PAGE TWELVE
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON, THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 1934
Mocking house
.BY WALTER C. BROWN.
BYNOPBIB! Sergeant Harper'
theory that Pierre Dufresne or hit
wile 1$ guilty of the murder of two
men in the Vutreene houee it blown
sky high by the tuiaide of Joseph
Donaghy, their chauffeur. Donaghy
hae ieft a note confessing the crime,
and explained the murderer1 mys
terious escape from the house.
Jfarper has not been able to check
Donaghy1 movement because he
had told the other servants he Wat
'-''"1 the night off.
Chapter 41
NEW THEORY
f'-'pHANK yon, Andrews," Harper
I- acknowledged the patent sin
cerity ot the old butler1 words,
"That will be all for the present,"
lie told them. In dismissal. The ser
rants filed out silently, with O'Ccn
sell bringing up the rear.
Sergeant Harper leaned back
wearily. His face was drawn and
tired, his eyes looking dully through
the window at a winter landscape he
did not see. Latterly fare him a
keen look. "What's the matter, old
nan? You look a If you'd been op
all night"
The detectlre thumped the skein
of rope on the table with sudden
fury. "Another life gone and I feel
I'm partly responsible. I should hare
figured out that rope trick sooner.
Now that youngster Is out of the
way and the whole damned business
Is to do over again I"
"What do you mean, Store?" Laf.'
forty gasped.
"In plain words, Donaghy's sui
cide la a 'fake,' a 'plant' He was
murdered, Just like the others. Out
there Is the same mysterious mark
In the snow, only this time It's be
tween the pergola and the garage!"
"Holy Moses I" murmured the
lanky detective, weakly.
"Not only that" Harper went on,
1 found two mora of those spikes.
One driven Into the end of the per
gola and one beside the pent roof
over the garage door. Ton see where
this leaves us!"
: "But good God, man, where Is It
srolng to end?"
"I don't know, but I do know that
jSonaghy never went to any gam
bling house and lost his 'roll.' You
remember that It snowed again from
eeven to eleven o'clock last night I
-waited here until midnight to see
'him. How did he get back Into the
garage after that without leaving
Oils own footprint In the snow?1
Lafferty shrugged.
FT BBLIEVa." Haraar continued.
l"that Sonaghy left this house
and went directly to his room and
tayed there. At that time It wasn't
Knowing. But If he did that be
couldn't have lost bis money gam.
bllng and that would make that
much of the letter a lie. Tat the
loss of that-money Is given aa a ma
jor reason for the suicide."
"Hun, What about Donaghy's
alibi for the night of the murders?
It looked all right to me,"
. "Yes, and It looked all right to
me. it waa tne average sort of ac
count that Is genuine In ninety-nine
times In a hundred. It's not the too
foxy kind that can account for every
minute, because the need for that
was borne in mind."
Harper turned the signet ring
Idly In his Angers. "I can't Quite
wallow 'Harry Dorey,'" he said.
"The bar nam auggests nothing,
explains nothing. Why did this H.D.
buy a dlsgnls In order to look like
Dufresne? We've got the right an
swer aa to how the escape was
pulled off and perhaps the name of
the murdered man, but along with
these two answers we get about a
dosen new questions to wrestle
.with." -
Lafferty said, "You told me that
the wound waa In typical suicide
form with the gun mussle pressed
firmly against the head. I suppose
you realise that a murderer rarely
get a ohance to hold the gun that
way, unless he eatches his victim
asleep or unconscious?"
"Asleep, or unconscious, or " '
"Or what?" Lafferty pressed.
"You Just gave me an Idea," Har
per answered guardedly, "but It's
till too haiy to discuss. Here's
what I want you to do, Jack. Take
O'Connell and go back to the ga
rage. Give It a good ripping out es
pecially for anything that might
have a bearing on tbe suicide-murder
question."
After Lafferty bad gon Harper
paced the length ot the room rest
lessly, suing this new design Into
the Jumbled mosato formed by all
the known angles of the ease. "A
Tery pretty theory," he growled to
himself, "but how to prove It? How
to prove It?"
WHAT waa that mark where the
light gleamed across the pol
ished wood of the table? The deteo-
.illy pressed his finger over the
spot, but It would not move nor rub
off. Harper leaned closer. It was a
thin scratch, now first revealed by
a trick ot the reflected light There
was another a little nest of
scratches.
Curious that he had not seen them
before. He brought the magnifying
lens from the work-tabie and held
It over the marks. There was a de
sign mingled through these marks,
much plainer now a double design.
He leaned closer and closer, experi
menting with the lens height to In
crease the magnification.
Impatient he pulled the heavy ta
ble nearer to the light of the window
to nullify that gleaming reflection
which made It so hard to see those
small marks clearly. And there,
against this Improved background.
"Donsahy's confession Is not
signed." j
he saw, and like a thunderclap the
truth burst upon htm in one flash.
. hand, . cloncbod band, had
pounded on that table, pounded in
anger, and on one of the fingers had
been a ring, moat certainly a ring
with two stones set In It two gems
set diagonally to each other!
"Good God! Aline Croydenl"
Harper could never tell after
wards whether he had cried that
name aloud In the shock ot discov
ery or whether that accusing shout
existed only within his brain, but
Instinct pulled his head around
sharply In the direction ot the door.
There was now an open space
where the door had been closed and
In that space stood Aline Croydon.
A tiny black hat ant modlshly on
her shining hair, but her face waa
tragic, with a desperate purpose
visible In the fixity ot her gate.
Without a word she stepped Into
the room and on the hand that held
her glovea gleamed that telltale
ring. But the right hand was hidden
In the told of her coat and looking
Into her eyes, Sergeant Harper read
many things, not the least of which
wss the knowledge ot what she held
la that concealed hand.
