The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-04-17

they left the room. "She's got bullet
hole through her cheek and she's lost
couple Of teeth, but that's all the
damage" In his excitement he neg
lected to close the door, and the de-
parting pair, before they rode down in
the little private elevator, were able
to hear how the old man took the
news.
"That means more blackmail," he
walled. where's Max? He'll have to
get me out of this"
Down in the lobby Martin and
Rhoda paused. Knowing how tired she
was and what storm she'd been
through, he felt that he couldn't bear
to tell her she must come with him
now to the railway station in the hope
that they wouldn't be too late to pre-
vent Max from making off again with
that trunk Of hers.
Luckily she spoke first. 81 don't
think want to go home" she said.
Wed better telephone Babe and let
her know we're all right. She won't
know what has become of u.s."
This was an obvious duty, and as
five minutes wasn't likely to matter
much, now, one way or the other at
the railway station. Martin assented.
Rhoda gave him something else to
think about when she paused outside
the door of a booth she'd been on the
point of entering and asked him to
telephone instead. She looked awfully
white.
'Rhoda, are you all right" he de-
manded earnestly. He must have
shouted it rather, for man turning
the leaves Of directory at the desk
looked up, curiously at the pair of
them. He went on, speaking lower, II
mean, are you faint or anything?"
She said she wasn't. She just didn't
feel like talking to Babe. She'd sit
in that big chair over there and wait
for him. She gave him their tele-
phone. number just before she walked
away in case he'd forgotten it.
The promptness with which Babe an
swered the call suggested that she'd
been sitting within hands reach Of
the instrument ever since Martin had
left her, and indeed she assured him
passionately that this had been the
case. She'd been having perfectly
rotten evening, she said. She'd been
obliged to break an awfully good date
in order to stand by the telephone, and
then Max Lewis had come and really
acted rough. She'd had to threaten
to telephone for the police in order to
get rid of him. III
..'What did he want with your" Mar
tin demanded.
Naturally" said Babe, she wanted
his ticket and his trunk check"
But he had them," Martin told her.
"He took the envelope out Of my
pocket an hour ago, after he'd knocked
me cold with crack in the jaw"
"Well, he didn't think he had them
fifteen minutes ago when he left here"
she assured him.
"Wait a minute" Martin said, and
laid down the receiver for a search
of his pockets. fits all right" he
told Babe a minute later. 'I've got
them. What he got out Of my pocket
was your dummy envelope. the one
you fooled him with in the first place.
I don't wonder he looked sick. Well,
don't worry about us any more" he
concluded, land don't expect US till
we turn up"
"How long is it," he asked Rhoda
when he went back to her, since
you've had anything to eat?"
II don't know" she told him abb
sently. mot since had lunch at the
Tip-Top inn. don't remember whether
ate anything then or not"
swell, then, that's the first thing to
attend to-" he announced. I'm going
to take you somewhere and get you q
good dinner"
II couldn't" she said, II know
couldn't swallow a mouthful." Then,
with a flash Of animation in her tear
flushed eyes, she looked up. at him and
went on, II know what / want to do,
Martin. l want you to take me to the
'morgue.'"
He didn't for an instant recognize
his own newspaper slang and stared at
her in CONSERVATION until she added,
81 want to read all it says about IA
ther; everything Every horrible
thing they did to him. Can we do it
tonight, or will the place be all
locked up?"
(To BE coNTINUED1