The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-04-10

must nave caught him on the jaw, too.
He'll start coming to in minute and
then we can beat it out of here"
"When he opened the door," Rhoda
said, "he was coming straight toward
me as if he knew I'd be standing right
here. But he didn't know, because he
jumped when he saw me- Martin, !
can't stand it like this. Let's do some
thing. Can't we open the door?"
He didn't answer instantly, or move.
He was looking at the outlined panel
in what appeared to be the wall be-
hind her. She swayed slightly and
caught for support at the nearest Of
the clothes hooks; then uttered a cry
Of establishment as she started to fall,
not forward but back. The thing she
was leaning against was a door and
1t was swinging open behind her.
Martin sprang over Conley and
caught her. Without word the two
Of them stood staring into the strange
little chamber which the opened door
revealed, staring and drawing deep
breaths Of an air that seemed, after
the overwhelming STIFFNESS Of the
closet, fresh and cool.
The place was oddly furnished, in
a manner that suggested stage Set
1t comprised one solid-looking black
oak, leather-seated chair in the mis-
sion style, more or less, small square
oak stool that evidently served the
occupant to put his feet on, an oak
table with a telephone Of the new
cradle type on it, and an ash-tray. A
proscenium arch, which wasn't an arch
but an oblong opening, didn't come
clear to the floor of the stage. 1t
stopped thirty inches above it, and it
wasn't an opening since it was filled
by an enormous sheet Of plate glass.
Rhoda, to Martins CONSERVATION,
said after she'd stood staring at it be-
side him for minute, II know what
this u.s." and walked boldly up the
three steps onto the stage reckoning
him imperatively to come.
The man she was gazing at-an old
bird whom Martin instantly recognized
as the man he'd had a glimpse of in
the limousine that morning, was sitting
sidewise to his desk in a high-backed,
leather-cushioned, swivel chair, smok-
ing what was probably an after-dinner
cigar and reading a document of some
sort which he was holding in both
hands.
"Isn't 1t great?' Rhoda whispered.
"He can't see us no matter how hard
he looks"
"How do you know he can't?"
'Why, know because I was in
there-hours, this afternoon. This
thing we're looking through is the pic
ture over the fireplace. Conley must
have been in here all the time Mr.
Forster and I were talking. That's
why he always came in at the right
time. thought he was listening, but
he must have been watching instead.
That's why there had to be an imita-
ton fire instead Of real one. It's
in this box"
She put her hand as she spoke on
wooden protuberance that was where
the prompter's box would have been
if this had been grand opera stage
81 thought she added, shat that pic
ture looked sort Of like stage scenery
but I couldn't see through it at all.
And there's glass on the front of it as
well as on the back, so don't believe
he can hear"
It still seemed rather incredible
even after Martin knew how the trick
was done. There was thin screen Of
theatrical gauze between the two
plates of glass. You could see it was
painted since it wasn't equally trans
parent all over, and the strong cross
lighting from just above the frame,
which accounted no doubt for the
curious filtered look Of the light in the
observation post, would be enough to
prevent anything being seen through
it, unless there was light back here.
He checked his impulse to ask
Rhoda what she'd been doing for
hours and hours in the room they were
looking into and what she meant by
saying that Conley had always come
in at the right time. What his mind
fastened upon was her conclusion that
Forster's bodyguard, stationed here
where his eye could command the
whole room, was not able to hear what
the actors in the scenes he watched
were saying. If that were true the
converse was probably true also, that