She roached behind her and
locked the door.
(Copyright, tut, by Walter ft Broun;
Harper hears, tomorrow, Mrs. .
Croyden's story.
FOUND AI SEASIDE
ASTORIA. Ore., June :. (API
An unusual specimen of sea life, dl
covered on seashore beach by Miss
Vera Van Cleve, was on exhibit here
today. Resembling both a squid and
a atarflsh, the creature Is red above
and yellow on the underside, and
has 18 arms, each of which Is about
four Inches long and bears "suckers"
on the undersides.
The animal eats clams and other
shellfish, Is fairly active and Its auc
tion cups have such a grip that one
of the arms apparently could be
pulled off before an object would be
released.
It Is the first specimen of Its type
known to have been discovered here.
. .
Phone MX We'll oaul away youi
RAIL AND FEDERAL
PAY TO INCREASE
WASHINGTON. Jun 38. (AP)
Railroad workers throughout the
country will receive an Increase in
basic wagea neat Sunday when the
agreement signed last April between
the railroad managers and employes
become effective.
Two years ago railroad labor agreed
to a ten per cent deduction from pay
checks as a -means of assisting the
railroads over the depression. On
July 1 one-fourth ot the cut will be
restored and another fourth on Jan
uary i. The entire deduction will
be restored April I, 103".
Government employes also are due
for restoration July I of another a
per cent of their ID per cent pay cut.
The flrat per cent given back was
retroactive to rbniary 1,
ill
L
SALEM. June 38. (AP) More
than 1,000 motorists of Oregon are
now on the list of those whose driv
er's licenses have either been re
voked or suspended, it waa an
nounced here today by the state de
partment. This Is the largest Hat
yet Issued for distribution to law
enforcement officers each month.
During the month of May a total
of 81 suspensions and revocations
were listed, also setting a new record
for one month. Of these 55 were
revoked for driving while Intoxicat
ed and none can apply for new li
censes until after one year. One was
revoked for Involuntary manslaugh
ter. Of the suspensions nine were
for reckless driving.
William Hammond, In charge of
the operators' division, announced
that police and circuit courts over
the state were now cooperating to
the fullest extent with the state de
partment in reporting all automobile
accidents, and during the past month
750 abstracts of court records havo
been received.
Hammond explained that every
court 'having Jurisdiction over of.
tenses committed under the motor
vehicle regulations or municipal
traffic ordinances Is required by law
to report convictions for violations
thereof to the secretary of state.
He said further that an Oregon
motorist convicted of driving while
intoxicated in New York, would upon
returning to this state find that his
driving license had been revoked.
This he said would be the case of
convictions In sny having a driver's
license law similar to that in Ore
gon. Hammond stated that during the
past year BOO motorists hsve been
refused licenses - upon examination,
either for physical defects or Inabil
ity to drive automobllea.
130 young Lawyers
will take bar exam
SALEM, Juiw 36. Approxi
mately 130 persons will take the
state bar examination! to be held
here July 10 and 11. Arthur 8. Ben
son, clerk of the supreme court an
nounced. The tests will be con
ducted by the state board ot bar examiners.
Card of Thanks
We wish to exDress our thanks to
lour m&nv frloncl for their klnrin-ftjui
and sympathy during our recent be
reavement. Mrs. R. A. Morrison and
family,
'
Why lose alfalfa by weevil. Turn
loss into profit. Turkeys exterminate
bugs and worms. Naragansett eggs
10c. Cheap start for next year, flee
Honner, Farmer Bureau Bldg.
But dearie.
IF THAT WA A
rt-HOT TOA7kl AIP
rTUT DROVE THROUGH
HOW COM& WE DIDN'T
HEAR ANY al KANul
NOISES OR KNOCKS
You HEAR NO KNOCKS
DARLING--BECAUSE.
VIP flriTTi TAMU'Eiii t
OF STANDARD CVASOLI WE. '
) WITH TETRAETHYL.
UNSURPASSED 1
in
THE FAMILY ALBUM SETTING THE TABLE
lUMUlAflS
By GLUYAS WILLIAMS'
IBIS WIFE HPllSEf UiE
"TABLE FOR HER WHILE
SWF5 6EvYlN6 SUPPER
SffioUS IN-fO KrfCHErl
ft ASK SHALL HE USE TrlE
BlfeTDRKS OR. THE i.rflt
OWES
k Kvl MlrlUfR LAYER. WArfe MILE WIFE REH
APPEARS WltH SBURAL WLSS 1HEM AMD TtUS
CLEAN TABLE ClOtteTo HIM WHERE TO FlKD 01M
ASK WHICH HE SHALL TfcBLE CLOTH
COMES 00 PRESENTLY
for -pusf M AHD BRUSH
EXPLAINING THE SALTCEL
LAR SUPPED OUT OF MS
HAND
SWEEPS UP AND RE1UWS FiNDS 5P00ffS OKA
A4KIW6 HAS SHE SEEN CHAIR, AND CALLS WILL
AKV SPOONS OUf HERE. HE . SHE COME SHOW HIM
MUST" HAVE 5gf TrlEM WWfi WHERE THE KAPKlNS
SOMEWHERE ARE:
(CopyTHht. 9M. T Th Ml gyndlcsts, he")
HALF HOUR LMER WIFE
HAS SUPPER READV. BUT
Table is mill unset be
cause HE HAS BEEN TRV-
IriS TbfUK OF TrNBlT
S 'MATTER POP-
By C. M. Paymj
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TAILSPIN TOMMY A Disagreement I
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