Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-05-03
Moy 3, 1896

went out.
AT the telephone cabins man in a
green ralncoat was porting over the
telephone directory. Seeing her wait
ing there. he not only relinquished the
book to her but also courteously
helped her to find the number.
Seated in the cabin of Patricia
Fane's Lockheed the next morning,
Ned Hartigan congratulated himself
on not having disclosed his secret I'M.
Outstanding with the girl. Dallas, who
was still Tuning against her, would
certainly have stopped this air jauntI
OF theirs. whereas this way he had left
for Salzburg on the previous night
under the impression that Ned was
going down to Baden-Baden next
morning by the regular air service via
Basel. Time enough to clear up the
misrepresentation when Dallas should
discover it, the Major reflected. Din
ing with Patricia after putting Dallas
on the Orient Express, he had gathered
that Dallas had been abominably
rude to her; by humoring her in the
matter of this plane trip he felt he
was acting in the best interests of the
three musketeers.
Patricia had flown a lot alone in
England and on the Continent on her
many visits to Europe, she told the
Major and, indeed, had made this
very trip, two years before, on her way
to Salzburg to attend the Festival.
The deep blue ceiling. the fleeting
earth. the exhilaration of their speed,
the luxury of the cabin with its
chromium fittings and soft leather
chairs. enthralled the Major He
shared the cabin with Mrs. Evans,
Miss Fane's grave and elderly maid,
and Phil, the Sealyham. At Baden
Cos, the Baden-Baden airport, Miss
Fane's car sent ahead with the
chauffeur from Paris, awaited them
and by half-past nine they were roll-
ing into the city.
Hartigan firmly vetoed Patricia's
proposal that they 60 to the same
hotel, saying, I'm not going to risk
soaring the Lassagne woman off, if
she should discover that you're young
Jimmy's sister and that we're in this
together" But he promised to keep in
touch with her.
1t was still the off season and most
OF the leading hotels were shut, but,
after ascertaining that neither Fame
nor Madame Lassagne were registered
there. he deposited Patricia and her
maid at an hotel off the LANCE Strasse,
and went on by taxi to the post office.
Here, he enquired for Madame Las
sagne's address, and found that she
was staying at the Hotel Schlemmer..
AS simple as that! The Major was
overjoyed, but his spirits sank when
he discovered that the post office had
no record of Fame.
The Schlemmer stood in its own
grounds near the kursaal. The letter
IF" painted on the near wing of a
green sedan parked outside caught
Hartigan's eye 1t was a French car;
but the license plates were German.
Recalling the French law requiring
motorists to display name and address
on the dashboard. he peeped inside.
'Arlette Lassagne, 70. rue Pichegau,
Auteuil,' was engraved on the metal
plate.
Hartigan booked room at the
hotel and. glancing through the regis
ter, saw under March ninth, in an
extravagant hand. the entry 'Arlette,
Lassagne, Paris There was no men,
ton of Fame. Somewhat nonplussed,
yet with the comforting thought that
he had reached his journeys end, the
Major retired to his room to battle and
change.
On redescending to the lounge, his
first care was to scan the parking
place for the green sedan. 1t was still
there. There was no one about and,
lighting a cigar, the Major strolled'