Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-12
Continued from Eighth Page

gin with. Mr. COnnerty." said Fenderton. II
will accept your proposition"
"F1ne!" said the detective, thrusting his
hand at Fenderton. And forget the stiff stuff,
kid-call me Bob. Come right in any time
and use that table there"
"Al right. Bob" he said. IT will begin
tomorrow morning. then" he said. Nine
oclock?"
''Oh. surel Nine or eleven or two or four
all the same to me, Roper. Any times oke
with me-" and with that Mr. Connerty put
his feet on his desk again and opened the
evening paper.
May Middleton, when Fenderton reached
the street. was sitting in the car, and she
quite wisely ignored the GOODNESS with which
Fenderton had parted from her. In some ways
Fenderton was difficult at times; he certainly
did have good opinion of himself-and
showed tt-but he was the incest boy May
knew, and all boys seemed to have perfectly
silly opinions Of themselves
Well Fenderton, did you get the job?"
May asked he got into the limousine
Certainly" Fenderton said. IT have placed
myself pretty soft May. Detective work."
why, that's just fire. Fenderton. I'm
awfully glad
odd Sleuth Roper. the gentleman blood
hound, May. got a pretty soft proposition
out Of old Connerty. too. if you ask me. 1
gave the old boy some pretty straght-from-the-
shoulder talk. You should have seen him lap
it up. He grabbed me quick, May"
The next morning Fenderton entered Con-
nertys Office at exactly o'clock and the
eminent detective, as he saw him. dropped
his feet from his desk
Right on the job; that's the boy!" Con-
nerty exclaimed. And luck is with U.S. kid
I've got case for you the very first thing, and
you can get right out and hustle Good
money, big reward, and it ought to be q cinch
for q lad like you Hand me that paper over
there the table
III IERE you are!" he said, pointing to a
lost or stolen advertisement that was
already familiar to Fenderton since l.
was the one he had let at the Intelligencer
Office. It ran: Lost stolen; $25 reward
offered. Large brown dog, three white feet
bushy TAIL $25 reward will be paid for return
to 242 State street and no questions asked"
Down in the street Fenderton stood q mo-
ment uncertain just how to proceed m the
Mystery Of the Vanished Dog Nothing in any
mystery tale he had read suggested how q de-
tective would have handled this case. Invari-
ably, ia the crimes. there was some clue that
could be followed-after, of course, 1t had been
ignored by the stodgy brains Of the oficial po-
lice forceS-but Fenderton did not have even
q part Of q clue.
He lighted one of his few remaining cigarettes
and walked slowly toward the more humble
part Of Westcote. where dog stealers might be
supposed to reside and he spent q number Of
hours looking with hawkNSe eyes into back
yards, but he saw no traces OF the missing
Bruno and 1t was well after noon when hunger
reminded him that he, like AL detectives had
q stomach. He went home.
The moment Fenderton entered his own
yard he heard an eager whine, and a large
brown dog with three white feet and q buShy
tail came leaping toward him from near the
family garage. to grovel at his feet. Bruno
had come home
Bending low, Fenderton drew Bruno through
the forsythia hedge into the yard of the vacant
house next door and thence to the rear Of that
property, where he tied Bruno to . small grape
arbor.
Good old Bruno!'' he said. patting him on
the head "You wait here, P~M& and will