Carbon County news., 1936-07-03
-cHAPTER!-..I 7. I
lssss.s, "a Q. I.s1e:s 5zs1sE1l

gQhIS .uulSuSu ulS SLOTys IdiAP
lean, bronzed, he stood before
the big crystal mirror hanging over
the stone fireplace and examined
his chin critically. 1t was a very
nice chin, but >Bryn was not In the
least concerned with Its niceness;
he was trying to determine whether
Burch had or had not nicked It In.
finitesimally. 1t seemed not. Burch
had done his usual perfect job.
Tubby, his eyes round and dis
tracted, dropped into one Of the
deep morocco armchairs and stared
out at the dusk. It was pouring
like smoke across the bay, sitting
through the Golden Gate to blot
out the sunset. The daily feet Of
fishing vessels, their sails a row
of tiny dark triangles against the
dimming face Of the sun, slipped
out once more to brave the perils of
the Vastly deep. Below the house
the waves Tapped idly at the white
cliff, gentle and harmless.
Tubby was not a philosopher, and
he had very little Imagination. To
Tubby q horse was a horse, usually
with four legs and q tail. It was
not something over which kingdoms
might be lost or with which prin-
.cesses might be rescued. Waves to
Tubby were waves, always wet and
often chilly. But now, as he stared
down through the wide plate glass
window, there was a look of posi-
tive inspiration on his face, as if he
were: telling himself that these
waves, at least. might sometimes
wash the shores of. China, the far,
far, dangerous shores of China;
that these waves might easily,
small and tender though they now
appeared, might easily puff and
swell and lift themselves to fall
with thunder and fury on one of the
innocent little vessels drifting now
so serenely past the sun. Life was
like that, Tubby was convinced.
Tubby put his head down into his
hands and groaned.
.""Iook here, Bryn," he said in a
woebegone voice. "you can't go
through with it. won't let you.
That's final."
1"Tut, tut" Bryn responded amia-
bly,. He pressed bel on the man
telpiece. Burch, bland and serene,
opened the door noiselessly.
"Burch, / amEbeing married this
evening"
There was moment of dead
stiffness as If even the waves had
halted in their irresistible course.
Then Burch swallowed, and said
nobly, Indeed, sir? Do you wish
me to procure a maidservant, sir?"
Bryn looked up, startled. "A
maid-servant? Do we need a maid
servant?"
II was thinking Of your wife, sir"
my wife?' Bryn repeated, his
eyes coming sharply to Burch's
face. Then, "Ah no. She will
not be coming here"
Very good, sir. What shall I
pack?"
Bryn looked down at the gray
suit with which, Tubby had insist
ed, he was desecrating the evening.
He considered. ''Well, shirts and
things. Nothing else, except those
old golf trousers / got so much mud
on at Tahoe"
"Yes, sir. Nothing else? No guns?
No fishing tackle? No golf clubs|
"Nothing. By ethe way-I am a
young engineers out of work be-
cause of the depression, Anything
a young engineer out of work be-
cause Of the depression wouldn't
have, I wouldn't have. I've pawned
it," '.~
Burch drew a noticeable deep
breath. VERY good, sir. Shall you
be here to breakfast?"
certainly.
"And :"
mo, 1 said she wasn't coming"
"Ah =. yes, sir. Lunch?"
mo lunch. l shall be leaving i'm
mediately after breakfast, and you
needn't prepare dinner until ap-
proximately a year from tonight. /
shall be away during that time"
"Yes, sir. And the orders for
Morton?" -
Bryn swung round from the glass.
He regarded Burch thoughtfully.
That's So" he said meditatiVely.
II might have forgotten. Tell Nor
ton to take a spanner, will you, and
remove the paint--not all of it, but
large. uneven portions--from the
BeIlafre. Tell him to take a chiseI
and give lit some nice deep
scratches. Tell him to make it look
like a car l might have bought for
about forty-tWo dollars. and fifty
cents from bankrupt gangster. He
might bash up the tenders, and if
anything further occurs to him )"
1.-THE Bellaire, sir? The new
French motor? The black carp
''Al of those things" Bryn said
calmly.
Tubby stood up. His eyes rested
on Burch's agitated countenance.
He drew a deep breath. +: - ..:., g.: j..
"That's ALL" Bryn said crisply.