Evening star., 1940-11-20

/ little. In on my way now 10 MIS-.
How? After all, crippled VOL
off her front porch in years"
Her eyes aren't crippled, though,
Have you ever noticed how much
she knows about what goes on in
| this toWn?" Timothy dug his hands
into the pockets of his green suit.
Mildred laughed Yes, know it,
but how do you? After all, your
Offices as district attorney are 20
miles away. Bluefield is dead-end
town"
The Holmes family is no dead
end family, Miss FarnsWorth. You
/ forget I'm a country boy my mother
and Charity Holmes were old school
mates or something like that"
As they talked they passed the
church and turned at the corner
away from the square and toward
/ the house in the next block. Situ-
ated as it was back from the corner
and at an angle it commanded a
view of half the square, the corner
by the church and the library plaza
/ opposite,
On the porch at one end sat
Charity Holmes, her hands busy as
usual with her knitting. The young
people had no doubt that she had
/ seen them coming. but as they ap-
1 preached the porch steps the old
LADY looked up and greeted them as
if seeing them for the first time.
Timothy! Does it take murder
practically on my front lawn to
bring you to see me? You used to
be more faithful than that
One of my old flames. you know.
Timothy laughed to Mildred as they
both went up the worn stone steps
TO the cool. shaded porch.
Murder Does Make Trouble.
The Young couple sat down on
the swing near Charity. Timothy
stretched his legs before him,
hunched his shoulders and slid
down into a comfortable sprawl.
Il see you never did learn 10 sit
up right" Charity said. You should
have been here as a little girl,
Mildred. Tim was forever being
prodded to sit up straight"
The old lady looked from one
serious face TO the other. Her own,
serene and sweet beneath the pile
Of white hair, softened even more
With a sigh she dropped her banter
ing tone, took up her knitting again
| and moved her slender, yelloWed
/ hands back and forth across the
cleaning needles
Murder Goes make trouble doesn't
lt?' she asked. For the most un-
expected people. too"
Timothy raised his dark eyes to
her face. Perhaps you can help.
Aunt Charity An appeal lay in
those words Charity remembered
many another time in the young
mans youth when he had appealed
to her in much the same way.
Perhaps, Timothy, but I don't
know how"
We'll, in the first place. did you
see anyone 90 in there yesterdav?"
The silvery head shook slowly but
surely. I've thought a lot about
that she said. L saw Whipple 90
out about 2 IN the afternoon ana
come back about 5 When he went
toward town, he came over here
to say few words, but when he
returned, he just waved to me and
went right into his house"
The needles clicked unremittinglv
as Charity rested her dark. pierre
ing eyes on Timothy's face. She
gave him long, gentle look which,
without seeming to, probed beneath
| the surface of the rugged features
and searched for hidden knowledge.
She smiled and he smiled back.
Timothy in the Dark.
Charity put down the sweater she
was knitting. leaning her head
against the back of her wheel chair.
satisfied with what she had read
in his face. AS boy, Timothy had
never been able to withstand that
long look and quizzical smile when
he had had anything to hide He
was completely in the dark, she
| knew, about her in any case.
Someone must have gone in. of
course she said But I didn't
see him. Either he came across that
prairie lot above Whipples house
! from Maple street or else he came
while l was in for my supper"
When was that?"
The whole town knows that Della
| wheels me in at 6:l5 for my dinner
You know that yourself" she added
| chidingly. Plenty are the times
you've come by as boy just in time
to do the job for Della and get in
vited to stay!' The old voice was
gently playful.
Timothy's serious, far-aWay eyes
came back to the present and the
beloved face near him. He grinned
and turned to Mildred. You can see
how she is. Suspicious-and shrewd,"
he ended seriously.
! Charity caught the change in his
tone and wondered apprehensively
Then he went on. Il never knew
how shrewd. guess, as a boy" He
stood up and went to the table where
bowl of cherries made a dark red
heap in crystal bowl He stood
beside it, eating one, all the while
| thinking absently
| 1t was Mildred who broke the
silence. rs it all right to ask what
you know yourself?"
Regular Deposits.