Shifting SAN DS Copyright by The Penn Pub. Co. WNU Service SYNOPSIS The future of the still youthful and comely “Widder” Marcia Howe, recently released by death from her idling hus- band, is a conversational tit-bit among nousewives of the little hamlet of Wilton. Eligible bachelors and widow- ers also are interested. Marcia is lonely, and has Invited her late husband's niece, Sylvia Hayden, whom she has never seén, to visit her. A stranger, on the verge of exhaustion, finds his way to Marcia's home. Secretly, he asks Marcia to hide a package contaln- ing jewelry. She does so. Elisha Wins- low, town sheriff, brings news of a Jewel robbery nearby. The stranger gives his name as Stanley Heath, Syl- via, by chance, discovers the jewels, and naturally believes Heath is a rob- ber. She realizes that Marcia must have hidden them, and decides to say noth- ing, putting the gems back in their hiding place. Marcia admits to herself that she has altogether too deep an interest in her guest, but is powerless to overcome it. Heath has wired “Mrs. 8. C. Heath,” New York, saying he is safe. He also orders a man named Currier to come at once. Sylvia, in her room, bedecks herself with the jewels. At M®rcia’s approach she hides them there. CHAPTER V-—Continued nn wn Therefore, a very different Marcia Howe responded to Stanley Heath's summons, She was now all gentleness, friend- liness, and shyly penitent, Stanley, again master of himself, welcomed her with amazement. Could man ever fathom a woman's moods, asked himself? Why this chastenel and distractingly adorable Marcia? Well, If he could not fathom her, he at least was grateful for her under standing. Nevertheless he did mentally observe he had not dreamed her to be so many- sided or credited her with a tithe the fascinations he had so unexpectedly discovered her to possess, “Here I am, Mr. Heath. What can 1 do for you?" was her greeting. This time she did not hesitate, but went directly to the chair beside his bed and sat down. He smiled and, meeting his eyes, she smiled back. This was better. Heath sighed a sigh of relief. “I've been thinking, since you went down stairs, about Currier. He ought to arrive late tonight or early tomor- row morning. He will start the mo ment he gets my wire, Although he will not know in which house I am quartered, he will have the wit to inquire, for he has more than the ordi- nary quota of brains. 1 don't know what I should do without him. I shall have him leave the car in the village and after he has delivered over the clothing he ig to bring, he can take the noon train back to New York, car- rying the jewels with him.” “1 see,” nodded Marcia. She did not see. Nevertheless she heartily welcomed the Intelligence that the jewels with their damning evi- dence, If evidence it was, were to be removed from the house. The sooner they were out of the way the better, If they were not damning evidence they at least were a great responsi bility. Suppose something were to happen to them? Suppose somebody suspected they were in the house? “80,” continued Stanley Heath, *I think sometime today when you have a good opportunity you'd better get the case and bring it up here. 1 shall then have it here in my room and I ean hand It over to Currier without any trouble.” * “I'll go fetch it now. Sylvia has gone to the village and this is a splen- did chance,” cried Marcia, “Fine!” “I'll be right back.” He heard her speed down the stairs and listened to her step in the room below. Then there was silence, A few moments later she came rac- ing back, white and breathless, “They're gone!” she cried. “The place 1s empty! The jewels are not there I" Her terror and the fear lest her pallor foreshadowed collapse produced in Heath that artificial calm one some times sees when a strong nature reins fteelf In and calls upon its reserve control. The man thought only of how to quiet her. Reaching out, he touched her hair. “Hush, Marcia. The jewels will be found. Don’t give way like this, | cannot bear to see you. The whole lot of them are not worth your tears.” “But you left them In my care. It was I who suggested where to hide them,” she moaned. “I know, And it was =» splendid fdea, too. I could not let that sheriff of yours peel off my clothes and find the diamonds on me. He iso’t a man of sufficient imagination-—or perhaps he is one of far too much. I am not blaming you--not in the least. We did the best we could In the emergency. If things have gone wrong, it is no Joule of