Evening star., 1941-10-25

mly. MY eVldence ISM eXactIy Con-
in on it, then she must be in on it.
too, and that would mean Steve
must be also.
"A strange romance" she said,
trying to be light and casual.
IF 1t is a romance at ALL" Eddie
said. Personally, I think she must
be a kind of Intermediary, but I
haven't gotten a line on her yet. I
can't go around asking questions.
That would arouse suspicion, and I
want to keep this job until I get
all the dope"
I'm fool not to tell him who she
is, clare thought. He's smart enough
to find out the real truth before he
does because I owe that much to
Steve. Eddie is just mechanic. 80.
You don't seem like just me-
chanic. Eddie" she said, keeping her
eyes on the road as the car sped
along the smooth white aisle of con-
crete toward the approaching lights
Of the town. You don't even talk
like the man met In the hangar
this afternoon"
Eddie laughed. A short chuckle,
deep in his throat. His deep-set
eyes swung around to rest on the
girls profile, the straight nose and
firm chin. the furl of blond hair
blowing wisps in the wind. Maybe
that's why I liked Roger Caswell," !"
he said. I'VE both started out the
same way, lots of dough, the best
schools, even Harvard to top it off.
He was smarter, though. He did
something with what he had; I Just
horsed around. I'd have been big
shot investment broker if I'd gone
in with my dad. I preferred a mon
key suit, wrenches and motors. My
dad offered to set me up with a
factory of my own for making plane
motors, but by the time I was
smart enough to accept the offer the
Franklin money was gone So I'm
just mechanic. When I'm sur
rounded by oil cans and tools even
talk like one"
Clare Not Surprised.
What he said didn't surprise
Clare, although she felt it should
have. Somehow she had sensed
qualities in him that one didn't
pick up on the street: they were
gotten only in good schools. On the
other hand he had lot of the more
worthwhile things that no schools
ever gave anybody. His idea of
loyalty, for instance, wasn't that
stupid loyalty that made for class
reunions and fraternity handclasps,
nor was his notion of fair play
and craftsmanship the kind ac-
quired on the tennis courts or polo
grounds. His kind of loyalty was
making him devote his whole self
to the cause of Roger Caswell, al
though Roger was dead. And his
sense OF fair play was so outraged
by what had happened to his friend
that he had only one ambition-to
destroy the ones responsible for
what had happened.
Glare dropped Eddie at the ROOM
ing house where he lived, then drove
across town toward her own house.
She had lot of things to think
about, and she hoped that her father
would be in bed by the time she
arrived.
Remembering her appointment
with Hanley for the next day, when
she would go up in one of the train
Ing planes and try the controls her
self for a while, she thought of
their flight that afternoon. They
mad flown over Rogers old landing
neld. and she recalled Hanley's os-
tentatlous salute over the workshop.
He must have done that for nv
benefit, she thought. And the only
way he could know of my connec-
tlon with Roger would be through
Betty CroWell. Why should she have
ever mentioned me? And why the
salute? Why not just fly over the
place and watch for my reaction?
When the answer came it seemed
completely obvious. He probably
made the ironic gesture every time
he flew that silver plane of his.
1t would be characteristic, she
thought, of Clay Hanley. He was
indebted to Roger Caswell for every
thing he had, for the plane, for the
airport which he'd gotten through
Steve; even for his life, because
Roger had taken his place in the
fatal crash of the plane.
(Copyright, 1941, Chicago Daily News, Incl
(COntinued tomorrou