The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1946-01-04

bell, the gray-ha1red v1olln1St APP
peared in time to hear her words.
"Adam?" the newcomer echoed.
"Our young friend Bruce?" His tone
was sardonic, hostile.
Bee introduced him; and he
bowed, smiling. "Balser Wade, 9TH
erwise known as the Lone Wolf" he
explained. II have the dignity Of
cabin named after me, as Miss De-
vain may have told you" And he
asked: "What particular idiocy has
our Mr.. Bruce committed now?"
No one answered him, but Mrs.
Tope saw her husbands glance rest
upon the violinist, a lively specula-
ton In the old mans eye. Then 9TH
ers came trooping in. The Murrell
twins and their father and mother
Mrs. Tope had already seen; but
there were others, new arrivals,
men. Miss Dewain introduced them.
Mr.. Whitlock, she said, and Mr..
Beal.
The supper was a good one and
most Of them ate in a silence that
was to some degree enforced; for
Mrs. Murrell, almost from the first,
monopolized the conversation. Once
Tope interjected question.
"You say you've been here two
weeks, Mrs. Murrell? I thought
most people just stayed overnight"
Most Of them do" Mrs. Murren
agreed. "But Mrs. Priddy, the cook
here, is my stepsister; and I always
did say I'd rather eat her cooking
than anybody's. Poor thing, she
hates working all day in the kitchen;
but she married that good-for-noth-
Ing Earl Priddy, and she's had to
support him ever since"
Some pot or pan ratified angrily
In the kitchen, and Mrs. Tope sus-
pected that Mrs. Priddy had per-
haps been meant to overhear. Bee
said hurriedly:
"Of course, we have lot of peo-
pie here in the course Of q week
coming and going all the time"
II suppose the week-ends are your
busy times?" Tope suggested.
well, yes" Bee agreed. 'There
eight Saturday night"
But Mrs. Murrell, not to be Sc
fenced, turned her catechism to
Whitlock and Beal; and Mrs. Tope
saw that Tope watched Whitlock
with an unobtrusive eye. After sup
per, without apology or excuse,
these two men went out of doors:
and Tope turned to Mrs. Tope, al
most briskly.
"Shal we 60 to our cabin, my
dear?" he asked. II thought you
might read aloud to me a while"
Mrs. Tope had never read aloud
to him; yet she betrayed no least
surprise at this suggestion. 1--WE
must finish our book" she agreed,
and rose
Inspector Tope turned with Mrs.
Tope toward their new cabin. It was
called Cascade. On the stoop, he
paused and looked around. Dusk
cloaked them from every view. He
made sure of this; and he said in
low tone:
Go inside, my dear. Talk, turn
on the lights, draw the blinds.
Read aloud. I'll come soon." And
without waiting for her assent, he
slipped away, his feet silent on the
carpet Of pine needles.
Mrs. Tope was half impatient
with this mystery, and half alarmed.
Nevertheless after a moment she
obeyed him. She went in, and drew
the blinds. Then In sudden haste
the, darkness was affrighting- she.
switched on the lights, and found q
magazine in her bag and began obe-
diently to read aloud. Alone in the
cabin, her voice went monotonously
on and on.
But her eyes did not stay fixed on
the page. Her nerves were steady
enough; yet the steadiest nerves
might have been shaken by this ne
cessity Of sitting alone, in a small
closed cabin with drawn blinds.
Adam found the door open. He
went in, turned on the lights, closed
the door. Some embers of fire still
glowed on the hearth, and he add.
ed fresh wood, and stood with his
back to the fire, intensely alert, lis
tening for any sound outside, won
dering where Tope was, and what
the old man had to tell, and how
soon he would appear. But almost
at once he heard soft footsteps on
the turf-not on the gravel drive
outside; and then, without knocking,
Tope opened the door. He came in.
Mrs. Tope behind him.
"Hello, ADAM" he said mildly.
~ didn't expect to see you again
so soon," Adam confessed, gripping
the others hand. "Hello, Mrs. Tope.
Inspector, if this is a wild-goose
chase, I'll take it out of your hide.
I'm supposed to be back on the lob
at noon tomorrow"
you'll have a job here" Tope
told him. ''Let me give it to you
Fin order, 4AdaHn.s" he explained. $50
I'll get 1t straight in my own mind"
And as Adam nodded, he went ON
slowly, as if weighing each phrase.
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