The Coolidge examiner., 1937-01-07

Just day!"
Did you spend the night?"
mo. 1 came in my car by
night and l returned to New York
by night"
Did your people know you were
here "
No"
''You didn't see them at all?"
Il saw them, but they didn't see
me-
"Where?"
Il came up to the house at night
and peeked in the windows. l want
ed to see if mother looked all
right"
l wondered why Patrick was ask
ing questions SO far from the
mark. But l knew he had his own
circuitous way of approaching the
thing he wanted most to know. 1
waited.
Did you see Molly?"
Eyes. l had two reasons for
coming. One was to see Molly
and I did see her"
When did you see Molly?"
''She met me at the Marshland
station. She came over on the
nine O'clock train. We drove the
whole morning long and had lunch
together. Then she went back on
the 2:20 train"
''She came back to Satuit alone?"
81 wasn't with her."
Where did you go them"
well, told you that 1 had two
objects in coming to Satuit. The
first was to see Molly and the sec
ond was to see Ace Blaikie. When
1 put Molly on the train for Satuit,
l went back there myself in my
car"
Did you see Ace?"
Yes, 1 had an appointment with
him."
How had you made that ap-
pointment?"
by mail"
Can you remember what you
said in the letter."
Mot exactly. 1t was brief-only
a few sentences. In effect, l wrote
that there were some things 1 must
discuss with him and that l would
meet him in some quiet place
where we could talk privately. 1
asked him not to tell my people that
l was coming. That was all, l
think"
Where did you meet Ace?"
''In Locust Lane"
"And what time?"
Half past three in the after
noon"
You two men were alone?"
LAS far as 1 know"
MOLLY did not join your"
Walter gave a swift dissenting
nod of his head.
WAS your talk with Ace AMIGA
ble?"
A sardonic smile brought strange
havoc to Walters pleasant look.
Quite the contrary"
How would you yourself describe
your interview"
Walter considered the matter
with an appearance of great con-
scientiousness. II would say that
in psychology it was characterized
by all the emotions and in diction
by all the phrases of two men who
were ready to beat each others
faces off,"
Il get you perfectly" Patrick
commented. I'm other words, you
had an argument.
Yes"
Patrick let silence seep into the
room for considerable interval.
Then he said, I've got to do some
thing now, that l don't any more
enjoy doing than you'll enjoy hav-
ing me do. 1 hate % ask the ques-
tions I've got to ask. Of course,
you know as we'll as l do, what my
first question is going to be. l
want to ask you what you and
Ace were quarreling over"
Something apparently leaped sud-
denly into his mind for he turned
like a shot to Molly. Molly" he
said, II must remind you that as
Walters wife, you would not be
compelled by any court of law to
give testimony that concerned
him"
But I want to tell everything"
Molly replied with her splendid can
did fearlessness. IF there's any
detail which Walter can't remem.
Der and I can, shall be very glad
to supply it to you"
"Ace and l." Walter said. ''were
talking about Molly"
"You had quarreled and were
quarrelilg about Molly?" Patrick
suggested.
"Yes, we had! We were!"
Walter stopped short and looked
at Molly. She looked at him. For
a perceptible interval, the glances
from those two pairs of young eyes
interlocked. Never in any human
gaze had / seen such a passion of
alteration and assurance as was in
Walters look; never such a worship
and faith as was in Molly's.
(TO BE CONTINUED
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