The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1938-08-26
CHAPTER IV-Continued
= a..

Irons looked at him for a moment
soberly. Then he took Pills arm.
STEADY, Mr.. Sentry" he said. "The
folks upstairs will need all you've
got"
Phil said chokingly, Damn you,
what is it?"
Somebody's burned lot of mon
ey in the furnace" the Inspector
told him. 'You can still read the
printing on the ashes of some of
the bills"
''What of it?" Phil insisted.
'And there's an envelope, long
one, only half burned, with the firm
name on it. Sentry and Loran. Who
ever tried to burn it was in a hurry,
didn't finish the job"
Phil protested, "But don't see"
Irons said quietly: Someone took
some money out of your fathers
safe, Thursday night. We've been
wondering what they did with it.
Where it had gone"
For the rest of that day, Phil was
like a man dazed by an actual phys
ical blow. He had, till he saw that
rifled metal box in the recess under
the window seat, not even con-
templated the possibility of his IA
theirs guilt. That possibility had
been, perhaps, in the back of his
mind; but he had not faced it. His
faculties had been concentrated
upon the fact of Mr.. Sentry's ar
rest, with all the terrors that ar
rest implied; and upon the fact that
his sisters, his mother, his grand
mother looked to him now for
strength and heartening.
He felt himself young and futile
and inadequate to the task imposed;
he tried to grow in a moment from
an irresponsible boy into the man
the situation demanded. He thought
more of them than of his father till,
looking over the Inspectors Shout
der, seeing the metal box that had
been forced open, remembering
what it had contained, remembering
that Miss Wines had been shot, he
heard himself lying by instinct,
blindly, clumsily. And he saw a
moment later that the Inspector
knew he had lied; and while panic
filed him, Sergeant Kane appeared
and led them to the cellar-where
worse appeared.
Someone had stolen his gun, and
none but his father knew where it
was! Someone had burned money in
the furnace, and none but his father
could have done that! And Inspec-
tor Irons had felt this evidence to
be conclusive. That certainty was
clear in the older mans eyes, plain
for Phil to read.
The Inspectors sureness, more
than his own senses, convinced Phil;
drove home to him the shattering
realization. His father was a muir
derer.
Phil might have been proud of his
bearing that morning. When he and
Inspector Irons came up from the
cellar, Oscar spoke to him, said
Mrs. Sentry would like him to drive
her to town to see Mr.. Sentry; and
Phil said, "Right!" He could not
for moment face his mother; so
he called to her from the hall, ''I'u
bring the car around"
He went to do so, brought the
small car, the one his father al
ways drove. At the front door he
blew his horn; and his mother and
Barbara presently came out, and
Barbara kissed Mrs. Sentry, Rugged
her tight.
"Give father big kiss for me-"
she directed. ''Tell him I love him
and I think he's grand and I'll come
see him tomorrow sure!" And she
called to Phil, "Drive carefully" !
Phil tried his voice, and its very
familiarity was reassuring. That
at least was unchanged. He had
thought the world was changed.
Sure" he promised; and as his
mother got in beside him, "All right,
mother?'s