The Washington times., 1938-04-19

hadn't counted on two messages
and when his car crashed into
Tommy he got out, searched his
pockets and found the message
that had been sent and destroyed
it, overlooking this second one.
Whether he thought Tommy was
dead, I don't know"
"At any rate, it is a miracle that
Tommy lived through that night,
lying out there on that deserted
road in the snow, unconscious.
We can't know about that, of
course, nor just how Hans timed
Everything and managed almost
to kill Tommy.
1--WE can only know that he
failed and that Tommy is alive
and well. But it was attempted
murder and this telegram proves
it. Now I want to make a
thorough check of everything, get
as much evidence as possible be-
fore I talk with Hans.
And when I do he won't be in
any position to keep me married
to him any longer, for if he tries
he knows I'll turn him over to
the police.
"And, incidentally, he won't be
able to collect any more money
from me. I doubt seriously if he
has more than a few thousand
dollars left from the money father
settled on him."
They had spent all afternoon
checking the evidence. At the
main branch of the telegraph Of
flee a girl remembered distinctly
a tall, dark man sending that
telegram. She remembered be-
cause she thought it strange that
a man would send such a tele-
gram to another man and sign
woman'S name.
They had found a garage, after
visiting three, where Hans sedan
had been repaired and the date
checked with the time Of Tommy'S
accident. They got a copy of the
repair bill that had been sent to
him and had it photostated along
with the girls testimony. One set
of copies for Marcella-one for
Peter.
HANS DANGEROUS
"He might get some wild idea
to do something" Marcella had
said, cautiously. "And it's best
that we both have all this infor-
nation, Peter. You can't tell what
Hans might think Of"
At the Green Shutter Tea Room
Marcella had slipped into a tele-
phone booth, had dialed long dis
lance and had talked with the
manager of the hotel where
Tommy had stayed in New York.
She learned that kilograms there
were always in duplicate. One
was put in the residents box. an
other was slipped under the. door.
It was custom of the hotel. And
so the case against Hans had been
7 completed.
Peter standing there in the
lobby saw Hans laugh, easily. con-
fidently, reach in his pocket and
! produce a slip of yellow paper.
! He dangled it triumphantly be-
!, fore Marcella's eyes and Peter
knew that Hans was threatening
her again, trying to torture her,
promising success where this time
he had failed.
Then Marcella opened her purse
land laid the photOStatS on the
black-topped table. Hans eyes
shot at her Notwithstanding
cruel eyes-his fist crushed down
on the oblong of yellow that he
had been holding. His dark body
went rigid beneath his afternoon
formals. And Peter knew that
Marcella had guessed rightly:
Hans had searched Tommy, had
found one message, not thinking
there could possibly be two.
Marcella got up, triumphantly
Peter thought: "She's telling him
now that she's leaving for Reno.
There isn't one darned thing he
can do about it and he knows it. )"
Marcella did not see Peter as
she hurried down the lobby toward
the elevators. A few moments
later, when she came down again,
q bellboy trailing her with luggage,
she swept out Of the main door
without even glancing toward the
Dragon Room.
Hans did not get up from the
cocktail table Immediately. He
lust sat there, his eyes glazed over
with fury, staring crafty at moth
ing. When he lifted the tall.
frosted glass to his lips, his hand
trembled.
For a long time he sat there
like that. Then he lit cigarette.
He was still smoking it, thought
fully, as he left the Dragon Room,
passed throuhg the lobby and went
straight to the gilded rows Of ele-
vator doors.
RECALLS BOYISH OATH
Peter watched him through
narrowed eyes, his hands clenched
into formidable fists at his sides
He was remembering a promise
he had made to himSelf-a small
boys promise to the grown man
that he was going to be. He was
remembering a Chinese boy in
Burma: he was seeing very clearly
Hans Won Dreyfuss standing above
the little Chinese; he could even
hear the snap and crack OF the
lash as it raised coils Of bloody
skin on the boys back.
When Hans disappeared into the