Henderson daily dispatch., 1940-08-26
CHAPTER THREE

JUSI AS Gun ellt led it, the
door 90 the end of the passage
in the Ray-Baths opened, and
another client, robed similarly
20 himself, came through it and
walked down toward the elevator.
Gun saw chat it was the man he
had followed IN, and vino evident
ly took longer to undress than he
did
ga he ent.red the elevator he
sic: a quick glance at Gun from
be'-w half-lcvered Ids. 1t was
little more t'>>sn a IL "A, but some
how Gun felt that II. was furtlVe
and suspicious.
Sun, adopting a casual, easy
manner, spoke to him.
"Haye vnu been through this
rather extraordinary process be-
fore?"
!. ....ght have been Imagination
but it seemed 10 Gun that the man
started slightly when adcresse,
and then seemed to stiffen. IL
struck Gun that he was eNpectn.s
something to come, and YVES
wary for it. ,,
process? Oh, tn ray-natn!
Yes, 1 have been here Before"
"It,s my first eNpei -tnce, Gun
confded. Tell ME, are they any
good-these ray-balhs?"
God? Oh, yes, they are very
good. Very refreshing and-inVig-
Grating indeed"
The man spoke perfect English
vet from certain guttIraln.ss N
the voice, and a stiffness IN the
phraseologv, Gun deGuced that ne
was a foreigner. Also he had
paused ~perceptibly before using
the word "invigorating."
The elevator had hardly started
before it stopped again. Gun
thought ic was just stop at an
other floor, but the elevator boy
slid open he door and stoo! aside
ana the other man hurriea out. He
did not seem to be at al eager u
continue the conversation II
struck Cur that the descent ''a
su n a sheet one that tie elevator
might well have been dispensed
with in favor of a flight t. stairs
Then he realized that tie use o.
the elevate meant that no ont
could leave-or enter-Withou1 TIT
cosniLance of the management.
A useful precaution i'll certain
circumstances!
SGun -vonaer d what the cir
cumstsnc IS might be. Dope
Crlu;n smoking? The convention
al suggestions ran through nj
mind which he Immediately toll
himse.s was unduly suspicious
After ~, tie precaution Of LII
elevator--f it WAS a precartiol
might well be to keen undesir
able people out, rather than t
safeguard them in coming IN. !
place like his ii tine West En-
would be bHurd to attract sue
people, ana if the placc we're be
ing run OH sound lines, it Woul
be very necessary to guar
against then.
Meanwhile Gun follow.i Ii
other man along a mort passaS
and into : large room, whic
seemed to lie a sort OF wait
room. The oriental note was Su:
tanned, and there were divar
scattered ehout all over tho Tc> n
which possessed polish'6 n
uuet 1oar, with thick orient. = 9
here ara there. There were r"'l
half e dozen men in The ROOM P
clad in Tic White batnrobes. TW
or three were talking togethe
but the majority were sitting {
the divGns, looking at rapers II
currenr newspapers and mag
zines which lay abou. struck al
other incongruous note.
Gun approached the other ma
once more, adopting the mann
Of a garrulous, curious not owe
Intelligent Individual.
Il say, what happens 10"
Win. DO We hang around tn
place for?" he asked.
He had deliberately approach
hiIn FIN behind, and bare fe
made 20 noise on the wood
for. This time the fellow gave
quit. palpable art Plainly