Evening star., 1935-08-14

American attache to take her to his apart
nessed sse sfeAo the theft he " Of secret papers BY
Raoui. had seen John. Storm. who once
had kissed her and told her he loved her
Nth @ S nef for ona
a dancer who had performed at the recep.
t 9 On b the nay I sbe oenaed Fs9ans
drunk with him to drown her troubles
In the apartment he tries. to take her IN
bis but ss rsss sbe aT e wh sh
the room She suddenly runs away from
who had seen her. Arriving home. she
met John on the doorstep. ne also was s1S
come q deep voice. Don't move. or I'll
'+'0''' CHAPTER xI.
~ ETSY'S hand frightened on
Johns arm She stood still,
her heart humping, her eyes
IL on his face. She saw the
hardened muscles of his lips, his gray
eyes trying to tell her not to be afraid.
Here in this quiet little Georgetown
house things were happening, things
that belonged to the strange tricks
of her vivid imagination rather than
to reality. The shadow loomed closer,
a snub-nosed revolver glistening in
an extended gloved hand, the wooden
floor creaking with the stealthy foot
steps.
Beside them the dreaded voice
spoke, biting off separate words. Give
me that paper! I searched De Pru-
dentio's rooms! 1t wasn't there. You
were with him tonight, Miss Seymour!
You have it,"
Ice was running through Betsy's
veins as she said, her voice strange
and frightened II haven't any
paper. I don't know what you're
talking about" But she did know.
Everything that had happened at the
legation swept vividly through her
mind.
Don't STALL" the man growled. He
was so close now that both she and
John could detect the strong, sharp
odor of liquor on his breath. They
could not see his face because his
black fedora was pulled low over his
eyes and his coat collar was turned
up around his throat.
What happened after that was
done so quickly that Betsy hardly
knew how it came about. Without
fear or panic, John Storm wheeled
quickly and struck out at the man.
reeling him back against the door
way. His head hit the sharp edge Of
the wainscoting with sickening thud
and he groaned like wounded ami
NAL. Then John jumped on him as
a panther lights on deer and they
fell to the floor fighting like savages,
each close upon the others throat,
wrestling with each other for posses
sion of the gun. They rolled heavily
onto the floor boards of the parlor,
two powerful, big men, equally
matched. Johns head crashed against
the black iron coal bucket on the
hearth and he lay for a second stun
ned by the blow. The man sprang
away from him with deep-throated
snarl of vengeance and climbed to his
feet. But before he could turn John
shot up from the hearth and lunged
forward, throwing upward the gloved
hand with the pistol.
A belch of smoke came from be-
tween their writhing bodies and the
air filled with an acrid odor. The
gun had been discharged silently.
John, holding it, staggered backward,
slipped in pool of blood and sprawled
across the room. Unarmed, panic
struck the other man like stinging
whip. He stumbled toward the door,
clutching his shoulder, groaning with
pain; and like a terrified rat escaping
q trap that had crushed part Of
him, he fed from the house.
Something in Betsy's heart. more
than fear or anxiety. cried out for
John. She started weakly toward the
parlor, her knees sagging beneath her.
She took two steps and with a little
cry sank to the floor. For the first
time in her life she had tainted.
When she opened her eyes John
was bending over her, his hand feeling
for her heartbeat through her dress.
He was whispering, Betsy! For Gods
sake, Betsy. tell me you can hear me-"
She felt his arms tighten about her,
felt him picking her up, carrying her
to the old sofa. She yielded to his
strength. Raoul was forgotten. Mar
shall was forgotten, even the man
who had broken into the house was
forgotten. She seemed to be floating
with John on a broad and shining
sea. There was nothing in the world
but this mans arrrs holding her;
this mans courage and understanding
wrapping her like a protecting cloak.
After while, during which she had
assured herself that John was unhurt
save the slight cash on his temple,
she told him about Raoul, the secret
tunnel that led to the chancery, her
part in the whole mysterious affair
:. an innocent part that must have
led up to the appearance of that des-
perate man.
John, listening, his arms still around
her, said:
why did you go to Raours pent-
house afterward, Betsy? You said
that you saw me at the legation with
Angelica. Did that-have anything
to dc with it?"
Eetsy got up slowly from the sofa.
What had made John think that?
Had her disjointed phrases just be-
fore that shadow had appeared in the
doorway given him a wrong impress
sion? Because John Storm was diff
ferent from any man she had ever
known she had been swept by an
emotion new to her: she had wanted
to tell him all about herself-how
hurt she was, how bewildered by Mar
shalls attention to Libby and how,
because of that bewilderment and out
of sort of impulsive recklessness,
she had decided to 60 to Raoul's
penthouse and get drunk. She had
begun by telling him that she had
seen Libby and Marshall at the lega-
tion, but had she begun by saying
that? She couldn't remember. o
John was standing beside her,
waiting for her to speak, when there
was the metallic click of key in a