Evening star., 1928-03-25

left it open myself. Remember the
reward"
mo, you don't! Pause before you
| finish those fatal words" she adjured
him dramatically. Everything is set,
Wednesday night the sophomore class
of Magruder is going to put on riot
and paint the town red. What more
| appropriate and safe time to paint
| grandpa's nose green? Especially as
! the police will be chasing the naughty
student boys I'll even go along and
superintend the job. Now will you
| do it?"
"I-will-not."
"Oh, well!' sighed the girl. IF you
is the safe rule, / suppose. &.
I'll leave the reward on grandpas cheek
| that grandson might have had"
An unguarded chuckle sounded from
the silence behind them. checked by a
sharp "sShh-h-h!'
who's that?" whispered Polly.
He turned slowly. Il think it's Ida
LounSbury"
Your appointed fate! DO you sup
pose she's heard the whole thing2
| Who's with her?"
| Some college kid"
| Polly peered "Oh. that's all right"
said she, relieved. ITS Charley varnum,
my gay young senior He'll never give
us away, will you. Chas?"
Right corroborated the voice from
the dimness. That's a hot thought,
though" 1t continued, addressing the
| sharer OF its Seclusion. Paint the old
bimbos nose green"
IT'S a disgusting thought" averred
Miss Lounsbury. Il can't see any sense
| In it,
IT you'd gone to Magruder College
and had to write an essay per year on
the Magruder greatness and his influ-
ence on national thought and all that
toshwoddle." stated young MFR. varnum
viciousiy. you'd get the point. think
| 1t would be a noble object lesson to a
Ma2ruderiZed community Why the
short arm jab. Ida, deah. didn't
see it was you. Mr.. Magruder"
Obviously not" said Montross Ma
grnder. and the two moved on.
Polly had the grace to feel little un-
comfortable You know you are rather
duck. Monty. dear. could almost
learn to esteem you highly, if-it
IF only?" he prompted. leaning to-
| ward her. only what?"
IF only" she concluded, In a meek
sleek voice, "Grandpa's nose turned
Cant you fnd any other topic Of
| conversation besides my grandfather's
| nose?" he asked
1T has a fascination for me- she
confessed. Besides. every time I see
| you, I'm so strongly reminded of him
Time was when Montrose Magruder
| would have regarded this as the acme
| of compliments. Now he positively
WINGED That this was the effect pro-
duced presented itself to Pollys mind
as the most hopeful sign yet
| THE appointed night of the sophomore
riot duly arrived. Glowing patches
| OF sky reflected the unlawful glory of
bonfires. Patrol wagons changed through
stilled streets. And I'm the dimmest hour
of morning when the tumult and the
shouting were all In the other end OF
| the town. Miss Polly Wade got spe-
eial thrill. She heard. or dreamed she
| heard. sound of footsteps In the drive
way. end saw, or dreamed she saw, a
| furtive figure steal away from the ga
rage. bearing ioose-swinging burden in
one hand
All Manchester got thrill the next
morning, For. in the troubled watches
OF the night, the great Magruder'S nose
| had turned green, Not a modest unas-
sertive. readily removable verdancy. but
malignant gangrcnous. arsenical hue.
a livid. vivid. staring, glaring green with
a dire effect of permanency. Remem-
bering that art Is Tor should be- long.
the coloriSt had first scariiied the metal
In criss-croSs gougings and then thor
oughly rubbed his work in.
Earchester had Mt The police
secured the town. Crowds messed and
stared and murmured in the park,
Montross Magruder, sr.. emerged from
his scholarly seclusion long enough 10
offer up roar of outraged family pride
and reward of 81 900 for the arrest
and conviction OF the vandal swearing
that he should suffer the fullest pen-
atty OF the law Upon this. tinge of
discomfort crept into Polly Wade's
mixed-up feelings. She had never
dreamed that Monty would really
do II.
She looked up and saw him fronting
her like an apparition from the dark
ness. Like an apparitlon he beckoned
silently
She rose and went to him.
Oct into the car" he directed
Polly looked at him and quaked II
| was not an unpleasant quake, but II
was distinctly Subversive one. She
sought TO exercise II with words: IAN
right. I'm game"
Ills big motor car, instead of turn-
Ing down the driveway, crept into
shadows across the lawn, violating a
flower bed and pushing destruetively
through ciump OF rhododendrona.
Polly had just begun to wonder what
allied her escort when there was an
imperative call from the driveway, a
crimson light flashed, the inQuiet probe
OF search-ray jabhed the darkness
about them. and lurehing out upon
the main roadway, their car shot
forward like spur ~atlng animal, a
clear block ahead Of the changing
purauef
who's thate" she demanded. when
she could control her breath.
Police"
After uSf"
Yea
What fore"
Don't talk "a me" he snapped
For the next 10 miles her energies
eere devoted mainly to hanging on,
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