The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-02-20
CHAPTER III-Continued

Babe sang out q rather knowing
hello to the two Of them, but, even if
it was late, came on unhurriedly.
Rhoda called back over the inter-
vening heads, Martins coming to sup
per with us tonight" and then with a
nod vanished into the entrance to the
building.
The implication he'd perceived in
that last remark Of Rhoda's disturbed
Martin so much that he forgot to be
polite.
"Look here" he said to Babe as she
came up, "did that bird Lewis that I
introduced to you last night find out
where Rhoda lived from you?"
"You two make pair, all right, you
and Max. It seems you both went ga
ga about Red last night. Why, Max
took me home, and since told him
she and lived together, suppose he
knows. Why shouldn't hep
"He was too id anxious to find
out, that's all. He's a bad boy if I
know one when / see him. How much
more did you tell him about her?'
"Why, we talked of little else, dear
est" said Babe. "He wanted to know
all about her, and I tried to be ac-
commodating-like I am now Look
here, who elected you Reds guardian?
I've known her about seven hundred
times as long as you have and I'm not
trying to get her in dutch with any
body"
He didn't know what to say to that,
but the look In his face must have an
swered for him, for with complete
change OF manner, she went on. "What
is 1t, Marty? Is there anything wrong
with him? Do you know anything
about him?"
mo" he told her, as they entered
the building together "But + think
he's up to something queer and I'm
going to try to find out what 1t is.
And IL you happen on anything that
gives you line on it let me know
He thought she hesitated as though
she had something on her mind, but
all she did was to nod assent and say
as she walked off that they'd see him
for supper tonight about seven.
"A Martins own days work was yawn-
ing for him in the local room, but he
didn't go there. He went into the
s'morgue" instead, on the chance that
he'd find there some scrap of informa-
ton about Max Lewis. The search
was much better rewarded than he'd
expected 1t to be.
Max had had his promenade in the
public eye by virtue of a breach of
promise suit for one hundred thou
sand dollars that had been brought
against him by chorus girl. He had
written her the usual half-dozen i'm.
beetle love letters. All that gave them
interest, either to the public or to the
chorus girl herself, had been the fact
that Max, though it wasn't clear that he
had any property of his own, had
vested right, SO to speak, in an au-
chemically rich bachelor uncle who
might be expected to come down and
settle the girls claim.
The only direct find for Martin in
the mess was the uncles name and
address. 1t was "Charles j. Forster"
and he was spoken of as a capitalist
with large oil interests in various
parts of the country-Charles ]. For
ster, &c. j." That practically tied it
up, but not quite. Not we'll enough
for Martin, who was a good reporter.
He went downstairs, stopping on the
way to copy the want ad in the per-
sonal column for the address of Rhoda
Mcfarland.
II think I'm on a story" he told
Snow, in charge of the advertising file.
IF I'll promise to be discreet about it,
will you find out for me who the
X-203 is who's been running this ADJ"
Snow thought he might do that and
went c. to look 1t up, coming back
within five minutes with the name
written on slip of paper. X-203 was
c. ]. Forster, just as Martin had
thought he would be. His address was
the Worcester hotel.
The next step would be to interview
Mr. Forster and try to persuade him
to tell why he was advertising for
Rhoda Mcfarland. This was a step
he didn't want to take without Rhoda's
permission. So he made his way to
the local room and went to work for
the newspaper.