Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-04
BLUE MURDER
By Edmund Smell.
Thrilling Story Of Young Secret Crime and
Rescue o Peril.
Bv Edmund Smell.

ried to Alan Dlghton.
On this particular evening Ia 1er
was inclined to be communicative. as
spoke to Hodges several times from rs
lone seat at the back.
Miss Greta should be well on ..Sr
way to Rome by now"
Eyes. sir" came the measured reply,
st suppose she should, Seems a long
Journey for a young lady to travel on
her own, sir"
Taverner removed the cigar from his
mouth.
all sorts of extraordinary things nova
DAYS. They've changed a great deal
since was a young man, and, IN q
good MANY ways, for the better. Conti-
mental travelling has altered, too. It's
really remarkably simple. The heart
of the sternest customs officer relents
toward a girl with pretty face"
place seems funny without her,
expect" suggested the chauffeur pres
emily. -.
pired, he touched upon the truth.
ut does" said Sir Ian.
He sat, with clasped hands, staring
beyond Hodges at an asphalt road
cleaning with the moisture left by
recent shower 1t was lonely without
her. horribly lonely. Hodges innocent
remark set other thoughts in motion:
Sooner or later Greta would get mar
ried. This brief parting from mis- SIS
ter's child-a matter of month or SIX
weeks at the most-waS nothing IN
comparison to the loss he would sus-
tain when the time came Tor MN 10
hand her over to the care OF another.
1t was depressing to look forward 10
but it was nevertheless inevitable.
Greta was just the sort OF girl VINO
would get married.
The car drew to halt outside the
theater and Taverner got out.
ct shall expect you about IL, Hodges"
The man touched his cap.
"Verv good. sir"
In the brief pause before moving on
again ~ make room for the car behind,
he watched his masters stocky form
passing up the broad steps into the
lighted foyer. Taverner was looking
older somehow His stoop had become
more pronounced, his steady, leisured
gait that of a man 10 years his senior.
Moments later the familiar silk hat,
the abundance of white silk scarf STICK
ing up above the coat, the faint maze
of cigar smoke that accompanied the
baronet everywhere had vanlsneo INTO
the We'll QTeSSeQ LIlIOI1Sy oAA0 AANA0NS
was plotting his car homeward.
He rejected sadly. as he crossed the
Circus into Piccadilly, that Sir Ian was
very different man from the ener-
qetic colonel of infantry under whom
he had served during the war. Quite
little things seemed to be capable OF
upsetting his equanimity- departure
OF his niece for Italy, for example.
Taverner himself did not enjoy the
show.
what he was pleased to term an
nodoninitis had destroyed for him the
lure of shapely legs, of costly scenery
and dresses, of intricate lighting effects.
There was nothing about the revue that
made him regret missing whole quar-
ter of an hour of it so that he could
drink whisky in peace before the gen.
eral rush began. He had nearo all the
comedians jokes before, the plot was
thin and unsatisfying, the dancing
erotesoue, and in the main, unga1nly.
Between 10 and 1890 he vacated his
end seat and went down to the hall to
telephone.
He called up the fat.
els that you, Jarrett?"
The servants voice, rendered metal
| lie over the line. answered him.
'"Tell Hodges to come here for me at
once. I shall be waiting for him IN the
foyer" ..,,.
"Er-theres nothing wrong sir, l
hope?"
Taverner laughed.
Nothing whatever, Jarrett, thanks
I'm rather bored. that's all"
He had removed the receiver from his
ear and was on the point OF hanging u
up when a disturbance In It's inner
mechanism made him listen again.
"Hullo, Ian!" said voice which ne
did not recognize, How are you?"
Taverner frowned and cleared his
throat.
I'm perfectly fit, thanks all the
same-who's that Speaking?"
A loud below of laughter set his ear
drum throbbing painfully.
Cant you guess?"
mo" he returned coldly, I'm afraid
can't. I'm not good at guessing"
TRY" implored the voice.
ct don't want to-"
1T begins with an H"
IT don't care" retorted Taverner ir-
ritably. IF it begins with z. 1t con-
veys absolutely nothing to me-"
Again that boisterous below OF mirth.
Have" said the man at the other
enQ OF lI1S llLlS. k1dyC'
1t came to Taverner as an expression
of inquiry. -
veyed absolutely nothing to me-" he
repeated.
''Haye." shouted the other again,
Dick Haye Now do you know?"
Taverner started and almost dropped
the receiver. Dick Haye-Greta's father
the impoverished artist from Romel
What the dickens are you doing over
here?"
Haye laughed a shade more quietly
over the telephone. G
You speak as if you were scarcely
overjoyed at the prospect Of meeting
your brother-in-law."
ION the contrary. I'm delighted" Sir
Ian replied. Il only wondered. Are you
better?"
Better? How d'you mean? I've never
had a days illness in my life-touch
wood! I'm in fine fettle. thanks all the
same. just had a stroke Of extraordi-,
nary good luck. Got an order to paint
six pictures-at decent figure,
too" -
The details of his good fortune fen
on deaf ears. Taverner was staring at
a tremendous enlargement of the cons-
dian who had bored him some minutes
before, but he did not take that In.
either. He was thinking of the cable
from Rome purporting to have come
from Greta's father-and the trouble
he had gone to in getting her away. -
IF you were not ILL.," he demanded
presently, why did you say you were?"
My dear old idiot, never did" 10
"But you must have. We got your
wire on Monday evening and packed
Greta off to you by the first boat" ~
You what?" ~
I'm coming home almost immediate
ly," declared Taverner. There's been
a mistake somewhere, and we'll have to
sort = ous between U.S." s.aa..
He hung up the rscot7er and de-.
scended to the cloakroom for his coat
and hat. 9sTg
He was walking up and down on the
ra uernenL outside Mhefa Hndoes came