Part 54 (1/2)

Turning to theby the Slavonian, he ordered: ”Better put the steels on him, Jack I'll take this one while Joe stays down here with the stuff”

When the _Bennington_ entered Crescent Bay followed by the _Richard_ towing the _Fuor d'Italia_, exciteonia And as the boats cae crowd of curious village-folk collected on the dock

The consensus of opinion, in Silvanus Rock's absence, was expressed by the local postht at El Diablo and ”Uncle Sam had stepped in and 'pinched' the whole darned bunch” To that opinion, the crowd for the ht otherwise

It remained for Silvanus Rock himself to upset the truth of the postht, the villagers saw the onia led forth froers who spoke and acted with an air of authority and displayed shi+ning badges to part the crowd as they walked with their prisoner to meet the s hand-cuffs

It was soh the lips of a newspaperton_ Even then there were some who doubted

Mascola killed by Bandrist? Iory murdered at El Diablo and Mexican Joe who had been with theler? Why the very thought was absurd

But the postacity With an ear trained to catch the slightest drift of public opinion, he declai all the evidence:

”I ain't much surprised Kind o' had h I never said nothin' But I allays did say that young Gregory was a coonia at the close of the e For a tiht their hoossip which were current in the saloons

Kenneth Gregory's naured in it The Golden Rule Cannery had been closed until further notice Gregory had bought all the fish brought in by the alien fleet

His wharves were piled high with fish-boxes His vats were full of albacore He was going to give everybody a chance if they ”shot square”

and became American citizens Rock and Blankovitch had been taken with the men from Diablo Island to the jail at the county-seat The body of Mascola was still in the custody of the local undertaker and Bandrist had been removed to a hospital But of the men themselves little was said An era of universal friendliness prevailed throughout the village

At the Lang cottage Aunt Mary was striving vainly to asse meal

”The biscuits will be ruined,” she pleaded ”Leave the talk go You've all talked yourselves half-sick now”

Jack McCoy protested as Miss Lang led him to the table

”Reot a lot to find out before I get caught up”

Hawkins slid into a chair by McCoy

”Well that's about all there is to it, Mac,” he said ”Except that the _Gray Ghost_You see the Custo tioods For so around in tuna cans so they kind of laid it to soan to look this fellow, Rock, up And I found as, that he didn't have a dollar until a few years ago He ht here in town Then, this Diablo stuff gave ory looked up quickly at the mention of the island