Hungry Horse news., 1948-05-21
CHAPTER Nv

AioSiitloOiS i4OtC VI iiGpDllGSS LII
voice. Hello, everybody"
paused in the doorway, this Ia
with the almost golden hair and 1
levelest of gray eyes.
1t was impossible not to contr;
this new, this mid-April Elsa w
the Elsa of the preceding autun
On that memorable night when
had driven her to town in her wor
ing girl suit and carrying an owe
night bag with just pajamas, b
cause she had to have somethin
she had been like a high-strun
nervous colt at the barrier Tonigl
a calm almost philosophic in its a
pect had come upon her. No Ions
er was the race so hot, the urge t
be off so compelling. l realized, c
course, that she experienced sens
OF arrival. The notoriety of her car
features had sobered her.
Nov, goodbye, Barry" she said
holding out her hand And a de
hghtful trip in the Orizaba with
Dwight and Margaret"
Goodbye, Elsa. I'm sorry you're
not joining u.s."
Il am too; but there is this work
l can't put off. Please give my
love to Papa and Berta; you'll see
them at Mazatlan, of course"
Huntoon Rogers and walked back
together to the yacht; Dwight and
Margaret had gone on ahead. The
last guest had departed and we
sailed in half an hour.
you've never been able to get
anything out of her about the baby,
and what she knows about the muir
der of her Aunt Kitty"
MOO" 1 said hesitantly. Look
here, Rogers"
''Yes, I know" he cut me off.
'I'm aware that you've been work.
ing quietly on certain angles of the
case"
81 must be hell of detective"
I said in disgust. First Elsa &C.
cuses me of shopping, and now you."
cts very peculiar case" he OBJ
served thoughtfully. Nothing is OBJ
pious in it. Officially it is tagged
Ssuicide. 1t ends there. There's moth
ing to go on but the nose of one
fellow in Pasadena, the chap who |
smelled chloroform. He has really
a remarkable sense of smell. I've
tested bin. He sticks to it that there
was an odor of chloroforrn in the |
toom. There was no evidence of it
In the autopsy. Why chloroform
when she died of morphine poison
ing? There was no chloroform in the
house, no empty bottles, nothing"
; you're satisfied she was muir
dered?"
''Of course. And I mean to help
you get to the bottom of it,
We dropped anchor in the harbor
at Mazatlan and the crew lowered |
the launch to the sparkling water of |
the bay where it fioated lightly from |
the end of its boom awaiting our
pleasure. However, now that we had |
arrived, there was no hurry to go
ashore; we were in that land of |
manana where time does not press |
and nothing demands doing immedi-
ately. Dwight had come to fish, but,
as we reminded him, there was to-
morrow.
Of Mexico's many charms the one
that most endears itself to me is
that Indifference to time; nothing
needs doing now. At home, time
rides me like the Old Man of the
Sea; in Mexico I can relax.
Anybody going ashore now?" in
quired Margaret briskly, coming up
from her stateroom.
eyes, I'm going" responded Rog-
ers. 1 decided to join them.
Two ragged boys in the idling
crowd pushed forward as we started
from the wharf up narrow, twisting
streets. Enormous sombreros shad-
owed their dark faces in each Of
which cleaned a row Of very white
teeth. One carried a battered gui-
tar, the other ukulele. Strum-
ming fingers began resolutely to
play.
When they had finished, Marga-
ret's hand dived swiftly into her
purse and she held out coin to the
older boy. The latter backed away,
shaking his head; the other thrust
his ukulele and his free hand be-
hind him.
'Muchas gracias, senora," said
the boy with sweeping bow, "pero
DO tomamos dinero." eve don't take
Margaret continued to hold out
The coin, and the boys backed far
ther away. There was little ex-
preston of wonderment upon her
face.
I think, however. that of all the
things, tie things that
nave taken me most by surprise
n Mexico, none lag equaled the
sight which confronted us as we
,ame out on the Street of the High
Waves that morning of our first ex-
,ursion ashore. Margaret saw it
lrst, and stopped abruptly to stare
is If she were seeing ghost. Rog- {