Evening star., 1934-12-14
4 1&&~lK k;W OA&s,,
X<A By VICTOR BRIDGES
By VICTOR BRIDGES

question I asked him was what kind
of a boat he was looking for.
He said he wanted one In which
1t would be safe to cross the Channel,
and one which, at the same time, two
men could handle more or less COM
fortably. Something about II or IA
tons, with an auxiliary engine. Now,
as it happened, knew that there was
a yawl of exactly that type for sale
at Brightlingsea. The price was $50,
and, for man who could afford 1t, she
was worth the money.
II gave him the particulars, and
then he asked me as a great favor
whether I'd go down there myself, Ak
the thing up straight away, and find
him a paid hand who would sign on
for trip to the other side.
1T struck me as an odd sort Of re-
quest to make and I began to wonder
whether he'd been doing something
fishy, and wanted to sneak of out
Of the country. However, that wasn't
exactly my business. After all there's
nothing illegal in buying a yacht for
a man, and he seemed to be in such
a state of nerves and so desperately
anxious for me to say yes, that in the
end, like fool, agreed to act for
him.
HE lugged out $500 there and then
OF course, didn't want the response
bility of carting about all that money,
but he absolutely insisted on my takin-
it. He said that I should be able T.
put the deal through much cIicko
| if I paid in cash, and that after L
deducted my own expenses could
send him back the rest.
"Well, that was that, so to speak
I came back here, and next morning
I took the first train down TO Bright
| lingSea. The owner Of the yawl was
very decent fellow; he let me ex-
anime her thoroughly and I could see
that she was in first-class condition
I made him an offer of 800, and afte
bit Of arguing we closed the deal
at 325.
I'D Just got out the money to pay
him-We were in the local pub at tn
time splitting a half f-bottle-when
the door opened and the police walkel
in and arrested me. was so stag
gered I never even drank my f1zz."
at must have been a bit Of q
shock" said Jerry. Still there's n
excuse for such carelessness as that
He began rummaging in his SIDE
pocket for pipe.
How had they got on to you so
quick?"
1T all came out at the trial." ex-
planned. They'd found my name and
address on OSborne's blotting pad;
that note he'd sent me must have
been the last thing he'd written, and
then the taxi man who'd picked me
up came forward at once and identi-
fed me by my photograph.
"Of course, they'd no real evidence
against me up till then: what did the
trick were those internal notes. Os-
borne had drawn them out Of the
bank that morning. and there I was
with the whole packet actually IN
my hand"
But hang It all. you'd a perfectly
good explanation
1T didn't seem to cut any ice with
the magistrate or the coToner's jury"
I observed bitterly. "Old CreSswell did
his best but he couldn't even get me
out on bail. I was flung into a dun
geon cell for three weeks. and then
hauled out last Monday and charged
with being a bloody-miuded assassin"
Jerry began to laugh. Sorry to
appear unsympathetic, but somehow
or other the whole thing seems SO
deucedly funny. Why, ones only got
to look at you to see that you're the
most good-natured chump in Europe" t"
Thank you, Jerry" 1 said. "Un-
fortunately the British law isn't run
on those sound psychological lines.
AS matter of fact, they put up quite
a good case against me. Suggested
that my story was all bunk-that I'd
had row with Osborne, Dashed him
, on the head and then pinched the
money out Of his safe. I tell you, It
was touch and go at one time. II Bar
rett hadn't made such a corking fine
speech believe the idiots would have
hanged me-"
: Tomorrow. the syndicate gets
another member,