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-- -— Chapter 7 B hkl was conscious suddenly of an atmosphere of suspended animation in the Red Star as Coulter brushed past him and went into the blinding sunshine of the street. He stared after his receding figure for a moment then turned and ordered a beer. The bartender was fat jovial Luke Reems, a long-time resident of McCloud. He shot Jeff a wry smile. “Looks like you kinda lost that round, Irskine.” “Oh, I don’t know. I'd say it was closer to a draw.” Luke wiped the counter before Jeff and handed him a glass of foaming bréw; he leaned forward over the polished wood. “I’d like to see someone get the better of that no-good skunk,” he whis- pered, , ‘Is he still sunning things around here?” Jeff asked. “Yep. Got his thumb in darn near every pie. He hasn’t started monkeying with my trade yet, but I expect he will.” “He seems to have plenty of enemies,” Jeff mused, “Why don’t a people get together and run im out of town?” “Perhaps we was just waitin’ for a young hot-blooded bachelor like you to come along and do it for us,” Luke grinned. “What's got into you, Luke?” “Haven; you ever noticed, Irskine, that most of the fellers Coulter picks on are respectable business men with families to sup- port When you've got a wife and ids depening on you you can’t risk your neck like you might want to It' makes you think twice.” The disgust inside Jeff made the beer taste brackish. “What’s he doing? Trying gang- ster tactics?” “Somethin’ like that. He’s sur- rounded himself with three fel- lers as two-faced and quick- fingered and nasty as himself. Brasher, Dixon and Aaronson. They’d as soon plug you as not. And that’s not the worst of it,— Harry Johanson who owns that big truck farm down in the flat- lands bought himself a truck and started crating and carting his own produce in to the depot here. One day he got an anonymous letter sayin’ he’d better use the services of the Coulter Transpor- tation Company or his daughter, Lois, might disappear some day when she was ridin’ in to school by herself. A family man_ can’t buck that sort of thing Irskine.” Jeff swore under his breath. “But if you all got together .. .” “He’s got too many spies like Ira Benson toadying to him. If he found out we was gangin’ up on him there’s no tellin’ what he’d do. The women put the pressure on us, Irskine, they’d rather shell out than have somethin’ happen to one of their kids, and you can’t blame them.” UKE looked toward the door; ~ he gave the bar a swipe with his rag then grimaced at Jeff. “Here comes Brasher now,” he muttered and turned away then called back, “The beer is on the house—we're mighty glad you’re back.” Brasher’s small darting: eyes went to Jeff, examined him and slid off him. Jeff knew that Coul- ter must have seen him outside and sent him in to look Jeff over. He was a tall heavy-set man with wirey red hair and a red mous- tache, his skin almost a weath- ered mahogany from years of out- door living. As he picked up his glass of beer Jeff noted that the third finger of his left hand was] } missing. Leaving the Red Star, Jeff walked slowly up the street to the small neat town hall. In the office where records were kept he asked for the book of real estate trans- actions made in the county during 1935. Leafing through the pages he came to the month of Novem- ber. A sheet of paper caught his eye, it was different from the others, cleaner and the ink a clear fresh blue instead of the time- darkened writing of ten years ago. The writing was carefully spaced to spread it out and fill up the page but there was still a blank. He looked beyond that page PUBLIC SCHOOL _ ACTIVITIES Perfect Attendance Record ©: At Poinciana School Perfect attendance record of pupils at the Poinciana -Elemen- J TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS (Know America) 1946-'47 school year, as released |__ GV. Thomas E. Dewey of New Lo Sviaciae? Alt : | York, born at Owasso, Mich., 45; py rincipal Albert fol- l years ago. | Prof. Dorothy C. Stratton of Samuel McCraw, Charles Rob-} Purdue Univ., psychologist, dean inson, Connie Baker, Wade Shep-|0f women, wartime Spars head, , | | ried of the second semester of the | tary School for the six-week pe- | Carey, lows:, pard, Sandra Haffield, Anne | PO! n in Brookfield, Mo., 48 yea B ago. Buekman, Daniel Woody, Brian|°~_, : a. pa Kun CG A ; | Karl Arnstein of Akron, Ohio, ; b4 4] ~ < y re + 7 ' , . Attilio. - Will; alg Anthony | noted plane builder and designer, ee ay Williams, Mary Ann} porn in Czechoslovakia, 60 years ! mith. > " a ; ago. Judith Solomon, Lewis Bishop, | spies ee Fred Henning, Earle Wafford, | Maj. Gen. Lauris Norstad, army! Randy Warren, Betty Jean Ben- eee me ee born in ; . -aAPOlls, rears ago. ' nett, Jeanne Haffield, Gloria |iDneaPo® aor oe | Spencer, Bobbie Brasher, Carciyn| Frank W. Benson of Salem, | Crowell, Marie Sykes, Margaret|Mass., noted