P'AT.E FJORT
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORI). OREGON. WEDNESDAY. MARCH 11. 1936.
IN THE DARK
By GLUYAS WILLIAMS
STRANGE AS IT SEEMS By JOHN HIX
Tot further proof address the author, Inclosing a stamped envelope for reply. Re. V. 8. Pat Off.
SYNOPSIS: At niorlv at Franklt
Dertcent and Bobby Jonet can tell,
Dr. Klchottun it Vie man retpon
tlblt tor the death 01 Han Car
ttatrt and the atttmpt to poieon
Bobby Sow. with Hoaer Batting-ton-tfrench,
Frankit futt hat die
covered the body ot Hogtr't brother
Henry, apparently a tulcide. But
Dr S'loholeon hae appeared eoon
after, and Henry Batelngton-ffrench
it one ot the two people in the Doo-
tor't Kay if it turne out to be true
that he ivante to marry Henry't
trite Kitlvia. Frankie and Bobby
plot tome invettigation in London.
Chapter 82
PLANS
T KNOW, said Bobby quietly.
They were both illent lor
little.
I hall have to leave to-day, of
courie," said Frankie presently.
"Yea, I suppose you will. How it
the Mrs. Basslngton - Branch, I
mean?"
She's collapsed, poor soul. I
haven't seen her since we we
found the body. The shock to her
must have been awful."
Bobby nodded.
"You'd better bring the car round
about eleven," continued Franxle.
Bobble did not answer. Frankie
looked at him Impatiently. '
"What's the mattor with you, Bob
by. You, look as though you were
miles away."
"Sorry. As a matter of fact "
"Yes?"
"Well, I was Just wonJerlng.
suppose well, I juppose It's all
right?"
"What do yon mean all right?'
' "I mean It's quite certain that he
did commit suicide?"
"Oh!" said Frankie. "I see." She
thought a minute. "Yes," she said,
It was sulcjde all right"
joure quite surer'. You see.
Frankie, we have Molra's word for
It that Nicholson wanted two pec-
pie out or the way. Well, here's one
. of them gone."
Frankie thought again, but once
more she shook her head.
"it must be suicide," she sald.,"I
was In the garden with Roger when
we heard the shot. We both ran
straight In through the drawing-
room to the hall. The study door
waa locked on the Inside. We vent
round to the window. That was fas.
tened also and Roger bad to smash
It. It wasn't till then that Nicholson
appeared upon the scene very sud
oeniy. '
"He'd left a stick behind earlier
In the afternoon and had come back
tor It."
nobby was frowning with the
process of thought
"Listen, Frankie. Suppose that ac
tually Nicholson shot Basslngtoiv
crencn " '
"Having induced him first to
wrlto a suicide's letter of farewell?1
"I should think that would be the
easiest thing In the world to fake.
Any alteration In handwriting
wouio. oe nut down to agltat on
"Yes, that's true. Oo on with your
meory."
Nicholson shoots Basslneton.
ffrench, leaves the farewell letter,
and nlpa out locking the door to
appear again a few minutes later as
tnough be had lust arrived."
Frankie shook her head regret-
runy."
"It's a good Idea but It won't
work. To begin with, the key
was In Henry Basslngtonffrench's
pocket"
"Who found It there?"
"Well, as a matter of fact Nlchol.
son did.
"There you arel What's easier for
hlra than to pretend to find It
there? ,
"I was watching him remember,
I m sure the key was In the pocket,
"That's what one says when one
watche's a conjurar. You see the rab
bit being put Into 'he hat If Nlchol.
son Is a high-class criminal a simple
little bit of sleight-of-hand like that
would be child's play to him."
"IT'ELL, you may be right about
''that, but honestly, Bobby, the
wnole things Impossible. Sylvia
Basslngton -ffrench was actually In
the bouse when the shot was fired.
The moment she heard It she ran
out Into the hall.
"If Nicholson hsd fired the shot
ind come out through the study
ioor she would have been bound to
tee him. Besides, she told us that
lie actually came up the drive to the
front door. She saw him coming as
we ran round the bouse, end went
to meet him and brought him round
the study window. No, Bobhy, I hate
to say It, but tbe man has an alibi."
"On principle, I distrust people
who have antiis," said Bobhv.
"So do I. But I don't see how you
:an get round this one."
"No. Sylvia Basslnstonffrench's
ord ought to he good enough."
"Yes. Indeed."
"Well." said Bobby wllb a aljh, "1
rappose we ll have to leave It at sui
cide. Poor devil. What's the next
angle of attack, Frankie?"
"The Caymans," sa'd Frankie. "I
can't think how we've been so re
miss as not to have looked them up
before. You've kept the address Cay
man wrote from, haven't you?"
