Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-05-18


back to the scene of the broken win
dow. hoping against hope that he or
Doyle or Toosey Attrill herself would
catch at the slender trail and in some
way succeed in following it up.
At goth street Shag Fewster
crossed to the east side of the
avenue, stopped at a window or two
Tor guarded look over his shoulder,
and again continued southwark. A
minute later I saw him suddenly
swerve and step briskly in through
the doorway at Brentano's.
1 went after him, without a mo-
ments hesitation, for once under
cover. I knew he could find it easier
to unburden himself Of his Blue Pear
or throw me completely off the trail.
say my friend Shag turning care
lessly down the stairway that led to
the periodical room in the basement.
And I just as carelessly followed him
down to that basement.
knew, in fact, that I was worrying
him. Yet it was several minutes be-
fore he actually ventured to lift his
eye and look directly at me. My face.
Of course. meant nothing to him and
I knew. or rather felt without really
looking at him, that he was once
more browsing over his pile of week
lies. 9hgl -..y
What, I asked myself, was to do?
At the frst suspicious move my nat
ty-fgured friend would seek safety
in flight. and the more he realized
the source and nature of that pur-
suit the more frantic he would make
his flight. There seemed to be little
promise Of help coming to me. And
couldn't stand there all day with my
nose buried in a magazine, pretending
to be engrossed in a page of print
where 1 actually wasn't conscious Of
a single word confronting me.
My difficulty was solved by Shag
Fewster himself, for after having
apparently sized up the situation to
his satisfaction, and having conclud-
ed that the dowdy young woman with
the paper bag under her arm, was no
longer worthy of his passing suspi-
cions, he gave a valedictory touch to
his lengthy period of inaction by
leisurely purchasing and paying Tor
a copy of 1.-The Masses" he moved
jauntily off toward the stairway
mounted to, the main floor of the
crowded bookshop and pushed his I'M
hurrying way toward the street.
I did the same. not more than
twenty PAGES behind him. Yet as
did SO something quite unlocked 1ol
happened to me. Before l reacheo
that street door l came face to face
with my Wrinkle, with Winkfred Ea
land himself.
He had an open book in his nand
and he raised his eyes from the pas'
in front of him to stare directly lht'
nv somewhat startled face. His jaw
and the book dropped at one ana th
same time, and he moved forward
automatically, and with wonder IN nj
ewes. as though he were making READ.
to speak to me. But he stopped snort
stunned, 1 suppose, at the discover,
that I myself had given no promls
of stopping short. I had other Things
!. naturally. to take up my attent'o'
at that particular moment. things TO-
important to be overlooked. l knew
I could never explain. 1 knew 1t wa
? useless even to try. He must hav
l seen that barricaded look which fel
p over my face like fre-shutter bein'
pulled down across a shop-front. .
perhaps he interpreted it as look o
: actual hostility. At any rate ! coui
see his eyes narrow and his rae
harden, although by this time he wa
actually saying something to M
= What it was don't know to this da!
iust "a I can't remember what l muir
. INJURED back to him. For Shag Few
ster had passed out into the ope
I. street by this time. and felt tina
) my one hope Of happiness In life Ia
e in not losing sight Of that jauntily
: moving yet elusive figure.
r To follow Shag was not 80 cas-
II this time, for he was moving east
4 ward at a brisk rate. with the reso
8 lutte stride Of a man who had sudden
n " remembered an overlooked erran'
y Before long I saw Shag Fewste
turn sharply to the left and ste
It hurriedly down fight OF basemer
n stairs. At the same time that h
y was doing this I was loosening tn
d snaps in my holster pocket an
" dropping my automatic in my al