Hungry Horse news and Columbian. [volume] (Columbia Falls, Mont.) 1946-1948, 1947-10-17
CHAPTER XII

, the fdr-OH Strains OF the mOut
y. organ and the sound of the typ
JB writer.
700 The women's voices were aud
ID. BILE downstairs, fading and swell
p. ing. Once there was strange voic
= added, and after time Georgin
x. rose and quietly opened the doc
r. of her room.
r. A little after three Todd Tape
10 on the door. She looked at tn
- sheaf of papers he leld, and asked
d. Have you finished them all?"
"a "All but one or tWo," Todd said
!, He glanced around the dim hall
d speaking in a lowered voice. So
t he'd caught the contagion, too
!. I'm stopping work for a while
going into the county seat to pick
up our license. Do you want to
a Gomez"
Georgine thought not, unless she
!. was needed. Todd gave her a care
full scrutiny, and said it might be
better if she rested.
II may stay over in town, then,"
he said. "A lille research is indi-
Gated, if l can think how to go
about it? I'd as soon not leave it ly-
ing about my ROOM"
The house seemed especially still
after he had gone. Her ears sought
for, and detected, a small chirp
which was her daughters voice
downstairs.
| Georgine sat down by the win
dow and glanced at the typewrit-
ten pages.
She thought. These theories,
these classifcatiOns, are based on
behavior after the crime; that's
how the criminals make their
characteristic patterns. Suppose,
just suppose Nella had been
guilty. She had means, motive, op-
portunity. She could have been the
person who slipped up to Miss AIDE
lines room. Perhaps the candy
had, after all, been the medium of
poison; she might have stood there
for time and watched Miss AIDE
line greedily eating it up, and then |
slipped away.
And then she had found that by
horrible i'll luck, Gilbert, the one
person she cared for on earth, was
tacitly accused. Of course she could
not probe for details in person; but
she wanted to know how much
everyone else knew, she must goad
all the witnesses into giving up
their evidence-because the pre-
sumptive case against Gilbert was
in reality the case against herself.
She must have known where she
stood. She invited trouble, but she
had to risk it.
1t might be the truth, Georgine
told herself, her lower lip pushed
up in perturbation. 1t might all be
Grntrived, the rat-noises in the
garret-why, Nella could have
made them more easily than any,
one!
Georgine stif1ed a shrek and
thrust the papers behind the long
curtains of the bay window. There
lad been a tap at her door, and
Iella Peabody's voice was saying,
'Georgine, may l come in?"
"Of course" She was at, the
lresser, powdering her nose, when
he door opened. mo, I wasn't
sleep. Has Barby been bothering
our"
"Oh, no." Nella said sincerely.
It's been the greatest pleasure to a
ne, having her around. 1 just love
tile girls. I'd like to keep her for
yer if l could" II
Would you indeed? W
Il was wondering" said Mrs. Il
eabody, "if a bit Of fresh air O
'ouldn't help your head. You have "
OF seen some of our prettiest 81
pots; there's ravine on the other m
de of town that's at its very best
ow, with the wildhowers bloom C
lg. I'm afraid l almost promised So
arby a sort of tea-picnic. She was HI
lid with excitement at the idea.
know should have asked you ce
'st, but the idea just came to yt
e." lo
"It-it sounds delightful" said as
eorgine slowly. at
Todd had gone away, and left kr
n alone with Mrs. Peabody, who
light be a murderess. How could he
)? And yet-she wasn't quite sn
one. yo
rs Mrs. Crane at home this 20
ternoon?" Georgine asked. "She it,
light like to go with u.s." me
"Well, that's an idea. AS mat SEE
r of fact, it was she who men Ba
med the ravine, after you'd come
. S t al RS. Mary Helen" Nella lea
He'd.
The walk across town, to the ra- dol
le, was short. Barby, running cal
cad and returning with ques- ca,
ms, invading strange dooryards see
smell the flowers, covered the ma
lrse about three times. ner
The three women set down their vol
rdens of food and cushions,
king with sort of nervous cor an
llity. Barby alone was at ease. ran
e ranged about the clearings she
n humming-bird swiftness, and ner
IN came up flushed and entreat- bee
I. Mamma, can l explore? Look, knc
res path that goes way up the wol
'ok, kind of secret in the bushes, anc
IT walk up there" har
I'll take her." Mary Helen sid. c