The Washington times., 1936-03-21

store. He himself went into the
station, which is a corner OF a
drug store, to talk to the new
driver. And that's the last that
has been seen Of them"
Didn't they go on?"
mo. The driver never saw
them at ALL"
What about their luggage?"
"There were only two small
bags. All the passengers got off
for candy, cigarettes, ETC., and no
one saw them take the bags, but
they were gone"
And no one in town saw them
afterward?"
mo. The earth must have
opened and swallowed them"
Whether luck was with them
or Bruce showed a great skill in
eluding detection, I have never
decided. But they certainly got
away clean.
The talk with the girls stayed
on my mind. It made me feel
even worse than I had before.
When got home that afternoon,
I went right up to my room and
I cried. A year later as I look
back, it seems silly. But it was
the first time anyone I liked and
admired like that had let me
down. After half an hour, I be-
gan to feel hungry. I didn't
want to go downstairs and have
Mother question me about my
red eyes; so I went into Aliens
room to look for a candy bar. He
usually has one around some
where.
AS I couldn't find any, I was
about to leave when it occurred
to me to look in the pocket of
the coat he had worn the day
before. I even looked in the in
side pocket as boys are funny
about the way they use their
pockets. All my fingers touched
was a fountain pen. T pulled it
out, intending to lay it on the
table for him, but I dropped it
instead. I would have been just
as happy had I seen a snake
lying on the floor.
There it twinkled UP at me
the "CBS" of Connie Sinclair in
glowing gold on the green barrel
of the pen!
CHAPTER XIX
All night I tossed from one side
to the other of my bed. had read
that expression many, many times,
and our English teacher had
warned us how hackneyed it was
so that we would avoid it in
themes. But hackneyed or not, it
was certainly true of me that
night. I thought I should never
sleep again. looked in the mirror
anxiously the next morning to see
if I were as white and drawn as
I should have been. Strangely
enough, my cheeks were almost
disgustingly rosy and, except that
I looked slightly sleepy, there was
nothing wrong with my eyes.
Yet all day, as the night before,
I could think of nothing but Con-
MES pen lying in Aliens coat pock-
ct. I was sure 1t was hers, for I
would have known it anywhere,
even If the monogram had not
been so decisive. Where in the
world could Allen have got it?
AS I thought back over the time
which had elapsed since the muir
der, I could remember without
much trouble, that Allen had been
extraordinarily nervous and ir-
ritable. I could remember his leav.
ing the room many times when we
were discussing the mystery.
Mother always scolded Dad and
me, saying that we knew how UP.
set Allen was over it. Little did
she dream just how upset he was
or had a right to be!
could remember, too, how
eagerly he listened to anything
new Dad brought home or that
appeared in the papers. It was
only when the talk and specula-
t1on began that he left. He must
have lived in an agony of fear of
being found out. wondered that,
with his slight strength, he had
stood it as long as he had. His
outburst about Bruce looked to
me like the beginning of the end.
He was sure to break and soon, I
was sure.
ITO be Continued