Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-10-14

burn, of dishonesty influencing
Mary Amanda Dane? If so, what
could they do about it? Drag her
into court? Was that why Inspector
Harrison had been with them? It
was fantastic, incredible, yet hadn't
she wondered times without num-
Der why they, city men so obviously,
should have come to this village
for the winter?
AS if her thoughts had drawn his
eyes to her, Mark Trent regretted:
Sorry, Miss Reyburn, that you
should have been bored with a
scene"
He pressed bell beside the fire
place. With little snort of anger,
Anne Gregory settled heavily into a
chair and flung back her sable cape.
The color of her face suggested a
red-hot balloon. Temper and voice
blew up.
"How about me, Mark? Do you
think I liked meeting that shame
less woman here? Shameless! Per-
haps I'm too hard on Lola. She was
right We old residents did our best
to snub her when she came here to
live, and she did have every man in
the place parking on her doorstep
sooner or later. And what did Lola
mean, she hoped I'd patronize the
business she and her husband were
about to start?'
s'She didn't say what sort of bust
ness, did she? Let's forget her. Let
me take your coat, Miss Reyburn."
Trent stood behind Brooke as the
servant appeared in the doorway.
"Kowa, take out the tray and
bring fresh tea.''
Mrs. Gregory removed her gloves
and resumed cross-examination.
"Did Lola really mean that she
and her present husband are going
into business in this village?"
whats strange in that? It's be-
ing done every day." Mark Trent
crossed his arms on the mantel
and stared at the fire.
In spite of her suspicion of his
motive in coming to live next door
to Lookout House, Brooke's sympa-
thy surged out to him. Why didn't
Mrs. Gregory drop the subject of
the Hunts? Couldn't she see that
he was sick at heart over the whole
sordid situation? With more kind
ness than fnesse, Jed Stewart
plunged into the breach.
elias that pair of japanese gold
fish l ordered for you arrived yet,
Mrs. Gregory?"
Anne Gregory looked up at him
with eyes made shrewd by years of
living, by joys, by uprooted affec-
lions, by hopes unrealized. She
shook her head
"You can't sidetrack me, young
man, even with goldfish. I mean to
get at what Lola is after-not
merely customers, am sure of
that, she was here to hound Mark,
I know her. I'll see that she doesn't
get a license to carry on business on
this point. 1 still have influence.
Miss Reyburn will pour the tea,"
she directed, as Kowa approached
her with the replenished tray.
Involuntary Brooke looked at
Mark Trent. He smiled.
"Please. Stewart and have given
up cocktails, they're too effeminate.
We have become tea-minded since
we came here. The cup that cheers
offsets to degree the pound of the
surf outside. Have sandwich, En-
press?"
"You haven't forgotten that nick
name, have you, Mark? 1 like it
from you. You use your mothers
silver, don't you? BY the way, what
became of that gorgeous antique
service of your aunt's? I haven't
seen any of it at Lookout House,
Brooke"
The girl felt as if the eyes of both
men were regarding her with sus-
picious attention. She finished fill
ing cup, added a slice of lemon
and two Jumps of sugar.
"For Mrs. Gregory, Mr.. Stewart.
Will you have yours the same
strength? Oh, about Mrs. Danes
silver. There isn't any,"
''Isn't any! You say there isn't
any silver? Where is it, their? Did
your aunt relent and give it to you,
Mark"
''No. Miss Reyburn and I were
wondering about it on Thanksgiving
day. Glad you brought up the SUBJ
ject. Aunt Mary Amanda didn't
speak of having disposed of it, the
day you wit-the last day you saw
her, did she?"
Why had Mark Trent foundered
in his question? What had he meant
by "The day you wit? Why
change the end of the sentence?
Witness was the word he had start
ed to use. What had Mrs. Gregory
Witnessed?
Even while she was driving Mrs.
Gregory home, under sky already
freckled with stars, making what
she hoped were intelligent responses
to her monologue of question and
answer, Brooke was weighing and
disposing of conjectures as to the
meaning of the Hunt woman's warn
ing. 1t was with sense of strain
lifted that she helped the older
woman out of the car Mrs Greg