The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1937-01-15

class lllOSJ llhSly w ooSSCSN' Ah6S
was a taught
HE'LL" he muttered half aloud.
The girl placing a platter before
him, glanced up.
Everything all right"
II beg your pardon-Oh, fine!"
Jim assured her. He contemplated
the platter. "The sandwiches are
beautiful. That's a tasty arrange
ment of pickles and hard-boiled
egg."
81 thought" she hesitated. "You
looked sort of sunk"
"I'm an actor" Jim said. "Do-
ing Hamlet That was private
rehearsal"
"Honest?" Her eyes opened wide,
then narrowed and crinkled. "It's
Mr.. Barrymore she exclaimed.
Fancy my embarrassment! Can
you forgive me? I'm a little near
sighted without my opera-glasses."
Jim laughed, a deep pleasant
laugh of genuine amusement. Sur
prisingly, he felt almost cheerful.
He applied himself to the sand
witches.
Anything else?"
Jim glanced up from the remain
ing segments of sandwich. She had
made things tidy behind the coun-
ter and seemed about to disappear.
The idea was depressing. To de-
tain her, he asked, though he had,
at present, no practical use for the
information, "Can you tell me how
to reach the Vaughn place? 7. H.
Vaughn, 'Meadowbrook'?"
The question caught and held her
attention. It was obvious, at once,
that she, too, was impressed by
the name.
The girl behind the fountain sup
piled detailed instructions.
"South Valley road" she said, her
interest in Jim deepening percepti-
bly,. "Turn left here at the corner
and again at the cross-road just
past the first stretch of woods. You
can't miss the place. It's white
house on hill. Sort of old-fash-
ioned-but pretty" she conceded.
"There's brook through the mead
ow."
II assumed there would be
brook" Jim said, land one mead
ow, at least"
ooh sure! That was silly, wasn't
it?" She had apparently abandoned
any idea of disappearing. The
Vaughn estate seemed to be an
absorbing topic of conversation. She
perched on a stool behind the foun-
tain and regarded Jim attentively,
her eyes glinting with secret amuse-
ment. you're a friend of Cecily's,
I suppose"
Jim was unable to make an in
telligent reply. Who the devil was
Cecily? He had let himself in for ex-
plantations. Why had he asked the
! question?
The girl, however expected no re-
ply. That he and "Cecily" were
friends was an established fact, Jim
decided, so far as she was con-
cerned.
II know somebody who won't set
off fire works because you've
come" she added with an air of
lively enjoyment.
do your" Jim asked, slightly
startled. "That's not a pleasant
prospect"
"You needn't worry" she said
encouragingly. "You can handle
him." Jim felt that she was meas
uring the ample breadth of his
shoulders, appraising, with admira-
ton which she made no attempt to
conceal, his six feet and an odd inch
or so of flexible muscles and lean
hard flesh. What in blazes? Who
was "him"? A potential rival, per-
haps. Jim was intrigued.
"Are you sure?" he asked smil-
ing.
Dollars to doughnuts. TIL t
guy!" Her expression was scorn-
full. "What Cecily sees in him"
She broke off, her announcement of
the unknown rival apparently
checked by an idea. when you get
there" she said, "you can do some
thing for me-"
"Out there" meant Meadow
brook" of course. Now for explana-
| tons.
"Can II" Jim asked, stalling for
time, curious to discover her real
interest in the Vaughn estate.
"You can tell Tommy" She
paused to find fitting words in which
to phrase her message. The scorn-
full expression was gone. Again Jim
observed her former air of secret
amusement, the mischief glinting
like dancing imps in her eyes. "Tell
Tommy not to come in tonight. Pri-
vate1y, if you know what l mean.
You look like a pretty good egg"
ITO BE CONTINUED