yours.” he “But you trusted me. 1 ought to have watched, 1 should not have left the kitchen day or night,” declared Mar. cia, lifting her tear-stalned face to his, “You have been there most of the time, haven't you?" “I went to see them get the boat off yesterday.” “Still, some one was here, was in the house.” “Yes, but she knew nothing about the jewels and therefore may rot have realized the importance of staying on deck. All I asked her to do was to remain within call. She may have gone upstairs, or into another room.” “When she comes back, you can ask her. Now we must pull ourselves to- gether, dear,” went on Stanley gently. “It Is important that we do not give ourselves away. Sylvia may know nothing and if she does not, we must not let her suspect.” She rose but he still held her hand, a common misery routing every thought of conventionality. The firmness and magnetism of his touch brought strength. It was a new experience, for during her life with Jason, Marcia had been the oak-—the one who consoled, sustained. For a few delicious moments, she let herself rest, weary and wunpresisting, within the shelter of Stanley Heath's grasp. Then she drew away and, passing her hand across her forehead as If awak- ing from a dream, murmured: “I'd better go down. Sylvia will be coming.” “Yery well ip." “I will—I'll do my best.” Even as she spoke the outer door opened, then closed with a bang. “There's Sylvia now. I must go.” The girl came in, aglow from her walk, “I'm awfully sorry 1 banged the door,” she apologized. "A gust of wind took it. I do hope I didn't wake up Mr. Heath, Here's the marketing. And Marcia, what do you suppose? I had Sylvia Now keep a stiff upper “Mush, Marcia. The Jewels Will Be Found" a letter from Hortie Fuller—that fel low back home that [I've told yon about. He's sent me a five-pound box of candy and he wants to come to Wilton and spend his summer vaca tion.” The girl's eyes were shining and she breathed quickly. “Of course I don’t care a button for Hortle. Still, it would be rather good fun to see him. It seems ages since I've laid eyes on him. You know how it is—you get used to a person who Is always onder foot. You have to think about him If only to avoid stepping on him. And after all, Hortle isn't so bad. Thinking him over from a dis tance, he really is rather nice, Come and sample the candy. It's wonderful, He must have blown himself and sent to Chicago for It, poor dear! I'll let you see the letter, all except the part which is too. frightfully silly, You wouldn't care about that. I don't my- self.” Sylvia shrugged her shoulders, Alas, this was no moment to talk with her, and artfully draw from her the happenings of the previous day. Inwardly distraught but outwardly calm, Marcia took the letter and tried valiantly to focus her attention upon it, To her surprise, it was a manly, In telligent letter, filled with town gos sip, to be sure, yet written in delight fully interesting fashion. “Your Mr. Fuller sounds charming,” she sald as she gave it back. “Oh, Hortie is all right—Iin some ways.” Patronizingly slipping the let- ter into her pocket, Sylvia shifted the subject, Nevertheless, a betraying flush colored her cheeks, “Now we must start dinner, mustn't we? Don't you want to ask Mr. Heath which way he prefers his eggs-—poached or boiled? And Marcia, while you're there, do put a pair of fresh pillow-slips on his pil lows. The ones he has are frightfully tumbled. 1 meant to do it this morn. ing.” As the door closed behind the elder woman, artful young Sylvia smiled, “There! That will keep her busy for a few moments at least. I know those pillowcases. They fit like a snake's skin and are terribly hard to get off and on” She crept Into the hall and listened. Yes, Marcin and Stanley Heath were talking. She could hear her aunt's gentle insistence and the man's pro. tests, That was all she wished to know, The pillow-cases were in proce ess of being taken off, Up the otuiry few Sylvia, in its loose wrappings, “If I can only scramble It in there before she comes,” whispered she, “1 shall draw the first long hreath I've taken since last night” An anxious Interval elapsed before the brick was pried out and the case slipped beneath it. Nevertheless the feat was accomplished, and trium- phant, relieved, happy Sylvia set about preparing dinner, What a long while Marcia was stay- ing upstairs! Why, one could change a dozen pillow-slips In this time, “1 guess they are tighter than I re- membered them. I