Evening star., 1928-09-22

m AnNcI 1G4t tlIG lIdlIl DIT 1uIIIl.
AH We'll, 50 long, young feller,"
W. were his parting words to
1 Y 1 Dighton I'm dropping off
here and making my way down
later. That's ore of the disadvantages
of being notcriety. You can go right
ahead. Make your headquarters at the
Casino. It's the smartest hotel in
Rappallo and Ahlborg entertains there
often"
He lowered his voice to a whisper.
TRY and cultivate an acquaintance
with Mafalda Pasquali. If Ahlborg
has a weakness-She's it. There's no
mistake about 1t. Dighton. guy who
can dance as you did at the Cockatoo
Club can go long way with the ladies.
if he plays his cards properly"
Dighton flushed
This extraordinary little man, with
his wealth of gold teeth and habit
ually serious expression, overlooked
nothing. He wondered how much he
had guessed of the lightning love af-
fair between himself and Greta Haye.
Marney handed over his luggage to
an Italian porter and hovered for a
few moments in the doorway of the
compartment.
Women hive broken bigger men
than Ahlborg." he announced in that
rasping voice of his. IF you can fox
trot your way through the gates of the
Villa Sabine, so much the better Don't
kid Yourself you can dope the dogs;
it's been tried and it didn't come off.
Langley dug out an old stable hand who
knew em and paid him heavily to
keep em interested while he pulled oil
his COUP"
He stared dreamily at the roof and
the stump of his cigar travelled from
one end of his mouth to the other.
"Thev buried the stable hand three
DAYS after Langley quit. Suicide. they
called it: but wouldn't say 1t was
that myself"
A warning shrek from the engine
and Marney held out his hand.
so long again. D!ghton. Come and
ece me- when you feel like it. You
knew where"
He swung brisl,lv off thu moving
train on to the r'atform. thirst his
hands deep into his overcoat ro"ketG
and followed his porter toward the bar
rio"
Leaning out of the window, Dighton
watched him out Of sight. A queer
sense of loneliness assailed him as ne
t,1rned to his corner. He had enjoyed
that trip from Paris more particularly
because Marney had been there. HIS
going acted as reminder that he was
doomed to lone game in every sense
of the. word
Somewhere between Turin and
Alessandria it struck Dighton that
Marney had deliberately planned that
meeting. In spite of the others as
sertion. he was not satisfied IN MS
mind that he was on the train when he
4 I,ie To r iY1I1tn holt for IT
1t was quite within the bounds OF
possibility that Taverner had in
structed the American to watch him
in Faris. BY discovering how he
handled the Daudot business en- route
he would have been able to form an
orin;on how his new recruit shaped
Portly convinced that this was so.
ha felt no reSertmout either toward
Marney or his chief. The espionage
svston that T~vorne" controlled wcs
50 intricate ard so vitality interdepen~
dent that it h"hooved him to assure
himself as TO tho strength and impor-
tance of everv mesh. Marney's con-
versation. disiointed as it had been.
had contained much that was inStruc-
tive. He had warned him against GER
tain dangers; and. without appearing
to do so. had outlined the policy ms
colleague was to follow.
Uu to point it was a pleasant one.
His pose was that OF an EnglSn
tourist Wintering in the best hotel IN
Panallo He was to enter whole
heartedly into the amusements pro-
vided. make himself popular with ms
fellow guests. endeavor to attract the
attention of the one woman who might
prove useful, and. to employ Marney,s
EXPRESSION. fox trot his way through
the gates of the Villa Sabine.
One train of thought set another IN
motion. He thought he was begin
ming to see the method of Taverner'S
rnadness. when. even in the face OF
tragedy at his own flat. he had per
sisted in dragging D.ghton ana MS
niece to a night club.
1t had been all part and parcel OF a
deeply laid scheme. Corlltts VlSlt 70
his Office had BEEN nart OF it. too inc
secretary had admitted that Dighton's
letter asking for a Job had been provl-
DENTAL. They had wanted man VINO
was unknown. he had declared. Dlgh-
ton believed he could add to that. In
an age when the craze for dancing
was world wide. thev were seeking
man of average good looks and social
attainments, who might take ADVANTAGE
of the one weak joint in Ahloorgs S
harness!
Unconsciously. he hoped, Greta had
been a tool.
Taverner. red-faced and beaming;
Tayerner, in that abs'lrd Cyrano de
Bergerac nose, had been cunnlngly
putting him through his PAGES. Mar
nov had been watching. too. When
Dighton was in the city. perhaps;
these two had met and eXchaneeo
notes. and their joint decision han
had more bearing on the AFFAIR theh
Taverner's experience of him in the
trenches or the result of his encounter
with the Lizard.
It was 2 in the afternoon when NJ
hailed taxi outside Rapallo station
and drove to the Casino
A taxi had its advantages over tne
hotel bus: 1t was decidedly more COM
Portable, for one thing; for anotner'
it moved independently. without nav
ing to await the arrival of late COM
ers from the train. A glimpse OF the
Mediterranean, sapphire-blue and re-
fecting the rays Of not too wlntry
RESORTS.
ATLANTIC CITY. N. j.
I1xa - - - Rwa - - ~- n = NYFN a -