Evening star., 1928-03-03
rz1 m eO9 MM nj Mystery Story
U0GS AV@WuU S UWu@IlUU@1 FRANK !.
BY FRANK l.. PACKARD.
CopvrIgh. 1927. nv Frank T.. pacs.-d.


-. 2. - = .....jfsl
and pounds that's the reward that's
out for YOU my lad, and paid on the
nail. too. just for handing you over To
thc police in Sydney
Peter stared at the other blankly for
moment, then nc broke into a con-
temptuous laugh.
you're mad" he said. II thought
you we're from The first,-I know II now.
You-yonre a comic opera skipper
sailing around the coral-zirt isles Of the
@nnlit seas. and you're supposed to have
"scaped from Iunatic asylum, aren't
ToI? Well, you're bally hit in the
roie' Five thousand pounds FOR me Dr.
cause / killed Tom Murchison! The no.
lice wouldn't offer that much for a
regiment of murderers."
'Mebbe they would. and nnnboe they
wouldn't" returned Capt. Murnrn, with
a shrug of his shoulders Bat Us all
posted UP shipShape and Official in
FIJI: Saw it in Suva With my oun e-es.
And description Of you when you'd
got more flesh on your bones than -o1
go now. And the details Of the crime"
Pcter rose painfully 10 his feet again.
MS hands were clenched once more az
his sides.
I'd like 70 hear those details" be
said through tight lips.
Got a bad memory. have you?" in
CURED Capt. Mumm sarcastically. Wet.
right you are! Anything 70 ohI;ge
Murcnison had lot OF pearls with hInn
the day he came back-navbe vou7I
remember that! That afternoon vo.
and ne had nasty bit Of a rov that
was witnessed BY lot Of your nat!ves.
"Nonsense" interrupted Peter short
~; ~ didn't amount to anything ~
an mere was some work that Ne
M1fcLison had wanted done in
/ ms absence - and il hadn't been
done. He vas quick-tenonered al
80 am /. He few off the han
die about it without asking for
reasons. and so I few off to1-githo,,.
giving the reasons. II vas a speciaI hi
OF ROAD We were building across tne
plantation, and a beastlv smell ~
weather had iac.ed US I'D NstIlraI]r
the natives didn't understand a uorri
we were saying, and no doubt the rov
sounded lot worse than It really z.as.
nui, as l say, il didn't amour, to any-
thing. ana. when We had both cooled
down. We both apologized."
You can tell that 70 the Jury" said
Capt. Josephus Mumm iaconicaIIv
inc next morning Tom Murchison mas
,ou!iu murdcred IN his room. stabbed
70 death. and the knife that did IL a
sneatn-kniie, was identified as vours
ana IL was found covered with blood
lusl outside the door where YOU dorooed
II without knowing IL. or maybe cnl1Idnt
hno 1t again in the dark. or becafse
you were in a hurry. and the pearls
were gone and so was the Marion a-,d
50 was most Of the extra supply Of
petrol from the storeshed-and so was
Peter Blake"
For a moment Peter stared wi.Ilo;,.
word. His brain vas wh!rIing :ne
flot OF emotions. Horror and an in
! $cnSate fury battled for supremacy.
noEror at the vileness OF the deed
l4F: tnat ne should be held the author
J o. IL And then strange mental cain,
came-and a night passed in revisx
/ again before hin-and queer snatchgs
o! conversation. unintelligib,e then
eIast!V clear now. came back to him
% ne won't float away-far enough
our 70 sink her" And then rat Iaugh
SOFT as wor1an's. rtppir.g out in
oOlces musical notes. And a stars ,rrT-
/ derstanding came. He was the cat's-paw,
Peter tried to speak. His lips 1e-e
parcned and dry. He moistened them
/ "A1tA t4iC tAN VI HIS tongue,
| 'Llsten!" he said hoarselv "r eco
Il all now. That nigh, I saw sor,s
one looking in through the vindoT-
LOOKING at the pearls. I tried TO catch
+ MN, but couldn't Murch.son diTy,.t
think II amounted 70 anything; but I
/ uld SO | stayed awake and once ,r
/ Twice l went outside and made -1a
{ rounds ot the bungalow. II must hsrs
oeen on one OF those occasions ina,
/ tney crep' IN or Murch!son. / was a.
! .aCNed IN my room and wounded
!ooS: he tore his clothing away and
! sioWsc the knife wound IN his side.
care say Murch.son put Up a hi.
/ Murul. s-i''>
Damn youl" cried Peter turiotsly
Damn yoi-!iS'en. I became uncon-
! SciouS. The next / knew was f1,,rv
N''o boat which I afterward disc,y-
eFec was the Marion. I heard ,bcr,
say something abou; tying me n tna
ta"art 81 that l wouldn't foa. avav
Wien they got the boat OUT far sra1vb
70 sink 1t, I didn't understand tbsn
o'lt DO now-they were Ss,ou,SerjoS
/ NE WIN the crime. I'd never D. hears
~ ssa'n. ara II would De supposed ths,
i, nAa mace sood nv escape in ~
Marion. and had l;keviSe GO. ria =. tss
! MARION. TOO. when was through verr
mer l lost consciousness once r,n-s
"hSi, came 70 my senses again 7
! io,'hG was being toaed cur 10 Sss
was prcifv sick, couldn't sAa yr-,,
MF.A th'nk Il WAS some sort cs a
ihFse sailing vessel MANAGED =, f~s~
,rESeI, and cut the bra; sdrjfr -hsy
! was Too weak 70 90 much else. Thsy
.i,N' me o' course. III The niSh.. A.,e-
Peter stopped snrup.ly. The red.
a",tsc man was sucking a, his .ssyl,
flushed -F'0' 1SST
Don't ycu understands" y. ,.,-..
guy They must have Known sNN,,,
we pearls, and they sailed IN usss-
.".T ot darkness, and they used ne Z,
cover rn their tracks and"
-, nsalh Peter stopped. and again -
,'''ShSd somehow The story SN,,rss(,
.a,lF even IN his own escS He hsSn't
lN.o - Well-,hat was whs; Was ,hs
ms,'rr~eut his brain WAS sick s.s
r,', rhry,'" made q cs,<-aaw on. q
mI ar said, trying 10 steady his
"feu aont say" nsurnurrd Car,
1H$e,phnS Nlumm softly. Wei I S,,s<s
We SCI along s--Sc's YOU can tell ira,
IA the !urS. ,C<,' No gCN,s wy, r,sS,,S,s
any t!$S aeou, it--whatF"
srtS? found hin'Sel. speaking ne.
<laN'ralN Ia dull <oys cg wav
NH-oe S,N'd said Fe,sy. No ssxN,
NaSins any russ about IL
Ff'eF stared around The hlt S,s
SNFN nef ring ot Ss,cwls,,S farr>
Very strange Even Hagu MAS <.r,W}.
,hs' And vet Hstu ard the res, ..
toe natives had heeo ktnS q, hin, gsv
@Nrnd the ordinary mean,nS ~ ~
""Fu hT owed them his HE fir was
S"!i'S away nov. and ~ had yeyv Sy.s-
"NN Whsrh ~ repay them ,n,<t sNs
&c" We III nus s<%Set He thrust his
hand iute his ,Srket and h,,u,,ss ~,