Evening star., 1941-11-01

between Betty and Clare and he
bent down and took both his daugh-
ter'S hands in his. Glare could feel
his trembling and she squeezed his
hands and smiled up at him.
Feel better?" he asked tenderly.
you tainted, Clare-first time in
your life, wasn't it?-Don't blame
you a bit-Just take it easy now.
Everything's all right"
Eddie Is Injured.
1t wasn't until then, bolstered with
the courage his fumbling words had
given her, that Clare looked around
and found Eddie Franklin.
The mechanic was sitting quietly
at her left side staring down at his
hands in which he seemed to be
holding a bundle of rags. He looked
up when he felt her eyes upon him
and she saw that his face was red
and swollen under a thick coating
OF yellow grease. She tried to lift
herself up on the crates but her
father pushed her gently back.
Eddie! Eddie, what happened?
Your-your face! And your hands!"
There we're tears in her eyes and
in her voice, as she turned under
her fathers restraining hand and
faced the young man at her side.
It's nothing. Clare" Eddie said,
trying hard to smile but looking
as though he could barely stand the
pain Just little burn, that's all.
The hands are the worst but they'll
be Okay."
He tried to pull Hanley out of
the wreck" Steve said quietly. I'VE
dragged him away after he COL
lapsed"
Betty Croweu had been sobbing
violently and now she struck out in
new burst of violence, clawing
viciously at Steve Claridge's neck,
throwing herself upon him in a
frenzy. Steve turned. shielding his
face with one arm while he held her
of with the other.
Betty, please" he said calmly.
Don't carry on like that" He
forced an arm around her and
pulled her close to him, not affec-
tionately but only for the purpose
of restraining her. His loathing Of
the girl could not nave been more
evident. You and Hanley played
a dangerous and terrible game
and you lost Try to show the same
indifference to human life now that
you showed before
Steve Takes Charge.
Clare's eyes turned to Eddie
Franklin as Steve was speaking and
an understanding passed between
them that needed on words for its
, expression. If Eddie had ever had
suspicious of Steve Calridge, he
didn't have them now.
Burrows, the Calridge chauffeur,
came in then He had driven Steve
and Betty out to the airport, arriv-
ing there almost at the instant that
the crash had occurred. He'd been
helping the flremen and the emer-
gency squad from the hospital in
extricating Clay Hanley's remains
from the wreck that lay out there
on the concrete runway. He sup
| ported Glare on one side and Steve
on the other as they walked to the
car. Eddie Franklin steadfastly re-
fused to leave just then. but he
| finally promised that he would call
at the Calridge place that evening.
Steve beckoned to one of the hos
pital attendants outside and told him
to take Betty Crowell back to the
hospital with them, by force If nee
essary, and to have Dr. Martin, the
head of the staff, take care of her.
Il imagine she ought to be kept
under sedatives TO-. quite some time,
he said. But you tell Doc that I'm
putting her in his hands"
Clare herself, at Steve's insistence,
took a sleeping powder when she
got home and it was nearly o'clock
when she finally awoke. Colby
brought her dinner upstairs and
Steve sat with her while she ate
Then he went downstairs while she
dressed, and when she came down
little while later Eddie Franklin
and Steve were together.
Great Plans Ahead.
II was just telling Mr. Franklin
Steve said, that he must get over
the notion that the accident was his
fault. I could feel just as guilty as
he if I tried. but actually no one
was at fault but Hanley himelf
took the plans Hanley had sent
to the bank and showed them tC
the Crandon outfit in New York
and one of the experts said fatty
that they were out of the question
and he proved to me that the very
first test of such plans would prob
ably mean death for the pilot
That's why I came in on the early
train instead of the evening one;
wanted Hanley to know about thi:
at the first possible moment. O1
course, had no idea he was goine
to test the plane today.
incidentally, when I got to thu
Office I called home to talk to you
Glare, and tell you not to 60 an!
farther with your flying lessons
from Hanley. The Crandon people
showed me pretty conclusive evi
dence that he and some one in m.
offlce-Betty Crowell Of course
were responsible for that fatal crash
at the Billet plant year ago. Gran