The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-10-15
Q SERIAL SIORY
 NEW YORK JUNGLE.
BY WRAY WADE SEVERN

 Pat flashed a quick flame, of anger at her former fiance. He smiled back at her, reaSsuringly.
 Other motives for the crime will occur to the police. I, for instance, cannot deny my former engagement to Pat, nor can Miss Hempheld wipe out all that has been printed and widely known about the attention Langdon had long shown her"
 Sidney stirred in protest, but Gun drum held up silencing hand.
 Don't forget that I have a pur- pose in what I am saying" he reminded the lawyer.
 "Langdon's desk was ransacked, his room left in disorder If we can prove robbery and not more personal motive for the crime, suspicion will be diverted from us"
 Right you are, Craig" Pat agreed eagerly. But how can we link murder and robbery unless we can prove something valuable is missing?"
 Tt requires little imagination to suspect robbery when a win dow is open and desk rif1ed," Sidney added. "But how can one blame an outsider for the murder when every bit of evidence points to someone within the Jungle? Not that I am accusing anyone. I was there myself"
 "All that has occurred to me" !" Gundrum told them. But imag- inc, for a moment, that thief was after something that Langdon car- ried on his person, say the map of a diamond mind in Africa. He had just returned from there"
 T never heard of such a mine," Nella put in. But it could be true"
 of course, it could be true" Gundrum warmed to his theory. It did not differ greatly from that Hugh had deduced while he and Sidney had searched for the fire.
 Say the thief, failing to find what he was looking for in Lang don's desk, came downstairs. He would not know the guns on the rack were loaded. He intended to hold us up. He saw the door was closed and it was his step that Nella heard in the hall. Say he was at the door when she spoke and ot protect himself he locked it instantly"
 Had it been opened he would have been detected before he could cover us all, as he might have done had he entered the room unseen" Pat added.
 Exactly" Gundrum went on. 'Langdon's odd behavior = and that he did behave oddly no one of us could well deny-may have been due to a fear that this map might be stolen from him. Tn the confusion, after Hugh had shot the lock, the thief could have entered the room and have hid den under cover of darkness. In the terrific play of lightning, he could have seen Langdon, fired, rified Adams pocket. Although it may seem improbable, it's entirely possible that he used the storm to cover his movements, made his escape up stairs and left the house by the open window in the draw ing room."
 "Your explanation is no more im- possible than any other theory, or the facts, if it is not fact" Sidney admitted. "But I remained on guard near the door just to prevent the supposed thief from entering. While it was dark and I couldn't see, ex- cept in the flashes of lightning, I'm positive no one did enter the Jun gle"
 T am trying to save us all from intolerable scandal, Braitwood," Gundrum replied, coldly. Miss Hampfeld's career is at stake. You are in line for a judgeship, I understand. I myself, as a teacher in a university, certainly will not benefit by being accused of murder, or even by being sus- peCIcU O1 lL. AS 1Or CIiG OCI16TS, isn't it unthinkable that they should be subject to such sus- picion?"
 T couldn't endure having peo- pie suspect that I had killed my uncle" Nella began to weep again.
 No, my position would not be pleasant" Sidney admitted, thought fully. Neither would Hugh's, though he is less dependent upon public opinion than the rest of us. Con- sidering our former relationships, the personnel of the house party is odd in itself," He glanced at Pat.
 How did you and Adam hap pen to invite us, Mrs. Langdon?"
 Until you and Miss Hempfield came downstairs I had not the least idea Adam had invited you," Pat replied, reluctantly. He spoke vaguely of having his family, and imagined he meant Nella and Hugh"
 What about Gundrum?"
 Pat flushed. "He happened to be driving this way and stopped | l..T |. rN.--