Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-15

to go, now. That dam Jap must of ate
the gun"
I'm waiting for Chief Walker" the
sergeant explained. He entered the
living room, disheveled by the recent
search, moved q stack of books from q
sounds of exploration echoed along the
hall. The clock chimed the half hour
and the hour but he did not arise. He
sat. eyes looking abStractedly ahead Of
him. Now and again he rubbed his
lean jaw line refiectively. Once or
twice he turned and looked over his
shoulder toward the desk where, few
hours before. Ithamar Strake had lain
dead.
Trooper Stephen Cameron completed
his grooming of his and Delaneys
mounts and briddled Hannibal, his own.
He hoisted his bruised body into the
saddle. granting with pain, and wear
ing his sheepskin coat over his flannel
shirt and grease-stained golf cap in
stead of his purple-corded SLOUGH hat,
trotted away up the Milledge road,
selecting the frozen earth at its side In
preference to the ice-glased concrete.
So many diScomfortS oppressed him
come morbidly concerned about any
ono There was his physical condition
% bruised body that twinged to each
Of Hannibals steps and swollen FORE
head and eye, leering disreputably be-
meath the only spare head covering the
West DuqueSne House had afforded
There were the caustically frank things
that Delaney had said to him that
morning. He would have sulked over
these and driven them deeper into his
spirit. were 1t not for the realization
that presently he must call at the Meek
home, no longer debonair trooper. but
nondescript combination of policeman
and civilian, without uniform blouse.
unarmed and wearing an ancient and
dishonorable golf cap. So he would ap-
clined Eli Meek. his cool-eyed alluring
stepdaughter. Esther. and Molly. who
had regarded him heretofore with eyes
Of reverence and now probably would
laugh at him.
Hannibal broke In upon his nordant
thoughts by slipping q forefoot on a
frozen puddle. Cameron drew up his
rein and spoke automatically. He was
aware, suddenly that he had reached
the far end Of the one-way stretch OF
road. and had ridden absently past the
spot where, last night, he had been
overcome, gagged and bound. Further
more. he observed along the vista Of
pavement running away from him, two
men, advancing slowly with bowed
heads
He checked his horse and watched
them for a minute. Apparently, they
had not seen him, for they continued to
keep their gaze trained upon their feet
and wove slowly back and forth across
the right OF way as though they
searched for something. One of them,
he marked was small and slight for
all the buikinass Of his heavy overcoat,
slightneSS made more, emphatic by
the size of his companion, a great bear
of man with something of the bears
lurch and sway In his gait
Cameron waited, scarcely knowing
why. and watched them. His hesitation
was due i'll part to mounting curiosity
concerning what 1t was for which the
two hunted so diligently There was
something almost reverential In their
bowed heads and complete abstraction.
Suddenly while he watched the slight
er figure lifted his head saw the wait
ING horseman and turned sharply to
his companion, who also drew himself
erect and gazed. Then all at once they
wheeled and set off brissly In the OPP
posite direction with the nervous gait
of men who strove not to break into q
run.
Cameron touched Hannibal with II
spur and trotted after them. AS they
heard the noise OF approaching hoofs
they hurried systematically forward for
an instant and then relapsed into an
ostentetiously careless, lingering gait
The trooper drew rein as he came
abreast Of them, They stroiled on. APP
parently unaware OF his presence until
he said
Good morning.
The two turned and looked at him
then, The slighter man had a thin,
peaked face and little eyes above an
anonymously thick -fieshed nose. He
arinned mirthlessly with a flash OF
white teeth and nodded The big man
made no such pfetenae, He glared at
the trooper with the blank, expression
less stare OF bird OF prey, His face
was wide and shallow from forehead to
chin, hard and brown rs leather, and
with something Monaghan In It's fiet
contours. His shoulders under the
threadbare overeoat he wore were enor-
mously wide, and the big hands that
dangled from the frayed cuffs. ungloved
and grimy
Nice morning." Cameron ventured
awkwardly ~ he felt the eyes of the
twain observing his nondescript cos
tune.
Very, OH very" the little man re-
piled
Lost something's" Cameron blurted,
mo" the other said hastily. ''or
rather yes, Nothing Of Importance. A
tire valve cap, The only extra one VIZ
had We've had blowout Just around
the curve there and we've been looking
for IT,"
There's u tilling station half mile
down the road" Cameron said. noddlng
behind him, You can get another
there perhaps"
"Good idea" the little man pro-
claimed Wen walk down to II, ehp"
Lie aud hia ailmtal ian ..sianalnA