Barbara On Her Own

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 123, 27 May 1929, Page 18

Barbara On Her Own

By EDGAR WALLACE

CHAPTER XXVll.—Continued. She hurried along, wondering whether this mysterious Mr. El bury might offer any help to her in her time of trouble, i He was a tall, broad-shouldered, goodlooking man, and if he was not an American lie had been in America long enough to have acquired American habits. >She was surprised to learn he was English-born, if American by nationality. "I've just arrived from Paris;" He shook hands with her heartily. "Too bad you've had all this trouble, Miss Storr," he said. He was uneasy about something, kept glancing nervously around. "I heard about this sale of yours, and wondered if you might be in some sort of difficulty." "I'm in a very great difficulty," she smiled ruefully. "I've played ducks and drakes with Mr. Maber's bank balance, and I'm overdrawn." He seemed relieved to hear this. "Is that all?" he said. And then, to her delight, he took out a cheque-book from his pocket. "How much do you want?" " T mmediately, three thousand. I may wan., ten. My bank manager advises ten."

'"And he's wise," said Mr. Elbury, and filled up a cheque for that amount under her astonished eyes. "Have you —have you heard front Mr. Maber ?" He nodded. "Yes, I've heard," he said, and something in his tone told her that he was [ anxious to avoid being questioned further. "When the heart's young," lie said oracularly, "men do queer things. You're sure this is enough." He seemed anxious to increase the amount. "Oh, it's quite enough, thank you, Mr. ■Elbury," she said gratefully. "And if you get into touch with Mr. Maber, will you tell him everything is going splendidly? Especially his money. I don't know what he'll think of me," she 6Aid with an uncomfortable little laugh. "He thinks the world of you, little girl," said Mr. Elbury solemnly. "He thinks you're just the cutest —well, he thinks a whole lot of you. As I waj saying, when the heart is young a man does things in the heat of the moment, or from a sense of honour, that he wouldn't have done if I'd been there." "You were net at the Empire?" "Oh, yes, I was." Mr. Elbury was full of surprises. "You mean, when they pinched him? Sure 1 was! I thought they'd let him go, and I didn't know he'd been arrested until I called at the Court to make certain and found he'd been sent down. As I said to your Secretary of State—how do you call him?— Home Secretary —it was a mistake that might naturally occur. It was Big Bill Langstead, an old friend of mine from Cincinnati, that did the biting. Bill was always partial to a rough house." "Then it wasn't Mr. Maber? I'm so glad!" she said.

"No, I guess it wasn't Mr. Maber," said Elbury carefully. "As I told the Secretary of State, that man did nothing but sit down and admire the view. He did get into a rough house eventually by trying to help Bill, and I guess that was* why the coppers took him." "Then lie's imprisoned innocently?" gasped Barbara. Mr. Elbury scratched his chin. "Yes, he was," he admitted, and again that uneasy glance of his towards the door. It Mas not Police Constable Albul.era Sturman who caused the apprehension so visible on his jolly face. At him he grinned. "I won't stay, Miss Storr," he said. "The only thing I'd like to tell you is this: That when the heart is young —" "You've told me that before," she smiled. • "I tiiiess T did," admitted the American unhappily. "But I want to tell you this: That Mr. Maber thoroughly ap- | proves of this sale. He thoroughly approves of your firing that dud partner. He's going to give you a big interest in the business, and he wants you to think twice .before you sell." A great load rolled from licr mind. "Docs he really?" she asked eagerly. "How lovely of him! Have you seen him in prison?" "As to this man Attcrman," said Mr. Elbury earnestly, "I want you to believe that he's no American. I shouldn't like anybody to think ill of America. His sister is American by marriage—" He paused here and looked at her anxiously, as thouprh he expected her to say something. When she refrained, he hurried on: "Atterman's just a slick little fellow that's made good by accident. Mr. Maber save that when he comes back, in about six months' time—" She gave a gasp of dismay. "In six months' time. He only got a month?" she said. ilr. Elbury nodded very gently.

CHAPTER XXVIIT. "That's true," he said, "lie got a.m ( onth. He's going home to America with me, and he wants me to say"—-this was the thing he'd been trying to say all along, and now he spoke with an obvious effort —"that you're—to-give-her-anything-in-reason!" Barbara looked at him open-eyed. "Give whom?" Mr. Elbury was embarrassed. "When the heart is young " lie began. "Yes, yes, I know all about that." She was not even amused. "But to whom am I to give anything she wants?" "The whole thing is very unfortunate —very unfortunate," said Marcus Elbury, twisting his hat round and round by the brim, like a schoolboy who had been caught in an unlawful act. "The information we had . was, after this terrible affair •" "Which terrible affair?" she persisted. He looked at her pathetically—and seemed to hesitate. "Mighty good of you, Miss Storr," he said slowly. "I appreciate it, and I'm sure Mr. Maber will appreciate it—l mean, your going 011 as though you didn't know anything about it. My address is the Hotel Majestic, Paris. I'm flying back by airplane this evening. My bank is the Gurantv, Paris branch, and I've given orders so that you can draw on me for any amount you want. Tippitty, New York, will always find me." Abruptly he reached out and gripped her hand. "We shall never forget you—either of us," he said, and before she realised it he was gone, leaving her more mystified than ever. Her first act was to call up the bank jvnd tell the manager that the cheque

•was on its way. Her next was to call Alan Stewart, and he was cold and .formal. I "Come round at once," she ordered, and the taxi did not go fast enough for Mr. Stewart. In a few words she told him, and as she unfolded the story of Mr. Maber's lapse from grace, she saw a queer look to his face. "In prison?" he whispered. "Unjustly," said Barbara. "Of course, I knew he hadn't bitten anybody. He had awfully tender teeth and could never eat anything unless it was boiled."

"But I thought—you were talking about a man " he blurted. '"I mean, somebody you were fond of — who used to kiss you, I mean under the mistletoe, when you were very small " He tried desperately to escape from the tangle into which lie had drifted. Barbara froze suddenly. "I see. You thought I was confessing the story of my horrid past. Thank you!" "Of course, I never believed for one moment " "Thank you," said Barbara crushingly. "I don't think we need discuss that matter any further. The only point is: What did Elbury mean by 'giving her all she wanted'? He can't refer to Mrs. Ilammett, because he doesn't know of her existence. And it can't possibly be Maudic, unless " She knit her brows in thought, going mentally over the features and demeanour of all the goddesses of the silks and lingerie. Mr. Maber was not that kind. She sighed. The whole thing was inexplicable. "The point I wanted to see you about Mr. Stewart was this terrible poster which Atterman's are going to put out." i - The two upper windows in Atterman's facia were open. Men were lowering long ropes, and soon the poster itself would appear on the ground level and be hoisted into position. But before that happened something occurred to make Mr. Atterman change his mind. She saw the ropes going up and windows closed. Evidently the threat of the libel had had its effect. In truth. Mr. Atterman was so far gone in rage, so exalted by his discovery, that neither threat of libel nor personal violence would have stopped him. The reason had been something quite different. One of his mommas—the real one—had called him up to ask him to come to dinner, and in his high spirits he had done what he very seldom did— he had talked business, and told her the story of his rival's humiliation. "You do dot, and I come and clomp your 'ead!" said his momma. "Do you want your sister Kachcl to go to gaol, you poor simp?" , ~ Mr. Atterman wont to Hampstcad to call upon his momma, with the horrible feeling that he was not quite right in his head. (To be Concluded.)