The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1942-07-23
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~ H.. III 3I!(3(| 81 Is5||g1g s;lk

land he isn't at Penn now, be-
cause, if you'll rub your eyes and
look at the calendar, you'll see
this is the month of July"
'Then where is he? And if he
isn't handy, who is?"
"Tecumseh Sherman Bower
lives somewhere in Ranleigh.
That's a suburb of Pittsburgh.
I'm not wise to his street address,
but if you'll"
Thanks, will, old man." Jer-
ry spoke to an unconnected tele-
phone, however. He had already
hung up and was seeking time
table to find out how soon he
could start for Pittsburgh.
None the less, he had one other
phone call to make this morning.
He called Irongurg. He got Miss
Walker on the wire.
What happened to you?" thus
she replied to the announcement
of his identity.
ooh" he was pleased by her
concern-"I went for a starlight
stroll. And lost my way. And
I'm in Americas"
She punctured his conceit. Il
asked because Mr.. HasSler was
over here worrying, a few min
utes ago."
81 was seeing the night life OF
Americus, but I'm all right now.
Say, Rose, I've got to. go away on
business for about twenty-four
hours. Do you mind?"
"rn never survive it."
"Is Angela Slim in there in the
store with you?"
eyes. Do tell me about your
business trip"
II can't-over the phone. But
I want you to promise me some
thing"
Are you propoSlng!
"Sure; but I'm also telling you
not to close any business deal with
that guy we were talking about
last night-not till get back, or
till you hear from me, anyhow"
"Why?"
Desperately he consulted his
watch. Some sort of reply he had
to give. A phrase sprang ready
made from his lips, just because
prevarication is so easy.
Eve got to go! I can just
catch my trains tail if I do nose
dive for it! I told you I wasn't
my own boss. Well, for one
thing, I believe your own inter-
ests depend a good deal on an
answer I must get to letter
didn't mail to my employers till
last evening. Not to do anything
anything - before tomorrow
night, anyhow. Will-you-prom-
Use"
From the other wire end tray
eled to him a gulp of feminine in
credulity. "a letter you mailed
out here?"
Certainly"
And then the blow fell.
Jerry, don't try to lie to me.
There's just one letter-box in
Ironburg, and that's the one here
at the store. Early this morning
I had Angie collect everything in
it, and I put lot in the bus mail
bag myself. There wasn't sin
gle letter-only a handful of post
cards."
Rose"
a Click!
She had rung off.
In the booklined office of his
Ranleigh laboratory, Tecumseh
Sherman Bower had pulled a pair
of old-fashioned steel-mounted
spectacles far down upon an old
fashioned hook nose and looked
over them at Jerry:
"From what you tell me,
gather that the water would pre-
sent no insurmountable difficulty
to the engineering mind. The
question, therefore, concerns sole
ly these specimens"
He nodded at what looked to
Jerry more than ever like rub
Dish. It was the still sodden con-
tents of those pockets filled at the
Break O'Day banks.
"Of course I don't know if ]
got the right stuff-or got it in
the right way, Doctor. I mean ]
didn't know how to select sam
pies"
''The tests will tell if you were
wrong-or else that the deposit
is"
"When must I come back?"
"In two hours"
"And about the fee: do pay il
now or then-or later?"
"Ah, yes, the honorarium. Well
lust as YOU please" said DR.