The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1940-05-30
DANtIM~DANdER

Continued from Page 81

CONTINUED from Page 81
"Oh, don't know. Nothing
definite. Just lot of little things.
hints that Wayne and Tatum and
Beatty are beginning 10 exert pres
sure on certain groups we counted
on to help us !"
Pancho came In with Aadge's
tea and Dams highbali and an
nounced that two newspaper re-
porters were at the door. insisting
on seeing Nichols
I'D better see them. I want to
straighten them out on this BUSH
ness tonight. VIII you excuse me,
Madge ,"
Go Ahead
She told him TO go ahead. she'd
wait until he was through and
then he could drive her home.
The interview must have been
more extended than Dan thought,
and after five minutes, Madge
began to get restless. She got
up and wandered about the Ii
brary where they had been sit
ting. It also served as a home
office for Nichols when he had
work to do after hours.
She idly pulled out book from
one of the near rows. glanced at il
and replaced 1t. She looked at
several others, and then with an
effort returned to her chair and
sat down. It was senseless for her
to start getting nerves"
Shallow Cover
AS she sat, trying to relax in
the chair, her eyes fell upon a
brown. pasteboard box on the desk.
She tried to keep her eyes off Of
it, but time and again she found
herself staring at it.
Finally, her curiosity got the
better of her and she got up and
walked over to it. It had a shall
low cover, and she suddenly felt
that. she couldn't breathe if she
didn't find out what was in the
box.
At last, she raised the lid and
peeked, and then laughed at her
self. 1t contained round black
wax cylinders. the sort she had
seen dozens of times in her IA
TIERS office. He used them for
dictation, finding it easier to talk
into the mouthpiece of a record
ing machine than to dictate to a
secretary.
She was about to replace the
cover, when she saw a white
label inside one of the cylinders,
Curiously, she removed it from
the box and looked at 1t. She
almost dropped it to the floor, in
her excitement, for the address
was her own! Neatly typed, was
1888 West Boulevard" and below
1t, underlined was the single word,
Confidential" There was also
date Oct. o.
Placing the cylinder on the
desk, she hastily lifted out the
others. Several bore the same adj
dress and different dates.
Low Murmur
Nervously, she looked about the
room. Going swiftly to the door
of the living room, she listened.
She heard the low murmur of
voices in the other room. Good!
Dan was still busy with the re-
porters.
Hastily. she replaced all the
cylinders in their separate COM
partments in the box except the
one dated Oct. 8 That one she
slipped into the side pocket of her
coat and reminded herself she'd
have to be careful not to bump
against anything and shatter it.
She replaced the lid to the box
and sat down. her mind seething
with possible explanations Of her
find.
Then an ioea occurred to her.
Perhaps the loss Of the record
would be discovered before she
could learn what was on It?
Dan might possibly glance inside
the box when he returned.
She saw a recording machine
hooded with a cover, in the corner
and went TO 1t. Underneath, was
a rack in which there should be
a number of blank cylinders. Luck
was with her, and she found one,
removed it from its case and
hastily placed 1t in the empty
space In the box on the desk.
Now, If Dan should happen to
look in the box before they left,
he wouldn't notice that one of the
cylinders had disappeared.
Ito Be Continued)
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