Evening star., 1923-02-14

left mo felt as If I were about to
lose my reason" she began. my
growing fears and the feeling that I
was completely isolated from all my
friends became so uncomfortable that
had about decided, despite the late
ness of the hour, to telephone for
Marta, my maid, when the telephone
bell rang: When 1 responded mans
voice addressed me-a voice 1 failed
to recognize. Speaking quickly and a
little huskily. 1t asked who was at
the telephone. I replied 1t was Miss
Warburton. The speaker then in
formed me that a messenger boy was
downstairs with a note addressed to
me and I was asked whether he
should be sent right up to my apart
ments. 1 directed that the boy be
sent up at once.
Two or three minutes later there
was ring at my door. l opened 1t
and saw a uniformed boy, who gave
to me sealed envelope. I receipted
Ior this, and, telling the boy to wait,
opened the envelope and drew from
1t the note it contained. I have 1t
with me-"
Thus speaking. she took a sheet of
crumpled notepaper from the bosom
or her dress and passed it across the
| table to Rennison. The Army officer
smoothed 1t out and read:
My Dear Miss Warburton: | have
reason to suspect that in the course
or the night you will be disturbed by
visitors who must be regarded as
undesi rable. In order that such a
situation may be avoided I am going
70 ask you to accept my protection
Tor the next twenty-four hours and
70 De governed entirely by my advice.
l am confident that at the expiration
! OF this period there will be nothing
more Tor you to fear. Meantime.
without confiding to any one the ma
lure or your plans, please prepare to
ieaVe your apartment house in a tour
ing car which will call for you
promptly at 12:45 this morning. II
IS especially desirable that you enter
the car Immediately upon its arrival,
In order to reduce to the minimum
the possibility that it be observed and
followed. l would suggest, therefore,
that you should be at the street door
VIII be the only person on the ma
chine. You may identify him by his
action in continuing to adjust his cap
until you address, him.
Yours. (Signed) "RENNISON."
course" Rennison said, after he fin
ished reading 1t. 1T is plain that the
writer knew you were not familiar
with my handwriting. for he has made
no attempt TO counterfeit it,
1t did not even occur to me to
doubt that it was from you" said
Miriam. II believed that your visit
to me was known only to persons who
had your confidence"
so you prepared to- act in accord
ance with the instructions given in
the note?'
Yes. My preparations soon were
completed, but before 1t was time for
me TO go to meet the car 1 had what
purported to be second message
from you"
Another nete?"
NO, 1T was not a note Half an hour
after the departure OF the messenger
boy there came another ring on my
eeiephone bell. Again a mans voice
soureseed me-a voice that was
spoken before. The speaker asked If
were Miss Warburton. When I re-
pied 1 was he said, This is Rennison
Dio you get nay note?' Again I replied
tn,d ~ she ainrnative The speaker then
the door in five minutes. He adyiserS
me 10 take a raincoat, inasmuch as II
looked like rain. He cautioned me to
act promptly. I did not doubt the
speaker was you"
One scarcely could have xn
you to doubt it, in the circumstance"
Rennison muttered
FIVE minutes later 1 went down on
the elevator" the actress went or
AS l passed out of the street door. I
saw a touring car drawing IN at tba
his cap" 'u'uslins
One moment, Miss warburton
Rennison interrupted Before vo,,
proceed further, you might tell me
"nether or not You had been in any
Storrow." oeh
Miriam frowned slightly as she re-
piled: ''e
No. I neither have seen nor heard
from Hayden since he left us together
In my apartment.
shifting his position, Rennison
Thus far he had found little time to
reflect on that phase Of the situation
that had to do with Storrow. after
the idler had left the Guilfords' re-
ceRtion. The Army man now re-
CARED the note of apprehension he
when he last had spoken over the
wire. He then had explained he had
something OF the greatest Importance
TO communicate. In 1he' oircum-
Stances. Stances, the loss OF his fateful stick
What was the new development in
the case that he had been so anxious
to reveal when he had hurried to the
War Department?
Something In Rennison's expression
apparently piqued the curiosity of his
companion. Looking quizzicalIy at
him. she queried:
Have You talked with him since I
saw him last?"
Only over the telephone" Renni-
son answered After a brief pause,
he went on: But all this is imma-
terial to your story, perhaps, Miss
Warburton. Pardon me for inter-
rupting you. You have said that, as
the automobile drew up at the curb
the manner in which the chauffeur
adjusted his cap enabled you to iden-
tify him as the man who had been
sent for you"
Yes. Approaching the car, I asked
the man il it had been sent for me
He replied the car was for Miss War
burton. / explained 1 was the per-
son he had named. He nodded and I
stepped in"
did you observe any person other
than the chauffeur as you entered
Yes. AS left the house, I was
the night. had taken from me the
pistol with which / had threatened
you. Knowing him to be one of your
associates, 1t occurred to me that he,
too. might be a passenger on the car
His presence there had the effect Of
reassuring your"
Il scarcely can say that. I didn't
doubt that the car had been sent for
me by you. The appearance of your
man on the sidewalk neither dis
turbed nor reassured me. 1 accepted
it as a perfect matter Of course"
Rennison nodded. Miriam con-
tinued:
THE car sped eastward at moder-
ate pace, and then turned northward
along a road that was unknown to
me. At length it slowed down in a
sparsely settled district on the out
skirts of the city. When 1t stopped,
the chauffeur alighted and looked up
and down the road. opened one of
the doors and asked him il we were
to meet any one there. He seemed
little reticent, at first, then he ex-
planned that another car should have