The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1941-04-03

Lucy ALMOST AOA SOI 1lC1 SA4CA w
smile as Catlet stepped out of it
in his smart uniform.
! "She runs like two-year-old,"
he said.
! II can hardly wait to try it my
self. Thanks lot" Lucy said.
| She invented delays, poking in
side, waiting for Catlet to leave.
He evidently had no suspicion,
for he stood for second waiting
to see if she needed him. Then
he got into Marks car and drove
away. Lucy ran the car quickly
to side door.
J Her heart almost choked her
with it's pounding. It was so aw-
full to 60. like this.
She crept up back stairway to
her own door unseen. The upper
hall was empty, and she carried
her luggage down piece by piece,
making three trips, and hiding
her things in the back Of the van.
At last they were safe. Chiltern,
she was sure, was at the front
door.
| She got quietly into the Ark,
and started the engine. The vans
gay coloring had been painted
out. and it was now dark and
shining blue. It looked merely
like a rather smart delivery car.
if no one looked closely at the
driver.
Lucy drove silently down the
back drive: and out of the service
gates. She hardly knew where she
was going. but headed instinct
ivelv for Arlington.
She knew, however, as she
drove along the quiet road in the
late winter afternoon, that the
wonderful feeling of security had
been lost even before Dorothy ap-
peared. Looking back, she could
trace it's loss to Elise and Thanks
giving night.
Now that the excitement of
getting away was beginning to
wear off, she was filled with a
sort of panic, which gave way at
last to complete desolation.
It ought to be easy to take up
the old ways again. Easier be-
cause she was rich! She had over
| a thousand dollars in the bank at
! Arlington. What was she afraid
Of? Didn't she realize how lucky
she was? Luckier than she had
dreamed of being. And this was
probably only the beginning. She
must face ahead.
Dorothy was resting in her
room when Mark and Valerie re-
turned. She could hear them
laughing in the hall below, and
then on the stairs. She was by
now thoroughly. frightened by
what she had done.
| She wondered now now she
could have been so weak as to
leave Lucy alone. Just because a
girl from nobody knew where had
had the impertinence to order her
out of the room! The whole thing
hinged now on whether Lucy had
left note. What had she said in
it. If she had told Mark the truth,
things would be worse than ever.
If, however, she had gone decent
| ly and said nothing. or merely
"good-bye," who could connect it
with Dorothy?
| She put on what she considered
a particularly fascinating frock,
and went downstairs, trying to
look as if nothing had happened.
! Mark and Valerie were wait
ing for her, and went in imme-
diately to dinner. One look at
them told her Lucy had gone. Va
lerie was very pale, and had OBJ
vious1y been crying. Mark was
hardly himself at all. His face
was very stern, and he looked
years older than when he had
driven away that morning.
Dinner was eaten practically in
silence. They seemed driven by
some inner haste, and left the ia
BILE when Dorothy had barely fin
lished her dessert. Mark beckoned
her into the library, and Valerie
followed. She had begun to cry
once more, and Mark put his arm
around her as he faced Dorothy.
''Miss Tredway has gone" he
said flatly. "She left note, but
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