Evening star., 1921-07-24


| word from Malcolm Sage. One morn
| ing on his arrival at Scotland Yard he
| was given a telephone message asking
hlm to call round at the bureau during
| the day.
Nothing new?" queried Malcolm
Sage ten minutes later. as the inspector
! was shawn into his room by Thomp-
son.
The inspector shook a gloomy head
| and dropped his heavy frame into a
chair.
Malcolm Sage indicated with-a nod
that Thompson was to remain.
Can you borrow couple of covered
J government lorries?" queried Malcolm
Sage.
| "A couple of hundred if necessary"
! said the inspector DULY.
; Two will be enough" was the dry
] rejoinder. Now listen carefully,
| Wensdale. 1 want you to have fifty
men housed some ten miles away from
, Hempdonon the afternoon of the I'D.
! Select men who have done scouting. ex-
i boy scouts. for preference. Don't
, choose any with bald heads or with
very light hair See that they are
, wearing dark clothes and dark shirts
| with you good supply of burnt cork,
, such as is used by negro minstrels." I,
Malcolm Sage paused. and for the
fraction of 4 second there was a curious
! flntering at the corners of his mouth
! 1T will be moonlight and caps might
! fall off," explained Malcolm Sage
! You cannot very we'll ask man to
black his head. Above ALL" he con-
! tinued evenly. ''be sure you give no in
dication to any one why you want the
| men. and tell them not to talk. You
! follow me?" he queried.
! YES" said the inspector, II fol-
| low"
| Don't go down Hempdon way
! again, and tell no one in the neighbor-
hood: no one, you understand, is to
know anything about it. Don't tell the
general, for instance
/ Him" There was world of hatred
| and contempt in the inspectors voice
! Then he glanced little oddly at NAL
colin Sage.
! Malcolm Sage went on to elaborate
! his instructions. The men were to be
| divided into two parties. one to form
line north of the scene of the last
| outrage. and the other to be spread
| the other side of Hempden. They were
to blacken their faces ana hands, and
observe great care to show no light
coloring in connection with their cloth
ing. Thus they would be indistin-
guishable from their surroundings.
You will go with one lot" Said NAL
COIN Sage to the inspector, land my
man Finlay with tie other. Thompson
and l will be somewhere in the neigh
borhood. You will be given a pass
! word for purposes of identification.
You understand"
Il think so' said the inspector in
a tone which was suggestive that he
was very far from understanding.
I'll have everything typed out for
you and 'scale-plans of where you are
to- post your men. Above all, don't
take any one into your confidence"
inspector Wensdale nodded and looked
across at Thompson. as if to assure
himself that after all it really was not
some huge joke.
If nothing happens on the e2d. we
shall carry on the secohd. third and
fourth nights. In all probability we
Then a'eS You our kno% ma" ~o Sn tit It sD,ut-
tered the inspector in astonishment.
nope to know on the 23rd," said
malcolm Sage dryly, as he rose and
walked toward the door, : Directness
kint, Inspector wensdale roses rose alse 1se
ana: with the air of man not yet
quite awake. passed out Of the room.
~, You had better see him tomorrow.
dn0mpson. drniai in said Malcolm Sage. land
oe disposed. Make it clear that none
must show themselves If they actu.
ally see any one. in the act. they must
track him. not try to take him"
hendingly.
Make 1t clear that they are there
TO watch: but I doubt il they'll see
anything, he added. -.
X X X X
A T eleven o'clock on the night Of
July the 20 two motor lorries
giided slowly along some three
miles distant from one another. From
their interiors silent forms dropped
noiselessly on the moon white road.
A moment later, slipping into the
shadow Of the hedge, they disap-
peared. All the previous night men
had watched and waited; but MOTH
ing had happened. Now they were to
try again.
Overhead the moon was climbing the.
sky, struggling against masses Of
cloud that from time to time swung
themselves across her disc,
In the village of Hempdon all was
quiet. The last light had been ex-
tinguished, the last dog had sent
forth final challenging bark, hoping
that some Sneighboring rival would an
swer and justify a volume Of canine pro-
test.
on the western side of the highway,
and we'll behind the houses, two fig-
uress were standing in the shadow
.