Adventure Magazine, March 1916 — page 58: what you’re looking at

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

th dee “J amz.all right again,’ she said. can not tell—yet. What you say is too awful, too incredible. I must think. I shall have to rest and then decide.” She took a step toward him stumblingly. _He put out his hand to steady her, and she placed hers in his, unquestioningly, confi- dently, trustingly, like a child in the dark. He thrilled at the pressure of her fingers. A wild desire came over him to take her bodily in his arms and carry her, to sweep - her suddenly from her feet with his own strength and to demand that she rest there and let him bear the burdens for both. Some voice of primitive manhood seemed _to-cry out within him to take her and as- sert his mastery. She seemed to sense this as she glanced up at him again. It brought her back sud- -denly to her realities; whether it were shock or surprise or anger, it gave her.control once ‘more over herself, and -she -withdrew her hand from his, not quickly nor with any hint of irritation, but with a firmness that forbade-resistance. He flushed as he saw that his inner thoughts had revealed themselves to her. He felt like a brute that she should have found him lusting for possession of her at the very moment when he should have for- gotten self in his anxiety to relieve the strain amder which she was suffering. “T’m sorry,” he murmured, but she smiled almost brightly. : T felt weak for a moment. My ‘head has been aching all morning. I did not sleep last night.” . She drew a deep breath and squared ‘her shoulders once more. “Your suspicions of Uncle Stephen,” she said slowly, “may seem :to-you to be justi- fied, but Task you not to-allow them ‘to be- come too strong. I wish J could tell you some things—there are phases of this case that you do not understand—but, unfortu- nately, I can not. But please do not let last night’s regrettable occurrence prejudice you too strongly against Uncle Stephen. He is terribly upset and hardly responsible for what he does, but I assure you that he is honest.” Ward repressed the sneer ‘that he felt curling his lips. It seemed so palpably evi- dent to him that Stephen Blaydon was merely using Nellie for his own purposes, that he almost resented her defense of her uncle. -he urged. bring Greiner down here to Sea View so Adventure “Tt is not for me to be suspicious,” he said. ‘I feel that I have dropped out of the case entirely except as an enforced onlooker. ' I merely thought it best to suggest to you that your own interests may be jeopardized by too much faith in him. You are the one to decide whether Iam right or wrong, and how much importance to place upon my suggestions.” “Thank you,” she -said gratefully. “TI shall think them over seriously. Uncle Stephen has, as I have admitted, done many | things lately that have not seemed to me to be justified, but to suspect him of really carrying out such a crime, and against my father, is simply appalling. I can not be- lieve it possible.”’ “Let me suggest something else, then,” “Let me wire Phil Conway to that we can find out just what they have learned. Then-you can decide.” “No—no!” -she cried. ‘‘Please—if you are willing to do:nothing else for me—have Mr. Greiner drop the case entirely. It is the one thing that I ask of you above all else. Please tell :me that you will do it. b He shrugged 1 in hopeless resignation. “Very well,” he said. ‘Since you insist, and since it is, after all, none of my busi- ness, I will-wire Conway tonight.” “Thank you again.” ‘Her eyes showed the relief that his promise had given her. “And if, after thinking it over seriously, I feel that Uncle Stephen is not acting with perfect honesty, you will let me come ‘to you again for help, won’t you?” “Let you!” Ward’s:tone:made her flush, but it was not altogether with displeasure. “T should feel mighty bad if you went to any one else down here. -It is only in the hope that I can help you that Iam staying at all. This sort of thing isn’t-in my line and I don’t relish it particularly.” “Then: that is understood,”’ she said with a bright nod of her brown head. ‘You are to call Greiner off the case and stop sus- pecting Uncle Stephen; I am to think over what -you ‘have said and come to you if I need help. the yacht?” They had gone well up the shore beyond the camp, strolling aimlessly as they talked. Now, as they turned back, the girl bent her steps inland toward the shores of the cove where the trees were thicker and the Will you walk with me back to — (E@) | “comiebooks