Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-27

go with an easy, caretfee SWaS
- ger. breathing freely for thG
Il first time since the beginning
~ of the strange events tIat ma.
: attended his efforts to solve, the mys
r. terry of the Gage murder. In the role
.esof an irresponsible journalist with a
weakness for strong liquor, he could
feel reasonably secure, for the police
had been so cruelty nagged and ridi-
culed that they would think twice
before repeating their sad blunder.
stop commanded voice as he
swung into Houston street. The
- Phantom halted and smiled impu-
IDENTIFY into the face of plain clothes
man who emerged from a dark door
|. way to look him over.
-+s "Oh, Granger" muttered the officer
disgustedly after a glance at his
= SNOWY attire and sniff of the whisky
with which the Phantom, making use
of the reporters bottle, had prudently
~Rcented himself. Sober for. a change,
! i see. Where do you get the stuff,
anyhow
THAT would be telling. Any news
of the Phantom
Nav! We thought we had him a
while ago, over at a Third avenue L
station, but he blew away. l s'pose
you're out to nab him and get scoop
for that yellow rag OF yours.
Maybe said the Phantom cheer
fully. at would be quite an event in
my young life. I'll be on my way, if
you're sure you don't want to take
me, to headquarters and get another
sample of my fingerprints.
"Aw-beat it, muttered the detec-
Z tive. touched in a sore spot. The
Phantom chuckled and moved on.
His new role promised to be amusing
as well as profitable. and the ease
with which he had passed the first
test gave him added confidence. Twice
within the next y minutes he was
stopped and questioned. only to be
dismissed with a Disguised grunt or
q facetious remark.
As he crossed the Bowery a stocky
figure in patrolman's uniform ap-
peared around the corner and moved
down the street few PAGES ahead of
him. After studying his gait and
bearing for few moments, the Phan-
tom knew il was Officer Pinto. He
elackened his pace and followed. step
ping softly 80 as not TO attract the
polieemans attention.
pintos steps faltered as he APP
preached the middle of the block, and
he walked with a shutting and uncer
tain air Finally he stopped and the
Phantom thought he was gazing at q
window directly in front of him. He
tiptoed little closer, and now he saw
that the building on which the off,
GERS attention was fixed SO intently
was none other than the murky and
silent structure that had been occu-
pied by Gage and his housekeeper.
The policeman drew a little closer
to the window, then stood rigid and
basil
exerting a peculiar fascination upon
him. At that moment the Phantom
would have given a great deal to
know what was going on in the mind
of the man he was watching. He
could make guess, but guesses were
unsatisfactory. At length the officer
shrugged his shoulders. as if to shake
off something that oppressed him.
then tried the lock in a matter-of fact
fashion and moved on down the
street.
The Phantom FASTENED after him.
He was no longer trying to avoid de-
lection, and his footballs sounded clear
and sharp in the quiet street. The
policeman stopped. looked back and
peered sharply at the oncomer.
''Granger-huh!' he snorted after
giving the Phantom a derisive once
over. Say. does your ma know
you're out as late as this? Getting
ell them glad rags mussed up in the
rain. too! What's the idea?"
THE Phantom has got my goat"
confessed the pseudo reporter. ''It
isn't natural for a man to pop in and
out the way he does without getting
caught"
well, what are you going to do
about it?" grumbled the patrolman,
resuming his walk.
The Phantom fell into step beside
him. now and then casting a sidelong
glance at his sour and uncommunica.
tive face. All of a sudden he won
dered whether the policeman was
aware that a second murder had been
committed i'm the Gage house. and
again ii struck him as baffiingly
strange that no mention had been
made of the finding of the house.
Keepers body. What had become OF
II and how much If anything did
Pinto know?
Something seems to be eating
YOU" he observed casually. trying TO
adopt a phraseology suited TO his role
''You were staring at that window as
If you expected old Cages ghost to
take a stroll. What We're you think
ing Of. Pinto?"
The policeman gave quick, search
ff8S look. say you We DeEH watch
ing me, amt you? What's the big
idea? And how do you know my
Nance"
The Phantom laughed engagingly
How touchy we are tonight!
wasn't watching you. exactly. Just
strolling along, hoping TO bump into
the Phantom and cover myself with
glory. Then | saw you. and l couldn't
imagine what you were seeing In that
window. AS for knowing your name
] happen TO be aware that the officer
on this beat is one Joshua Pinto and
that he was called by the housekeeper
the night Gage was murdered"
The patrolman. evidently satisfied
with the explanation. mumbled some
thing under his breath
But you haven't answered my
question persisted the Phantom
speaking in gently teasing tones. 81
am still wondering what you were
thinking Of while standing in front
of the window"
"Why. / was-just thinking. that's
all"
GLOW illuminating; / wonder II
by any chance. your profound medi
tations had anything TO do with the
present whereabouts OF Mrs. Mary
Trippe, Cages housekeeper"
The patrolman came TO a dead stop
OF a sudden his face turned almost
white and his eyes grew wider anC
wider as they stared into the ques
toner's face.
unanded thickly.
The Phantom laughed easily