Evening star., 1927-03-20

| his escape by the same route. Notn-
| ing could be simpler
| The Phantom laughed mirthlessly.
| The doctors theory. though, at first
| glance, shallow and far-fetched. i'm
| pressed him unComfortably, instlilinS
| in his mind an idea that had not oc'
CURED TO him until now. Helen
| standing a few PAGES away, was re-
gardng him intently.
Today, | infer, you returned TO
| the scene of your crime continued
/ the doctor, speaking in the dry tones
| OF one developing thesis. CrllnF
nails often do, but why you. a superior
| type. should exhibit the same failing
is beyond me. Some time in the near
/ future / shall write monograph on
| the subject with particular reference
| to your individual case. However,
the fact remains that you returned TO
| the scene of your crime. / take il
that by some blunder or careless move
you betrayed your presence. AT any
rate, YOU found yourself trapped in
| Cages bedchamber. What more nat
ural than that. for the second time
within week. you should use the tun-
mel as a means of escape
| The Phantom was silent for a mo-
ment. Helen Hardwick seemed TO be
| searching his soul with eyes that gave
him a distressing impression of doubt,
suspicion and reproach.
You're mistaken He was ad-
| dressing the doctor. but the effect of
his words was intended for the girl.
Il went to Cages house this after
noon"
"Ah"' The doctors chuckle ex-
pressed amusement. You were act
ing on the idea that it takes a crook
to catch crook, / suppose. Go on.
| H0l1r inTpniHIG u 6i-
verting."
'I found myself cornered," con-
tinued the Phantom, sitting his re-
sentiment. with the house sur
rounded and the police pounding on
the door, ] had only a few moments
in which to find way out. / used
the tunnel, but | discovered the open
ing by merest accident"
'Impossible--fatly impossible Yes,
I see your wrist is scratched. but that
| proves nothing. That opening. my
dear sir, could never have been dis
| covered by accident
You seem to know something
about it yourself" remarked the
Phantom. pointediy.
II do admitted the anthr0p0logist
with a broad grin.
And the tunnel runs into the cellar
Of your house"
$50 it does The doctor seemed
not at all disturbed by Vanardy's
sharp gaze. Years ago, when / was
looking for an inconspicuous and out
of-the-way place in which TO pursue
my studies in quiet, / leased the house
to which this laboratory forms an ex-
tension. | saw Gage now and then,
and the man interested me. Even
| before we became confidential I had
noticed chronological manifestations
that seemed to classify him as be
| longing to one of the types described
| by Lombroso. Step by step I became
familiar with his history and mode of
| life. I learned that he was conduct
ing an extensive traffic in stolen goods
and that he had a broad circle OF
acquaintances in the underworld.
Gage proved useful, introducing me
to criminals whom | wished to study
| at close range, and, in addition to
that, the man himself interested me.
] saw traits and peculiarities in him
that were strangely contradictory
And so, when one day he confided to
me that he was living in constant
fear of the police who were likely to
raid his premises at any time and
confiscate his valuabes, | made a
proposition to him.
You offered to help on the condi-
tion that he sign his body over to you
for dissecting purposes" guessed the
Phantom.
Exactly, my friend. Bimble
rubbed his hands in glee. II offered
to invent an avenue of escape that
would be absolutely safe and proof
against detection. Gage accepted. and
1 set to work fulfilling my part of
the bargain. The result, if | may
bestow compliments on myself, was a
work of genius.
The Phantom gaZed in frank aston
ishment at the versatile anthropolo-
gist. 1.-THE police have a nasty name
for that sort of thing he observed.
THE police and I are friends.
help them on occasions, when the
spirit moves me and the case inter
ests me. And a scientific man, my
dear sir, cannot afford to have moral
scruples. The ends of science justify
all other things, even assisting a
criminal to escape. Incidentally / de.
rived lot of entertainment out of
the planning Of the tunnel. In the
first place, the window was purposely
built so small that no one would con
slider 1t for moment as a possible
means Of escape. Still less would any
one think of looking for an exit hid
den behind the frame of such a win
dow. You noticed the nail, of course.
A lot of psychology is centered around
that nail"
$50 it's psychological nail, eh?''
The Phantom looked at the scratch on
his wrist.
II knew, from my observations of
the workings of the human mind that
not one person in ten million would
give a second thought to that nail.
| Even if, by remote chance. some one
should touch it, he would never sus-
pect that 1t was a part of a mecha-
nism. If, by a still remoter chance.
he would investigate more closely, he
would not know how to operate it..
So, you see, there is not one chance
in billion that a stranger would
find the tunnel. Do you blame me for
doubling your statement that you
found it by accident"' - +r
The Phantom looked at Miss Hard
wick. DR.. Bimble's explanation seemed
to have impressed her strongly.
He did not wonder at this, for
he knew there was logic in the an.
thropologist's argument Nothing but
his firm belief that Gage had provided
himself with an emergency exit of
some sort had prompted the Phantom
to give the nail a closer scrutiny
DR. Bimble gave him a mildly
amused look. You agree with me
don't you, Vanardy? I think my logic
holds together. Only person familiar
with the tunnel could have commit
ted the murder! Conversely, a per-
son betraying a knowledge of the tun.
mel is q worthy object of suspicion. -
| Haven't you forgotten something?"
The Phantom suddenly called to mind
his own theory of the crime. "One
other person could have committed
the murder without a knowledge of
the tunnel" -. -
Yes, 1 know" said the doctor,
RESORTS. ..,-