Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-07-11
EWDheWhife CoClkafO0
w BY Mignon G. Ebe1hart
by Mignon G. Ebe1harf

| must ask questions Oh uIllueHtuleo
| strangers"
mo doubt" said pleasantly whats
it all about, madame? An attempt on
my life and murder at my threshold
That's more than coincidence. Are you
| so determined to make me leave?"
| I had spoken experimentally, more
| than from conviction, and I was a lit
tie astonished to see how my words al
fected her. She leaned quietly back In
the chair again, but her face had gone
rather sharp and set. and I did not like
the lock of her eyes back of their
darkened eyeMshes. 1t was a good 90
seconds before she spoke, and in the
little interval Pucci cast me reproving
glance and then pushed his wide bill
| against Grethe's red hair and fared
his yellow crest.
Il don't understand you. Mr.. Sun
DEAN" she said at last. Surely you
don't think the murder of last night
had connection with you?"
1t was clear, of course. that there
was something evil going on in the ola
hotel But I think that. until that
very moment, I had not felt so def
nitely the presence of widening and en-
| tangling currents
course of my thoughts. although her
quietly but more cautiously:
mo, don't think anything Of the
kind. While I may not be particu-
larry welcome guest, still I don't think
J any one-would go to the trouble of
| numbering man in order TO get rid OF
me. BY the way-who was the muir
dered MANI"
II don't know" she said in a tight
voice; narrowed eyes watched my face.
DO you?"
IT? Absurd! You know that But
another question, madame" In my
turn I leaned toward her. why were
last night?"
Her smooth lids went down again,
but not before I'd caught look that
warned me. She rose, and I rose, too,
naturally, and the move brought her
very close to me. So near that could
feel the warmth of her body. Her lips
were parted little, and her eyes, lifted
again to mine, were very bright and
shining
1T Should not be difficult to find the
answer for that" she said softly.
She would be plant and warm and
exciting In my arms. I wondered fleet
family triumphant look I'd caught in
her eyes with something quite different.
tossed my cigarette into the fire. I
took the cockatoo from her shoulder
and set him on the chair near and bent
over her mouth.
But it waited for me, and straight
ened suddenly without touching it or
her.
Madame" said pleasantly. us
| more than kind. Madame is also beau
tiful. The cockatoo is eating fringe off
the chair"
He was actually doing just that. in a
heaven-inspired moment, but with a
very dubious look. He took another
bite without eagerness. but philoso-
phically. as If in scientific pursuit one
must put up with a poor tasting bite
| now and then, and Nine. Grethe looked
at me.
was rather interested to note that
there was nothing but kind of family
surprised curiosity in her gaze Then
she laughed little, turned and picked
up the cockatoo-he resisted out of pure
deviltry, stretching out his neck for
more fringe and squalling. but her
hands were firm about him-and she
faced me again, still smiling.
And, monsieur" she said, ''is a very
reckless young man. Good night"
opened the door for her. She held
out her hand to me. still smiling, ana
I think genuinely amused and not in
the least angry. I bowed very low over
her hand, and she turned gracefully
into the corridor, and I closed the door
behind her and took long breath and
hoped she wouldn't meet Sue. At least
until she was at considerable distance
from my room.
I was thinking of Sue when I heard
her knock on the door As I opened it
she was looking rather fxedly at the
spot on the corridor floor where the dead
man had huddled. She looked small
and quiet and frightened, and took
her hand and pulled her quickly into
the room and closed the door.
Were the corridors creepy?" I said.
Come over to the fire"
| She shivered and said Eyes" rather
breathlessly, and sat down in the chair
had just left.
Its very queer" said Sue. But for
the last week or two I've been ridicu-
lousy nervous about going through
these half-dark corridors I keep feel
ing that there's some one coming along
behind me. Or looking out of closed
DOORS"
Sue confesses, tomorrow, . chilling
fear that hauntS her.