The Chinese Parrot (Charlie Chan Detective Series) — page 289: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

———_— . = om "Wilbur will always be fine, I'm sure." They stopped before the hotel. "Good night," said the girl. "Just a minute. If there hadn't been a Wilbur—" "But there was. Don't commit yourself. I'm afraid it's the moon, looking so much like a slice of melon—" "It's not the moon. It's you." The proprietor of the Desert Edge came to the door. Dim lights burned in the interior of the hotel. "Lord, Miss Wendell,” he said. "I nearly locked you out." "I'm coming," returned the girl. "See you at the ranch tomorrow, Mr. Eden." "Fine," answered Eden. He nodded to the landlord, and the front door of the hotel banged shut in his face. As he drove out across the lonely desert, he began to wonder what he was going to say to the restless P.J. Madden when he reached the ranch. The millionaire would be home from Pasadena now; he had expected to meet Draycott there. And Draycott was in San Francisco, little dreaming of the part his name was playing in the drama of the Phillimore pearls. P.J. would be furious, he would demand an explanation. But nothing like that happened. The ranch house was in darkness and only Ah Kim was in evidence about the place. 289 comiicboeoe S CO