Evening star., 1936-07-30

were not gangsters. A big. genial
looking fellow showed a slouch felt
on the back of his gray head and
said. grinning:
Sorry to bust in like this, Miss
Warfield, but I'm Lieut.. Robert Camp
bell Of the homicide squad. I called
you a dozen times tonight and no
answer. Then just now, when the
hotel operator told me you had come
in and you didn't answer the knock
on the door, was afraid"
Il know" interrupted Patsy. You
thought I had taken the rap-or
whatever the vernacular is"
Campbell's hard face became very
gentle. Patsy was, he thought, too
young and lovely to be in the dan
gerous position that she was. You're
just child" he said, gruff1y. "You
ought to be in bed asleep. With a
doll, maybe"
Patsy tried to smile. I'm afraid
I'm thousand years older than
was this morning"
Campbell turned then to the two
men with him and told them to
wait in the corridor for him. After
the door closed behind them Patsy
sat down on the sofa in the bay
window and Campbell took a chair
in front Of her, his hands folded
he was a louise to keep probing her
wounds, but he wanted to know every
thing she could tell him about what
happened this afternoon at Shaw's
jewelry store.
He listened quietly and attentively,
his wide jaw protruding, as Patsy
exhumed all the hideous details. Then
when she told him of the telephone
call she had just received, he got UP
from the chair and paced the length
of the room several times, his hands
down deep in his pockets.
Back at the window he stopped his
thoughtful pacing and stood looking
down on the bright glitter that is
New York at midnight. He said:
II guess that about covers every
thing For the time being I'd advise
you to get out of New York. Your
home is Annapolis, isn't it? Well,
then, 60 back there and stay away
until We need you. Those birds mean
business all right and, from what
you told me about the telephone call,
I'd say we're dealing with one shrewd,
tricky, subtle brain. You've given me
a hunch I want to work on for a
while"
At the door he took her proffered
hand and stood smiling down into
her frightened blue eyes Get some
sleep" he said. I've detailed a
couple of men to guard you tonight,
and tomorrow they'll escort you to
the train. We may be able to blow
the lid of of this case in a day or
so and again it may take months.
Anyway, forget it until get in touch
with you"
Then he went out and closed the
door behind him.
The Benson expedition arrived in
New York at the end of June. They
anchored at night with what prob
ably seemed to them a minimum of
exploitation. But they had reckoned,
however, without the tireless enthusi-
asm of the American press
During the slow homeward voyage
from New Zealand Lees fame had
grown. 1t had swept over the country
like mighty confagration, burning
into the vivid imaginations of school
children and flaming through the
hearts of millions of men and women.
The story of Lees heroism, ever since
that message of his incomparable
bravery had been transmitted by wire
less from the base camp, had become
so elaborated that when he returned
he found himself glorified as a con-
quering warrior.
On the arrival of the boat crowds
Of reporters and photographers made
the returning explorers realize that
popular frenzy knows no bounds.
Thousands of eager admirers swarmed
around the pier until they had seen
Lee. Even though the more conserva-
tive newspapers, without in any way
oelittling his achievement. criticized
the exaggerated madness of the en-
thusiasm, people tracked Lee every
where, pointed to him on the streets,
followed him until, as a last resort,
he had to seek the comparative Sc
clusion of taxicabs.
From all over the country fan let
;ers came-hundreds Of thousands of
hem. A motion-picture company,
anxious to capitalize on the publicity,
offered him starring part in drama
Of an explorer. He gave interviews
yood-naturedly; he signed his name
On menus, visiting cards, children's
planes and at the bottom
Of his photographs in the daily papers.
He wrote several articles for a news
paper syndicate. and turned more
than half the money he received into
the depleted fund of the expedition.
Though he permitted the public to
ionize him on as collasal q scale as
hey would foreign crowned head,
ne never quite understood it.
Often he would scratch his blond
head and puzzle over 1t. Surely Rich.
ard and Admiral Benson and all of
hose who had made marvellous discov-
cries, deserved this lauding more than
ne. He told Admiral Benson that, and
,he solemn old fellow only smiled and