Glacier County chief., 1939-09-08

excited bobbing of his collar-but-
ton beneath a prominent Adams ap-
pie. He was keen politician and a
member of family which con-
trolled at least half the votes in
Beauregard County.
He was shrewd, keen and consci-
entlous whenever and wherever
conscientiousness was not calculat-
ed to deprive him of votes. In a
courtroom, his very awkwardness
made him effective, and he held the
reins of office tightly, doing the ma
jor portion of his job with astonish-
ing efficiency.
For instance, he was genuinely
anxious to find and convict the kill
er OF Harvey jackson. That, he felt.
would be an excellent move. Hair
vey jackson had been one of the
most popular young men in Beverly.
son OF ultra-respectable middle-class
parents, an able young engineer and
a man highly regarded by maidens
and others. And because Mr., Dixon
was sincere in his desire to con-
vict, heat first-said nothing about
the odd little compact which had
been found on the road beside Har-
vey Jackson's dead body. OF course.
the whole town knew about the COM
pact, and discussed it avidly. The
man who had found it failed to keep
the secret.
Solicitor Dixon investigated
shrewdly, endeavoring to make
sound evidence of that compact. He
learned that it possibly belonged to
Katherine Forrest-daughter Of An
drew Forrest. He couldn't prove il.
OF course-not then-because he un-
derstood that it was type of COM
pact which could be purchased in
any of several New York cosmetic
shops; the sort of compact that tour
ing ladies might have carried. Then
he discovered that on the night of
Harvey Jackson's demise, Kay For
rest had gone riding with Kirk Rey-
nolds. The evidence was still too
circumstantial, but it indicated sew
eral things to Mr.. Dixon. He be-
lieved that Reynolds had killed
jackson and that Kay Forrest had
witnessed the affair.
Beverly's hard common sense
plus verbose interpret" IN BY So.
hcitor Dixon, gave a " proper
picture of the tragedy Mr.. Dixon
was quizzed.
you reckon Kirk Reynolds killed
him, Gabe?"
HE might have"
Then why don't you have him
arrested?"
mo chance of convictin' him. Not
on what we've got"
"You knew all the time that was
Kay Forests compact. Why didn't
you light on him befo'?"
Lots of gadgets like that. Any of
these tourists might have lost one
similar"
"But you could have tried him.
couldn't your"
THAT wouldn't have been smart.
He'd have been acquitted, and then
he couldn't be touched again.
"Wen"-with hopeless gesture
Look what he's done now. He's
gone and married her."
He sho' has. And I CANT make
her testify against him. Smart boy,
this Reynolds"
"Smarter'n you, eh, Gabe?"
Mr.. Dixon was unperturbed. moo.
/ wouldn't be sayin' that. This here
marriage-with them not even Twin
together-tells US plenty. It's lust
about the same as sayin' that Kirk
killed jackson and Kay Forrest saw
him do it. They nights well have
advertised in the Gazette. And lis
ten, when you know man has done
a crime, when you know it, mind
you, it's just a question of time be-
TO you git the evidence to convict
him with"
Cathedral Gardens was bathed in
silver glow. Moonlight limned the
old house alphabetically. A sign,
tackled to a pine at the entrance
to the Gardens, announced that in
asmuch as this was the last night of
the full moon, no tourists would be
admitted on succeeding days after
seven o'clock.
A young man and girl left the
house and walked toward the water.
The young man was tall and straight
and broad Of shoulder. He walked
slowly and gazed through the al
most unearthly beauty of the Gar
dens with pardonable pride.
Jim Owenby, landscape engineer,
had designed and built Cathedral
Gardens. To Beverly man had
been given ti.e distinction Of having
cfed1e1 fhie beauty Spot. WORKING
hum lGRD. aamiIe6nsS oxfeiu11 HI.