Evening star., 1927-04-17
THE SUNDAY STAR. wAsH1NGToN D q. ApRIL L.
BY Edgar Wallace
A Thrilling Romance of Today
Copyright 1927, by Chicago Daily News, Inc.

, Then it is your store?" She took
the point instantly.
And il it is?" he asked his black
eyebrows rising.
IF il is, it is not your money" she
said quietly. You are almost penni
less. Tradesmen who know my asso.
citation with YOU have been to see me
at the theater. There are sheriffs
writs against you; one of the trades
people told me this.
lie frowned at her.
who has been talking about me-"
he asked sharply, forgetting for the
moment his precision Of speech. Il
demand his name! j will punish
him ."
"AShy pretend?' she asked bitterly
You forget that l have been through
this before DIR. Latin. You haven't
forgotten one week when we We're
almost starving because you had come
back from Monte Carlo with every
penny of your credit pledged"
lie did not answer her, but stood
looking down at the floor, his hands
tightly clasped behind him. his un.
pleasing face further disfigured by a
scowl
You know a great deal too much,
my tflend. he Sdlu.
He went out and returned with n
weedy little man whom he introduced
as the manager of the store.
You'll take no orders from him, +"
he said in that gentleman's presence.
"You re practically your own mistress.
You will come on duty at IL and go
off at o'clock in the afternoon. If
the crowd stares at YOU there is no oc-
casion for you to stare back. / Will
see that nobody speaks to YOU when
YOU leave the store at night, and n car
will he waiting for you to take you
home"
The first hour of Betty's ordeal was
an agony. She had been given account
books, paper, and began to write aim
less letters to nobody in particular.
trying to forget the existence of the
crowd which was gathering, and
which from time to time was moved
on by a disappearing policeman.
She tried hard to concentrate her
mind upon some tremendous matter;
to make up stories, pleasant and un-
pleasant, which would grip her at
tention and make her forget the grin
ming faces that stared through the
glass. About DR.. Latin and his bur-
glary Who had been the unlucky
thief, she wondered, or tried to Won
der It was no use. Try as she did,
most desperately hard, she could not
bring her thoughts from her humllid-
ton 1t pleased MIR. William HolbroolI
that morning to make visit of in
spection.
The store that had been taken for
the New Desk Co. had n 30foot front
age on one of the most expensive
thoroughfares in the west end of Lon
don. Yet, though it was expensive, it
was not, from a shoppers point of
view, the most desirable site. The
headquarters of those corporations
and houses which would be most like.
| ly to patronize this brand-new estab.
| lishment were very remote from Duke
street, and as he came abreast of the
| house agents Office Holbrook remem-
! bered that he had a friend at court in
this establishment and went in,
The junior partner, a man of his
own age, expressed all the surprise
that Holbrook had felt.
why they've hired that shop front
heaven only knows" he said. ''As a
matter of fact we rented it to them,
and / told them at the time that it
wasn't the best position for a concern
of that kind, but they insisted"
Fer how long have they taken the
store?" asked the interested HOlbrook.
and who are 'they'?"