Evening star., 1941-04-21

of what he was saying or thinking.
Il wonder, Sandra, if all the
ghosts of the unhappy months you
have just lived through are entirely
/ eliminated. Are here still any little
stray ones that come up to plague
you in the dark?"
Refer to Gun.
She gave him a startled look. "I
guess you do know all the answers,
Mark And if you can answer this
one-oh, you just don't know what
1t will mean to me-"
There was a curious SteadfaStneSS
in his gaze as he watched her. Her
eyes were luminous, still touched
| darkly with the shadow of the Suf-
! feTing she had faced since the night
her husband died. But in the shaded
candlelight there was a fugitive
happiness about her that reached
| out for the old way of life again.
Her lips were curved with a half
/ smile as she continued:
Il have never known what be-
came of Joe's gun-who took it
the afternoon it disappeared from
the old coat rack just outside the
library door I suppose now it really
doesn't matter and yet. this time
yesterday I thought that awful gun
had completely wrecked my whole
life"
To her surprise Mark began to
laugh. She looked up at him quick
ly and waited, a puzzled frown be-
tween her eyes.
The answer to that goes back to
the Yale-Harvard game two years
ago." he said with a chuckle Re
member the bet I made with Joe?
He was pretty mad when he lost
and insisted he had to buy me the
coat right there in New Haven be-
fore We caught the train"
Suddenly Sandra clutched the
edge of the table and leaned toward
him, frantic question in her eyes.
The coat he bought me that day
was exactly like his own. That was
the bet; polo number with big
patch pockets. When Yale won we
Solemnly marched into New York
City a few hours later, looking like
pair of Siamese twins!"
A Fortunate MiX-Up.
What are you telling me?" San
| dra'S words were scarcely more
than whisper OF sound.
That you slipped the gun into
my pocket, not Joe's, that day, and
by midnight it was sunk deep in
the river"
A rush of emotion almost over
Whelmed her. For moment she
struggled to control the quivering
OF a lower lip that showed all too
| plainly how much this meant to her.
When at last she could trust herself
TO speak there was a light in her
eyes Mark had never seen there be-
/ fore.
so all this time my life and fate
/ nave been in your hands-and YOU
you have been protecting mel
I never knew
1t was voice too close to tears
and Mark reached over impulsiveIy
and caught both her hands in hi.
across the table.
Just think for a minute of the
position you put me in that after.
noon, darling" He grinned at hel
and she smiled back a waverin,
little smile that warmed his heart
Il put on that coat. felt the gun il
my pocket and was probably a
scared as l have ever been in al
my life. That gun under the circum
stances was simply charged witt
dynamite. I can see myself now
leaving that hall as if the who'll
police force was at my heels"
How terrible" Sandra breathed
What must you have thought O
me?"
Darling that was the tragic par
of it, of course. am not much of
detective but I knew enough whel
I got that evil thing home to test i
out for fingerprints. There wer
plenty on it and some very clea
ones. Within two hours I managed
to get a copy of your f1ngerprint.
from the captain and with fear anC
trembling took them home to com