The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1941-07-31

"None at all. Some silly ass out
on deck having target practice.
Woke me up, just the way it did
the rest of YOU"
But it's your window that's
broken, Mr.. Barker"
Slim glanced out of the win
dow and examined a piece Of
window glass on the carpet. It
was corrugated glass that would
let in light but net vision.
Funny thing, Mr.. Barker" he
said. "How do you account for
the fact that splinters of the glass
have fallen cupboard on the deck,
instead of inside the cabin?"
$50 they have! Quite remarka-
BILE! You mean that someone must
have fired from the inside of the
stateroom."
"Sure thing" Slim said. "The
impact CT a heavy bullet - it
would take some of the glass with
it."
Captain Simpson sat on the bed,
listening and watchina you'd
better tell the whole story, Mr..
Barker" he said quietly.
So, emitting Camilla's share in
the adventure, Mr.. Barker told
what had happened. He had been
warned of a possible attempt on
his life aboard the Orizaba. He
had not believed in his danger at
first, but after he had turned in
he found himself thinking how
easy it would be for someone on
the outside to take a pot shot at
him through the half open French
window and get away before the
alarm.
Barker had switched off the
ceiling light, made as good an
imitation as he could of a Sleep
ing figure in his bed by stuffing
and underclothing under
the blankets, then turned the bed
light in it's box so that it was dim
and lay on the lounge hidden
from the deck outside. Perhaps
his informant had been mistaken.
He was just getting drowsy when
the silhouette of a head darkened
the window. Then everything
happened very rapidly. He wasn't
lure that the silhouette meant
until he saw the CLINT of
light on a gun barrel. He fired
quickly, while the silhouette fired
also, aiming at the huddle under
the bedclothes.
Barker went over to the bed
and showed where two bullets
had gone through the pillow and
the neckband Of one of his best
shirts. "Pretty close that" he said.
"Sure thing" Slim gasped.
"And here's where the bullets
went through the head of the
bed. That guy must have been
practicing in a shooting gallery"
Its all my fault, Mr.. Barker"
Simpson went on alphabetically.
knowing about you I might
have suspected something in
ships company made up like this
one is. But I'm going through it
with a fine-tooth comb before
we reach Naples"
1t seemed necessary in the
morning for Camilla to get a new
slant on the events of the pre-
vious day so that her thoughts
would make sense. An important
fact seemed to emerge. She had
been most earnestly embraced by
man she had met only two days
before. Another important fact
was that she seemed to have liked
it.
She took her commee in her
room and after her bath found
herself with a new point of view
which refused to accept Mr.. Bar
ker at his face value. She was
glad when there was a clatter at
the door and Josephine Hollo-
way and Kitty Trimble rushed in.
All night they had been ready to
explode with curiosity, they said,
for the story of Camilla's part in
the affair was all over the ship,
much dfstod tied, making her a
heroine of sorts.
''Well, Toots, you certainly put
one over on Asad," Josephine CUR
gled, land Slim and Michael, to
say nothing of all the eligible fe-
males on this ark"
"What 1 came in to find out"
Kitty Trimble said, els what you
have got that I haven't got. You
haven't even got the experience of
a handsome grass widow twice
removed. And yet you walk off
with the mystery man under my
very eyes, lead him out into the
moonlight, which makes every
woman beautiful, so he can make
love to you; and then, just to
show him how indispensable you
are to him, you save his life from