Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-29

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toward his sound truck He wasn't worried
but he wished to make sure that 1t had not
been tempered with and that the motor was
still functioning. The truck was parked in a
very gloomy bower. The motor was purring;
the vehicle had not been moved. But just
Winnie turned away, figure emerged from the
shadows. It was q huge figure and its very
first words indiacted that Vinnie'S period OF
enjoyment about TO terminate abruptly.
Now" growled Malignant Smith, Il has got
you!"
And then before the paralyzed Winnie could
move the power of a falling mountain careSsed
that portion of his jaw which is known to the
pugilisttc cognoScent as the button. In split
second Mr.. Napp ceased being vertical and be-
came horizontal. Malignant dragged the I'M
conscious figure Of Winnie Napp into the un-
derbrush and dropped it there. Then he
climbed to the drivers seat of the Midnight
sound truck and drove on toward that sylvan
dell, where the company was encamped
He riding to q job with Midnight In
the morning when the dynamic little Mr.. Fig
appeared. Malignant intended to inform him
that he had found the Midnight truck stranded
by the side of the road and that he had re-
turned 1t to its owners Surely, then, Mr.. FIGS
gratitude would take the form of the job which
Winnie Napp had held.
Meanwhile Miss Coral Perkins wondered what
had become OF her cavalier. Eventually she
went in search of him.
Mr. Napp was nowhere to be seen, and, what
worse, his truck was gone. Coral believed
she understood. The gorgeous Winnie had
wearied of her charms and departed without
50 much a Good Evening. Miss Perkins
was hurt, but there was considerable Solace TO
be derived from the fact that for blazing
evening she had been the colored belle of
HaberSham.
When the melancholy strains of Home,
Sweet Home" filled the air at few minutes
after midnight Mr.. Napp was still slumbering
in the underbrush.
It was near l O'Clock when the little truck
driver struggled back to consciousness. He was
oppressed by the silence which surrounded
him, and racked by q pain which stabbed
through his jaw He recalled the awful impact
of fist against flesh and the sudden curtaining
of the world Immediately thereafter. He
mounted shakily to his feet. The pain of his
jaw intolerable, but he was grateful that
Malignant was no longer present
That Teller" groaned Mr.. Napp. was posi-
lively indecent"
He staggered through the trees toward the
spot wheer the sound truck should have been.
But the truck was not there. Winnie sought
new bearings and made fresh search
And suddenly he unders 'ood.
COME one had stolen .Midnighi's $50 600 10
- cation trucki Winnie leaned against the
trunk of stately pine and informed the world
in one awful. hollow groan that he was its most
unhappiest citizen.
Agony done kissed me right in the face"
he mourned An what is gwine to happen to
me VIII be plenty"
Somehow, it never occurred to him that
Malignant Smith had made on with the truck,
did he question the motive behind Malig-
nants attack That Mr.. Smith had committed
a large assault and an effective battery for the
sole purpose of ousttng Winnie from job never
came to the mind of the little man. He be-
lieved that while he sprawled unconscious. some
unknown person had taken the truck and been
unable to resist the temptation to acquire that.
1t struck Mr.. Napp that he had better resign
from Midnight, effective Immediately. He had
$18 in his pockets as he started down the road
in the general direction of Habersham. With
this he intended TO purchase one large, long
railroad Observation-Disclosures unimportant. But
he felt that 1t was his duty to return to camp,
make q confession to Director Eddie Fig, and
give him q chance to notify the police of all
nearby towns to be on the lookout for the miss
ing truck. So he turned back toward Mustard
Greek, but the course upon which he was now
embarked did not I'll him with enthusiasm.
Shortly after o'clock, Winnie arrived at
the camp And there spick and span and all
agleam-its motor drumming evenly-was
gorgeous sound truck on the sides of which
were the words Midnight Pictures Corpora
ton Inc"
Winnie couldn't credit the evidence of his
senses Then his eyes strayed and he saw