PAGE SIS
MEDFOED MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1933.
llu. HIDDEN DOOR
BY FRANK L. PACKARD
Cbapter 47
HOUSE OF DEATH
- . l 1 .. .
l shadows of the lane anil, silent-
1 now, made their way along It
with Sergeant Mulver In the lead.
Somewhere ahead, Colin knew,
waa the rear of the Wine Preea and
the alleyway that flanked Michael
Barney's specious tobacco atore,
bnt It was ao dark that lie could
scarcely see Sergeant Mulvey's
form Is front of him o dark. In
fact, that when finally Sergeant Mul-
Tey halted suddenly Colin bumped
Into him.
"Here we are I" cautioned Ser
geant Mulvey under bin breath.
It was much like last night, much
like that other door which could
not be many yards away only that
tonight. Instead of Buck O'Mara, the
big shot of the Mask's murder
quad, It was Detective Sergeant
Mulvey of the Homicide Bureau who
acted as guide.
Sergeant Mulrey opened the door
soundlessly and closed It behind
them soundlessly and then for
full minute they stood motionless,
listening.
Then Sergeant Mulrey spoke.
"Kind of force of habit," he
grunted, as the ray from his electric
torch stabbed suddenly tbrough tbe
blackness, "eren though I know
there ain't anybody here." He
-thrust bis wrist watch Into the flare.
"Twenty minutes yet. Lots of time
for a look-see around."
Tbe rooms were comfortless,
acantUy furnished, containing
scarcely the bare necessities no
one giving them a single glance
would question the status of old
Keppelsteln as a miser of the first
degree.
By contrast, the mural decora
tions, untouched, obviously, except
by age, since the days when the
Wine Press had been in Us prime,
were ludicrously grotesque: here a
pointed Jungle scene, there a group
of nymphs dancing In tbe moonlight
above a rickety kitchen tablet But
Sergeant Mulvey seemed little con
cerned with these details. His flash
light poked persistently and In
quisitively Into cupboards and cor
ners and out-of-the-way places.
"Nothing down here In the shape
of any private wires or that sort of
stuff, he announced Anally, "un
less they're damn well hidden."
"That trick door opens on the
floor above," Colin reminded him.
"Yes, I know. Force of bablt again.
Well, let's go up."
There was only one room on the
second floor, and Colln's eyes fol
lowed the round, white circle of light
as Sergeant Mulvey's flashlight
traveled from the threshold slowly
around It. The room ran the entire
depth of the house and had once, It
was quite obvious, been the caba
reft combination dance floor, bar.
and main dining room.
Little alcoves, where tables for
two. Inviting tete-a-tetes, might
have been placed, still punctuated
the walla at Irregular Intervals
while the walls themselves were
adorned with huge plaster casts, de
picting scenes even more fantastic
than those painted on the walls of
the rooms downstairs. The only
windows In tbe room looked out on
the street, and the shutters of these
were tightly closed.
. At the rear of the room and
stretching across almost Its entire
breadth were the remains of a bar,
a decrepit and woebegone affair
sow, the mirrors above It streaked
and blistered nntll they were almost
beyond recognition. There were no
furnishings whatever Just litters of
rubbish piled, or rather thrown. In
heaps here and there about the
floor a veritable catch-all old
packing cases, chairs, and various
piece of furniture broken beyond
repair, and all now covered thick
with dust
" CAN'T say this listens good to
' me!" exclaimed Sergeant Mul
vey dubiously. "It looks like this
was Just another way out, without
anybody knowing It, through Kep
pelsteln's front or back door."
Colin shook his head stubbornly.
"It that's all It amounts to," he
Answered tersely, "why did Buck
O'Mara use It last night when he
didn't have tof And tonight there's
nothing to prevent him from mak
ing a bolt down that private stair
case. It be does that, of course, the
only thing that's left for us to do
then will be to go home and begin
all over again.
