The Washington times., 1938-04-21
By Phyllis Moore Gallagher

of Rodney saying Peter was hurt
! Of her driving miles before she
realized that they were heading
in the opposite direction from Gar
field would sound fantastic.
! Rodney said: "Shssss! If we gel
mixed up in this thing now we
might find ourselves in the
morgue or the headlines-ol
both"
Rodney went on easily: Steady
Gloria. TIN all De over in minute
Nobody will be any the worse of
except Harper, and he probably
hasn't more than a dollar or two
in that old safe. He won't make
any attempt to stop them, ano
that's using his brains, all right
But Rodney was wrong. jim
Harper had what was left of his
life's savings in that old-fashioned
safe.
CHAPTER XVII
Gloria's eyes were wide: her
mouth, at first open, now closed
as she watched the holdup. Her
teeth vised. She really desired to
move, to do something.
In that moment things hap.
pened so quickly that Gloria. her
heart beating wildly and her teeth
chattering, was frozen numb in
her tracks. Old man Harper made
one lunge at the youth who had
him covered, his bony fingers
reaching up and tearing down
the handkerchief mask.
Gloria had quick, vivid, clear
picture stamped indelibly on her
brain; that startled, hard, cruel
young face-the lean, salloW
cheeks, the thin mouth, the pale
eyes. And she saw spring into that
gaze the desire to kill.
To murder this man who had
seen him, who could identify him
for it was apparent that Harper
knew his assailant. With one ter
rifle blow, the robber sent Harper
sprawling against the counter
dazed, his nose pouring blood.
The other lad swung around
from the safe. Jake, don't kill
him, I tell you. We'd burn tor
that.
MURDER THWARTED
But this Jake person was going
to kill Harper. Gloria knew 1t
She thought swiftly: II can't see
him murdered. I can't! I can't!
Her self-protective urge was
swept away. She screamed then
wild, Shrieking screams thai
pierced the night air and chilled
the blood.
She heard shots shatter the win
dow pane and a moment later sh'
heard a car start, swerve away
from the store and 60 roaring
down the road.
Then Rodney was saying, IN
voice that was quaking, We'll
we're both alive, but it certainl,
wasn't your fault. Those bullet
missed us by a split hair!"
But Gloria wasn't listening. Sh'
said: Mr.. Harper! What hap
pened to Mr.. Harper?" She wen
running around the store, up tn
wooden stairs and through thu
open door.
Rodney made q move to stoI
her. He cried out: "Gloria-us'
your head" And when she would
not stop he shrugged a little.
He was thinking about tomor
row. the scurrilous gossip tina
being out in the night alone. will
him would bring down on he
head. He tried to be sorry, but h
wasn't. He told himself, Now you
know what kind of a man yol
really are. A cad. And your onl!
excuse is that you love her, tina
you're thinking this may open
way toward winning her back.
HIS SON-AND GLORIA'S
Rodney lit a cigarette and stoot
there in the shadows smoking
People were coming in all direc
lions from the houses of the cross
roads now, tall shadows RUNNING
in the night.
It was nearly 10 o'clock mex
morning and Peter Kent stood TO,
a moment looking into thu
crumpled face of another new
baby, wondering a little about thu
tiny human soul behind thos'
vague, opaque eyes.
=. He said at last, grinning
Hello, old boy! How do you lik'
this mans world?"
The resident physician was a
his shoulder. Il think congrat
ulations are in order. sir" HI
pointed to the pale, sleeping CIR
young Mrs. Meredith.
Peter had gone to the hospita
from the Palace Hotel, where h
had kept that boyhood promis
to return Hans Won Dreyfuss
beating. He had found younl
Mrs. Meredith in commissions