Henderson daily dispatch., 1938-04-19
CHAPTER 81

" 40cSA VOL q, 20
in a wing chair and hiding a gun
under her, that the half hour of
the tea time never would end
There was copper tea pot, round
and fat, on the table in front of
her, and she poured the fragrant
brew into the yellow tea cups,
asked people if they wanted one
lump or two, cream or. lemon, and
watched a motley array of small
sandwiches being eaten.
Natalie, who had been pouring,
had relegated the task to Barbara
when she had been summoned to
the telephone.
Barbara was afraid to move,
lest that gun should be noticed.
Or suppose she should sit on the
trigger-the thought was so
frightening that she dropped one
of the exquisite yellow tea cups
and the fragments fell to the floor.
Garry stopped to retrieve them.
LET me have the gun," he said in
a low voice. make up some eX-
cuse and meet me in my room
right away. It's not on the bal
cony. Third door to the left, down
the hail."
eyes," she whispered. "Tl
come"
To cover the awkwardness of
the broken cup, Ray was talking
about his journey out. Oh, why
did people deal with trivialities
when life and death played tag
before the fireplace? Who cared
that Ray had picked up a man on
the road and given him a lift to a
place half a mile below the
Lodge? Why tell about it?
Then she was sorry. Ray was
telling the foolish incident only to
screen her embarrassment. There
fore, she smiled at him.
Garry excused himself. Bar
bara pleaded a scalded finger as
a reason for going to her room.
She unknotted the green kerchief
and pretended to draw it around
her hand. In reality she was COW
ering the gun. She walked stead
lily up the stairs but she wanted
to run. Would anyone notice
that she did not go to her own
room? She looked over the rail-
ing. Only Ray was looking up at
her. He smiled and waved his
hand. He didn't matter because
he didn't know where she was To-
Gated, anyway.
She raped at Garry's door
which swung open with the first
tap.
Barbara, you're all right?" he
asked, keen eyes studying her face.
"Of course" She handed him
the gun. "I'm so afraid of it."
"We'l take out the cartridges,
then it's harmless. Tell me the
story that Minton was trying to
inflict on Bobbie."
She started the tale but Garry
interrupted her. He had broken
the gun to empty it. Now he held
it up. Barbara, it's emptyw
"O-h-h" Then maybe it had
been a game, though a rather ter
rifying one. Maybe she had
stirred up a lot of trouble for
everyone without just provocation.
Garry read the terror in her eyes.
The terror gave way to relief.
Garry's life wasn't in danger!
That was all that mattered. She
swayed little.
Garry sprang to catch her. The
arms that she knew so well went
around her. He was helping her
to chair. He was getting her
some ice water. She mustn't give
way to lot Of maudlin sentiment.
Garry loved Wenda and when a
man loved woman she could cut
his heart in shreds and he'd find a
potion for healing if only she would
smile at him again. She steeled
her heart against this sympathy
that she might misinterpret.
She even smiled wanly, and be-
gan to reknot the green kerchief
at her neck.
"You still wear it, Barbara ?" he
asked, and she caught the pleasure
in his-tones.
TITS so beautiful Garry. I'm
going down to apologize to Jimmy
Minton. / think he's a viper but
he was just playing a game with
Robbie, and did suspect him
wrongly. I'd better stop angering
him or he will do something
Garry, was so frightened for fear
ne was plotting some evil"
what made you think he was ?"