and heavy woman
with dark hair and brown eyes. She smiled at him and said, "Good
evening," without rising.

"Mrs. Klein?" Doak asked and she nodded. He said, "The station agent
told me you rented rooms and served meals. My name is Doak Parker."

"A pleasure, Mr. Parker. If you'll go through the living room and take
that door at the east end of it, you'll come to a hall. The room at
the back of the hall's the one, if you'd like to look at it." She
didn't move from her chair.

He went into the dim living room and through the door and down the
hall. A mahogany bed with a patchwork quilt for a spread, a mahogany
dresser and a huge wicker chair, upholstered in a bright chintz. It
was a chintzy house.

* * * * *

He looked out the back window and saw a neat lawn, bordered with
flowering shrubs. He put his grip on the floor and came back to the
living room.

There were windows along the front of this room and they were open. He
could see Mrs. Klein in her chair and a girl standing next to her.

There was no reason for him to pause but he did. He'd heard Mrs.
Klein say, "Another meeting tonight, Martha?"

"Yes." The girl's voice was defensive.

"Why--why, Martha? Don't you realize the danger of--oh, Martha!"

"Mother, please. There's no danger. We're careful."

Doak coughed and walked out again onto the porch. The girl standing
there was as dark as her mother but slim and long-legged and vividly
beautiful.

Mrs. Klein said, "My daughter Martha, Mr. Parker. You liked the room?"

"It's fine," he said and to Martha, "How do you do?"

"How do you do, Mr. Parker? You've had supper?"

He nodded and lied, "In Milwaukee. I'm up here to try and get some
money out of Senator Arnold. I wonder if this might be a good time to
see him."

Mrs. Klein said, "I doubt if anytime is a good time to see him. You're
a salesman, Mr. Parker?"

"No, no. It's philanthropy I'm concerned with. Mr. Arnold's old enough
to start thinking about his benefactors."

"He'll probably leave it all to the dogs," Mrs. Klein said. "And you
be careful of them, Mr. Parker."

"That I will," Doak said. "I think I'll walk up there now. Not much of
a walk, I understand. Just over the hill, isn't it?"

It was the girl who answered. "That's right. I'm going that way
myself. I'll be glad to show you the house."

Mrs. Klein said, "You're leaving so soon, Martha?"

"Right now. I'll be home early. Don't fret about me, Mo