THE DESERT MOON
MYSTERY
BY KAY CLEAVER STRAHAN
.......- ---———————
Sam growled at him to shut
up, and told John that It was
hi* turn to talk, and to go
ahead and try to talk sense,
If possible.
» “1 don’t know where to be
gin,” John said. ‘Tv? got noth
ing to talk about.”
“Begin at the beginning.
What did Gaby say to you.
after dinner, that made you
decide, right off, to go to Rat
tan?"
“I’ve told you that already.
2've got no changes to make
In it. Gaby told me, after din
ner, that Danny's headache
was getting worse. She said
that Danny had sent to Salt
Lake for a certain kind of
lieadache medicine, the only
kind that ever did her any
good. She said it should have
come In the morning’s mall.
She said that Danny would be
peeved at her for telling me
about it— asking me to go,
that is. So, if I didn’t want a
fuss, and wanted to be allowed
to go, I’d better make a sneak,
of it, with no explanations. I
did. Here is something I
haven’t told, though, for Dan
ny Just told me, when we came
in here at three. She hadn’t
■ent for any headache medi
cine to Salt Lake, nor any
where. That certainly looks as
If Gaby wanted to get cither
me, or the sedan, off the Job
and out of the way, yesterday
afternoon. She must have had
wuinv i ruMm iui me
on a fool’s errand like that.”
“Well, "well, go on, son,” Sam
said, after we had all sat in
dead silence for about a
minute.
“Go on where?” John asked.
“I’ve got nothing more to say.
Hand's told the rest of it,
hasn’t he?”
“Answer him you fool,” Sam
roared. “You’ve got answers,
haven’t you? Use ’em. Sitting
there like a dummy! Did any
one see you towing Saule to
his piace?”
“Not that I know of. I
towed him all right; but I
can’t prove it. Hand was right
when he said he could be
l>oi|ght for a half dollar. He
might come cheaper. I’d try
liim with a quarter, first Hand.
“Good God!” Sam shouted.
“What are you trying to do?
Pry your way into the lethal
chamber? Can you give a
reason for driving to the back
door, Instead of leaving the
car in the garage?”
“Only two hundred-pound
tacks of rock salt. They’d
dumped them on the platform
for us this morning from
Eighteen. I could give a reason
lor bringing them up. instead
of leaving them there until
we went down with the truck.
Bure, I’m full of reasons. Got
a good reason* for taking half
an hour to bathe and dress. It
would be hard to find a guy
with more reasons than I can
produce for everything—all,
but murdering the twin sister
of the girl I love.”
wu, oum saici, i. aon i
blame you a damn bit for be
ing sore clear to the bone. But,
come to that, we haven't any
light to blame Hand, here,
cither; not If he is honest in
his suspicions, and, maybe, he
is. I forced them out of him.
Can’t you swallow your pride,
lor a while, and—"
‘‘I've swallowed it already,”
John said, "if that’s what you
want. Swallowed it till I’m
chocked with it.”
"I know, I know. But it is
like this, John—and th's goes
lor all you folks, too—a person
cajVt get to the bottom of any
thing without going down. In
this case, it looks like we were
going X have to go pretty low
down—a trip to hell for most
of us, I reckon. But it will be a
round trip. Most of us will
come up clean, to a clean
JDesert Moon. Can’t we gc
Coast Farmers to Seek
South American Markets
Sacramento, Cal.— —A cure
for agricultural marketing ailments
will be sought here at a Pan-Ameri
can trade conference in August. b>
representatives of South American
and western farm interests. The>
will gather o determine if Latm
Amer.ean countries can supply a
market fc,.* V west's surplus crops
and a see, iin if South America
wisties to reach toward the wesi
coast cf North America as a market
lor its products.
Ai®entina suggested a meeting
18
down, then, like a lot of
reasonable human beings, and j
not like a k:nnel of yapping
dogs?”
‘‘It won’t hold , dad,” John
answered. ‘ Not this round trip
to he1’ stuff, as human brings.
If I hadn’t stopped being a i
human being; that is, a man, ;
I wouldn’t have sat still here
and let Hand have his say out. !
