The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1943-02-03

\ DuuDdI cAlStcHCe. 4uc IT'S
came on my second visit Il
Stone House-that time when
had to exer, every morsel of my
ingenuity to talk about Swedish
mines. You will recall tha
Norman Tinker Cor Colone
Merriwether, if you prefer be-
gan the after-dinner converse
ton with the remark that / re-
minded him of someone he hac
known, and asked me whether
my kinfolk had ever visited
California. Of course he wa!
not remembering California
though he thought he was. He
was remembering Henry Prem
tiss.
The second anxious moment
came during the talk which Gym
thia and had beside the pool
To my immense establishment
saw that, driven by the vacancy
and lack of meaning in hei
daily life, sh1 was becoming
much attracted to one whom she
believed a serious man of the
world. She was about to fall ir
love with creature who die
not even exist!
For a brief moment, ! wa:
tempted to abandon the whole
plan, and to take Henry Prentis.
and Vaughan Dunbar forthwith
out Of Cynthia's life. Then the
memory of that day in the wild.
erness floated back to me, ano
flooded all ny mind, and stilleo
my instant of weakness.
Again, l was distressed on the
day of the climax itself, l felt
it necessary to appear at Stone
House at lunch time. Among
other reasons. l wished to salts
fy myself, one last time, that the
identity of Vaughan Dunbar was
fully accepted.
But, despite the care which ]
had used in forwarding the tele-
gram TO myself, so that | would
be able to leave before the meal
itself, it was not until | was
actually in the library that
realized had made mistake.
/ had dared, for the first
time, to appear as Vaughan
Dunbar in full daylight. Ger
tainly, that appearance was in
the Swallowed library But out.
side the library, where my car
stood, there was brilliant sun.
shine. Suddenly, after showing
Cynthia and Mitchell Grace the
telegram, I realized that they
would follow me out to the cal
if I let them.
The risk was too great. So
simply burst from them with
out ceremony, and virtually ran
to take myself away.
But the most appalling mo-
ment of all came to Henry
Prentiss himself, rather than to
Vaughan Dunbar.
/ may be forgiven, l believe
a certain measure of excitement
on that day of days. And that
excitement came very near to
running the scheme entire. l had
to play in the polo game, though
certainly l did not want to
Merely to take my mind off the
critical hours that lay ahead,
played to the hilt-for those
first three chukkers-and hard.
ly heard at all the admonitions
of Cynthia.
But while we sat in the sta
ton wagon, an utterly terrify-
ing truth came to. me through
her words. Suppose l should
get hurt? Suppose even the
m o t commonplace accident
might happen; wildly swung
mallet hitting me in the face
and making a cut, or even a not
iceable bruise? Suppose my
horse should go down, and |
might suffer a genuine sprain,
or break. The wounds of Henry
Prentiss would not fit we'll upon
the person of Vaughan Dunbar!
/ was seized with fright as the
realization of my awful mistake
came over me. And thereafter.
as you have seen. | avoided the
slightest chance of a mishap.
1t will be obvious that on this
day of crisis l had quit the hotel
in New York for good.
The background Of Vaughan
Dunbar there was filled in to
the extent which l thought nec-
essary. / knew that his impos-
ture would be discovered sooner
or later, and that made no diff
ference to me whatever.
/ only needed the delay of two
or three days-two or three days
in which the hue and cry would
be up for Vaughan Dunbar
fugitive, and attention drawn
away from Gull Point itself.
Two or three days in which it
must naturally be assumed that