"Well, we're here and we'll see,"
returned Sergeant Mulvey crisply.
"Where would you say that hidden
door west"
"Run your light along the wall
over there again. Not ao fasti
Thorel Allowing tor tbe stairs on
VIRGINIAN NAMED
MOLEY SUCCESSOR
WASHINGTON. Sept. 30 (API
President RoosevU today appointed
1L Walton Moore, former member of
congress from Virginia, to succeed
-j v.u.r Uc, I'd say It must aw
Just about there."
Tbe light was focused on .. platter
barge a la Antony and Cleopatra
that waa decidedly daring In lt
conception, and which floated on
what had once doubtless been, la
color, though calamitously faded
now, a sunlit aiure sea. It was about
midway along the wait
"Some dump!" ejaculated Ser
geant Mulvey. "Before my time on
the force. Those were the days, eh?
when the highlights were down
here, and before they turned the
good old Bowery Into a morgue I
Well, come onl Time's nearly up."
His flashlight circled again. "How
about getting down behind that old
packing case up there against the
wall on this side near the bar? It's
big enough all right. We'll bet aclng
that trick door then, and'll be able
to see plenty without being spot
ted." "All right," agreed Colin briefly.
The flashlight pointing the way,
they moved up the room, and lifting
the dilapidated case out a little
way from the wall crouched down
behind It Given anything to see,
by peering around the ends of the
case, or even with due caution over
the top of It, the view would be
practically unobstructed.
"It's ten o'clock," said Sergeant
Mulvey, "but It'll take the boys a
few minutes to work their racket"
"Right!" said Colin, .
The flashlight went out
It was Inky black. Colin could not
see an Inch In front of him. And
there was no sound though be
strained his ears to catch one from
tbe other side of the wall. No move
ment now from Sergeant Mulrey.
Just stillness and blackness every
where around him.
And now time Itself seemed to
hare stopped. Had a minute, two,
or three, or ten passed since Mulrey
had switched off tbe torch? He
grew uneasy. This room here, this
house, as Sergeant Mulrey had
said, did not look very promising
there was nothing to Inspire confi
dence in the belief that the link be
tween the Mask and the big shots
of his mobs was here.
Certainly the Mask himself was
not here. Sergeant Mulrey and he
were unquestionably the only two
persons In the house. Surely by now
Buck O'Mara would have come If he
were coming at all. Was this, after
all, merely another exit and en
trance sacred to the big shots and
Buck O'Mara In flight bad chosen In
stead the private stairway?
HE shook his head doggedly In the
hlankneRM. ThArn vau tnn much
to point the other way. It must be
here, somewhere, somehow, that
the contact between the Mask and
his lieutenants was made. His brain
churned on.
The silence grew heavy and op
pressive. It began to palpitate audi
bly and finally to thunder at his ear
drums. In spite of himself, uneasi
ness and misgivings wore beginning
to obtain the upper hand. There had
been more than time enough by now,
and '
There came a faint sound from
across the room Indefinable. And
then suddenly a cluster of colling
lamps went on and the room was
ablaze with light His eyes blinked
In the glare. The barge bearing
Antony and Cleopatra soomed to
have bobbed up and down as though
It had ridden on a swell. His vision
cleared. A figure was running across
the room In the direction of the bar
Buck O'Mara and Buck O'Mara
was tearing oft his coat as he ran.
And now there came another
sound a distinct click this time.
Colin, peering around the edge of
the packing case, mechanically
rubbed his eyes. The bar was re
volving upon Itself and now it pre
sented the reverse side.
It had become a huge wardrobe.
Rows of clothing, wigs and hats
hung there from end to end and In
the confer, below a mirror, was a
sort of shelf, waist high, strewn
with small pots and Jars and tubes
In endless variety.
Somothlng was thudding at both
Colln's heart and brain. Hla eyes
swung back to OMara. O'Mara's
outer clothes were oft now, the
sandy hair was gone and the back
of a short-cropped, black-haired
head presented Itself to view. He
could not see the face.