And I wouldn’t have done it,
not to save my own neck. But
I know how yon feel about the
ranch. I’ve gone through with
it for that reason, ar.d—for
Danny, though I know that all
of this rotten mistake on your
part. I know that; but it is no
use telling you. now that
you’ve started. I’ll go on with
it, the best I can. I guess the
others will, too. But none of
us will come up clean, as you
say. Don’t look for that—not
after this muck. All right. Hop
to It, dad. What’s your next
question?”
I was relieved when sam
asked, “Do you suspect, with
reason, anyone In this room?”
I had'thought, following right
along with Hubert Hand’s ac
cusations, as Sam had been
doing, that his next question
would be about what was
troubling and bothering John
when he came in. Why he had
j acted so queerly that he had
!, had to explain it by saying he
* was loco from the sun.
“I do not.” John answered
Sam’s question, straight. “But
it seems darn queer to me the
way everyone is leaving Chad’s
suicide out of this. Hold on,
dad! I’m not saying that I
think Chad killed her. I know
he didn’t. But I know just as
well that he didn’t walk out
and shoot himself simply be- j
cause he had loved Gaby. I
Chad was a queer bird, all
right. I guess none of us
understood him very well. He
was as emotional as the deuce,
too— I’ll grant that. But he
was not. ever, a datnn fool.” j
“John!” Danny interrupted.
, “Do you think-that a man who
kills himself, when he finds
that the girl he loves has been
cruelly murdered, needs to be
a fool?”
“Yes,” John answered. “A
man might not care much
about living, alter that, but if !
he killed himself he’d be a
fool. I mean—It is like this.
Regular fellows, and Chad
sure was one, don’t walk out
and kill themselves, when they
find the girl they love is dead.
It takes more than death to
make a real man kill himself.
Sounds like a book, I know;
but loss of honor is a reason,
and shame— maybe that’s the
same thing — is another
reason. Or, a fellow might kill
himself to save the honor of
his girl—or to save a friend’s
life, if he owed the friend a
I lot—”
Danny interrupted again.
“Absolute despair should be a,
reason—”
“Sure, I know how you
mean. But Chad had despaired
of Gaby’s love long ago.
Dozens of times I’ve seen her
treat him so rottenly that, if
he had been the suicidal sort,
he would have killed himself
right then. No sir. I tell you
Chad did not shoot himself
because Gaby was dead. Sure,
that was a part of it; but not
the main part.
“Chad was a darn good guy.
Good all the way through. We
all know that he didn’t kill
; her. We’d know it, If dad
I didn’t have his alibis for him.
But what I’m getting at Is,
that, someway or other, and
not meaning to at all, he got
himself mixed up in it. When
he saw what had happened,
and realized that he had been
involved — There’s your
reaso- , all right. I think that,
if we can find out why Chad
shot himself, we’ll find out
most of t other things we
want to know. I’m through,
California, with the result .that
more than 40 delegates from the
southern continent will meet those
from 10 western states. Exhibits of
South American products will be
displayed at the state fair and west- '
ern states exposition, after the con
ference ends August 30.
A ltov.il Code.
Prom Chicago Journal of Commerce.
In the executive office of King !
George of England in Buckingham
Palace hangs what is called a
"code,” composed of six sentences, j
which obviously being addressed to
Dotty, are more like a prayer- to us. '
, They give an inside view of the j
dad. I've said all I’v* got to
say, and more too.”
Sam hesitated a minute. I
was relieved to see him take
Chad’s note out of his pocket.
“Chad says that he killed her,”
he said, and read the note
aloud. Everyone but me, to
whom it was no surprise, and
Martha, who was almost asleep
again, squeaked, or gasped, or
otherwise showed their horri
fied astonishment.
John spoke first. “I’ll bet
four dollars he never wrote
it.”
Sam passed the paper to
him. “It looks like his writing.
It sounds like him too. Soon as
I can get track of one of these
what-you-may-call-em’s hand
writing experts, I’m going to
send it to him. I reckon it will
match up all right. I wish
there was an expert of some
kind that we could send it to,
to find out why he wrote it.”
“Uncle Sam,” Danny said,
and I could see that the note
had upset her pretty badly,
“there is something no one
has thought of. We haven’t
had time to think. But, where
was Chad during the hour we
were hunting for Gaby-? You,
and John, and Mary and I
were in the sedan. But where
were the others, during that
time; between seven and eight
o’clock, wasn’t it?”
