Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-09-19

do uoua4s 4siAA
Both Bill and Carl had risen. 81
know Carls worn out trying TO- look
after me-and Bills always so gal
LIANT" She led Bill Gay. her arm
through his.
After a moment Carl resumed his
seat. 1T wasn't very nice of you
to run away from me this afternoon"
he said. smiling. 81 was so sure you'd
be in, didn't even phone"
Rita returned his smile. He was an
attractive brute. "Tarzan," Bill had
called him that first night. The
name, she thought, was fairly descrip-
tive.
And So" she said, failing to
find me in, you happened to think
that perhaps Selma" she laughed.
Don't look so grave. I'm only joking"
I'm afaird," Carl said soberly, "it's
no joke to me. I've never been in a
situation like this before and I'm ham
ding it like fool, I suppose"
Don't be silly. You're handling it
beautifully. After all. Selma staked
lLlC 4lAob Sl0A1h 1kAtA yOA 14uobl w
anything to hurt her"
Carl shrugged. His gesture said
plainly that however much he might
wish 1t otherwise, he hadn't an altern-
alive.
Since he had seen Selma stuff her
handkerchief up her sleeve a moment
before pretending she had left it in
her coat, Bill was not at all surprised
when Selma led him not to the ladies'
coat room but to the small reception
room.
This is luck. running into you
here" Selma declared as she pulled
him down on the leather uphols-
tered settee. II spent half the after
noon trying to get you at your apart
ment. It's about Thurman Wells,
Bill. He didn't kill himself"
Nothing in Bills face suggested
the least surprise. 81 didn't think So
either, last night. But now I know
he did. He had 1t too we'll planned. u
But he didn't have 1t planned. Not
the way it happened =. Oh. I'm mis-
cradle, Bill. I didn't like Fuhrman
but hate to think aided the per-
son who killed him. And I did. You'll
think I'm mad, but"
"Mad?" Bill thought when she had
finished her absurd story. "Oh, no
You're not burdened with brains, but
you're far from mad"
The idea had come to her, Selma
told him in low earnest voice, when
she was planning last nights party
1t had needed, she said. touch Of
mystery and rememberin Fuhr-
mans dramatic appearance at Mollie's
apartment and the premature report
of his death, she had decided to drown
him IN effigy And so. with a
bought wig, one of her brothers old
suits and pair of his shoes, she had
made a passably convincing figure of
a man and, Immediately it was dark,
had taken it to the rejecting pool
and lowered it into the water.
An incredulous smile spread on Bills
lips. Alone. Selma?"
She looked at him, uncertainty,
"Why-yes. OF course. Why?"
Simple curiosity. that's all
sorry I interrupted"
Her eyes searched his face for a
moment, then swung away as she re-
sumed :. Back at the house, she
said. she had confided her little Joke
to Deane and he had agreed to 20
to their fathers study at a given hour
and dial the phone in the library. The
study phone, she explained, was not
an extension but a separate line.
Posing as an officer at police head
quarters, Deane was to say that Fuhr-
man Wells body had just been re-
moved from the rejecting pool and
would the Senator come down imme-
diately and identify his late secretary.
L know how ridiculous it must
sound to you, Bill" Selma said with
little plea in her voice, but I
thought 1t would be fun We
would all go rushing down to the pool
and find the body and presently
Deane would fish it out and" Her
voice trailed off and for a time she
sat silent, staring off at nothing. And
then. when We got there" she said
at last. There was-Fuhrman -
Having observed decent silence,
Bill rose. He thought: Il wonder
how many times she rehearsed that
little yarn"
For Bill was quite certain that Sell
mas grim purpose in trying to change
suicide into murder was to put
some one-one Of the many against
whom she held unreasonable grudges
ION the spot
For obvious reasons, however, he
gave her no hint of this suspicion. ut
all sounds screwey to me right now"
he told her. You've only explained
Of per cent of the compli-
you know" He gave her his
hand and pulled her to her feet. Lets
go. Rita and Carl will be thinking
you left your hanky in Richmond"
X X
Shortly after midnight, as they were
preparing to leave. Bill was called to
the telephone. It was the assistant
general manager of the airport =.
Lee Monday had said he would be back
not later than 10 o'clock. Ordinarily
they would not be concerned, but Lee
had said something about flying to
Connecticut and storm of gale pro-
portions was blowing over Pennsyl-
vania, New Jersey and New York State.
Il wouldn't worry just yet" Bill
said cheerfully. II never knew Lee
to get in a spot so tight he couldn't
wiggle out of It,"
But when he had taken Rita to the
apartment, he drove directly to the
airport, where sober official handed
him a press service report. Lee and
a young woman companion had taken
off from Elmville. Conn, for WASH
ington shortly before o'clock.
(To Be Continued.)