Evening Star Newspaper, January 4, 1935, Page 32

NG STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 1935 By VICTOR BRIDGES CHAPTER XXXVL THE GOWLLANDS. F ADVANCED along the ‘ N ) roughly graveled track, till we arrived at the gate which led into the factory grounds, where Jerry pro- duced his keys. The lock opened with- out the smallest difficulty, and whis- tling to George, who had drifted off on a tour of inspection, he stepped through into the inclosure. “Good hunting!” was his parting observation, “and don't get too fresh with Mrs. Gowlland. From what I saw of her husband, I should think he was a nasty handful.” Left to myself, I continued my way along the outside of the fence, which extended in a complete circle all round the building. At the rear was another gate, also closed and locked. From this a neglected looking road trailed away inland, and following it for perhaps 150 yards, I arrived at the entrance to a narrow lane which branched off to the left in the di- rection of the farm There was a stile here, leading into the adjoining field, and seating myself on the top rail, I filled a pipe and mediated for a little while on the problem that confronted me. What would be the best way of dealing with Mrs. Gowlland, if I were lucky enough to catch her alone? It would be easy to open the conversa- tion by asking for some milk, but to switch from that subject to the private affairs of the late Mr. Osborne was a diplomatic feat, which seemed likely to invoive considerable difficul- ties. How was I to account for my knowl- edge of the dead man’s visit to Ham- bridge? No mention of this had been made during the trial, and since she must certainly be aware of that fact, her natural conclusion would be that I had derived my information either from Sir William Avon or through some private channel of my own. I should be forced to put forward one of these explanations, and the question was which of the two seemed the most promising. She had already been closely questioned by Avon's rep- resentative, who had apparently come away empty-handed, and any further catechism frdm the same quarter might only result in arousing her re- sentment. On the other hand, if I were to pose boldly as a friend and confidant of Osborne, I should be runing a big k. Quite conceivably her opinion of him might coincide with my own, and in that case, any small chance I had of winning her confidence would be irretrievably lost. It was a thorny question, and after brooding over it carefully, I came to the conclusion that I had better post- pone my choice until I discovered what sort of woman I had to deal with. She might prove a sour-natured old crone who would bang the door in my face or she might be a simple and garrulous soul quite ready for a go able as the other and the only thing to do when the moment arrived would be to adopt whatever tactics struck me as being the most suitable. Having reached this decision, I slid down from the stile and, relighting my | had gone out in the course ons, set off along the was really little more than a mere cart-track, leading. from all ap- | pearance, only to the farm. On both sideg a low hedge shut it off*from the neighboring fields. while the surface was so deeply rutted that :in wet weather traffic must have been almost | impossible - | I trudged along steadily ‘for about half a mile and then, turning & sharp corner, I found myself suddenly con- fronted by a wooden gate. Beyond this lay a large straggling farmyard, | flanked on either hand by thatched outbuildings. An old hen with a family of young chicks was scratching about busily | in the mud—her contented clucking | beirg the only sound that broke the silence. From somewhere close by came the faint pleasant smell of burning leaves. I advanced to the gate and, leaning over the top bar, took a leisurely surv of Mr. Gowiland's property. On’closer inspection I noticed that the whole place had a certain air of neglect. From several of the roofs | the thatch was hanging down in rag- ged patches, while the window of the big barn, which had apparently] been broken for some time, still waited disconsolately for a fresh pane of glass; it seemed to offer a silent but eloquent comment upon what I had already observed of the owner's habits and disposition. I was looking about and taking in these various details when I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. The next moment a woman appeared round the corner of one of the out- houses. She was walking slowly, with a heavy bucket in either hand, and on seeing me she came to a sud- den stop, Mrs. Gowlland, for it could scarce- | Iy be any one else, was so utterly un- like what I had expected that I was almost betrayed into an exclamation of astonishment. In the first place she was unques- tionably beautiful. Even the com- mon print gown that she was wear- ing failed to conceal the perfectly molded lines of her figure, while a great mass of black hair, twisted ASAL SPRAY into your nose. Bmarting and con- gestion are Quickly relieved and breathing through the nose seems many times sier. Brings comfort o helps many colds from NASAL SPRAY Handy size bottle with convemient dropper. <3 7 1::;(!101:1- vl! taken l into a rough knot at the back of her head, gave her something of the ap- pearance of a startled gypsy. But it was her face that chiefly fas- cinated me. Never in my life had I seen a face on which the marks of tragedy and unhappiness were so0 Sam deeply stamped. With its large, haunted eyes staring out from under their dark lashes it reminded me of a plcture of Framcesca by some un- known Italian which I had once come across in a Florence gallery. For a second or two I stood motion- less; then, collecting my wits, I pushed open the gate. “I hope I'm not trespassing,” I said. “I'm off the little yacht which came in this morning, and I wondered whether you could let me have some milk.” \ She put down her two pails and me slowly toward me. P “We don't sell it as a rule” she said, “but I could spare you & pint if that would be enough.” Her volce was low and deep, with & kind of faint huskiness that I found rather attractive. “A pint will be plenty,” I red her. She crossed over to an open door on the opposite side of the yard, and after & brief interval reappeared with the jug. I searched in my pocket and found some coins. “Thank you very much,” I said. “I suppose I'm right in thinking that I'm talking to Mrs. Gowlland?” She gave an almost imperceptible start. “Yes,” she said slowly. “I am Mrs. Gowlland. But how do you come to knéw my name?” For good or evil I decided to take the plunge. ‘““There’s no mystery about it,” I an- swered. “I am an old friend of some one you used to know—John Osborne.” ‘The effect upon her was extraordi- nary. A look of utter panic flashed into her dark eyes, and with a terri- fled movement she glanced round over her shoulder. “Don’t be frightened,” I continued, “it’s perfectly all right. I only want to have a little chat with you about him. u see—" “But'I don't know anything; I've nothing to tell you!” She put her hand on my arm and almost thrust me toward the gate. “You must go; you must go a at once. My hus- band doesn’t like strangers coming on to the farm. He would be very angry if he found me talking to you.” Her voice scarcely rose above & whisper, but there was an agony of entreaty in it that ho words can con- vey. For an instant, however, I still hesitated. “Very well,” I sald soothingly, “only if Mr. Gowlland is so unreasonable, | wouldn't it be possible for you to meet me somewhere else?” With a loud crash the door of the big barn was suddenly flung open, and the gentleman I was speaking about stumbled out into the yard. ‘To judge from his appearance he had evidently been enjoying a mid- day nap. Coatless, hatless, his grizzled hair all over the place, he stood blink- ing at me savagely out of his blood- shot eyes. Nick is rescued, tomorrow, from s very ticklish situation. TWO NEWSPAPERS SOLD Memphis Publisher Buys Joknson City Journals at Court Sale. JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. Januar; 4 (P).—James Hammond, jr., pub- lisher of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, has purchased two Johnson City newspapers, the Chronicle and Staft News, in a Federal Court re- ceivership sale. Hammond’s bid was $45,000, plus sssumption of $17,000 in liens and | $13,000 in delinquent taxes, le Twin Studio Divans! 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