doesn't it mean anything to you?"
he asked.
mot any. No signature. think
the whole worlds gone crazy"
Sounds reasonable. We'll phone
the cable Office, ask if they know who
sent it. Even if they did. they won't
tel. By way of making it harder. All
packed"
Eyes, haven't paid my bill.
Thought maybe Id be watched"
Sailing time was dusk. For the last
hour before. they sat. hatless and in
their casual sports clothes. in the inner
courtyard restaurant OF the New
Windsor, drinking refreshments.
For a whole hour, too. the detective
sat at a table in a far corner. about as
inconspicuous as a native Turk.
Once, Gracia asked whether they
oughtn't to get their check and 60.
Were drinking prepaid refresh
ments," he said. This show took a
lot of prearranging." He slumped
more permanently into his chair,
but the fiat square watch on his wrist
seemed to interest him every other
minute now. His air of lazy relaxa-
ton emphasized the tightness of her
own nerves. At precisely six minutes
before sailing time, he lifted his glass
and slipped his drink.
I'm going to put this glass down
and you and l will then walk - not
run out of this detectives life for
a while. There'l be quite little COM
motion at his table. but we'll keep
right on moving"
He drained his glass, and they rose.
Immediately loud urgent calls for the
waiter, the check, the bill, smote the
air. in the far corner. The walters
seemed remarkably oblivious to the
clamor. As she followed John in his
serene exit. Gracia noted that the
moment that the frenzied detective
decided he'd dispense with the for
malities of finance, he was practically
barricaded by walters, stubbornly in
tent on collection but unimpressed by
the need for speed.
Three minutes later. they ambled
up the ships gangplank and watched
the deckhands prepare to send it
soaring up after them.
Hes silly ass if he gets into fist
fights with the walters" John re-
marked comfortably. II told them
to hang onto his check for while"
Gracia blew kiss shorewards. She
felt inordinately triumphant. But
why, oh why. do you have to come
equipped with detectives? she said.
'Oh John, look. How awful!'
For racing down the street, his coat
tails tapping absurdly. emitting
mighty shouts, one hand folding back
his coat lapel and the other stabbing
gesticulations at a badge which caught
the last CLINT of daylight. the detective
was catapulting himself to the ship.
John groaned. "Outsmarted by a
numbskull," he said mournfully. II