The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1942-02-19

enough in the tall, thin Ernest, who
never seemed to feel entirely we'll;
but it was incongruous in the thick
set Willard Wayne. with his smooth,
firmly padded cheeks and his slow
moving eyes: for this nervousness
was that of men haunted by an in
escapable fear.
I'VE understand that you took it
upon yourself to confer with John
Colt this afternoon" Ernest said
Il see the wireless telephone is do
ing its work
I'VE naturally keep in touch with
those who are handling our interests
in Honolulu" Ernest admitted iras-
cibly. I'VE would like to know, if it
isn't asking too much, just why you
think you can take it on yourself"
II must say, Dick" Willard put
in, ''it seems to me that you are be-
having in an extremely eccentric
way"
Didn't always?"
''You certainly always did. don't
understand you, Dick. But this is
no time for your foolishness; we are
up against an extremely serious
thing, and your foolishness isn't
helping it. 1t would have been good
deal better if you had stayed in the
South Seas"
You're wrong there" Dick told
him.
81 think not. In any case, would
say that you're hardly in position
to Judge"
"Oh, yes, am"
Ernest and Willard looked at each
other again for long moment. They
didn't know how to handle Dick;
they never had. Across his coffee
cup Tonga Dick stared out beyond
the easements at the vaguely moon
radiant mists which were beginning
to well up out of the gorges.
''The South Pacific is a wonderful
ocean," he said absent-mindedly. "A
lot of things are to be learned there.
| wouldn't be surprised if some of
them might prove useful here"
He knew now that he had enough
dynamite in his hands to blow their
whole situation apart, and he had
decided tha. he was willing to ac-
cept the cost to himself of using it.
But there was something else he
wanted to find out first. There was
shadow of wicked mischief in his
mood now as he set out to prod it out
of them.
'You see," he said, "as this con-
test for Alakoa sifts down. all the
original aspects of the case are go
ing to have to be investigated with
the utmost thoroughness-and made
public. You understand that, I sup
pose?"
Willard Wayne said with an un-
necessary intensity, "Just what do
you mean by that?"
'I mean that it is very likely
even inevitable-that lot of things
are going to be brought to light that
nobody's thought about for long
time. Isn't that so?"
Don't know what you're driving
at" Ernest mumbled.
''How well, for instance" Dick
Wayne asked them, 'tdo you think
that you knew James Wayne?"
We've worked with him all our
lives," Willard said impatiently.
'tAnd yet, did it ever occur to you
he might know some things you nev-
er suspected at all?"
"Nonsense!"
"For example," Dick went on, his
voice lazy, "take the exact circum.
stances under which old Garrett
Waterson left here-just at the time
the Waynes bought this island"
"That has nothing to do with it,
Ernest declared. "The entire trans
action was closed before Garrett
Waterson-disappeared."
"This disappearance" Dick prod
ded them; "the tradition has been
that he set sail southwest, in his
own schooner, and was never seen
again-wasn't that it?"
'Well? Can we be expected to
account for"
Didn't you happen to know"
Dick Wayne asked them, "that when
Garrett Waterson sailed, our father
was with him?"
They were not looking at him
now; but their eyes were fixed upon
each other, and an unspoken ques-
ton passed between them.
Tonga Dick leaned forward, his
face hardening. 1.-THE old rumor is
that Garrett Waterson must have
been lost at sea-" he bore down on
them. "And yet-and yet, our fa-
ther came back"
Dick saw Willard Wayne's heavy
neck redden; the color rose and rose
until Wizards eyes, no longer slow
and mild, stared bleakly out of a
purple congestion. Ernest, howev.
er, turned a sickly green, and be-
hind his glasses his eyes could not
be seen.
Dicks own eyes turned ugly. $50
you did know that?" he said.
you've known it for a long time,
haven't your"
"Stop," said Willard Wayne thick
ly. "You don't know what you're
sayingl"
81 take it," Dick said, "that
was not supposed to know about that
little circumstance"
Wizards voice rose. II object to
your tone," he clustered. Il object
to the whole line you've taken. II
isn't up to us to go raking through
the dead ashes of the past!"
"'Dead ashes be damned" Dick
snorted. 1.-THE past is going to be
raked out plenty before this contest
is over, and you know it as well as
/ dol And maybe some red Goals
are going to be raked out of the