The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-11-12
CAST oE CHARACTERS

JILL WENT WOkl IN, heroine
attractive debutante.
NALAN JEFFRY, hero, riins
BARRY WENTWORTH, Jill,
JACK WENTWORTH, JILL
brother.
SYLVIA SUTTON. oil heiress
Yesterday: Barry and his faith
err quarrel over money. Suddenly
the elder Wentworth crumples al
his desk.
CHAPTER XXI
Mrs. Wentworth had been
startled out of deep sleep by the
sound of loud voices. And then,
there was another sound. Some
thing had fallen in the room un.
der her own bed. Her husbands
study.
She was out of bed, pulling q
robe about her, shivering a little
1t was silly to be frightened by
an unfamilia rsound. Those carc-
less young people might have left
the front door open and the wind
might have blown something
! down.
She went to the door that
opened into her husbands room
and turned the knob. John was
up. That was it. His bed had
not been slept in.
In the upstairs hall, she met
Miss Dexter hurrying from the
other wing, looking like a little
gray owl in her woolly wrapper,
her eyes round with alarm.
Then, you heard it, too" Miss
Dexter whispered. "Do you think
it might be burglars?"
IL don't think anything of the
kind" Mrs. Wentworth snapped,
"lt's 5 or 6, almost time for the
servants to come in. Burglars
don't break in at this hour. Mr.,
Wentworth is up. He probably
turned a chair over. Go back to
your room before you wake
everybody"
Suddenly, she realized she was
fighting a dreadful premonition
of disaster. Barry had been drink
ing last night. When he was
drinking he was always in an ugly
mood. Suppose he had gone to
his fathers study
"Go back to your room, Miss
Dexter" Mrs. Wentworth spoke
again with such cold finality in
her voice that the secretary re-
treated hastily, huTying down
the hall and into her own little
nook like a frightened mouse slip
ping safely into its hole.
Mrs. Wentworth waited only
until the Sccrctary's door had
closed, and then FASTENED down
the stairs. Crossing the still
Swallowed hall, she stood for a
moment outside the door of the
study. Then quickly opened it.
Barry was standing as though
turned to stone, looking odwn AT
a figure outstretched on the rug,
An object, which she recognized
duly as a heavy papcrweight that
her husband had used for years
was in Barry's hand.
Hes dead" Barry whispered,
at was his heart"
And then as his mothers an
guished eyes still held his: Good
heavens, mother. You don't be.
licve | did this, We had row
He was talking about cutting me
out for a long while. I started
toward him with this thing in my
hand. | might have hit him if ]
had ever reached him. But be-
fore | got there he fell, hitting
his head"
"You must get out Of here now
quickly and get rid of that
paperweight in your hand"
"But, mother. you can't, you
don't believe | did it"
at doesn't matter what | be.
licvc, Barry" Mrs. Wentworth
whispered. "You mustn't be found
here. Leave the house. When
flash on the lights in the hall, slip
up the back stairs to your room
Lock the door behind you. Get
undressed."
Barry'S face, frozen with fear
registered for a moment before
he obeycd.
His mother waited a moment
averting her eyes from the still
form on the rug, the white face
with the dark spot on the temple
Her head was spinning. She put
out a hand to steady herself. This
couldn't have happened. 1t was
only a nightmare. She would
awaken soon, crying out as people
did in troubled dreams; and she
would hear John saying: Having
a bad dream, Evelyn"
But dreaming or not, she must
plan, plot quickly. Barry, his
frightened eyes how incapable
of planning to help himself. He
had said John was dead. Oh, no
no! 1t couldn't be. Surely, he was
only unconscious. The thought
brought momentary respite from
the blackneSS bearing down OF
her.
+ T. .
She summoned all her strength
! went over and bent to the still
form. She placed her hand or
the hand that lay outflung on the
rug. She recoiled with cry. Il
was true. He was dead. People
might not believe what Barry
said. They might call it murder
She must do something. The
servants would be coming in
They would find her grieved but
composed. They must also fine
Barry in his room. asleep in hi