artist, born there, 85 | Spencer, Mary Wafford, Eugene} Years ago. Barry, Frank Batts, Richard Bak-| William H. Gardiner of New er, Mike (Michael) McCraw, Hen-|York, publicist, born in Boston, ry Rogers. |72 years ago. Harold Woods, James Cameron,|} (Christian von Schneidau of Los | Sammy Lee, Keith Ray, Law- | Angeles, noted artist, born in, rence Russell, Isabella Bartolone, | Sweden, 54 years -ago. | —+———+-- > ~ Joyce Breeding, Cardlyn Spoon, Christine ‘Trowbridge, ’ Sandra Warren, Nancy Weinrub, Made-| line Willcox, Paula Williams, | James McCraw. | David Murray, Carroll Powell, | Jack Powell, Robert Sanford, | Billy Wolfcale, Patricia Murphy Doris Watson, Mary Margaret Cameron, Betty Fargason, Con- | nie Robertson, Betty Sue Smith, | Shirley Wolfcale. Richard Baughman, Donald} Breeding, Donald Brachtl, Har- old Miller, Larry O'Neal, Herman |! Roberts and Samuel Roberts, MIAMI and Between Miami Sugar Dealers To Face Charges | { (No Stops (Spectal to The Citizen) | ATLANTA, March 24.—Twen- | ty-three Florida merchants, al- | rives at Miami at night. leged violators of government ra- | LEAVES MIAMI DAILY (EXCEPT tioning regulations, have been! SUNDAYS) at 12:00 o’clock Mid- cited to show cause why they | night and arrives at Key West at should noi be barred from deal- | ing in sugar, Harold C. Cox, chief | hearing commissioner, office of | temporary controls, said today in } Atlanta. ' Suspension hearings will bel held in Miami in room 236, Post | Office building, on March 26 and 27, beginning each day at 10 a.m., Cox stated. Fourteen sugar deal- | ers have been notified to appear | at the Miami inquiries, he added. } Cases of nine dealers are sched- uled to be heard at Tampa, in room 309, Post Office building, ; beginning at 10 a. m., on March | 28, the OTC executive announc- ed. | Local Schedule: clock P.M. LEAVES MIAMI FULL CARGO Office: 813 Caroline Street EE ~ Overseas: Transportation Company, Ine. Fast, Dependable Freight and Express Service Between Also Serving ALL POINTS on Florida Keys Express Schedule: LEAVES KEY WEST DAILY (EX- CEPT SUNDAYS) at 6:00 P. M. Ar 6:00 o’clock A. M. (Stops At All Intermediate Points) LEAVES KEY WEST DAILY (EX- CEPT SUNDAYS) at 8:00 o'clock A. M. and arrives at Miami at 4:00 o’- SUNDAYS) at 9:00 o’clock A.M. and arrives at Key West at 5:00 o'clock P. FREE PICK-UP and DELIVERY SERVICE WAREHOUSE: Corner Eaton and F rancis Streets then came back. It was obvious now that the page containing the details of his father’s land purs chase had been removed and a fresh one inserted omitting thé transaction. He stiffened, stunned and infuriated to his core. Yet he was puzzled too. What was Coul- ter after? ae he wouldn’t go to all this trouble just to legalize his renting of Irskine’s house to the Hardys! What else was be- hind it? He stared at the clerk and wags going to ask if he had written the new page until he saw that the man wore the same hunted fur- © tive expression that seemed to ate tach itself to the faces of all of Coulter’s underlings. He’d get nothing out of him and would only give himself away. Bitterness welled up in Jeff. ... Squaring his shoulders he stepped out into the sunlight and ‘strode toward the rail where he’d left the palomino. Across the street a car caught his eye,—the Gentry station wagon, parked be- fore Coulter’s office. Monica Gen- try was at the wheel. She waved to him and he lifted his hat, but his eyes went beyond her cu- riously. A man was beside her, a dark youngish man in a tweed coat and a Stetson. He was in earnest con- versation with Coulter who leaned on the side of the car. When Mon- ica waved, he turned from Coul- ter and said something quickly. Jeff saw Monica’s eyebrows go up, her lips frame some sarcastic rejoinder; then she laughed’ ahd e guessed she was giving the two an exaggerated account of the tire-changing episode. Neither of the men looked amused and he supposed she was rubbing it in about his politeness in helping her, Woman-like she was prob- ably magnifying the whole inci- dent. As he continued on he felt their eyes following him down the street. Their interest puzzled him, Could there be some connection between the Gentrys and Coul- ter? Some tie-up that would bring them into his own affairs? Or were recent discoveries making his imagination play him tricks? He cursed himself out mentally, (Te be continued) ey Junior Hostesses To Rehearse Plav The NCCS . Junior Hostesses will meet at the Jackson Square USO on Tuesday o'clock, for’ :their) ‘first rehearsal of a one;-act«play, under the di- rection,of USO.Director Prahk G. “Adamé. ' The cast, and stage and prep: erties helpers, wiil include the Misses Elavne Albury, Hilda Castillo, Elissa Moreno, Betty Johnson,’ Ondina © Pita, Sylvia Sancheg, :Mariaé’ Hyde, Shirley Lieder and Louise Dedge. KEY WEST and Key West En Route) 12:00 o’clock Mid- DAILY (EXCEPT INSURANCE Phones: 92 and 68 evening at 8, j ~ * he : %