The Wilmington morning star., 1941-02-06
CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO
I was painfully conscious OF tne
silence which followed MISS Al
thea's raspy %utterance, "And just
what does Cary want of a secre-
tary?" Everything, even he
storm. was lulled into quiet for a
brief space, the quiet from winch
comes new strength for greater e1-
fort.
And in that breathless silence,
from somewhere or some one
came my first stab of fear. Fear
of what or whom I did not know,
but my hair prickled uneasily at
the base of my scalp and a chill
tremor searched out, with icy I'm
gers, each separate nerve.
With the exception of the o ~
grandfather, each of the others
rushed into speech. Their words
poured like a flood over me, carry
ing confusion and added beWllder-
ment.
Mrs. Gould first found her
breath.
Nov, Althea," she said sooth-
ingly, as though speaking to a
fractions child, we've told you
over and over again about"
Impulsive Kaye could not wait
for her mother to finish her SEN
tence.
She's to help Cary with his
book-the one about the family
She raised her voice a trifle. l
learned later that Miss Althea's
deafness was augmented or less
ened by her own personal regard
for the speaker and the subject I'M
der discussion.
Janet's smoky hazel eyes looked
coldly at her aunt.
Really, I can't see that it is
anyone's business but Cary's II he
wishes to employ a secretary!
He"
Her words were abruptly cut
into by a voice 1 had not heard
before:
Bully for you, Cary! I never
thought you'd do it, but now that
you've started, face them all
down"
Just inside the door stood a
young fellow that I knew, by his
resemblance to Kaye, must be her
brother. His tone was carelessly
condescending, and I saw Cary
vince at his cousins arrogance.
Miss Althea had cooked her
head, with the air of an imperti-
nent ancient bird, at each speaker
in turn. But she paid not TT e
slightest attention to Cary's:
Really, Aunt, L"
Il won't have it," she screamed.
"I've told you over and over from
the first time you mentioned it, II
have no book written about the Es-
sexes. Sticking your nose into"
The old captain rose shakily to
his feet. His stick clasped in a
gnarled hand, savagely pounded
the floor.
''Silence!" His voice probably
wasn't more than a pipe compared
to the robust tones with which he
must once have ordered his sea-
men on his full-rigged ship, but nc
crew ever obeyed an order more
instantaneously than the persons
before him.
"Althea, you are interfering in
what is none of your business. !
want no more of it, do you hear?'
From the way her face subtly
changed under his words, one
would have thought her a child of
seven instead of an aged crone of
70. Yet she strove to maintain her
stand under his anger.
you don't know what you're
talking about" she snarled.
f+There'll be no tomfool book writ
ten about the Essex family so long
as Pm alive. Expos"
Captain Essex cut her short in
the middle of the word, to me the
most interesting of all. But had
she really started to say expos
ing"? If SO, none of the others
present seemed to recognize i S
significance.
The old captains face turned
purple with rage. His stick banged
an imperious rat-a-tat.
go to your room!" he shouted.
"And stay there until you can
mind your w business. I'll have
no impudence on my quarter
deck"
And, impossible as it seems 10
believe such a thing, Miss Althea
actually shuffled across the room
to the door. There she made one
last defiant effort.
you'll be sorry, every one of
you, for this. And as for you. YOU
young fool, what kind Of a craven
book can a coward like you write?
You'll never live to"
Bang-e-ty, bang-e-ty, bang, bang,
bang! The captains furious thump.
ing drowned the sound of her
voice. And at his threatening step
forward, she turned and fairly
scuttled through the door. It was
unequivocally demonstrated h a I
the old captain was absolute mas
ter of Purple Beeches.
BY the wearied way in which he
sank back into his armchair. il
was evident that his rage and ex-
ertion had taken their toll of his
aged BODY: but his spirit was IN.