The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-11-12
CHAPTER XXI

Mrs. Wentworth had been startled out of deep sleep by the sound oi loud voices, And then, there was an- other sound. Something had fallen In the room under her own bed. Her husbands study.
 She was out of bed, pulling Q robe about her, shivering a little It was silly to be frightened by an unfamiliar sound. Those care- 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. Jhon was up. That was 1t. His bed had not been slept in.
 Tn 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 1t, too," Miss Dexter whispered. Do you think 1t might be burglarsp"
 T don't think anything of the kind" Mrs. Wentworth snapped "It's 5 or 6, almost time for the servants to come in. Burglars don't break in at this hour. MT Wentworth Is up. He probably turn- cd 0 chair over. Go back to your room before you wake everybody"
 Suddenly, she realized she waS fighting Q dreadful premonit!on 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 ir her voice that the secretary re- treated hastily, hurrying down the hall and into her own little nook like Q frightened mouse slipping safely into It's hole.
 Mrs. Wentworth waited only until the secretary's door had closed, and then hastened dowi the stairs. Crossing the still shadowed hall, she stood for moment outside the door of the study. Then quickly opened 1t.
 Barry was standing as though turned to stone, looking down at object, which she recognized duly figure outstretched on the rug, An vs a heavy paperweight that her Husband had used for years, was in Yarry's hand.
 Hes dead" Barry whispered Tt was his heart"
 And then as his mothers an. guished eyes still held his: Good heavens, mother! You don [ be- lieve I did thisl We had Q row He was talking about cutting me out for a long while. I started toward him with this thing in my hand. I might have hit him If I 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 I did itl"
 It doesn't matter what I be. lieve. Barry" Mrs. Wentworth whispered. "You mustn't be found here. Leave the house. When I 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 Q moment before he obeyed.
 His mother waited moment, averting her ees from the still form on the rug, the white face with the dark spot on the temple. Her head was spinning. She put out Q hand to steady herself. This couldn't have happened. It was only 6 nightmare. She would awaken soon, crying out as people did in troubled dreams; and she would hear John saying; Having c 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. moi It couldn't be. Surely, he was only unconscious. Tine thought brought momentary respite from the biackness bearing down on her.
 She summoned all her strength, went over and bent to the still form. giaA placed her hand on the hand