Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-24

Heavens, dlont eXpect you W Ahu
my paper as quick as that!"
yves" Rhoda said, making her voice
sound as amiable as she could, 1T must
seem sudden"
At that Claire stepped back unwill-
ingly from the doorway and Rhoda fol-
lowed her into the rather large room
that seemed to be all there was to the
apartment except for an Nleove that
she couldn't see into. That~waS where
Max was most likely. Rhoda shut the
door behind her.
"T've come" said Rhoda, ito get my
your trunk? What makes you think
I'VE got YOUR trunk?" Claire tried to
laugh, but it only showed how fright
ened she was.
alcove, she wished he'd come out. 1t
was hard to know where to begin, un-
less she knew whether he was there
or not.
Her hesitation seemed to anger
Claire. or to reassure her, she couldn't
be sure which. Look here" Claire went
on truculently.. st don't even know
what you're talking about. Are you
trying to tell me you've lost trunk
and you think I've got it?"
I'm going to tell you what think"
Rhoda said, land I'm going to tell you
some of the things know.
might before last, at the. Alhambra,
when Max Lewis told you that I. was
the girl all right, because my first
name was Fhoda, you told him to find
IT told YOU that myself this noon,"
Claire broke in. Whats that got to
do with it?"
And you told him." Rhoda went on,
mot to waste time about IL, because ]
might see Mr.. Forster's advertisement
any day and answer It," Rhoda could
see that this bit of information startled
Claire, and she went on little more
confidently. "He did. find out where !
lived by going home that night with
Babe, and he found out that the studio
was empty all day, because she told him
we both worked and the other girls
we're away. He tried to find out
whether my name wasn't RModa Nc
Farland. but she didn't tell him. Yes
terday afternoon the studio was broken
into. The burglar didn't fnd any
papers. because he didn't know where
to look. But he did md $500 Of mine.
and he took that,
Rhoda's guess had been right. Claire
didn't know ahout the $500. !
But today, Rhoda went on, after
I'd told YOU that my fathers papers
were In the trunk and sealed up,
and after you'd gone out and teie-
you think max went and got the
trunk, do you. and that he brought It
eyes" Rhoda said. "And I think he's
In that alcove with 1t now"
The woman gave q vicious laugh. "All
right" she said. ''go and see for your
self. If you can find Max or the trunk,
you're welcome to both Of them. Go
and look and then get out. I've been
insulted about long enough"
This wasn't the way Rhoda had ex-
pected the scene TO work out. She was
assailed by q sudden thought that the
trunk might not be In the alcove after
all, nor Max either. Yet she couldn't
go away without looking. This might
he nothing but a magnificent BLUM by
Claire.
Thank YOU" she said, II will go and
look" But it took all the resolution
she had to set her legs in motion down
the room.
The alcove contained a bed, too low
for the trunk to be under, couple OF
chairs and q dressing table, but no
trunk, no litter of papers. and no Max.
Go as far as YOU like said Claire,
who had followed her. Perhaps they're
hidden in my closet or in the bath
Rhoda was on the point of giving 1t
up. Shed made bad guess, that was
all not as to the woinan'S responsible
ity for the theft Of her trunk, but as to
the way she'd worked it. Claire's self
confidence, her sense of being top dog
seemed, now, to be prefectly real.
But the bathroom door stood ajar and
Rhoda's. glance had gone that way as
Claire finished speaking. 1t looked like
a rather large room for its purpose:
More than just bathroom. she q
take q look, anyhow, and make sure.
She was in the act of going in. but not
yet clear Of the door, and Claire was
at her elbow, when the sharp jingle OF
startled them both. That is to say, IT
startled Rhoda; it paralyzed Claire.
Her hard blue eyes seemed to bulge
right out of her head. But shat lasted
only an instant.s With aOconvulsive
movement, Claire gave RhQda push
that sent her staggering clear across
the tiled floor to the farther wall.
of the door, slammed the door, and
locked her In. The bell gave second
peal Just as the bolt clicked home.
Just as instinctively as she had re-
covered her balance and saved herselt
a fall, Rhoda darted across the room
and tugged, Intellectually, OF course, AT
the locked door. But she began think
ing In time to suppress the impulse to
beat upon the door and demand Voci-
ferously that she should be let out
Unless she kept quiet. she couldn't hear
what was going on. By putting her ear
to the door she could hear very well
indeed.
She heard Claire open the door
the door she had come IN by, Rnoda
didn't doubt; there was bstraylng creaE
to one of its hnges-but there was nc
sound Of the heavy footsteps on the
stairs that would have heralded the lug
ging in of her trunk. Claire must nave
thought 1t was the trunk coming
though, or she wouldn't nave locked mel
up in the bathroom. The silence, winch
had lasted half dozen SECONDS, per-
haps, was again broken by the ring OF
the bell, persistent this time and pro-
longed. II wasn't the doorbell at all
it was the telephone.
Rhoda heard the door slam shut arc
the rush of Claire's feet across the room
It was odd that in her own nat she
should have mistaken the bell. Shec
been expecting the doorbel, that Wa'
why.
The instrument was just around the
corner of the alcove, near enough Sc
that Rhoda could still hear the throt
of the bell after Claire cut 1t on o.
lifting the receiver of the hook. Witt
the resonance as good as that she hopec
she might be able to hear not onl!
Claire but the speaker at the other enc
of the line. This bit Of luck, however
didn't come OF. Either he was speak
ing very low or Claire had the receives
glued tight to her ear.