The Coolidge examiner., 1937-02-04

Avery" Patrick asked me once.
have you ever seen anything more
beautiful than Satuit?"
mo, never, Patricki Paris Is
not more beautiful. Florence is not
more beautiful. Rome is not more
beautiful! Venice" We both
laughed and abandoned our thesis.
When we got to the end of the
lane which led to the cleared area
about the camp, Patrick said,
Would you mind waiting here
alone for a few minutes. Mary?
There are one or two things I'd
like to talk over with Bruce alone.
It's man talk. l would not mind
your being about, but 1 think he'd
be more comfortable if you Weren' t
there"
''Of course!" 1 agreed. There's S
no reason why I should go inside at
all. l can sit here until you come
out"
'Oh we'll, that's not necessary"
Patrick insisted. He climbed out
Of the car.
was returning to the library Eli
nor Wylie's "The Orphan Angel"
Idly opened at the first page. My
eyes dropped onto a phrase in the
second paragraph which still re-
echoed in beauty in my mind-''the
aerial composure of a cloud"
closed the book over this morsel.
With my eyes on Patricks retreat
ing figure, I rolled it, fguratively
speaking, over and over on the
tongue of my mind. And yet my
eyes followed Patrick, noting sub
consciously the alertneSs of his
graceful, springing step. I remem-
bered, l recalled, that Ace Blaikie
had always used in regard to Pat
rick a word that he had picked up
in the South-''jimpriculate." I
could never get from Ace quite
what jimpriculate meant. 1t seemed
to indicate a vague combination Of
slenderness, strength, grace and
style. remember noting how fresh
Patrick's khaki uniform always
looked.
The camp was singularly quiet.
Ordinarily, at the sound of an auto
mobile, either Adah or Berry, or
both, appeared at the door. Mel
ther appeared today. Perhaps they
were working out back. 1t seemed
to me that l saw futter of curtain
at the window. But to this day 1
cannot be sure; yet Bruce must
have looked out to see who was
coming. But very clearly l heard,
just as Patrick was nearing the
house, the sound of shot.
That sound did not perturb me.
Instantly 1 jumped to the conclusion
that Berry had killed one of the
noiSome starlings on which we
were all warning. But apparently
Patrick did not think of starlings,
for instantly he broke into a run.
AS | have said before, Patrick had
always been an all-round athlete
and he could sprint. With no tremor
of apprehension l watched him pull
open the piazza door, rush over
the piazza and into the house.
l sat there idly waiting and idly
watching the sparkling plane OF
the ocean. l can't remember how
many moments went by. Not
many, but presently, Patrick ap-
peared, came running toward nSa.
l must have realized suddenly that
he was ghastly; for afterwards my
hands ached from a terrific grip on
the wheel.
When Patrick was within speak
ing distance, he called, MARY,
Bruce HeXson has just committed
suicide. He killed Ace Blaikie."
l remember only a trightful
sense of weakness and swirling
darkness. Into both came Patrick's
voice. Don't faint, Mary! For
Gods sake, don't faint now! /
need you'll"
| didn't faint. When Patrick,
in what seemed series of leaps,
reached the car. the olackness had
disappeared, the weakness had
gone.
He killed himself when he saw
me coming" Patrick announced
grimly. His confession lies on
his desk. 1t begins: 1 killed Ace
Blaikie.' Now get back home at
once, Mary. l don't want the re-
porters bounding you again. I'll
walk slowly back to the cabin and
telephone the P.S. That will give
you five minutes start"
/ don't know whether the lights
were with me or against me on the
trip home. All I know is that
didn't stop for anything. Some of
our Satuit traffic policemen, how
ever, are silent and in the morning
our side roads are empty. I have
an idea that l sped through red
lights as casually as through
green.
Perhaps Sarah Darbe knows the
sound of my machine. At any rate
she is always at the door to help
me out, to gather up my bundles
and to give me the telephone mes
sages that have accumulated dur
ing my absence. She saw at once
that something had happened and
l saw that she saw. But she asked
no questions, made no comment. l