Evening star., 1941-02-26

wrong! you lUOh do IL tIlC N'CAAli0'4A1
had just captured Buckingham
Palace
Brinda Feels Terrified.
Sir John rallied himself with an
effort. Not quite that bad, Brlnda,
but bad enough. Things are getting
frightfullv muddled. I'm afraid"
Really? queried Brinda, posing
herself on the edge of his desk,
dangling a slender silk-clad leg,
Please tell me about it. I've got
to know Everything that concerns
you, concerns me. too
You know I don't like to talk
shop at home"
For a minute she was silent.
SANDY dear-I had a peculiar
feeling tonight. = can't explain
it, but suddenly I felt terrified"
Sanderson looked at her She was
uncanny. Her instincts never failed.
Sanderson drew a deep breath.
Looking at this full blooming, allur-
ing girl as she sat so close, feeling
the penetrating lure of her intense
femininity, breathing the fragrance
of youth and life that envelOped her,
Sir John found it hard to remember
that only a lew years ago she had
been a big-eyed scared child. Look
ing at Brinda always filled him with
pleasure. She brought back memo
ries of India .. days and nights of
youth The tall swaying palm
trees, the scented tropical flowers of
the Bengal forests e. His first emo
tions as he adopted her, the ador-
able, sensitive child, homeless,
starved for affection . Such we're
the memories that flashed through
Sir Johns mind before he assured
his ward
There is no need for you to be
afraid. Brinda."
Il told myself the same thing
When 1 came in, rushed to my
little treasure chest thinking that
perhaps some one had taken it. but
it was in the drawer nothing
missing"
Brinda Is InSistent.
He put his hand on her soft shiny
hair. "Of course not, dear. Why
should anything be missing? Run
along now, I've got some work
to do"
She looked into his eyes, deter
mined. mo, Sandy. won't go until
you tell me what happened. I know
something went wrong"
There was so much love in her
voice, so much CONCERN that he real
lied that he could not have used
the weapon in his desk .. not while
he still had this responsibility he
had assumed so long ago in loyalty
to his best friend, Brinda's father,
and in loyalty to woman, too-the
only woman he had ever loved in his
life.
1t was because of these things
that he had become Brindas legal
guardian, when she was left both
fatherless and motherless as a child
of 2. War, duty and other factors
had kept him from knowing her
closely as she grew to Womanhood.
But at this moment he felt. as never
before, the sense of her loyalty and
| devotion to him as well as a re-
vived feeling of his own RESPONSE
bility for her future.
To the world, she was known as
his niece, yet his feeling toward her
was more than that of father. She
was a strange girl in many ways
He had never been quite sure how
much she reciproCated this feeling
but now the conviction was borne
in upon him that her love for him
was real and deep
We'll, there is something wrong.
Important papers have disappeared.
Some one has betrayed US"
Cant you find the traitor?"
Il am trying-very hard. But
have nothing so far"
Suddenly her large eyes lit up
with a strange fire. "Oh, Sandy, I've
got an idea please listen to
me-"
Il always listen to you
Brinda Wants to Help.
"You know I've meant to ask you
for long time but never dared ). &.
now you can't refuse me 8. please
let me help you at the Office E.
please! I've been useless long
enough
That's ridiculous. What could
you do there?"
She laughed; it sounded like clear
bells in the wind
First, I would spot as many spies