The Wilmington morning star., 1943-10-03

slumps over the wheel.
THREE MEN
CHAPTED II
Earlier in the night, in Frank
fort on the Main, so miles
southeast of Coblenz as the crow
flies, the inmate of Cell 80 in the
municipal Jail sat on the edge OF
his bunk tapping his teeth softly
with his fingernail and meditating
profoundly.
He was in two minds about what
to do. Get out or stay?
The question under debate was
less hypothetical than might seen
Tor prisoners who was not plan
ming a jailbreak. Sentenced to 80
days for being drunk and disor-
derby and resisting arrest, the man
in Cell SO was completing the
twenty-eigith day Of his term. In
another 48 hours he would be re-
leased unless
This unless was just what he
was IN two minds about, although
he had been debating the matter
since the first day in Jail. Even a
prisoner retains some say in the
matter of his disposal, negative
say, but nonetheless real Of this,
the man in Cell 38 was we'll aware.
In order to keep this say of his
very much alive, he had with con-
siderable foresight already perpe-
trated two outbreaks of prison
misbehavior, each of carefully cal
culated duration and intensity.
which had left release or disci-
plinary prolongation of his SEN
tence completely matter of his
choice.
Zone more infraction of the
rules" the warden had warned
him after the last performance,
and you get Is day stretch
added to your 50. Now you don't
want that, do you?" he had added
with rough kindness. Behave
yourself and don't be stupid"
Whatever else he may have
Seen. the man in Cell 38 was GER
tainly not stupid. But the warden
did not know that.
Take that release and get out
of here." desire urged insistently.
Better not, reason replied.
Safer to lie low couple of weeks
more. THEY are after US"
THEY'LL be after us two weeks
from now. just as hard"
mot quite so hard. They're
bound to slack off a bit. Mean
while, what better place to hide
from the police than in jail?"
"Unless they think of it them
selves
They may" reason gravely ad-
mitted. mo guarantee.
But they won't think of look
ing in jails till they've been
stumped a while. Now they're still
thrashing coyerts and drawing
blank. Presently they'll sit down
and think. Say a couple of weeks
more for all this. Then, if they
start jail-combing, We'll be out
side"
With that the man in Cell 80
sprang from the bunk. strobe to
the door and began to pound, rat
tie, shake and kick it, believing
the while. Let me out of here!
Let me out of herel"
When the guards finally got the
door open he kicked and fought
a measured Is days worth.
At much the same time, in
Chemnitz, some 200 miles to
the east, Friedrich Vogel woke in
cold sweat, whimpering and sob
bing. For a moment longer, the
menacing Gestapo men OF his
nightmare still lowered over him.
Vogel was young and able
bodied. He was also a superb air.
craftsman. This fact had kept him
out Of the army, still kept him
QUITO his joy, for he was cow
ard and knew it in his heart
even in these days of manpower
shortage in the Reich. In addition,
it had led to his being selected for
this very special job here in Chem
nitz, where he and chosen hand
full Of other expert workers were
assembling a huge plane of most
unusual design. Vogel knew air.
craft and this was in many ways
Like none he had ever SEEN AS
the work progressed, he reached
his own conclusions about the ma
ture Of the mystery plane. But he
kept his ideas to himself. The
plane was a secret affair, so secret
that the workshops were strictly
guarded and the men kept under
surveillance inside and outside the
works.
Not that Vogel minded that. n
served as reminder to him, and
ssy ;asssa