The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-08-09
CHAPTER H

A1AAC W0so S0AA anu oAAAAAs AAOA AASAA vas russet and gold and she had vide, blue eyes, the kind of eyes Ehat invariably made a sucker out of Kinks Parker. But just now the eyes were looking at Kinks con- temptuously, as if he were some thing down below E-deck of an an- gleworm.
 What are you trying to do?" she said sharply.
 Kinks grinned amiably.
 "Just trying to get inside here" he said. And I'm doing all right. I'll make it in another second" He pointed triumphantly to the window-sill which he now be- strode.
 Well" she said, almost threat eningly, you can just get right out again. I never heard of such nerve"
 Listen, lady" said Kinks, "it was. this or nothing. I rang all the bells could find. I rapped smart ly on all the portals. It was no soap. I guess Annie doesn't live here any more"
 Why" the girl asked, was 1t 50 essential for you to get in?"
 Kinks reflected. To explain who he was would clear up the mat ter instantly. The girl would then show him the house and after that there would be nothing to do but depart. And he didn't want to de- part. He wanted, he found to his amazement, to prolong his sojourn in this girls society for as long as humanly possible. He began to prolong it with small talk.
 Well, it's like this" he said "While I was waiting for someone to pay attention to my ringing and rappings, I peeked through vari- ous windows and keyhoyes. Bad form, of course. A hangover from my childhood, I suppose, when a knothole in the fence around the ball park was as champagne to the dipsomaniac. And
 'Oh, for heavens sake" inter rupted the girl impatiently, cant you tell it without all this fuss?"
 I'm telling it." said Kinks, "in a gripping and graphic manner. To resume, peeping through these doors and keyholes. I discerned what looked to me like some mar velous old furniture. Now old furniture is a weakness of mine. Try as I will, I simply can't pass old furniture. So when saw these antique pieces, I knew that I would have to go inside and er-fondle them or go stark, star ing mad"
 T think" said the blue-eyed girl, "that you went stark, staring mad without fondling the furni- ture"
 You wrong me, woman," said Kinks. That wild gleam in my eye merely denotes the true an- tique lover"
 For a moment there was silence.
 T know what you are,' the girl said suddenly. You're burglar"
 Kinks looked at her reprovingly.
 "It Is a pretty pass for man , to be brought to-" he said, when the worlds most beautiful girl ut ters half-truths about him. To some extent, of course, am burglar. But never before sum- down. Between the hours of six
 The blue eyes beseeched heaven. "Ye gods, you ought to enter the next talking marathon. Will you, for Pete's sake, keep your mind on it long enough to tell me who you are?"
 What? Are we going to swap names? Well, when you come right down to it, I don't know who you are"
 I'll tell you" said the girl. And maybe it will stimulate your imagination. I'm Sally Penning- ton. I'm-that is, I was companion to Mrs. Preston Mrs Preston used to own this place. She died re- gently"
 Sally Pennington? It was swell name, Kinks thought. Just the right one for this slim lady with the eyes like couple of blue dreams.
 That was neatly put" he said.