Again Colln's eyes shifted and, aa
though drawn by a magnet, fast
ened, amongst the rows of clothing,
on an lnch-sqnare checked suit of
light fawn, and, hanging on a peg
above It, a brilliant red tie and a
straw-colored wig. That was Helmla
Schwarml
'Copyright, 1IJJ, Frank . Packard;
Mtr)y mysteries si plain, tomor
row, to Colin.
Raymond Moley as assistant secretary
of state. The president alto named
George Vice, aa manna! for the nor
thern district of California.
P&rmera own 30 per cent of the
400,000,000 acres of commercial for
est area In the United States.
LETS PULL
TOGETHER
FRUIT SORTING
BASJCPAY SET
HOOD RIVER, Ore., Sept. 20. (AP)
A bulc wage scale of 30 oenti an
S'MATTER POP
TAILSPIN TOMMY
at v-u :
amy - 'J (Copyright, 1933, by Ths BtU Syndicate, Inc.)
1
At -Wf Hai
fumy -tsooo sJ&lMnZ&M. 1
BOUND TO WIN "Where Ignorance Is Bliss-
OONT XNORRV,
crd KA1 CUP
CAfsa'T LEAVE
THE TRACK :
'sot TR DMOERj
CONTROUT
THE NEBBS Just A
hello 6mma, t r1:, . V3 MU 1 uwi . .! X VES
voo'RE LooxaKje. l.cU ...r.Sr .r.Y. suppose voo i no. nuu s
-? V ,0 QOAsC O tJ X l-W, ,
r- . jam? i fa ,1 , v , . I- ur-n
BRINGING UP FATHER
AIMT YOU
MO'. COULOMT GT THERE
GS1M TO
ItM TIME, l-UL LISTEN TO
T OVER THE RADIO-I'VE
GOT TWO FINE fiAOtQS-
THE PRIZE-TO-NIGHT?
There's No Guesswork in Tribune A. B. C. Circulation
hour for fruit aortera ha been es
tablished for the mid-Columbia dis
trict of Oregon and Washington by
a vote of the Hood River Traffic a
aoclatlon and It affiliation in all
district, it waa announced today.
Definite action haa been postponed
for two week, however, pending de
cision from tbe Oregon and Wash
ington State Welfare associations,
which were asked for modifications
- Exit The Golden Pig!
KtCCrveK ALL THIS- I
THINK THE loMWfl
r7
Big Man
X Hope d TAKE YOUR TIME 7WJi 1 I GUESS EVERVONE'S I DECLARE, BEt-S,BUt)hE DOESNST KNOW
I , COTME V . THe f SOODPEOPlJEIMR.L-sS ( ON BOftRDJUD- I'VE OLD 30N1EBH0' VS HE'S SONEl,30D
fS BACK fsvii BILER K COSSSi Ar-V HVS inWlMlk I ARRANGED NTH THE St HAPPYTWHY.HE I HAMEMT TOLO
( 1V HERE, ( TVk' OONfTf LAOVVMOr-iT iMlwtfflM . UVEFTY STABLE HERE TO AIN'T A BlTfir i HIM-YOU AND I
l 6AMPSON! I U BLiSTTj LEAVS VJTTHOIXT YKL BOARD THE HORSES Jpm WORRIED If WILL. HANE TO
3Y HURT V V. Wi rWfto Li BACK- ZZBLA JSUrtJ UlT.OM WH6M .
y--i, V VOLj T J MLOOK m CRU5HTHE. I MffMffhtFXL Cr m m IM 1 SOIN'TO 1 1 jT-r TTTVYT- SNE GET
Lv
&L' IB felSfe Im
of their previous rulings applying a
27 Vi -cent hour minimum for at least
35 per cent of the women workers In
fruit warehouses.
Growers have declared they are un
able to meet the higher wage re
quest because of lack or assurance
of more profitable returns.
