The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1940-05-25
DANtiN6<DANGER

I'm see II he's in" the girl said.
and disappeared into an inner
office, returning a minute later
and motioned for Madge to enter.
As she entered the room and
closed the door behind her. she
turned to find Bryce approaching.
sheet of paper in his hand. His
other hand was TO his lips. COUNSEL
ing silence as he handed her the
paper.
There Is a dictagraph in my
office. Please talk non commit
tally. 1 shall meet you later at any
time and place you set" she read
and glanced up at him. Bryce
smiled as she nodded that she I'M
derstood.
She looked about nervously. exc
pecting to see she knew not what.
But the room looked like any other
office to her. Desperately she tried
to think Of something to say. some
thing that involved neither of them
in what she really wanted to learn,
and finally hit upon Mrs. Seldes.
Il just dropped by, Mr.. Bryce"
she said. speaking as naturally as
she could, ito tell you Mrs. Seldes
said never mind investigating that
person she discussed with you. She
has had another report from out
side sources, and is quite satisfied"
The assistant district attorney
nodded approvingly. as he answer
ed just as non-committally. While
he was speaking he pushed blank
sheet of paper toward Madge and
handed her a pencil, and she wrote
down the place and time for a
meeting with him.
Mine o'clock tonight at the
corner of Second and Wilton" she
wrote.
He wrote ok" on the paper
as he continued talking. Then
carefully he took the sheet and the
one he had written on, crumpled
them and lighted a match to them
in a large ash tray.
When they were reduced to
ashes and he was sure every spark
had been extinguished he emptied
the tray into a large waste basket
beside his desk.
Are you associated with Mrs.
Seldes in her charity work." he
went on, politely.
Bit Later
Not yet, but I may help her a
bit later after the election. You
see. I'm pretty busy right now"
"Oh, you're the daughter of
Forbes Kendall, are you?" Madge
marveled at the sincerity of the
surprise in his voice and thought
to herself that he would make a
very good actor.
Bryce laughed. You know. 1
never thought of you as connected
with Mr.. Kendall"
The girl got to her feet, said
goodbye formally, and Bryce es-
corted her to the door of his office.
Call on me any time. Miss Ken
DALI" he said as she left. She was
quite sure his left eye lid flick
cred as though he had winked. All
the way home she wondered at the
mystery of Walton Bryce. There
wasn't the slightest doubt but
that Victor Waring must have rec
ognized him when he came into her
hallway and found her with her
'prowler" last night.
Playing Joke
She wondered if they had been
playing a joke on her. Shed heard
of practical jokes. In fact she had
participated in some herself at
school, but she never had gone so
far as to break into a strangers
house.
She dismissed the joke angle as
impossible. No, there was some
thing much deeper than that be-
hind Warnings efforts to buy the
ring and Bryce's attempt to steal
it, If that was what he had come
for.
The dictagraph warning was
puzzling, too. Who would be lis
tening to what went on in Bryce's
office? What was the object?
Dictagraphs, she knew, some
times were used by the police to
get evidence on suspected crimi-
nails. But why should police spy
on an assistant district attorney?
Leah Seldes had spoken so highly
of him, had praised his honesty.
The puzzle was too much for
her, and she decided shed have
to wait until that night when she
met Bryce at the corner she had
designated to get at the bottom
of all this mystery.
At home, she started wondering
again about the dictagraph he
claimed was in his office. Where
could il have been hidden?
Oil Painting
She went into the library after
tossing her hat and gloves on a
stand in the hall. and sat down at
the desk. She found herself STAR
ing at an oil painting of her moth
er. on the wall opposite the desk.
Almost without realizing it, she
walked across to the picture.
II hung in niche in the wall.
between rows OF books. She
reached up and took hold of the
frame, and moved it to one side.
There was a small disc of black
1 a