Hungry Horse news and Columbian. [volume] (Columbia Falls, Mont.) 1946-1948, 1947-11-28
CHAPTER XVIII

e TODD bit his lip thoughtfully
, L "As you say. These are still
: your innings. But"
"She's safe, and that's all care
: about. Let's just leave."
"We'll go in minute" his calm
j voice said. 1--WE can be on our way
before you know it. D'you think
nice quiet wedding would take
your mind off your troubles-or
doesn't this feel like lucky 6ay?"
It'll be a long tinle," said
Georgine slowly, before any day
will be lucky enough. Todd, don't
hold me, or l can't say what l
have to. Don't you see-we can't
be married"
She never realized until he grew
pale how much color usually
underlay the even brown of his
skin. He took his hand from her
wrist. "Barby, please go into the
sewing room and look at your
book for a few minutes. Close
the door between. Go on, cricket"
II don't see how can give you
up, but I'll have to"
Postpone the wedding again ?"
"Just about-indefnitely. l
never thought didn't foresee
anything like this, Todd. Of
course there's danger in your
profession. If you had anything
to do with crime, even just writ
ing about it, you're bound to get
mixed up in horrors every so often.
l could accept that for myself, if
I tried. l could take it for you;
it's your life, so you have a right
to risk it. But l never thought
of its touching Barby. How can
l let her in for this sort of thing?
She hasn't the choice; I have to
make it for her."
"Georgine," Todd said, you're
using the one argument l can't
combat. l can only point out
that a situation like this may
never come up again"
"You can't say that it never |
will. You can't promise that, can
you?"
mo. l can give you odds: about
ten thousand to one"
THREE days, she remembered
L dimly, could seem very long.
II didn't say could Civ. you up
forever" she told him duly. II
don't believe 1 could. In time l |
might even get used to this
awful riskiness, and maybe you
could go on writing. l know you
love it, it's your real work, what
you were meant for. But I can't.
I can't accept it right away"
Dear Georgine," Todd said,
cant you manage to get mad,
and sail into me? Tell me this is
all my fault, that got you into
this and caused you a lot of suf-
fering out of pure selfishness. I've
got that coming, God knows.
Then, maybe, when it was off
your chest"
"How can 1 say that, Todd,
when it isn't true? Barby got
herself into that mess, and you
got her out again. l can't be
grateful enough. But it's just the
way things are. Let's not discuss
It any more, please. Well drop
it for a while; we'll leave right
this minute, and just go home"
Todd came slowly to his beet.
When he spoke, she looked up at
him, startled; his voice had a
queer metallic clang that she had
heard only a few times before.
mo, by God, we won't!" he
said There were two reasons |
wanted to stay here, and l seem
% have wrecked one of 'em pretty
thoroughly. That being the case,
80 help me I'll have a go at the
,ther one"
TODD turned toward the bed.
Il "What made you faint on the
'tairs, Nella ?"
She spoke, her lips barely NOV
ng. Awful crash-in attic, l for
,ot-I was so frightened 1 began
up"
II believe that's true" Todd
aid. "You could scarcely have
'een the person we-encountered
n the attic; you hadn't the
trength to balance that heavy .
weight, nor quite the agility to
limb down the lattice work from
he widows walk to one of the
econd-foor balconies" The others
we're exchanging perplex
,lances. He went on soberly, "Did
'ou see anyone as you came up
he stairs ?"
Her head moved negatively.
"You hadn't a suspicion of who
night have been there?" Todd (
sked her softly. "Yet for months /
'ou've known that something was t
DING on UP there, some kind of
earch, and you never mentioned
to anyone until we turned up y
trangers, who wouldn't know y
bout the background of this fam r
". Georgine," he said, lifting his Y
yes, 81 should like a closer look
t that Identification disk Nella e
vears. Will you lift it out of her n
ress-clear out ?" t.
Georgine went to the side of the F
ed as if she were moving in a A
ream; she detached Nella's fin C
ers, which had flown defensively O