Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-27
The Gray Phantom's Romance
Astonishing Adventures of an Unusual He.'o.
Copyright by Street & NIT Corp.

why, Pinto, you're the scaredest COP
/ ever say. Your nerves must be in
bad way. I. was only wondering II
vou've seen anything of Mrs. Trippe
lately"
''What-what d'you mean?" he de
MY nerves are bit jumpy," ad
mitted Pinto, He was moving again
but there was evidence. of weakness
in the region of his knees. They've
been that way ever since | had a
touch of indigestion last month
What was it you asked me about Mrs.
Trippe?"
walked over there yesterday
afternoon. meaning to ask her ques-
ton or two in connection with the
murder. | couldn't find her, and the
neighbors said they hadn't seen her
for a day or two. Got any idea
where she is?"
mo, l haven't" Pinto was speak
ing in calmer tones now. Likely as
not she's visiting friends or relatives
somewhere. Wimmen don't like to
stay in n place where there's been a
| murder"
Something in that. BY the way,
Pinto. when were you last inside the
house,"
Again. for a mere instant, the pa
trolman's steps faltered. He threw
the man at his side an uneasy glance.
why. let me see. 1t was the day l
had the Phantom locked up in the
bedroom and he gave me the slip.
| Why did you want to know"
mo reason in particular. l was
just thinking that. But my
minds wandering. Got bit tanked
early in the evening. Guess I'll turn
in. See you later"
With a yawn he turned back, fan
| cying there was a note of relief in
the policemans farewell. He smiled
as he walked along. His converse.
ton with Pinto had cleared up one
point in his mind. The officer knew
something Of Mrs. Trippe's fate. The
| dread he had evinced at mention OF
the housekeeper'S name proved that,
and his prevarications and evasions
were further evidence. The plea of
! indigestion and nervousness, coming
| from one of Pinto's robust physique,
was highly amusing.
Yet, illuminating as his verbal fenc-
! ing match with the patrolman had
been, it had merely confirmed suspi-
| cionS already firmly rooted in the
! Phantom's mind. AS yet he had not
| a single iota of concrete evidence, and
| there were SSN0Tdl liz tAiei l
| had to be untangled before he could
accomplish much. For instance, there
was the mystery surrounding the
murder of Mrs. Trippe and the equal
! ly perplexing riddle of what had be
come of the body.
! Both of them must be solved before
he could go far toward attaining his
| object.
| He stopped, noticing that his mental
| process had guided his steps toward
| the Gage house. II was still drizzling,
and he was tired and hungry and wet,
| but the problem on which he was en-.
gagged drove all thought of rest and
| food from his mind The blackness
overhead was slowly breaking into a
| leaden gray. and from all directions
came sounds of awakening life. He
walked up to the door, believing that
| the answers to the questions that
| troubled him were to be found inside
/ the house.
! Then, out of the shadows, as il
/ seemed to him, came an understood
creature with a slouching gait and
| glittering cats eyes peering out from
beneath the wide brim of a soft hat
/ The Phantom felt a slight touch on
| his elbow, and for an instant, the
| sharply cleaning eyes scanned his
! face, then the queer-looking character
| shuffied away as swiftly and silently a.
| he had appeared.
The Phantom was tempted to fol-
| low, but just then he noticed that a
piece Of paper was cramped between
his fingers. He unfolded 1t and ex.
amind it in the meager light. All he
could see at first was something crude
and shapeiess sketched with pencil,
bat gradually the blur dissolved into
- AtSr1 xxyfNf rI t1.x
1t was Educal ceronet The Phan-
tom smiled as he looked down at the
emblem of his old rival and enemy,
the Duke. The paper handed Aim by
the curious messenger was reminder
that the hand of his antagonist was
reaching out for him, that though the
| Duke himself was in prison, his bench
| men and agents were active, being
at this very moment on the Phantom s
! trail.
| He put the paper into his pocket,
and in the same moment the amused
smile faded from his lips For a time
| he had forgotten that, to all practical
purposes, he was no longer the Gray
| Phantom, but one Thomas Granger.
| journalist. His lips frightened as again
| he gaZed at the tracings on the paper.
Did 1t mean that the Dukes emissaries
had seen through his disguise and
alias, or did it mean--his figure stiff.
tened as the latter question flashed In
his mind-that Thomas Granger was
member OF the Dukes band?
| In vain he pondered the problem,
unable to decide whether the paper
had been intended for himself or for
| Granger. If for himself, il seemed a
somewhat idle and meaningless GEES
ture on the Dukes part, for his old
enemy surely could gain nothing by
sending cryptic messages to him. On
the other hand, assuming that the re-
porter was the intended recipient what
hidden meaning was Granger supposed
to read into a ducal coronet?
He tried to dismiss the problem
from his mind until he could have a
talk with Granger, but thoughts OF
the mysterious message and the
| strange messenger pursued him as he
| once more turned to the door. The
entrance to the store was padlocked.
| but the lock on the side door yielded
readily to manipulation with one of
| the tools in his metal case. A quick
| glance to left and right assured him
! he was unobserved. Closing the door
/ and taking out his electric. fash, which
| he had ira nsferred among other things
to the suit he was now wearing, he
ran up the steep and creaking stairs.
| He stood in a long and narrow hall.
At one end was stairway, presum-
ably leading to the store below, and
along the sides of the corridor were
three doors. Opening one of them, he
played the electric beam over the in
trior. for he did not think 1t safe to
turn on the light.
1t was furnished, a tidily furnished
bedroom, and the prevalence of femi-
nine touches limited that 1t had been
occupied by the housekeeper. In the
neatness and inmaculateness Of things
there was not the slightest suggestion
j OF tragedy, and he looked In vain for
sign that the occupant had been