Evening star., 1929-11-15

persons were firms of attorneys who Of
fered their own names and addresses
in full. But these had all been blind
ads. The answerer was invited to COM
municate his facts to "X-203" or some
thing of the sort, care of the Daily
News.
Today the form Of the ad had
changed. Rhoda Mcfarland, 1t had
said, would learn something to her ad-
vantage by communicating with "X-
203"; Rhoda Mcfarland, though, not
Rhoda White.
What had made the memory of that
series of advertisements pop into his
head SO suddenly? He'd been caves
dropping intently on the conversation
that was going on behind him. Max
was to find out where the girl lived to-
night, because they hadn't any time for
fooling around. she might see that ad
in the paper tomorrow and answer it.
Martin sat suddenly erect. Had 1t
been his Rhoda they were talking
about?
He hadn't YET seen the man who was
still sitting on the sofa behind him, but
the woman had called him Max. The
obvious thing to do was to take look
at him; find out if he was the same Max
that Rhoda had wanted to be rescued
from. But to do that openly would
pEODdDly give away W Tile CnS
fact that his conversation with the
woman had been overheard by some
one who took an interest in it, Better
sit still minute first and check up.
This pair he'd heard talking, what
were they up to? They wanted to find
a girl before somebody else did, some
body who was advertising for her. The
woman had thought she recognized her,
but hadn't been sure. Apparently, she
had sent for Max to scrape an acquaint-
ance with the girl and find out whether
she was the one they wanted. "She's
the girl, all right" Max had said. She
was "cagey," but he'd found out her
first name And this, added to the
womans half-recognition, he regarded
as conclusive. He wouldn't have said
that, wouldn't have gone through the
process at all, Martin reflected, had the
name under which the girl was intro
duced to him been that of the girl he
was looking for. The first name fitted
in and the second one didn't: Rhoda
White instead of Rhoda Mcfarland.
Queer that she, girl with that forth
right air, should be going about under
an assumed name. Did even Babe, who
called her Red so Familiarity, know what
her real name was? He doubted 1t,
somehow.
His reporters nose had detected
story and professional instinct started
| him planning how he could run it down.
Talk to Babe Jennings tonight and find
out how much she knew about the girl.
Find out who X-203 was. For guess,
he'd turn out to be the G. j. whom
Max and his lady friend were trying
to take advantage of. And then go
through all the McFarlands In the
newspaper morgue to see II he could
| discover any reason why Rhoda of
that name should have changed it for
! the colorless name White, and disap-
| peared.
But at that point he saw her face
| smiling at him in friendly confidence
| as she'd smiled when she'd danced
| away with Higgins. He didn't want a
| story about her. He hated the idea
| that there was a story. If there was
one that for any reason she wanted
buried, buried it sheuld remain, for al
| of him.
The music stopped sooner than he'd
! expected it TO, and he got up precipi-
Z lately. If he'd seen Babe Jennings
| coming along he'd have sat still for
another three seconds and let her go by
| AS 1t was, she saw him and sang out
To him as she approached, Hello.
Marty! What have you done with Red
White?"
"I had to let her dance away WITH
another man." he said. But I'm goinS
TO find her now"
The thing he feared but hadn't seen
how to avoid happened, The big man
4 ON the other sofa get to his feet and
turned around, Babe save gasp and
then waitsd 10 see what was going to
happen. For second or so the two