• i recKon, sam spoxe real
gently to her, “that we have
all had time to do some tall
thinking about that hour,
little girl. But there couldn’t
be any doubt that Gaby had
been dead a sight longer than
an hour, when we found her.”
“But can you know that, for
a certainty?” Danny insisted.
“Just as certain as I know
that she was dead, Danny. I—
Well, in the early days here—
Never mind that, though. I’ve
had experience with deaths,
kind of on that order. I know.
The coroner and the sheriff
knew. But, she might have
been brought into the house
during that hour. Hand let
loose on his alibi business a
little too early—”
“I’m no fool,” Hubert Hand
interrupted. “You admit that
she could have been murdered
during the hour between six
and seven. Every one of us,
except John, can account for
every minute of our time from
four o’clock, when we saw
Gaby alive, up to seven.”
“All right. All right,” Sam
said. “Have it your own way.
But you’ve had your say, and
plenty of time to say it in.
You’ll maybe have another
turn later. Now, keep still.
We are going to hear from the
others.
“It is your turn next, Danny,
I’m sorry. You understand,
we haven’t any time to lose.
Take it easy, though. Do you
suspect, with reason, anyone
in this room of being connect
ed with the murder?”
CHAPTER XXIX
Danny
I thing,” Danny said, “that
Chad did it.”
Sam lowered his brows, and
turned those blue searchlights
of his on her. “That is a bad
beginning, my girl,” he said,
kindly enough, though. “You
don’t think that. Not for a
minute. Better start over
again.”
•‘Uncle bam, sne pieaueu,
“listen. You spoke about clear
ing everyone’s name, and
about the honor of the Desert
Moon. Chad’s confession does
that—does all of it. Why not
let well enough, alone?”
My own words; but I had not
expected to hear them from
Danny. The only reason for
them seemed to be that Hubert
Hand had frightened her with
his case against John. Was she
the sort of girl who would keep
on loving John, and marry
him, if she thought that he
had killed her sister? I did
not believe it.
John said, “Danny!” And,
knowing as little as I do about
being loved, I knew that I
should hate to have my sweet
heart pronounce my name
with a pinch of horror, and a
pinch of anger, and a big dash
of bewilderment, as John had
pronounced hers.
Sam said, “Somebody else
suggested that to-day, Danny.
I told them that there was no
question of well enough while
king’s chosen rules of behavior,
which may be adopted by any man
with profit to himself and the com
fort of those about him. Usually
when a man sets about the task of
making rules for his personal con
duct. he seeks to cover those things
better done or left undone in his
daily life; the things he most ad
mires in others and those he dis
likes to see in others. It is in this
aspect we have, perhaps, a revela
tion of King George that is a cred
it to him both as a man and ruler.
We quote:
•1. Teach me to be obedient to the
rules ol the game.
"3. TeaoU mu to distinguish between
tne man who nad murdered
your sister was going about
alive, and while his helper
was keeping his secret on the
Desert Moon.”
“You said that?” Danny
questioned, and gave us all
another severe shock by ac>
centing the pronoun.
“I said that, yes.” San.
showed signs of rising dander.
“And I thought that you, il
; anyone, more than anyone
| would agree with me.”
“Only,” she answered, “1
i should rather let a guilty per
son go free, escape, than to
persecute an innocent person.’1
“No innocent person is going
I to be persecuted on the Desert
i Moon,” Sam said, “and nc
guilty one is going to escape
either. You’re going to be a
good, sensible girl, too, and
answer a few questions I want
to ask you.
“First thing I want to know
is, what was it that you girls
were hunting for, all the time
here on the ranch?”
“We had been told,” Danny
answered, “that there was a
very large sum of 'money hid
den here on this place. We
came to get it. That is—Gaby
did. I mean—before we left
the continent I knew that I
wanted to stay here, for a
long time. I cared much more
about staying here, and keep
ing Gaby here, than I cared
about finding the money
Really, I—I hoped not to find
the money. The people with
whom I had been living in
England had broken up their
home there. I had no home
That is how I happened to be
in Switzerland, with Gaby.I—”
She broke down, and hid
_ <• 1 ^ _ U - i
UCI iCU/C 111 ULI uauuo, »IV- 4A*4
sat, quitely, and waited.
With her face still covered
she appealed to Sam. “Uncle,
I can’t tell all this, to-day, 1
can’t. I loved Gaby. I did love
her. If she were alive—But she
isn’t. Please, please don’t force
me to go on with this.”
