Glacier County chief., 1940-11-01
CHAPTER xIn-con.inued

and forth dreamily. Now that the
drst horror was over she felt oddly
weary and weak. Her shoulder hurt
her, and her head ached duly; she
was all right, she told herself, no
harm had been done, but oh-how
good it would be to get home to
Mother, to be away from the crowd,
and the voices and the questions!
She need never see the pantry at
the Pendergast again, never take Or
ders from Mr.. Benny. In a few
hours more she would be safe in
the beloved home kitchen, talking
to Ma, watching Angela's round
eyes pop out of her head with ex-
element; she would be drinking a
cup OF tea the way she liked it,
reaching to the stove for her toast
isn't it getting dark early?"
Frank said, suddenly rousing from
the stupor into which he occasional
ly seemed to lapse.
ITS nearly five, Frank" Sheila
said.
"Five!"
Eyes. I just saw a clock"
These things take time, you
know!" the nurse observed soothing
ly. Sheila, sick and shaken as she
was, thought that she must remem-
Der that to tell Joe.
The poor pilot, she unused. One
minute floating over the gray-white
panorama Of beach and wintry
world, and the next minute Just that
still form. that trampled depression.
in the snow.
I've been in terrible accident"
she thought. And then, YEARLY, "But
what haven't I been through in the
last few weeks?"
Does it feel good to be back in
New York, Sheila?" Frank said,
opening his eyes.
"Oh. does it! I was just thinking.
My heart is pumping so, can hard
ly breathe"
They were in the city streets; the
ambulance bell was ringing steadily
now, and Sheila could see the side
walk crowds cycling them interest
edly as they went through.
Il had them telephone Mother I'd
hurt my arm, and to have Doctor
Underwood at the house," Frank
said. well! Not much more of
this, Ell? Well be comfortable in
no time now, Sheila."
when on earth could you phone
your mother?"
II had the police sergeant do it,
asked him to telephone. Just to say
that there'd been a smash and that
We were all right. and on our way
in. I told him to say that Mother
was to use her own judgment about
getting in touch with your mother"
MAS probably got the fire de-
partment out!" Sheila exclaimed,
aghast.
"Well, the poor fellow was killed,
Sheila, and you can't avoid a Ger
tain amount Of interest in that
"To be in an airplane smash"
Sheila murmured, struck afresh with
the strangeness and horror of it.
II took my training at Bellevue"
the nurse said, as they stopped at
a Broadway artery, land my first
case was a fellow that had come
down in a plane" She was diverted.
"For goodness sakes look at the
evening papers!" she exclaimed.
And, glancing eagerly out at cor
ner newsboy, she read a headline:
Mystery Girl in Plane Crash!"
For a minute the words meant
nothing to Sheila. Then her heart
gave a great spring. In the remain
ing few seconds that they waited at
the corner, she leaned forward and
saw the front sheet Of the paper, the
hurried blurred photographs of the
group in the park, the planes great
fallen wings, the lifted form Of the
dead man.
That's the crash, all right" Miss
Suffer said. ''It doesn't take long
to get things into the papers nova
days, does it? But where do they get
that mystery girl stuff? You
and" She glanced at Frank and
then at Sheila. you're his wife,
aren't you?" she asked.
"Oh, no. Mr.. Nc Cam was just
bringing me home" Sheila said,
with a queer, affronted little laugh.
'Oh, I see" the nurse said, in a
peculiar tone, with quick glance.
"Mr. Nc Cann," Sheila explained,
in low tone, with wary look at
his closed eyelids and unconscious
face, els engaged to be married to
Miss Bernadette Kennedy, of Spuy-
ten Duyvil."
The nurses young bright eyes
were sympathetic.
"You two were trying to get away
with something, hey?" she guessed
shrewdly, smiling. II don't mean
anything wrong, just" she paused.
"For heavens sake!" she said.
II wish I was dead" Sheila said
simply. Frank muttered incoher-
emily.
Hell be all right when he gets
his arm set," Miss Suffer said in a
whisper, "He's dazed with shock"
"That isn't what's worrying me-"