Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1940-06-06
ll#W4AA|s@t@?! 1 &0 -
,RAPTER THIRTY
- ELL BAILEY was about

rough miserable as was pos
.. e.. he. considering that he was
.-. man in excellent health
.surrtS.
..4S standing on the front
...- when he saw a black boy
.p from the rear of the es-
... ealing two beautiful horses.
.-.t and ready. Jeremy had
t... Waiting inside and he called
...vlr. Presently Bill saw them
....... q side door together.
..r. his lug! He didn't even help
mt" Bill watched Jeremy's
.....--rsSS as an escort, and knew
heart it was due to sheer
..4.,e or iueXperience. But Bib
...s n no mood to be generous
...- 1t.
...E,atlv horseback riding was
......rfug the two had planned in
.....-.r. Eiu realized, for Gayle
... correctly attired in riding cos
...... and 81 was Jeremy. Bill knew
-... ,;uvlt would not normally
..... assessed such clothes of her
. She looked beautiful now. She
... ..ry erect on her horse. The
..... .,,le hat she wore was posi-
....E SauCy: it concealed 4 negli-
..... amount Of her hair, and care
-..- Zone curlS threatened at any
-..1t - engulf it completely.
..... .;t,c Jacket was thing of
-.r checks. Shirt was white, trou-
SIS ard boots black. This some
~. IL scr,her ensemble was broken
..- only by her honey-colored hair.
b.. ~ the extraordinarily high
...uS,n Of her cheeks and lips this
... ming. Bill knew that Gayle sell
..@ used any rouge or lipstick be-
cause she didn't need any: he Won
.s-s7. # she had used them today.
~ for Jereny-that wealthy
g..HE man was dignity itself. For
-.-atr,v. the horses were Well
hammered. Well trained. Bill learned
...-g that they had been ordered
s..rl one of the more expensive
STABLES and had come in a truck to
,.v old Mortified barn which still
stood out rear concealed behind
s.rubbery and trees. Doubtless
,.ege had been saddle horses here
in he old days, owned by the Mer-
rj..eIds.
Bill! thought that Gayle and Jer-
e".r made a lovely picture-a per-
lee couple as people say-as they
rode slowly off down the beauti-
s-,.y indScaped driveway of The
Oaks Gayle seemed to be particu-
larry happy. She talked and
laughed with Jeremy, obviously
trying to make her escort relax
AMI enjoy himself, and Bill knew
that presently she would succeed.
L was miserable thought for
him.
Christopher" he suddenly
grow!ed. Il am a narrow-minded
forl"
He turned and whistled deter
r:-ecly on popular song, went |
Inside the mansion, out another |
door and found the six other girls
waiting for him on benches in the
east garden. 1t was a lovely spot |
oUc there. He had come to know
hat he could find them in this
BEAUTIFUL retreat whenever they |
had run out of something to do
and were waiting on him. He heard |
,aei: talk and laughter before he |
actually saw them through the
climbing roses and the shrubs.
This time they were all on a |
semi-circular marble bench under a |
grape arbor. The grape vines |
were bedecked in springs bright |
new leaves-and no leaf is prettier
than ! grapes.
u have come out to propose mar
rage" he began at once. You are
the six rrettieSt girls in town. If
sc coulG somehow evade the law
about poIygamy so that +"
Aren't advertising your conceit,
are you?" one of them leased.
How 90 you know we'd have
YOU"
Listen. young woman! I am
your bossi Understand? Mr.. Mer-
ssae!d ordered you to take orders
G-pm me-"
lie didn't get by with that. They
challenged him instantly, in chorus,
,aeD one spoke for all:
And we haven't had any orders
al day. No work. Nothing. Just
i'ahng and playing and getting
paid for it-please don't ever wake
us ~, Bil~
They had him there, and he
knew it. He sat down on another
hach facing them. mopped his
brow which held no perSpiratiOn,