“You’ve got me wrong, Dan
ny,” Sam said, “I didn’t expect
you to tell about all of your
past lives, and that. But this
stuff now about money hidden
here. Could it have any bear
ing on the murder?”
She shook her head. “I think
not. Not possible. There was
no money here, anyway, as it
turned out. That is—if Gaby
told me the truth about any
thing. I thought that she did
But now—she spoke of keeping
fear and dread from me, in
her last note to me. I—I can’t
talk of this, to-day, I tell you!”
“See here, dad,” John spoke
up, “Danny isn’t fit to go
through with this to-day. I
think she has told me every
thing she has to tell. She told
me most of it this morning.
I’ve got it straight. How about
allowing me to go on with it?”
“Do you think any of it
might have a bearing on the
murder?”
“Yes, I think it might.”
Sam banged on the table
with his fist. “By God,” he
roared, “what kind of people
have I got to deal with? Not
five minutes ago, you sat there
and swore that you had told
everything you,know. Couldn’t
even begin. Cbuldn’t think of
a thing to say. No suspicions.
No hints of any kind, except
a slur at a dead boy. Now you
come out with this. By the
Lord. Hand, you may be a
better man than I think you
are—”
Danny’s voice cut in like
scissors slithering through
taffeta silk. “Be careful,
there,” she said. I rememberd
the way she had brushed the
beaded bag. Something cold
went trailing down my back
bone. It was time, and past, I
thought, for me to take a
hand.
/to u.
-.—-—-♦ ».——
CROWN FOR BEAN KING’
Trinidad. Colo.- —A silvet
crown, to be retained as long as he
holds the title of pinto, “bean king,"
will be presented this summer tc
the Las Animas county farmer whc
produces the most pinto beans tc
the acre.
• .»»■-- --
MANY HORSES KILLED
Howard, S. D.— —More than
25 horses were killed by the heat in
Miner county, County Agent S. W
Jones reported. The hot winds and
lack of rain caused small grain to
ripen early and brought about an
early harvest.
■—1— 1,1 1 — “ ' ■ - ■ ■
sentiment and sentimentality, admiring
the one and despising the other.
••3.—Teach me neither to proffer not
to receive cheap praise.
“4. If I am called upon to suffer, le*
me be l‘ke a well-bred beast that goes
away to suffer In silence.
••5. Teach me to win. If I may: If 1
may not, teach me to be a good loser
•fl Teach Die neither ts cry for th«
moon nor to cry for split milk ”
This code is worthy of any hon
orable gentleman, and it is said the
king adheres closely to It.
—» ' ' •• -—
Experiments at Michigan State
college show that pigeons anc
pheasants are susceptible as car
riers p* Bang's cLLst
Childish Marvels in
^.rithmeiic “Fade Out”
An Mlnglisl* newspaper gives par
ticulars of the ease of a two-year-old
Belgian hoy. Andre Lenoir, who is
able to multiply accurately any two
five-figure numbers without hesita
tion. Ilis Is not the only case of
phenomenal power in this direction
—usually lost ns soon as a real
knowledge of mathematics is gained.
Due of these calculating boys was
Seorge Barker Bidder, who was ex
hibited in his childhood as an arith
metical marvel. lie became an engi
neer and was associated with Itoh
ert Stephenson. He was n founder
of the Electric Telegraph company
and became president of the Instltu*
tlon of Civil Engineers. Another
wizard who could do anything with
figures was .Tuques lnaudi, who vis
ited London in lSJVI. He did not
lose Ids gift as he grew up.
Concertina’* Centenary
The concertina celebrated its cen
tenary hist year. It was Invented
and patented liy Charles—afterward
Sir Charles—Wheatstone In 1820.
lie must have been a wonderful man.
for his inventions seem to have been
legion. Sir Charles invented for ex
ample, the stereoseopp, by which the
appearance of solidity is obtained
through the mental combination of
two luctures, and the polar dock,
which nimle it possible to tell the
time by the light from the sky al
though the sun might he Invisible.
It was lie who made the electric tele
graph available for the public trans
mission of messages. And in be
tween his scientific studies lie sand
wiched the invention of our little
musical friend the concertina.
