Pjkuwdiy, December 12, 1940
r^M^mjßHM
CHAPTER EC
Synopsis
Audrey Swan, nicknamed
"Cygie," Is the only daughter
of a highly respected horse
trainer whose farm adjoints the
estate of Judge Castle. The
Judge's only son, Jeffrey, has
been Audrey's friend since
childhood. Jeff marries Olive
Cooper and they leave for a
long honeymoon. While Jeff is
away Vic Quinn, his friepd in
lovq. with Audrey, substitutes
for him in the Judge's office.
The Judge, unknown to his son,
buys a beautiful home for them
near his own, in Parvllle. He
has always wished to make
Jeffrey a partner. But when
Jeff returns, he tells him that
Olive and he will live in tHe
city and that her father will
employ him there. The Judge
is bitterly explaining to Vic,
that Jeffrey will not be coming
back.
"You thought he'd be return
ing. It did not seem too much to
expect. It apears that it was
quite too much, however." There
was deep bitterness in the older
man's voice.
"I'm sorry," Victor offered
simply.
"As you can well appreciate,
Quinn, this situation is most un
fortunate for me, aside from the
personal and family standpoint. I
can no longer count upon Jeff
rey. And Miss Dodds will never
be able to return to her duties."
Victor made no response. He
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could guess what was coming.
"I will be perfectly frank with
you, Quinn," the Judge contin
ued. "I am aware that Jeffrey
has urged you to stay on perma
nently with me. I am seconding
that request on my own behalf."
"That is exceedingly kind of
you, Judge Castle, but I . . . "
"I know, I know. You are un
der the impression that your le
gal career will be modified by
what Parville has to offer. I can
appreciate that, but I believe that
I can assure you that you are
wrong. How old are you?"
"Twenty-eight."
"And well matured. You have
been of very great service to me
during your stay. I have learned
to my satisfaction that I can de
pend upon you. There is and will
be plenty of practice here for a
young man, and my experience,
such as it is, will be at your ser
vice. I need you. What do you
say, sir?"
"That I appreciate it very
highly."
"I am offering you a partner
ship, Quinn. A full partnership
here. That is what I promised
Jeffrey. It does not interest
him."
"That's a bit overwhelming,"
Victor managed. "I don't think
that I need tell you I never an
ticipated ..."
"No, no!" the Judge interrupt
ed hastily. "If you can see your
way clear to accept my offer you
will be going a long way toward
making up to me what I have
lost."
■ "Yes, sir." Victor sensed the
conference was concluded and
went back to his desk in the outer
office. He sat for a long time
making aimless marks on a pad,
his brows contracted, and his
strong lower jaw set grimly. At
length he tossed aside his pencil
and reached for the telephone.
There was no relaxation in his
face when his requested number
answered. "Hello,, Audrey. This
is Vic."
"I guessed it. How are you?"
"All right. May I see you if I
drive out after lunch . . . two,
perhaps?"
"Yes. I'll be here."
"Thanks." And he hung up.
Audrey was sitting alone on the
side porch when Victor alighted
from his car. She closed her
book and greeted him with a
bright smile as he tapped on the
door and then let himself in.
"Alone, are you? I won't take
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undue advantage, but I do want
a conference Just with you."
"It's a rare opportunity," she
laughed. "Mom and Dad are off l
on a jaunt in the country."
"Pine. Hang it all, Audrey," he
burst out, after a moment's con
templative smoking, "I wonder if
you realize that almost every time
I've talked with you it's had
something to do with Jeff? It
isn't fair to me, but that's the
way it always turns out. I may
as well own up that he's in it
again."
"Y o u surely expected hi m
back."
"Of course I did. Wljen I came
down here, I swear it was only to
help him out. You know I'm five
years older than Jeff.''-
"I didn't."
"Well, I am. Old enough to
have more discretion about some
things, perhaps. I was about to
add that I more or less asked
your permission to come to Par
ville. The thing I'm trying to
solve is whether I should stay on.
You have something to do with
that, too."
"But I haven't the remotest
idea what you mean, Vic." She
was plainly puzzled.
"No, you wouldn't. I had quite
a session with the Judge at the
office this morning. He tried to
exact a promise frpm me that I
would stay here with him indef
initely."
"Oh. Then he wants you and
Jeff to ... "
"No. Not Jeff."
"I see. Jeff doesn't want to
come back here any more."
"It's . . . it's a little worse than
that, Audrey. He can't come
back. His father has . . . well,
he's sacked Jeff."
Audrey caught her breath at
Victor's blunt announcement. She
knew what that expression meant,
but it was difficult to compre
hend. Judge Castle didn't want
Jeff to come home any more.
There was something unreal
about it—almost melodramatic.
"I didn't know that." A stupid
thing to say under the circum
stances.
"I shouldn't be thinking of my
self," Victor admitted gloomily.
"It's a sad thing for all of them.
At the same time it puts me in
rather an embarrassing position.
Audrey," he auded gently, "I
have made a hash of it. I see
j that now. I guess I let my heart
j get the better of my head."
Audrey managed a faint smile.
! "I'm fond of you. You must know
! that. But that's a long way from
"I know," he interrupted. "I'm
going to stay here, be near you."
A very little later, Victor rose
to his feet with the anouncement
that it wouldn't look well for him
to be taking the whole afternoon
off just because his boss was out
of town. Audrey smiled her
agreement. Their friendship sud
denly had renewed its old-time
basis and both of them were re
lieved from the constraint that
had seemed to shadow their re
cent meetings.
