Evening star., 1921-12-04


question of the fact that Watt Quoc-
ner was uneasy-uneasy and some-
thing more.
He had come to the theater not to
Sse or to near. but to be alone ana TO
think, two things he had found he
could thus accomplish with more solid
satisfaction than in any other way
he knew. This evening he had chosen
a vaudeville show. There was some
thing about the inconsequence of 1t
all, the music, the Kaleidoscope med
ley of movement and color and light
that had always served to isolate him
as nothing else could. But tonight,
for some reason. the charm was not
working-tonight of all nights.
He growled again under his breath.
He saw clearly that he was bound to
make some determined move with
Immediate and definite swiftness and
decision. For Chuck Kellis wsG out
of Sing Sing at last. out at the end of
a seven-year- -and-four-m stretch
and IL was Watt Quodner himself
who had had the pleasure of sending
him there.
He had been a fool not to do the
Job thoroughly. 1t would have been
just as easy TO frame young helllS
for twenty years or for life as it had
been for that paltry seven. Kellis
had deserved il, too. No man could
play Watt Quodner for a sucker-not
where Watt Quodner's girl was con-
cerned.
Quodner's face softened. At that,
1t had been as neat piece of double
crossing as he'd ever known. Just q
matter of going into partnership to
stick up that Peekskill bank and then
tipping off the bulls so they'd nail
kellis with the goods, while Quod-
ner. cstensibly covering the door, let
himself out and slid softly down the
street and away. 1t had been a cinch
And the laugh of it was that the guy
had trusted him. kelIis was a fool,
But at that
Watt Quodner scowled. Young
kellis would be with Marie tonight,
da mn the both of them, And from
this minute they'd be laying their
plans to get him. He could see them
,asikins ,.ss together now. he with his
cheap curly head and movie-actor
lace, she with her lying black eyes
and her fake 5th avenue manners
Marie hated him; he knew that we'll
enough. As for kellis himself-no
,ieea 10 draw diagram of how he'd
fhe heavy mans eyes narrowed. II
he could only get Kellis back into the
pen-put the both of them there
while he was about it, Yes, that was
,he dope-frame him again. Sure! He
That's what he wanted to know.
How?
His dull gaze lifted itself to the
stage' where girl was dancing
What purported to be an oriental
dance. His eyes followed her. Some
thing about her-he had it-reminded
him or Marie. Same cast to her eyes,
same thin. straight nose, same gem
eral darkish coloring.
x X
THE dancer whirled into a pose.
bowed breathlessly. once. twice,
thrice to the roar of applause, then
stood straight. raised a white hand
to her chin-and Watt Quodner blink
ed Why, she was a blonde, a blue
eyed blonde with a tip-tilted nose and
a gay smile. She'd been wearing a
mask all the while: a mask with a
dark wig. She was dangling it right
there in her hand. Funny. he hadn't
noticel it was a mask Well, now
that was good stunt.
An attendant ran out. handed the
dancer second mask, which she
slipped on with one deft duck of her
head. Tho audience stared, she was
different person. A moment before,
she had been a smiling blonde. Now
she was stage vampire with satur-
nine eyes and deep auburn hair With
slinky, sinuous strides she caught the
weave of the music and once more
began to dance.
Watt Quodner Strengthened up in
his chair. his gaze riveted upon the
metamorphosis before him. Little by
little his face wrinkIed into a con-
tented smile.
He watched two more changes of
masks. one that converted the dancer
into burlesque of an old man, an
other that changed her into a simper-
ing, blushing child. "A glance at the
program told him only that the
dancer was known as Florette, that
the act was Dance of the Masks"
that the masks themselves had been
made by II. G. Trellis.
Emil SchwanZ." he said to himself
Emil Schwanz is the man l want.
As the curtain slithered down at the
end of the act, he rose and left the
theater.
He made his way through the dark
ness of side streets to certain sa-
loon on a certain corner under a cer-
tain elevated railway station. He
walked jauntily; he was heavy man.
but he had always kept his muscles
pliable. He pushed his way into a
dimly lit back room.
where's Schwanz?" he demanded
curtIy of the smudgy-aproned waiter.
Dunno, Mr.. Quodner. He was here"
81 want to see him, said Quodner.
. you, Jake, try his ROOM The
man gulped his drink and skunk out.
Ten minutes later he returned. With
him was pallid, sandy-haired indi-
vidual. tall and lanky. He wore a
faded flannel shirt. faded, thread
bare suit. His whole appearance
would have been faded but for his
eyes. They were the eyes of intelli-
gence.
Hello, ouod," he said. You want
me-
"Yeh. Emil Sit down here"
They seated themselves at one of
the small brown tables.
"who is H. g. Trellis?" Watt Quod- i
ner asked.
Artist
"Know his work."
sure he does lot of stuff"
know anything about the masks
he makes"
1.-The what?"
"Masks-false faces. Not the kind
kids wear at Thanksgiving, but real
imitation faces"
Emil Schwanz leaned slightly for
ward. his intelligent eyes alight.
There's an act up at the Castle"
Quodner went on. Girl dances with
the things on. Hair and everything
with 'em. Every time she puts new
one on she looks different-not only
her face but different all over. Don't
understand it,"
That's easy" affirmed the other.
depends on the size and shape of
the face. Large face makes figure
look small, small face makes a figure
look big. These masks-how do they
end down here?' He touched his
throat under the chin.
Don't know" replied the heavier
man Don't know how they're made
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