Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-28

you will gather q notion Of my enemies
problem In that direction. But found
record here on my desk one morning
that somebody had put here in the
night. It was made on one Of the ma
chimes downStairs-and was for the
purpose of startling me by showing me
that somebody else had the power to
record my own movements when be-
lieved myself unobserved."
why, you didn't tell me this" ex-
claimed Van Wrinkle.
NO" returned Brainard simply.
"This enemy Of mine thought appar-
emily that he was going to frighten me
His record showed me-in the midst OF
experiment" His eyes again lost their
direct glance at Phyllis. Experiment,
he repeated slowly. "And naturally he
expected me to think that he could
watch my secret results. OF COURSE
| you realize that the Vicarion offers sim
gular opportunities to the blackmailer. u
"I-should think sol"
well, I've been trying to trace the
man who came in here" Brainard con-
tinued. But he was clever. He came
in the dark, masked, lighted no lights
and went away in the dark. could
barely see his figure. He walked
through the streets where lights neces-
sarily struck him, still masked. Once
he had to run away from an officer who
was curious about him. But he got
away And where he went remains a
walk out into the pitch black fields and
Just vanish there, so far as records of
the condenser are concerned"
"Oh!" murmured Phyllis, to whom
this idea came as revelation of many
things.
you see, the condenser gives me
records visible by yesterdays light
and I haven't invented a method yet
for throwing today's light back into yes
terday"
But can't you make records of what
all your operators do in the condensing
room?"r
Eyes. But my operators spend their
days filling bombs. have no means OF
making sure just which of hundreds is
the bomb left on my desk"
"Radley," said Phyllis suddenly re-
Numbering, whatever became of that
second garden record you ordered made
the night that man tried to shoot you?"
Il have it," he answered. But I've
lost him."
what? I thought he was the man
who Jumped" She paused.
He was the man you all thought
jumped from our window out here. I
told Van Winkle-but I haven't told
you-he didn't Jump. The police
couldn't find his body, and I told them
couldn't with the condenser showed
them the scenes in which failed. But
instead of finding him in the air out
side the open window I found him In
the mop closet in our hall. I told him
to be good and put him to work on a
condenser downstairs"
And, of course, he is the man who
is guilty of unlabeled bombs"
HE admits unlabeled bombs-you
heard him-but not the one found
on my desk. However, he is doubtless
the guilty party. My own trouble in
dealing with him just now is that he has
vanished again!"
"Quit?" asked Van Wrinkle.
Didn't yelling tell you? Yes, he
has quit-quit his machine, quit our
employ. quit the place where he lived
quit his haunts-quit the face Of the
moment" Rising irritation was in
Brainard's tone.
And what-then?" asked Phyllis,
watching him.
Il fancy I shall hear from him."
returned Radley, getting up from his
chair. And Phyllis wondered why he
was telling her this. What about this
comparatively simple episode could SO
deeply stir him when real menace to
his personal safety appeared to leave
him untouched?
"Radley," she asked. "are you afraid
of him?"
He turned to her. "Afraid of him!"
he echoed angrily. Certainly not!"
He was! There was no other eX-
PLANTATION for his sharp resentment of
the idea. He burst out into further
protest.!
why, he will be sending me letter
pretty soon. Do you realize that can
trace letter from my desk back to
the hand that mailed it? If choose to
take the time I can look on while my
secretary puts it with my other mail.
can look back at the postman delivering
it. I can follow him back to the Office
from which he brought 1t. can watch
it while incoming letters are distributed
oh, yes, close-l1ps on it to identify
1t whenever necessary. I can see it
taken from the box that receives drop
letters. can see 1t drop from the SLOT
] can look outside and see the hand
that drops it-and the man-and fol-
low him back to his writing of it, If
choose. have followed one letter back
to woman who wrote it and to the
moment she signed it-while she told
her husband she was writing her mother
Il heard her say that. in her boudoir-
with her husband between where I
listened and the door.