The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1940-03-22
CHAPTER Continued

CHAPTER Continued
3
81 shall never forget" Kate re-
moved her hat. "When I'm eighty,
I'll tell my grand-nieces and neph-
ews, the reason your old auntie, is an
invalid, my dears, is because once
upon time she drove twenty miles
along a road in the state of Maine.
No, ! couldn't" she concluded. SID
rather face unknown terrors than
jounce over those twenty miles again
tonight"
''Idiot!"
Gay was placing the futed china
shade on the lamp. She was lovely
looking, Kate thought, feeling as she
frequently felt when she consciously
considered Gays features and color
ing, a slight shock Of surprise and
wonder. The light from the lamp
striking up into her face accented
the high cheek-bones, the faint de-
pressions beneath them, the line Of
her jaw and rounded chin, the curve
of her brows above her long, very
deep blue eyes. Certain endearing
flaws redeemed her face from the
still perfection of authentic beauty,
the straight thick lashes, the dust
ing of freckles across her nose, her
wide, sweetly curved mouth, the
way her eyes narrowed and crinkled
when she smiled
''Do you know what Think" Kate
said darkly.
sI'm GREATNESS" Gay said
through a mouthful Of apple.
''Those jars and the smell in the
room over there" Kate gestlired.
ST think he's mad genius inventing
poison gas to annihilate the
world"
''Can I depend on that?" Gay
moved away from the table. ut
would be let-down to discover that
the smell was moonshine brewing"
She bit again into the apple. "Our
cabin-mate reads" she observed.
THAT'S encouraging" Kate said
as Gay picked up a book which lay
face-down upon the couch. "Your
home is known by the books you
own. What is it,"
Something about - hormones."
Gay stood looking quizzically down
at the book in her hand.
"Hormones!" Kate repeated, then
lowering her voice dramatically,
"Gay! He's planning the perfect
murder. He's one of those educated
criminals you read about with a
keen analytical mind. A doctor, per-
haps, who"
"a doctor-?" Gays altered voice
arrested Hates attention. She
glanced quickly toward the couch at
the far side Of the hearth. Gays
eyes were lowered over the book.
She was turning pages with a quick
f1uttering motion of her fingers
through the leaves. Kate heard q
sound like quickly drawn breath,
faint but authentic.
''No manner" she asked, as Gay
lifted her eyes.
Nothing" The sound had been
authentic, Kate thought. Gay had
made discovery.
Gays eyes were, presently, aware
of Kate. They dropped self-con-
sciously before Hates questioning
glance. She placed the book on the
couch, tossed the remains of the
apple into the fire.
Lets investigate further" she
said, after a moment. Her voice
was only a little shaken but the
peach-colored flush deepened and
her eyes were very bright.
"That's a sensible idea," Kate
said serenely. Leave no stone un-
turned. Here, I'll carry that" she
added as Gay turned to take the
lamp from the table.
Gay did not demur. She walked
to one of the doors leading onto the
porch, opened it, stepped out into
darkness. Kate followed with the
lamp. The screened porch which
extended across the front of the cab
in disclosed nothing of importance.
There were built-in hunks at either
end covered with blankets and tar
paulins. There were fiber rugs, a
table, chairs. The glass windows
above the hunks were lowered but
the front of the porch stood open
to the night. Kate followed Gays
heels, clicking with a muff1ed sound
on the rugs, more sharply on the
floor between, stopped when she
stopped at the long table in the CEN
ter of the porch.
''The rain is over" Gay said.
mice weather tomorrow.
Kate looked out through the
screening. The yellow glow of lamp
light blurred her vision. She placed
the lamp on the table and returned