needn't have rushed as 1 did,” pouted Sylvia, “What can she be doing?” When at last Marcia returned, some- thing evidently was wrong. “What's the matter?" demanded Syl- via, “Is Mr. Heath worse?” “Worse? No indeed. What made you think so?" “You look fussed.” “Do I? You'd be fussed had you wrestled with those pillow-slips as 1 have,” was the reply. “Either the pil- lows have swelled or the cases have shrunk frightfully, Well, they are on now, anyway.” “Come and get dinner then. I'm starved. My walk has made me hun- gry as a bear. You must go out this afternoon, Marcia, It is a glorious day and you need to be pepped up.” To her surprise, Marcia demurred. “Thank you, dear, but 1 think I won't go out today. I'd rather sit here and read.” “Nonsense, Marcia! You're getting middle-aged and lazy. You'll lose your nice slim, hipless figure if you don't watch out,” *I'm too tired to go out” “The alr would rest you™ “Not today, dear,” Marcia sald with finality, “1 have some mending to do and lots of other little things that 1 have been saving up for a long time Since 1 prefer to stay, why don’t you tramp up the shore and see ‘My Un- known Lady’? She is beautiful and you haven't seen her yet.” “I'd love to—if | cannot coax you to g0 out” adamant on not room.” “You can't. I'm stirring out of this “Well, If your mind Is made up to that extent, 1 suppose there Is no use in my trying to change it. 1 would like to see the boat™ “I'm sure you would. Stay as long as you like. There will be nothing to do here. Mr. Heath will probably sleep and in the meantime I shall get my sewing done.” As Marcia spoke mind was busy. So Sylvia had not kitchen on the The theft of the have taken place the words, her stirred from the afternoon ! Jewels must, then, during the night. previous Nevertheless, she puzaled, for she had no memory finding any- thing awry when she came down at sunrise to lay the fire, was of and No wonder she to ponder the conun- however, not the desired to be When had the gems been taken, who had taken them? craved soli drum! This, paramount alone, tude was reason she Despite the enigma of the jewels; despite the mystery surrounding Stan- ley Heath, deep in her heart some thing that would not be stilled was singiong—singing | CHAPTER VI In the meantime, the throng of neigh- bors Sylvia had precipitately left In the village post office had received their mall and reached that antici pated interval for gossip which never falled to be stimulating. the standbys Zedas Henry was speaking : “A mighty fine little girl—that Syl via,” commented he, “A high stepper! We'd oughter tie her down to Wilton so'st she won't go back west, too pretty to be spared from the Cape” “1 figger you'd have trouble keepin’ her here,” rejoined the postmaster, “She's got a bean In her home town. Had a letter an’ a box of candy from him today. Same writin’ an’ same postmark on both of ‘em, I noticed.” “Didn't by any chance see the name, did you, Silas?” Eleazer Crocker In- quired, “Wal, come to think of It it dla catch my eye. You know how such things will. Fuller, he's called. Hora tio Fuller.” “Horatio Fuller, peated, “Kinder high soundin’. Wonder who he is? From Alton City, you say.” Silas nodded. “That was the address.” “Never heard of the place” Benjamin Todd put in, his chin. all the blasted places in the country were, what use would they have for maps? "Twould put the map-makin’ folks clean out of business. Say, Eph- raim,” inspired by a bright idea, “you're the mall carrier. You'd oughter be primed on the location of places. Where's Alton City?” “Alton City? Hanged If I know, To hear you talk, anybody'd thipk ‘twas my job to tote round the country de liverin' letters in person at the doors of every house In the United States” “But yon must have some notion ‘bout geography. Aln't you got no pock- ot atlas nor nothin?” “I may have a small map some wheres; 1 carry most everything” Ephraim grinned. With deliberation, he began to disgorge upon the counter the contents of his many pockets (TO BE CONTINUED) La Jolla | Calif, of “yellow water, Bay, " Collecting Net, tories, Individuals had a ter. They had four 27 to August 7. fore breakfast, Lriego, #oeross the mere study of books. FEWER ENGINEERS Enrollment In engineering and architectural courses in colleges of the United States during the past five years has dropped 35 per cent. guys the Inbora of only sluggish, for the them, . writes: flagella. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers