The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-09-01

over Tie LnllgS tney Knew, SeekHlS
to read their implications. And Miss
Moss was guess ahead of the In
spector tonight. Tope had reported
that Heale was trying to locate Jim
Glovere.
Hes gone," the Inspector point
ed out. $50 Heale thinks he's run
away. Heale's like one of these
whippets. He'll chase anything that
runs"
Miss Moss smiled family. IT may
be responsible for that" she con-
fessed. "You remember I suggest
ed to Heale that he try to find Kitty
Leaford's husband"
And the two men stared at her;
and Clint, whose thoughts now
turned always in one direction,
cried: "You think this man is June's
father?"
Miss Moss nodded.
what makes you think that?"
"Why else did he live so near, ex-
cept to see June?" Miss Moss sug-
gested. "And-why did they let him
live there, unless he had some such
hold on them?"
Clint asked: ''Do you think June
knows who he ISL" I
Miss Moss shook her head; and
Tope said refiectively: eff it's true,
if that's who Glovere is, and Heale
finds it out, he'll figure that Lea
ford wanted to marry someone else,
and poisoned Mrs. Leaford to be
Free"
II haven't seen the man." Miss
Moss confessed. "Do you think he
might have done it? Remember, the
front door of the house was open.
Someone went in from outside"
Tope sat very still. ''No, Glow
ere, or Leaford, or whatever his
name is, didn't do it," he decided.
''But Mrs. Tope, if Mrs. Leaford's
glass of milk that night was poi
soned, why would anyone have to
go into the house from outside?
She'd drunk the milk and gone to
sleep before the door downstairs
was ever locked"
Someone might have stayed in
the house, left the door unbolted
when he went out"
"But why?" Tope insisted. eff
Kitty Leaford was already as good
as dead, why?" He said half to HIM
self: maybe they forgot to lock
the door, that night. I'm going to
see Mr.. Hurder myself. See what
he has to say"
And he added: 81 want to figure
some way to meet Justus Taine too,
and his sons. See what they're like.
I've met Asa, but not the other
one."
Miss Moss suggested an expedi-
ent to this end; so during the next
few days Clint, in his capacity as
head of the Jervies Trust, pretend
ed to revive that old project of buy
ing some of the woodlands belong
ing to the Kenesaw farm and cut
ting them up into house lots. The
Office of Bowdon and Tame con-
trolled the land; and Clint made
an appointment to see Rab, and
took Tope with him.
Rab met them in friendly FASH
ion, discussed the project and made
shrewd comments; at TOPICS sug-
gestion he led them into his fathers
office, and he and Clint shouted the
details Of Clint's proposal into the
ears of Justus Taine, and that man
sat stolid and silent, his eyes blank,
watching Tope while he heard, or
did not hear, what they had to say.
Himself spoke at last half a dozen
words of dissent, and so dismissed
them.
After Kitty Leaford's death,
Grandpa and Grandma Hurder
moved dumbly about the house,
crushed and broken with grief. June
tried to comfort and to reassure
them; but once when she sought to
beguile Grandpa Hurder into some
peace Of mind he said in slow tones:
"Your mother was crucified,
June. For twenty years! And ! was
to blame"
(TO BE CONTINUED