Broken windows glazed by Trow
bridge Cabinet Works.
By C. M. PAYNE
IP oW ONCV HAO IWSTRUf1HT!S
1
TO CHART TH18 t-QCATIptN
it torrtt
r ui-y,
E
RATE VttMNAL
WASHINGTON, Sept. 20. (AP)
The lowest freight rate on canned
WEATHER CONFERENCE
I SUMAS (Copyright, 1833. by Tha EMI
lsJMTS CM COUCH, Atl Rf(tfVt)
60 Otff WOHDERS sVkftT
DUW rj Aa A80W
WRHE5 THdi'V HORRY" UP frXD
SEfdE rf, HT5 At100& TO HAKE
Hb PAflY LOOK AT THE (WORLD
FOB Tfv SAXf, THEY'VE GJT
SIDE-TRACKED AR6UlNfo WHETHER
p"6 BEfttR f&R A 04I1D 16 BE
TOO WARM OR TOO COOL
m
JUST
conaEoust
SxeN i3ttieiT ooftT knooJ
5ut Of THIS ABOUT THAT
BAFTS BACK HOME THAt ONC6
AC5AIN TrtWK MTHE TRFASURG
loe'u. all. fee bus BiTei
SUHO TO SORSET xfa VOU , YOU
3v-3 Ft
goods from Pacific coast ports thru
tbe Panama canal to the Mississippi
valley ever put Into effect between
these sections was upheld today by
the Interstate commerce commission.
The commission refused to order a
suspension of the proposed charge
and It goes Into effect tonight It
will be tbe first through water and
rail rate to be applied on canned
goods through tbe Panama canal. -
REAU2F5 ONE OF TrlOS teEMHER
DtSCUSSIOefS HA5 S1W?1ED, MOW-
LR FEQjft6 HIS U6HTER COST
WOULD BE WARM
KDW -ftCYVE ScM OUT ON THE
VERAKDA TO SEE HOW If TWA
OUT THERE
THEV APPEW. tb DADDV NEXT
ROOM WHO.WrfHOirr KM0WIH6
ANtHHiN6 ArMXK IT. SAYS UTS
TOESbEI) Right as he is
I 'TO HVyl7AiS'
VES, AMD HES ACT1W
IKJS OR SOMETHIkJ'
PITCWER AlroV OUT VET
bOOU 1 TOl-D
DOMIT THIVJK VOU
,1 UUENJT TO
I7CIRCUS OMCEAIOOti
1 SAW AIO
EUEPHAAJT
vSKipPlMS
i37 s,
The rate. 7S cents per 100 pounds
from 15 Pacific coast porta, wss filed
by the Luckenbach Gulf Steamship
company, the Gulf Paclflo line, and
tbe Gulf Pacific MaU line, Ltd.
The will of the late Mrs. Mary
Penny Scott of Miami, Pie., provided
1,000 to buy religious reeding ma
terial tor her only son.
By GLUYAS WILLIAMS"
KA&I 6RANPMA MAlKIAUfS
SCRfS A COlO WIND AND HE
OUfeHT 16 HftVT A SWEATER of
UNDERNEATH THIS COO
THEV REIURN 6RANDMA OAIMW6,
WW AHH0U6H IT'S WARM NOW,
THE SUM WONt STAV our
off at last, wtiw a 600d '
fifteen mihutes an" a lot of
breatv wasted '
-2.0
By GLENN CHAFF IN
and UAL FOBBEST
By EDWIN ALGER
By SOL HESS
LIKE. HE'S A.
8ISSEB - TWF
AMD HE THIS1KS
HIM KI6mT OUT
kE SO MUCH.
A.
ROPE . .
By George McManus
ml
AM BATTUM BUMPS LEADS
WITH Hlb LEFT AM' OAQS A
RiGHT To THE RiBS UuST A.
THE ROONO END'S-
11 lite