The Wilmington morning star., 1940-10-17
READ THIS FIRST:

READ THIS FIRST:
Gun Cotton, famous agent o.
Scotland Yard, arrives in London
and delivers a mysterious small
packet to his superior, known as
x, despite several attempts which
have been made to take it from
him. Tired and worn from his
nerve-wracking assignment, he
takes a taxi to Sleichtner's Egyp-
tan Ray-Baths. AS he is about to
enter, he notices a stranger, also
entering the baths, who S e e S
very apprehensive.
CHAPTER THREE
Just as Gun entered it, the door
at the end of the passage IN the
Ray-Baths opened, and another Gil
ent, robed similarly to himself.
came through it and walked down
toward the elevator. Gun saw that
it was the man he had followed IN,
and who evidently took longer to
undress than he did.
AS he entered the elevator he
shot a quick glance at Gun from
below half-lowered lids. 1t was
little more than a flash, but some
how Gun felt that it was furtive
and suspicious.
Gun, adopting a casual, easy
manner, spoke to him.
Have you been through this
rather extraordinary process be-
fore?"
1t might have been imagination,
but it seemed to Gun that the man
started slightly when addressed,
and then seemed to stiffen. 1t then
struck Gun that he was expecting
something to come, and was wary
OF it.
Process? Oh, the ray-bath!
Yes, 1 have been here b%efore!"
otis my first experience" Gun
confided. Tell me, are they any
good-these ray-baths?"
Good? Oh, yes, they are very
good. Very refreshing and-invig-
Grating indeed"
The man spoke perfect English,
yet from a certain gutturalness in
the voice, and a stiffness in the
phraseology, Gun deduced that he
was a foreigner. Also he h a d
paused perceptibly before using
the word "invigorating."
The elevator had hardly started
before it stopped again. Gun then
thought it was just a stop at an
other floor, but the elevator boy
slid open the door and stood aside,
and the other man hurried out. He
did not seem to be at all eager to
continue the conversation. 1t had
struck Gun that the descent was
such a short n that the elevator
might well have been dispensed
with in favor of a flight of stairs.
Then he realized that the use of
the elevator meant that no one
could leave-or enter-Without the
tcognizance of the management.
A useful precaution in certain
circumstances!
Gun wondered what the circum-
stances might be. Dope? Opt
UNI smoking? The conventional,
suggestions ran through his mind
which he Immediately told him.
self was unduly suspicious. After,
all, the precaution of the eleva-
tor-if it WAS a precaution-
might well be to keep undesirable
people out, rather than to safe
guard them in coming in. A place
like this in the West End would
be bound to attract 1ach people,
and if the place were being run on
sound lines, it would be very nee
essary to guard against them.
% Meanwhile Gun followed the 9TH
er man along a short passage and
into a large room, ~-t1a seemed
to be a sort of waiting room. The
oriental note was sustained, and
there wer divans scattered about
all over the room, which possessed
a polished parquet floor, with thick
oriental rugs here and there. There
Were about half a dozen men in
the room, all clad in the white
bathrobes. Two of the three we're
talking together, but the majority
were sitting on the divdns, looking
at papers. The current newspa-
pers and magazines which lay
about struck another incongruous
note.
Gun approached the other man,
Bella LANAN-COURT RE
Eo,1nJoJ n, A,4,,.