Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-16
Blue or Gray?

~UTHBERT VANARDY was con
scious of a disquieting tension
in the air The long shadows
cast by the trees that STOOD
in clusters on the lawn OF sea
GLIMPSE impressed him as sinister
harbingers of coming events.
He smiled as il occurred to him that
his highest ambition al the present
moment was to produce gray orchld'
It was only a within, diversion
from more serious work, but the nov
elty of the experiment, as well as the
difficulties in the way, Appeared 10
him. BY intricate cross-breedlhs ne
was gradually developing an orchid
of dim. mystic gray, his favorite
color. When once evolved, the hyprld
should be known as the Phantom or
child. 1t would be the living symbol OF
whatever had been good In MS other
self, the Gray Phantom.
His thoughts went back to those
other DAVIS when he had gone, like
swa gcering Robin Hood, from one stu
nendous adventure to another. Even
his Interest enemies, and there hau
been many of them, had never accused
the GRAY Phantom of being actuateu
bv considerations of sordid gain. Ihe
public had gasped and the police NUT
tered maledictions as he grained ms
thirst for thrills and excitement, al
ways playing the game in strict accord
with his code and invariably planning
his exploits so that his victims were
villains of a far blacker dye than he.
Always his left hand had tossed away
what his right hand had plucked'
The Gray Phantom, through it all,
maintained an elusiyeness that com
nd n1n
his identity in a gamourous haze. SO
astounding were his performances that
there were those who asked them
selves whether he was not practicing
black magic. Once, in the early days of
his career, he fell into the clutches of
the police, satisfying the superstitlous
ones that he was really being OF
flesh and blood. but. an amazing es-
cape a few days later revived the gos-
sip of a rogue who was in collusion
with evil spirits. The Phantom was
greatly amused, and spurred his en-
ergies to even more dizzying flights,
but there were times when softer
mood came upon him, and then he
wondered why his restless spirit could
not have found a different outlet.
There came long lapses between his
adventures, and finally it began to be
TUfnO16O LIdL ID6 1IdN IIdItOIt iiob
gone into retirement with his accumu-
lated treasures, for no one guessed
that he had flung away his spoils as
fast as he garnered them in. Nobody
understood the true reason for the
change. that had come over him, and
the Phantom least of all.
Stepping into the library, he lighted
his reading lamp and took work on
horticulture from the shelf. There was
a problem in connection with the gray
orchid that he had not yet been able
to work out satisfactorily. He sat
down and opened the book, but the
print danced and blurred before his
ewes. A woman's face appeared out
of nowhere, the same face that had
haunted him in idle moments for
months. His mental picture was dim
and fragmentary, and he could not
distinctly remember even the color OF
the hair or whether the eyes were
blue or gray, but the vision pursued
him with the persistence of haunt
ing scent or a strain from an old IA
miliar song.
Helen Hardwick and he had shared
several adventures and perils together.
Only a few months had elapsed since
he rescued her from the clutches OF
the mysterious MIR. Shei," the leader
of an arch-conspiracy which the Phan-
tom had frustrated. She had come to
Sea Glimpse to thank him, and her
parting glance and smile were still
vivid in his recollection. He often
glanced dreamily at the spot where
she had stood when for an instant her
hand fingered within his. With the
blood pounding against his temples, ne
had exerted all his power of Will to re-
strain himself from calling her back.
There were times when he regretted
having let her go like that, without
hope of seeing her again, but III his
soberer moments he saw the inevita-
bIeness of the outcome. In the eyes of
the world he was still an outlaw, and
too great a gulf separated the Gray
Phantom and Helen Hardwick.
The Phantom stood lost in refiec-
lions, his deep gray eyes soft and lu-
minous. On occasion they could sting
and stab like points of steel. but in
repose they were the eyes of dream
err. The nostrils were full and sensi-
tive, and the arch of the lips was part
ly obscured by short-cropped beard
that would have made him hard to
recognize from his photograph in
revolving case at police headquarters.
He turned as knock sounded on the
door. a Ial man Steppcu IIIouSH inc
door, grooming and putting as If the
task of carrying his huge body
through life were the bane of his ex-
istence. Wade, the ostensible owner
of Sea Glimpse-for its real master
was seldom seen beyond the bound
aries of the estate-placed bundle of
mail on the table, gave his master
long-suffering look and withdrew.
With listless air Vanardy glanced
at the mail and began TO unfold the
newspapers. He ran his eyes over the
headlines, and a caption, blacker and
Ia anger than the rest caught his Ian