Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1938-05-09
FL One More ueddindM
A&z53Tu e Hsa@n @ CENTRAL s%@ sr.. 413
CHAPTER ~


TO GARRY PAGE, the whole
incident of his kidnapping seemed
like something from a musical
comedy, a few hours after it had
happened. With an amused gaze
he viewed his fellow reporters who
were quizzing him for stories pre-
cisely as he had questioned hun
dreds of other people.
"Cut out the heroics," he
laughed at them. IF I hadn't de-
cided on that. walking expedition,
the police would have been along
soon anyway"
"Yeah," someone agreed, "but
they might not have found you
and the kid. No foolin', boy, you
did the rescue act, and you have
to wear Carnegie medal"
Natalie, not being able to see
him, telephoned him at his Office.
II called to play few notes in
the band that's celebrating your
safety" she said, and then, pres
emily: "Garry, have you seen the
paragraph that a paper or two
carried today from London-all
about the distressed condition Of
Wenda Ayer?"
Natalie's smooth brows had
drawn together at sight of the few
lines. She was sure that she had
not misunderstood Garry's atti-
tude when he had searched for
Barbara's address. Yet the news
paper notice confused her. She
had wished that she hadn't talked
so much that night she had tele-
phoned to London. Barbara, mean
time, was hurrying home
To Natalie's relief Garry began
to laugh: 81 saw it. A lot of
grand emoting, Natalie! Golly,
but I was a fool, wasn't II" Then
he sobered. II learned a valuable
lesson, a little too late"
Maybe not too late, Natalie was
thinking but she did not put the
comment into words. Instead, she
said: 'By the way, Barbara is
docking day after tomorrow"
Barbara? And Ray, too?"
"No, only Barbara. Their en-
gagement-I told you about it,
didn't I?-didn't take" AS if she
didn't know quite well that she
had told him and that his eyes had
been hurt for that feeting instant
before he adjusted his mask.
That's too bad" Garry MUIR
INJURED courteously.
Natalie , frowned impatiently.
Didn't he care, or was he trying
to conceal the fact that he did :?
Well, if he didn't want help, he
could handle the matter himself,
which was what he probably
would do anyway. Since he per-
sisted in being so aloof1y proud,
she had better hand him another
clue.
"You had both sides Of the
ocean worried about you, Garry
Page. Barbara even cabled to ask
me what knew. Come to dinner
some night soon, Garry. I'll call
you in day or two"
Garry, at the other end Of the
line, barely refrained from doing
a somersault in the city room. He
might send Barbara a homecom-
ing radiogram-no, better not do
that. Maybe he was letting his
imagination loose without a leash
and Barbara had got herself fair
ly well tired Of him while he was
being a Ounce.
On the ship that was coming
swiftly and gaily over an ocean
whose color had grown miracu-
lousy blue, and whose winds were
gay and frolicking, Barbara was
entering into the spirit of fun on
board. She played shuttle board,
threw quoits, danced in the lounge,
drank cups and cups Of tea. But
none of the things that she did
mattered. They were important
only because they were part of the
chain of events that was bringing
her home.
On the morning when the Man.
haitian skyline loomed in the dim
distance, like parade Of build
ings in a phantom city, Barbara
grew a little frightened. Never,
until now, had she questioned the
rightness of her homecoming. She
had been so sure that Garry, too,
wanted to pick up the threads and