Evening star., 1941-07-25

me to tell you, Phil, that we all be-
lieve this is nonsense"
We'll, tell Doc I'm grateful" Phil
said.
That seemed all there was 10 say,
and they stood looking at one an
other in awkward silence. Until
Helen finally said, Phil, you're not
shielding any one, are you?'
And Phil replied. If you mean
Stephanie, no. I have nothing con-
crete on her. I've only suspicious y
. We'll, tell the G-2 man, Phil, when
he arrives tomorrow"
He isn't coming today?'
He started by plane, but engine
trouble grounded him along the
way. He telephoned Maj. Hammond
this afternoon. You'll have to keep
your chin up day longer, soldier
Phil Is Puzzled.
Phil nodded, and then Helen went
away. He lighted one of her Gig
arettes and began pacing the floor
He tried to figure things out. but
it was a puzzle, with Stephanie its
KEY. He would tell the Co. man
what he suspected-that Stephanie
was involved in the affair along
with Stacey Van Arden and the un-
known prowler And perhaps with
the missing enlisted man, Veretti.
Veretti!
Veretti, perhaps. rather than
Stephanie, was the key to the puzzle.
Phil could still see Veretti holding
the point of his bayonet against
Stacey Van Arden's throat: 1t was
a scene he'd never forget. Van
Ardens face had been a mask OF
fear. And yet Van Arden had come
to the post to shoulder the blame
for the incident. The explanation
was simple, Phil now realized. Van
Arden had feared that Veretti, II
punished, might talk out of turn.
Phil went to sleep on these tam
gled thoughts. And when he aWoke,
a bugle was blowing in the night.
Phil snapped alert and came to
his feet. He went to the barred
window and looked out into the
night. Soldiers were rushing from
the barracks. their voices excitedly
shouting. The post siren began TO
blow. One word was shouted, tossed
back and forth "Fire!" And the
blaze was reflected in the sky. There
was en- eerie pink glow, rapidly
changing to lurid red. The glades
were afire.
It was close TO Fort Marfleld'
Smoke was rolling over the post
in thick black clouds. Watching,
Phil shortly saw the flames. They
climbed the trees. They threw OF
showers of live sparks that drlfted
down over the post buildings. A
wind was driving the flames nearer.
The Fort Seems Doomed.
Trucks loaded with men rumbled
away, the men armed with shovels
and axes. Other men rolled out
hose. They would attempt to keep
the fire away from the post, but
Phil Howard could see that Mar
field was doomed.
Two hours later there was a high
wall of flame and smoke through
the glades, a wall two miles or
more long, and it hemmed Married.
in against the sea. The soldiers
were still out digging bitches and
telling trees. Within the grounds,
others threw a stream of water on
to a barracks whose roof was
a7ame. Smoke, like a dense black
fog. was everywhere, and the men
in it were shadowy figures. Some
wore gas masks: others were cough
ing on smoke. Phil Howard choked
on 1t too.
Half an hour longer, and other
buildings were burning. The smoke
itself was hot and it came in puf1s
as if driven by pressure. Finally.
the guard came and unlocked the
cell door. He had the lower half
of his face covered with a wet
handkerchief, against the smoke,
and above it his eyes were red
trimmed and bloodshot.
You're to 60 to the beach. sir"
he said. The c. O's orders. Every
body else is already gone"
He turned and ran out, leaving
Phil Howard on his own. Phil came
out into the fiery night and, round
ing the guardhouse, he saw that
half of the frame buildings were
burning. Soldiers were running
stumblingly through the foggy
smoke toward the south gate. Phil
turned that way and, crossing Pa
rade, he bumped into a soldier. 1t
was Sergeant Burke.
Captain, that fire was set. In half
dozen places at once Look, I
found this out in the brush"
He dug something out of his pock-
ct and handed it to Phil Howard.
1t was a book of matches with a
half burned cigarette fixed into it.
1t was quite clearly an incendiary
trap. The cigarette had been meant
to burn down until it set off the
pack of matches. The f1are-up would
have set off some piled-up dry
brush. BY some accident the cigar
cite had burned out. But other such
fre-starters had done the job.
Phil Howard stared at the simple
contraption. then his nerves seemed
to Jump. The match folder was i'm
printed with a gold S. He had seen
such a folder before-at the party
aboard Stacey Van Arden's yacht.
Stephanie had given him that one.
The S stood for Stephanie, of course.
Burke said, Lets get out of here,
Captain" And Phil followed him
through the smoke.
1t wasn't so bad on the beach.
they looked like so many refugees.
Phil found Helen Brennan on q boat
landing. The woman's eyes were
round and scared.
She said, Phil, did you see Maj.
Hammond?" And her voice broke.
NO" he said. But want to see
him-after I've seen Stephanie."
shes in your boat, Phil" Helen
said, still in that broken way. But
Mai. Hammond couldn't find Joan,
and he went back inside to hunt
her. That was 20 minutes ago-and
neither of them have showed up"
Copyrisht, 1871, the Chicazo Daily News,
Inc.