Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-15


NM wooden leg behind him. and
the chief. protesting the o.
surdity of keeping such a
nonsensical thing, put it away care
fully.
Mac gets all kinds of ideas and
you seem to have gone dippy your
self" he said to Chris. Better go
along to your hotel now and do your
best to get something from Holmes In
the morning. Goodnight. You necd
q rest"
Chris reached the Washington Hotel
without further adventure ana went
to bed. wishing with all his heart that
he had gone with Winston, yet so UNI
utterahly weary that relief came I'M
mediateiy--a sleep filed with dreams
of Anne. the charred leg, Winston and
the bonfire, with carrier pigeons
floating in the offing. And when you
stop to think Of all that had happened.
YOU realize that-his dreams were no
more than natural.
But if Winston needed sleep, no.
body would have suspected it. WITHIN
a few minutes he had boarded Gov
eminent launch and was steaming
along through the harbor, headed Tor
the old De Lesseps Canal.
Hell of ditch to so into at night
the engineer of the launch protested.
land what are you going to do when
YOU get there? If you're looking for
night life, / can show you better
place. And, by the way. Mac, those
two queens you were trailing around
the dock last night were hunting for
you this evening; said they had some
thing to tell you. Who are they, any
way?"
"Playmates, my dear fellow-recrea-
/ know what they had to tell me, all
right. oh, Meestair Kelleer is about
their complete vocabulary. If l had
to live on this Zone. I'd go mad in a
week. How do you stand it?"
"Oh, / dunno; not so bad. Got the
wife and kids here. Say, you came i'll
on the Hope. didn't you? Fierce pas
sage you had. Ship disabled. passen-
gers set ashore, and two women miss
ing"
"Yeh. Lots of talk around the
docks, 1 SUPPOSE" Winston drawled,
lighting a cigarette.
Yes; everybody's popeyed. listening
in"
"You heard it f1rst-hand, 1 suppose?"
Yes Young fellow named Carton,
nephew of my wife. She generally
tries to get a word with him when he
goes trough. Kind Of a wild kid;
ran away from home, his mother fret
ting herself to death-all that kind of
thing"
Carton Winston's tone expressed
polite interest. Seem to remember
that he rowed one of the lifeboats.
Staying at your house now? / heard
the crew had shore leave"
"Yeh. Seems to have a lot of
friends around. Can't quite make him
IT, %hnt 1 nd cy6af.
ting next to no pay, but if he didn't
blow in with big wad iof money! My
wifes worried sick over him-afraid
he's been gambling"
More than likely. What kind of
friends do you mean-cabaret and
fluffy ruffles?"
mo. That's the funny part. He
oeems to know regular folks. Went
up to dinner tonight at swell house
name of Holmes; English outfit.
Know them?''
NO" Winston drawled, not a trace
OF interest visible. Don't come down
here often enough to get next to any
body but the barkeepers. Wouldn Is
worry about the kid. Boys that age
try out a lot of games before they
settle down. I'd like ito meet your
family, though. I get so darned sick
of wandering through life in hotels
and restaurants that a home looks
like the top OF the world to me-"
Don't blame you. I'll be glad to
have YOU drop in and make yourself
at home. But, say, l don't like this
trip we're making, Mac. That old
canals an awfully creepy place. Can't
we lie off outside and wait till morn
ing?" . :,
want to be Johnny on the spot when
dawn breaks"
Looking for the missing girl?"
mo She's gone through to Pan
anna, all right They'll pick her up
there tomorrow, Winston lied easily.
"I'm after fellow who broke Sing
Sing-a lifer, dangerous chap"
How'd you know he was here?"
Didn't and don't. Just looking; got
a bunch. Killed a whole family in a
farmhouse Name of Hills. You're
right, l don't want to meet him at
night
The conversation 1anguiShed, died
out altogether. for Winston was piec-
ing together the bits of evidence so
fortunately picked up-the boy Gar
ton and his roll of money, his friend
ship with the Holmes family, British
ers SO far above him in the social
scale.
"Such a kid" he said to himself.
sBought by that gang and trusted
- XAY