Evening star., 1933-01-11

yOQtll Eyes SldKb lTOUl Ills ESdQ
Will you attend the races tomor-
row?" de Pes asked.
"Yes, n 'sieur," came the answer Be
ing On night duty, I am happily free in
the morning."
Il am driving in the race" Armand
explained, "and want You to do some
thing to help me. Wait near the finish,
and look for me afterward without
any delay. If you find me you are to
gi.e me this letter. II anything has
/ happened and I am not there you are
to run up the hill to tie gendarmerie
and see that the Letter is given to the
officer in charge. Quick action is very
important, You understand. And keep
your mouth shut!"
The boy departed full Of the impor-
tance of his trust, end Armand went
to bed and slept calmly as only young
! man who has settled an 1nescapably i'm
portant decision can sleep. That IL
might very possibly be his last sleep
on earth no longer seemed to enter INTO
who had served in the trenches CT the
World War at II the prospect OF
| mere automobile accident did not hold
unbounded terrors.
The next day, one hour before the
/
cited mass of humanity. The streets
| were packed, the roads were closed,
the course was cleared. Alacla, settlng
out from her hotel on foot, was headed
for her place in the judges tribunal on
the Condamine. The sidewalks along
the route were so denseiy crowded that
she could make no headway at all and
was finally forced to make oetour In
order to gain the side street at the
foot of the gardens OF the new sporting
club. From there less crowded route
to the Condamine was possible and
she was glad she had given herself
plenty of time to allow OF her taking it.
Even at the back of the Hotel de Paris
the streets we're thronged, for an official
betting booth had been set up on the
corner and found plenty Of patrons.
Glancing at the boards she saw that
Santini was still favorite, and smiled
little grimly as she wondered how his
hackers would feel If he failed to ap-
pear. And then in another instant she
caught sight of the man himself.
Santini was already dressed in his
driving clothes, his goggles pushed up
over his fitting helmet. and a
long block away she recognized him
instantly There was something pecu-
liar in his walk which identified him at
once, certain swagger and spring
in his step which came, perhaps, from
his training as a dancer. The slim
young figure was accompanied by a
heavier man, whom Alacia surmised to
be Charles, the mechanic. They were
walking rapidly along the Boulevard
des Moulins, and, although they were
taking direction exactly opposite to
hers, Alacia turned on her heel and
followed 1t was, she found, no easy
matter keeping them in sight, for by
the time she reached the boulevard
they had turned up the steep road to-
ward Beausoleil, taking the same route
which she and Armand had followed
on the night of their arrival, when San
tini's car had so mysteriously disap-
peared, and as this significant fact
dawned upon Alacia her heart beat so
that 1t nearly stiff1ed her. The carl
OF course, they were going for the car,
and she was alone and helpless!
The two men followed twisting route
through series of side streets now,
some little more than alleyways, and
they were moving fast. It was only
to follow quickly enough to keep them
In sight. Higher and higher they
climbed, through the frequent narrow
shortcuts Of this district, where hidden
stairways connect one street level with
that above it and dark passages pass
under forbidding looking tenements.
AS the neighborhood grew more sordid
In appearance, Alacia looked about her
with wild idea of demanding police
assistance, but there was not a gen.
darme In sight. Apparently the entire
police force had been concentrated at
the race track to handle the crowds
which were still pouring into town.
Santini and his companion were talk
ing earnestly, even angrily, she thought.
and 1t did not appear they would well
come an interruption. Moreover, with
every step she was getting further away
from safety. Anything could happen
to her in that sinister quarter and the
authorities would be a long while find
ing it out Yet she could not bring
herself to turn back. She must know
what they were up to at this late hour,
when Santini's name wss on every lip,
and thousands upon thousands of peo-
pie we're crowding against the barriers
to see him pass.
At the top of the little lane, identi-
fled by plaque as the "PaSsable Vel
tri," the two men emerged upon a small
square. A street of ordinary width led
from this into the La Turbie road, up
which she and Armand had driven in
their pursuit Of the vanishing car, but
TO the right the open square ended in
q sheer drop OF go feet to the roofs of
some car barns below. The gap af-
forded view Of the ocean to dwellers
in the cheap new villas which had been
built into the hillside, and Alacia, shell
tering herself behind NANCY palm
tree which garnished the terrace of
little cafe on the corner, watched the
two men cross the empty square to-
ward one of these villas. The neighbor-
hood was strangely quiet, every one
who could walk having gone to the race,
either to watch or to hawk their wares,
for even the few miserable shops in
sight were closed and Santini and his
companion we're the only living things
IN sight except a starved cat, which
darted out Of the way at their approach.
The house for which they headed
was composed Of garage of the usual
type and a narrow entrance door for
the living quarters above. It was q
thoroughly commonplace dwelling, mod
ern and comparatively clean, complete
ly expressionleSs. The windows above
the garage were closed and its inhabi-
tant5 were evidently no exception to
the general exodus But 1t was not to
the garage door that Santini went.
Using key, he opened that at the
side, and motioning his companion in
n fn1l I41lr