"Besides," Victor announced
cheerfully, "there's a rival in the
offing." He nodded in the direc
tion of the drive where a small
touring car of ancient vintage was
rolling up.
Vic smiled at the elderly town
constable climbing from the car.
Audrey went to the door and
opened it as the newcomer was
about to rap. "How do you do,
Mr. Ringer! Won't you come in?"
"Just a minute," the officer re
marked uneasily, his face clearing
perceptibly when he saw the
young lawyer. "How're you, Mr.
Quinn?" Without waiting for a
reply, he clutched off his cap and
address himself hesitatingly to
Audrey. "I . . . I'm sorry. But I
got some bad news for you, Miss
Swan. It . . . it's about your
father."
Audrey's face went white. Vic
tor instinctively moved close to
her side. "What is it?" she ask
ed. "Has he been hurt? Is my
mother all right?"
"Yes, she's all right. It was like
this, near as I had time tp
gather. They were drivin' into
town, crossin' the new creek
bridge. There was some children
playin' on the ice. A little girl,
they tell me, fell in an' your
father jumped from his car an'
ran down. He got the little kid,
out, but the ice wouldn't hold
him. Some other folks helped
him out an* hurried him to the!
hospital. He didn't get drowned
or anythin', but the shock of the!
cold water seemed to knock him I
out, like. They said it might be'
serious, so I told your mother I'd j
run out an' fetch you."
"Get your coat. I'll take you to '
your mother," Vic ordered quiet
ly. "Or shall I send Julia for it?"
"No, I'll get it." Audrey left
the porch with Victor frowning
anxiously as he noted the almost
mechanical manner of her walk
ing. He turned to Ringer with
an unasked question in his eyes.
The little officer put a warning
finger to his lips, nodded mean
ingly. I
"What's the matter? What's
happened?" It was Julia hurry- ■
ing in, wiping her hands on her
apron. She looked from one man
to the other. *j
"It's Mr. Swan," Victor said
quietly. "Please control yourself.
Miss Audrey will be here in a mo
ment. She doesn't know."
"Oh, the poor lamb! You're
meanin' Mr. Anthony is gone?" i
"Hush! She's coming." I
Julia pulled herself together,.
even hurried to open the door for
Audrey, bent over and buttoned
the lower fastenings of the girl's
coat. "If yoo want me for any
thin', darlin', 111 be right close to
the phone."
"Let's go, please, Vic." She was
dry-eyed still, speaking calmly.
Victor caught up his own coat
from the chair. He opened the
door and let Audrey precede him
outside.
The ride was made In silence
until the hospital's main building
was in sight. Then Audrey spoke
suddenly. "I know that Dad is
. . . gone, Vic. I'm not going to
break. Really, I'm not. It was
the way he would have liked to
go, I think."
Olive Castle had finished dress
ing for dinner and was giving
sundry pats and touches to her
perfectly arranged hair when the
telephone on the bed stand
sounded a gentle signal.
"Get it, will you, darling?" she
murmured to Jeffrey who had
come in a moment before from
his adjoining suite. He strolled
over and rather clumsily disposed
of a French doll whose billowy
silken skirts screened the instru
ment from view.
"Seems it's for me," he an
nounced after an interval. "Long
distance." After that it seemed
that the party on the other end
of the line was doing all the talk
ing, Jeffrey fum'shing an occa
sional monosyllable. Finally he
said, "Thanks a lot for calling,"
and hung up.
Olive's delicate eyebrows drew
down in a puzzled frown as she
watched Jeffrey's reflection in
the mirror. He was still holding
the instrument in his hand, star
ing moodily into the distance.
"Jeff! What in the world!" She
turned to face him, wondering the
more at the start he gave.
"Oh! That was Vic. Calling
from Parville." He put the tele
phone back in its place. He had
almost said "from home."
"You look as if he was telling
you some bad news."
"He was. Very bad."
"Darling! There's nothing
wrong at your home, is there?"
"No. He called to say that
Tony Swan was killed this after
noon. Not killed exactly , . .
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jumped in a creek to rescue a
child, and the shock did him In.
Seems he had a bad heart."
"You're talking about Audrey's
father, of course. Hiat is too
bad. I'm sorry for her. Did Vic
tor call you just to tell you that?"
"Certainly. He knows that Tony
and I have been good friends
ever since I was a kid. The fun
eral is Thursday morning."
"And?"
"I'm going, of course." •
"It would have been a nice lit
tle mark of respect. But we can
send flowers. You know you're
going to the matinee that after
noon. You couldn't possibly be
back in time. It's quite too bad."
"Too bad for the matinee,"
Jeffrey returned thoughtfully.
''l'm leaving for Parville tomor
row evening. I wish that you'd
go with me."
"Me go! Why? That man
means nothing to me . . . except
that he did ruin a perfectly good
pair of boots that I was wearing
for the first time."
Jeffrey looked at her with a
steady stare. There was some
thing in his brown eyes she had
never seen before. For some rea
son It disturbed her more than
she wanted to reveal. "I shall al
ways wish you hadn't said that,"
he remarked slowly.
"Oh, don't be stupid, Jeffrey!"
"I'd appreciate it if you'd go."
Olive's temper, usually under
supreme control, flared. "I cer
tainly have no intention of go
ing! I hope that is clear ... as
clear as the reason that is taking
you. Your wife's feelings deserve
no consideration when something
concerns that childhood sweet
heart of yours."
(Continued Next Week)
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