"Yes. Its' the same they gave at
the Inquest. Number 17 St Leon
ard's Gardens, Paddlngton."
"Don't you agree that we've rather
neglected that channel of Inquiry?"
"Absolutely. All the same, you
know, Frankie, I've got a very
shrewd Idea that you'll find the
birds flown. I should imagine that
the Caymans weren't exactly born
yesterday."
"Even If they have gone off, I may
find out something about them."
"Why I?"
"Because, once again, I don't
think you'd better appear In the
matter. It's like coming down here
when we thought Roger was the bad
man ot the show. You are known to
them and I am not."
"And how do you propose to make
their acquaintance?" asked Bobby.
"I shall be something political,"
said Frankie. "Canvassing for the
Conservative party. I shall arrive
with leaflets."
"Good enough," said Bobby. "But
as I said before, I tblnk you'll find
the birds flown. Now there's another
thing that requires to be thought of
Molra."
"Goodness!" said Frankie. "I'd
forgotten all about her."
"So I noticed," satd Bobby with a
trace of coldness In his manner.
"You're right," said Frankie
thoughtfully. "Something must be
done about her."
Bobby nodded. Tbe strange haunt
ing face came up before bis eyes.
There waa something tragic about
It. He had always felt this from the
Arst moment when he had taken tbe
photograph from Alan Carstalrs'
pocket.
If you'd seen her that night when'
I first went to the Grange!" he said.
e was crazy with fear and I tell
you, Frankie, she's right It's not
nerves nor Imagination nor any
thing like that It Nicholson wants
to marry Sylvia Basslngtonffrench,
two obstacles have got to go. One's
gone. I've a feeling that Molra's life
Is hanging by a hair and that any
delay may be fatal."
T7RANKIE) was sobered by the
" earnestness of his words.
"My dear, you're right," she said.
"We must act quickly. What shall
we do?" ,
"We must persuade her to leave
the Grange at once."
Frankie nodded. "I tell you what."
she said. "She'd hotter go dowu to
Wales to the CaBtle. Heaven
knows she ought to be safe enough
there."
If you can fix that, Frankie,
nothing could be better."
Well, It's simple enough. Father
never notices who goes or comes.
He 11 like Molra nearly any man
would, she's so feminine. It's ex
traordinary how men like helpless
women."
I don't think Molra Is particular
ly helpless,'" snld Bobby.
Nonsense. She's like a little bird
that sits and waits to be eaten by a
snake without doing anything about
it."
"What could she do?"
'Heaps of things." said Frankie
vigorously.
"Well, I don't see It. She's got no
money, no friends"
My dear, don't drone on as
though you were recommending a
case to the Olrla Friendly 8oclely."
Sorry," said Bobby.
There waa an offended pause,
"Well," said Frankie, recovering
her tempor. "As you were. I think
we'd better got on to this business
as soon as possible"
"So do I," said Bobby. "Really
Frankie, it's awfully decent of you
to"
Thta's all right," said Frankie,
Interrupting him. "I don't mind be
friending the girl so lone as Toe
don't drivel on about her as though
she had no hands or feet or tongut
or brains.
"I simply don't know what yos
mean," said Bobhy.
Well, we needu't talk about It
aid Frankie. "Now my Idea Is thai
whatever we're going to do we'd
better do It quickly. Is that a quota
tlon?"
"It's a paraphrase of one. Go on
ady Macbeth."
"You know I've always thought
snld Frankie, suddenly dlgresslni
lldly from the matter In hand
that Lady Macbeth Incited Mac
belli to do all those murders simply
nd solely because she was S'j
frightfully bored with Ufa and la-
ilentally wllh Macbeth,"
(Cetr-iill ItlJ-.'S li. A,ett Ctrhll.)
Frankie has a fright tomorrow.
10 OT 10 PEN
KOftrBimo, or., Mvch n.
AlfriM Moore drw flveyr urn
tne In the ntnta prnltntlAry and
Oorpe WlUlnma vm nin,M to
three yer wlwn the two entered
Vlpm of guilty In the circuit court
here late yntrdiy oo moral cIwrm
A Mntnre of on year u drawn
by Vlctof Butferfield of Marehfteld,
reused of obtaining morwy by I aim
pretnnea, hut eterntlon of the aen
tence wm impended for nix month,
ftex which he will be on probation.
Butterfleld. with Alfred Mitts, also of
Marfthfleld, waa accuArd of trading a
borrowed caj for another ued auto
mobile. anj falllni to lurnth trani
fer pa pen.
AN iThUM INVASION
& iwe most
wioew ?umvo
COfASKIWe
-itte W0RLT?