More Freethinkers
The German Freethinkers' society
on its twenty-fifth anniversary as
sorts more than *>2,000 persons joined
last year, bringing the roster of the
movement to (500,000, It was said
tiiat in Berlin alone (5.000 persons
severed connections with the
churches.
Speeches
‘To you think that ajnnn's politi
cal influence depends on his ability
its it public speaker?”
‘‘Not altogether,” answered Sena
tor Sorghum, “I have found that tlie
speeches which sometimes counted
for most were made in strictest pri
vacy.’’
Lack of Acquaintance
“Why do you insist on despising
wealth?”
“Perhaps,” said the man with ar
tistic temperament, “it’s because I
never got well enough acquainted
with It to know its good qualities.”
Advance Worrying
Bride—I feel sad, sort of.
Groom—What's troubling you,
sweetheart?
Bride (wistfully)—Dear,would yon
get married again if I divorced you?
—Life.
Promises With Raservations
His Mother—Bobbie, you have been
very naughty after promising to obey ,
me strictly.
Bobby—That's nothin’. You once
promised to obey dad.
Got One Thing Honestly
dim—Can you rely on .Jones?
Bill—They say that the only tiling i
he ever acquired honestly was the <
grippe he's down with now.—Brook
lyn Eagle. •
- 1
There is at least certainty In the
anticipation of pleasure if not in the
realization.
The cotton industry lias some part
to play in more than one-fourth of
America’s business activities.
The man with too much common i
sense misvos a lot of full.
Flit is sold only
1 . I in this y.elu?"
Don \ Cuss!
Here’s the sure, quick, easy way
to kill all mosquitoes indoors
• and keep ’em away outdoorsl
Are You Traveling?
'pep Use Cutieura Soap and hot
water to remove the dust and
(p prime and thoroughly cleanse
i your face. Anoint with ('ntieusra
' Ointment if there is any irrita
tion, roughness or pimples. Cnti
eara TaS^am is refreshing and
cooling
Soap 25c. Ointmont 26r. and 50c. Talcum 26c.
Proprietors: Potter ±)n# a Chemical Corp., Malden,
WhenFood
Sours
Lots of folks who think they have
‘'Indigestion” have only an acid
condition which could be corrected
in tive or ten minutes. An effec
tive anti-acid like Phillips Milk o!
Magnesia soon restores digestion
to normal.
Phillips does away with ail that
sourness and gas right after meals.
It prevents the distress so apt to
occur two hours after eating. What
a pleasant preparation to take! And
how good It is for the system! Un
like a burning dose of soda—which
is but temporary relief at best—
Phillips Milk of Magnesia neutral
izes many times its volume In acid.
Next time a hearty meal, or too
rich a diet lias brought on the
least discomfort, try—
PHILLIPS
* Milk
of Magnesia
TIRED WHEN
SHE GOT OP
Strengthened by Lydia E*
Pinkham’c Vegetable
Compound
Ri. r&ul, Minn.—“I used to he as
tired when I got up in the morning as
--1_ T__ A. a. _
H Ul 11 JL lit nv HU
bed. I had faint
ing spells and pal
pitation. Of course
it was my age. I
read a Lydia E.
Pinkham booklet
and started tak
ing the Vegetable
Compound tlirco
times a day. I ara
now a well woman.
Three of my
neighbors know
rv t L r ni'fi t n
too. I will write to any woman if Lydia
E. Pii'.ldiarrt’s Vc-gelable Compound
will h( !p her as it did me. I feel like a
young woman now and 11 hank you.”—
Mrs. H. C. Henby, Fuller Ave., St.
Paul, Miuucsola.
Sioux City Ptg. Co., No. 34-1930.
No Eobbed-Hair Singer*
The village of IJremnes neoi
llnugesuud on the west const of
S’orvvay scored a record when tlie
•hureh authorities recently refused
o permit women with cropped halt
'(> sing in the church's choir. “Groo
ving and undulation are an abomina*
inn," says the leader of the church
ind though the parish belongs to the
•late and the bishop has declared
hat the local council has no right to
•ensure other people's personal tastes
n such matters as hair dressing,
he unique ruling has not been r®
vealed so far.
Not Machine Made
Machines seem able to produce er
>ry essential thing except consumer*
—San Francisco Chronicle.
Fifty years after a man lias
ichieved feme he finds every girl h®
•vor knew credited with being his old
tweet heart.