Evening star., 1935-09-08

dainty design had IN mind ever got,
for by morning something had hap
pened which altered all my plans.
Wanting to get very early start. !
bathed and dressed before | opened
my newspaper. to find my own name
staring at me from the front page:
Marcia kattleburg's Companion
Sought" was the intriguing way the
story began, and it then went on to
announce that the New Orleans
police would endeavor TO contact me
and take me back to Louisiana if
didn't know the right answers.
1t was pretty breathless, and in
stinctively my hand few to the spot
where the jewel was hidden. There
was certainly something against me
at that very moment - darn close
against me, too. And if | were caught
with it, the police wouldn't have to
bother trumping up any charges!
Suddenly panic struck me- All men,
ory of what had come here to do was
wiped out OF my mind as completely
as though I'd never even heard of
Althea Incorporated. Hastily get
ting TO my feet, left my breakfast
unfinished and made for my room,
darting across the crowded lobby in a
perfect funk of terror lest sudden
hand descend upon my shoulder. My
former nervousness was nothing COM
pared to this, and without reasoning
or hesitating, l gave in to my one
overwhelming desire to get away
as quickly as possible.
Upstairs, l threw my things into
my bags, jammed them shut and sent
them down to the car. My face in the
mirror as pulled on my hat looked
odd and unfamiliar, and for one crazy
instant l even wondered if it would
not be possible to assume some sort
of disguise. How paid the bill and
got out of town ! still cannot quite
remember. But somehow or other !
managed to stumble onto Route 8, on
the Butler Plank Road, without hav-
ing to make inquiries. Once in the
open country, / drove like a lunatic,
entirely forgetting that / was inviting
the possible attention of speed cops.
and was running away from some
thing which could not possibly be es-
capped: to wit, a news item which
would have been flashed ahead of me
no matter which way I'd turned
As matter of fact. had instinc-
lively chosen Buffalo. simply because
l was supposed to 60 there next -
the worst imaginable reason under the
circumstances. As the hours dragged
on and no one attempted to arrest
me. my head began to cool off and I
realized what silly thing I'd done in
running away - to where? How could
l hide? What was the use, l thought,
of lying low in some small village and
trusting to luck that New Orleans
and the rest of America would get
bored looking for me? The more I
considered the matter. the more
clearly saw that running away
couldn't do thing in the world for me
except emphasize the probability of
my guilt.
Except for the fact that this noble
resolution to take it on the chin did
not occur to me until after I'd left
Erie, l would have turned back and
taken my chance that Pittsburgh's
jails were as comfortable as any. Buff
falo was slightly nearer now, so
decided to spend the night at the
White Inn at Fredonia, a charming
little town filled with enchanting late
Victorian architecture and invitingly
restful. Then l would go on to Buffalo
in the morning, returning. to cover
Pittsburgh later if | were still out of
Jail. Meanwhile would worry as little
as possible and get back to the COM
pany's business, and when was
caught up with, which I was sure to
he Eventually T'd ar leasf Nv, recpocf