"' ,
Strange a It seems. Premier Benito
Muaeollnl, whose war machine Is now
bogged down In Ethiopia In what
otler world powers have condemned
as s war of aggression this same !
Mussolini was once so utterly against i
s similar military expedition that be
organized s riot of protest and was
thrawn In Jail for bis trouble. (
Twenty-five years ago, when II Duce
wm only 38 years old, the Otolllttl '
government In Italy sent a military
! expedition to Tripoli after an ulti
matum sent by Borne to Constanti
nople was not satisfactorily answer
ed by the Turkish government. The
Italo-Turtclsh war had the popular
support of the Italian people with
the exception of the Socialists, who
denounced It bitterly. Mussolini was
a Socialist he was so much agalmt
I lb that Just before actual war was
declared, he incited a mob to resist
authorities. - He was arrested and
semenced to Jail for five months.
Mussolini did not oppose war In
genera, It was explained, but he op
posed the views of the Nationalist.
Thty wanted a large Italy, but he
wanted an Italy that was cultured,
rich, and free.
ARE OOlA.
CrtiK WiM
AGISTER
fbPUUKfiOM
iHftrATriE WHa&
tnLOfStrTo
A6RMT to IPAKO,
AMP ARIZONA WfS lb
PC COLORADO...
4
,dmP HI
When the territory that la now
Coiomdo was being admitted to the I
I
lW oft iff) '
fwoir.i cv ic ciwctnn aa.
, SsVi
I-;
"McNaui! SrvdlttU, Ui
Un.on, It came very nearty being
named Idaho, because tbe name "Col
orado" had been proposed by a Cali
fornia senator for the new state later
admitted as Arizona. The Colorado
representatives actually favored the
name "Idaho;' but further discussion
of the proposed name brought up the
suggestion that the state be named
Colorado because of the Colorado
river. Senator Owln, California, ob
jected because he wanted to name
Aneona territory "Colorado" when it
became a state. His objection was
overruled Colorado became Colorado
and Arizona later became Arizona.
HEAPS CRVIN&.
WC-W6 Wirt ISfiPED
r
VoZSM WftN-f -TO RriW
WAKIH6 HER BVPlrfl1r6
OH LlfcHI-. FUM81E& IN
DARK TOR ARM HOLES
OF HI6 BHTHROBE
CAN'T 6E-fHE RlfH
COMBlWftfiOrJ.PlXft
BftTrlROBE OUER
SWIULPER5 AND 6R0P5
WAV tSWARt) DOOR '
COrffAC-ft CHAIR WUrl H6
SHlrt, 5HARP1.V. REAUZE5:
frtCrf CHAIR IS NOWHERE
Hear tjooR, (W ihm HEls
wtpup m we park.
IfAVES BAfHROBC Oti
boor 50 as -fo HAve
BOfrl HANDS FREE ANP
SETS 0lX,6lr(&ERLT', IN
OPPOSITE DiRECTiOM
lOCATES TOOR KNOB, AC
SAME MOMENT STEPPING
OW JUHlOR'S flRE EN6INE.
REST5 A MOMErlT, BSEATrl
IN6 HEAVILV
OPENS DOOR AND
WALKS TrlROUfeH, LEAP
W6 BACK AS DRES5ES
AHD CLOTHES, TALLIN6
FROM HOOKS IN -THE
CLOSET, SMOTHER Hlrl
WIDE AWAKE VOICE OF
wife s066est& he put
on The ushTand come
BACK To BED, frlEBUBV'
HAS SfOPPEp CRVlNa
(Oopyright, 1936, by The Btll gyndicate. Inc.)
i'MATTER POP-
Bv 0. M. PAYNB
LIT Tut Til 446.13 J V. ! J L- """X ( TE- )
'( VfooUl) IT STill "iSt )I JA jTA V AME
Every watcb repaired here Is glveo '
the micrometer test. Jno. W. Johnson.
WRIG LEY'S
TH PERFECT GUMr
BsV- (Ooprrlglit. 193. by The BU gyiidleate. Inc.) y-le-y VjL
TAILSPIN TOMMY Seized for Sacrifice!
By HAL FORREST
TO THE
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BEN WEBSTER'S CAREER What the Hunter Heard
By EDWIN ALGER.
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public works srtmlnlslrstlon Hut of
pending projects tor OreBon totUy
showrxt only on spprvM project
wsitins sllocs'ion of Hinds on
March 3.
Protect itlnj rinal action total
37, and their estimated coata 114.
The lift wm requeued by the sen
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rldite hrlrte, with an eelimated cost
of It calls for a federal
rant of M 1.9(14.
Oranta rrqueated for tlie projects
awsltlni final action t;tal lt.5tS.0WI.
and loans l).7SO.(i03.
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