The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1936-12-11

| vice, ne SAID 1rrltaDly, peIore
this. What do your holdings aver
age?" he asked; and when the 9TH
er told him, he sat in silence for a
while. Then he smiled, as though
ir decision, and relaxed in his chair.
"Well," he said, "as a matter of
fact, I expect Cottons will touch
that figure this week, Ned. When it
does, you'd better unload" He hes
itated, then thrust the telephone to-
ward Doctor Breeding. "Put in an
order to sell at your price, G. T. c."
he directed.
Doctor Breeding took the phone;
but he looked his doubts. you're
sure it won't go higher?" he asked.
The pen tapped more sharply.
Med, man get out with whole
skin and consider yourself lucky"
Terrell babe; and there was some
thing like scorn in his tones.
So Doctor Breeding called Paul
Master and gave the order, then
turned to Terrell.
"You have put me heavily in
your debt, Ira," he said slowly. eff
I can ever repay you--if there's
anything you want of mine" And
he suggested, not looking at the 9th
er man: 'Why don't you come up
to the Lake sometime in August?
Nancy and will be there. l have
medical work to do with Miss Car
isle"
Terrell smiled, shook his head.
"You don't owe me anything, Ned"
he said patiently. "And-neither
does Nancy. But may come"
That evening Doctor Breeding left
the house after dinner. Mary Ann
was at the office when he got there;
and for two or three hours they
worked together. Afterward he in
sisted on taking her home; and on
the way, he said:
'I'm going to drop everything and
head for the Lake as soon as posi-
BILE. I'll want you to finish analyz-
ing these cases, and bring the fig
ures up to me. After I've had a
few days rest. Say next Friday?"
He saw hesitation in her, and he
added swiftly: "I'll want you there
for a few days; and perhaps Nancy
can persuade you to stay OH for a
while, even after our job is DONE"
She wished to demur; but be-
fore she could do so, he said hur-
riedly: "I'll need to work, this year,
to keep from-thinking!"
She said, in quick compre-
tension: "Of course. / under
stand"
He thought, after he left her, that
she had seemed almost ill at ease
in his presence. Yet not unfriend-
ly-rather, deeply sympathetic for
the grief she thought he must be
suffering.
But Doctor Breeding felt in fact
no grief. That first wave of sorrow
had come like healing flood and
passed, leaving him healed-and
freel
Their first days at the Lake
! passed quietly. 1t had been de-
cided between Dan and Nancy that
he would come on Friday afternoon,
with Mary Ann. Nancy had not
told her father this arrangement.
Without admitting it even to her
self, she feared some objection on
Doctor Greetings part, and avoid
ed the possibility by Ter silence.
Doctor Breeding expected Mary
AIMS arrival by the evening train
on Friday; and he spoke of it to
Nancy at dinner Thursday night in
such tones that she looked at him
doubtfully, discovering something
incredible and startling in his eyes.
She tried to put the thought aside.
It could not be. And yet this UNI
believable possibility suggested by
her fathers tone when he spoke Of
Mary Ann remained in her mind
disturbingly, and her sleep that
night was uneasy, shaken by shad-
ows of formless dreams. She was
awake to welcome dawn; and went
early for a swim.
When she was dressed and down.
stairs again, her father still had
not appeared, so she breahasted
alone.
Seeing Thomas, she asked him
where her father was. Thomas said:
"He had his breakfast and took
his pistol up to the tennis-court,
ma'am
She went to join her father there
and found him in a smiling hui
NOR. ''Hullo, Nancy!" he called,
as she approached. He was at the
farther end of the court, affixing
paper target to the frame in that
suffered window in the batter
board. "Sleep well?" And before
she could reply, he said: II slept
like a log. Feel better than I've
felt for months. This is a great
place to rest, up here"
She caught his mood. "Then if
you feel so well, I'll shoot you
match; and if beat you, you'll
have no alibis!"
He chuckled, returned toward her.
"You never saw the day, Nancy"
he retorted. His pistol. long-bar-
relied automatic of an European de-