THE LARGE BLONDE AGAIN
The trail was not a difficult one to follow.The night was particularly black, with low-hanging clouds which seemed to hold a threat of rain, and the wind sighed dolefully through the scrub pines.Against this dim murkiness the figure of the woman in white stood out ghostily.
"Poor Minnie Webb!" mused Colonel Ashley, as he hurried on after her."She must be desperate now - after what she heard.I wonder - "He did not put his wonder into words then, but his suspicion was confirmed as he saw her head for the bridge that spanned a creek, not far from where the ferry ran over to Loch Harbor.
At certain times this creek was not deep enough to afford passage for small rowboats, but when the tide was in there was draught enough for motor launches.
"And the tide is in now," mused the colonel, as he remembered passing among the sand dunes late that afternoon, and noting the state of the sea."Too bad, poor little woman!" he added gently, as he followed her."Not so fast! Not so fast! There is no need of rushing to destruction.It comes soon enough without our going out to meet it.Poor girl!"He went on through the darkness, following, following, following distracted Minnie, who, with the fateful words still ringing in her ears, hardly knew whither she hurried.
Colonel Ashley, in spite of the desperate manner in which the chase had begun, felt that he was safe from observation.He had on dark clothes, which did not contrast so strongly with the night as did the light and filmy dress of Minnie Webb.Besides, she was too distracted to notice that she was being followed.
"She is going to the bridge, and the tide is in," mused the detective."I didn't think she had that much spunk - for it does take spunk to attempt anything like this in the dark.However, I'll try to get there as soon as she does."The fleeing girl in white passed over an open moor, fleeced here andthere with scanty bushes, which gave the detective all the cover he needed.But the girl did not look back, and the night was dark.The clouds were thicker too, and the very air seemed so full of rain that an incautious movement would bring it spattering about one's head, as a shake of a tree, after a shower, precipitates the drops.
And then there suddenly loomed, like grotesque shadows on the night, two other figures at the very end of the bridge that Minnie Webb sought to cross.They seemed to bar her way, and yet they were as much startled as she, for they drew back on her approach.
And Colonel Ashley, stealing his way up unseen, heard from Minnie Webb the startled ejaculation:
"LeGrand!You here?And who - who is this?"Then, as if in defiance, or perhaps to see who the challenger was, the figure standing beside that of LeGrand Blossom flashed a little pocket electric torch.And by the gleam of it Colonel Ashley saw the large blonde woman again.
"Morocco Kate!" he murmured."So she is mixed up in it after all! I think I begin to see daylight in spite of the darkness.Morocco Kate!"Then, crouching down behind some bushes, he waited and listened and thought swiftly.
"Speak to me!" implored Minnie of the young man."What does it mean, LeGrand? Why are you here with - with - ""He knows my name well enough, if he wants to tell it," broke in the other."I'm not ashamed of it, either.But who are you, I'd like to know? I never saw you before!" and the blonde woman flashed her light full on Minnie's white face.
And as the girl shrank back, Morocco Kate, so called, sneered:
"Some one else he's got on a string, I suppose! Ho! It's a merry life you lead, LeGrand Blossom!""Stop!" the young man exclaimed."I can't let you go on this way.Minnie, please leave us for a moment.I'll come to you as soon as I can.""Oh, yes! Of course!" sneered the other."She's younger and prettier than I - quite a flapper.I was that way - once.And I suppose you said the same thing to some one else you wanted to get rid of before you tookme on.Oh, to the devil with the men, anyhow!" Minnie gasped.
"Shocked you, did I, kid? Well, you'll hear worse than that, believe me.If I was to tell - ""Stop!" and LeGrand Blossom snapped out the words in such a manner that the desperate woman did stop.
"Minnie, go away," he pleaded, more gently."I'll come to you as soon as I can, and explain everything.Please believe in me!""I - I don't believe I can - again, LeGrand," faltered Minnie."I - I heard what you said to her just now - that you couldn't do anything more for her.Oh, what have you been doing for her? Who is she? Tell me! Oh, I must hear it, though I dread it!""Yes, you shall hear it !" cried LeGrand Blossom, and there was desperation in his voice."I was going to tell you, anyhow, before I married you - ""Oh, you're really going to marry her, are you?" sneered the blonde."Really? How interesting!""Will you be quiet?" said LeGrand, and there was that in his voice which seemed to cow the blonde woman.
"Minnie," went on LeGrand Blossom, its a hard thing for a man to talk about a woman, but sometimes it has to be done.And it's doubly hard when it's about a woman a man once cared for.But I'm going to take my medicine, and she's got to take hers.""I'm no quitter! I'm a sport, I am!" was the defiant remark."So was Mr.Carwell - Old Carwell we used to call him.But he had more pep than some of you younger chaps.
"Leave his name out of this!" growled LeGrand, like some dog trying to keep his temper against the attacks of a cur.
