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ITDFOTID MAnTTlTBTTNTE, METTFOTtD, OREGON. TTEDNESD AY. SEPTEFBER Y 1938.
I I By MAX SALTMARSHj
Hugo Stern; fiandfom author,
living on tht French Riviera.
Archie Lamiden, mytl, Hu
qo'i friend.
Rene Geiss, a singularly un
pleasant cartoonist.
Testerdmy: Geise ft alibied for
the murder of the mannequin,
te Monet, and the American de
tective, O'Donnelt, by a party at
hie home.
Chapter Ssven
Jean-Francoit
THE next morning u I was eat
ing breakfast on the terrace,
Hugo came towards me, an unlit
pipe between his teeth, his face
lomber.
"The police chief wants us down
at the town hall at noon," he went
on. "I've Just been talking to him
on the phone. The examining mag
istrate arrived from Grasse at
some unearthly hour this morning.
Now he proposes to put us all
through the hoop."
He broke off to pack some to
bacco into his pipe. "I don't think
we need worry about the inquiry,"
he added rather dubiously, so
long as we stick to the truth and
nothing but the truth, but not
quite the whole truth which
means that I'm still not mention
ing the message O'Donnell left
for me. 1 know the French police.
They're devilish sharp, but they're
suspicious by nature and still more
suspicious by cultivated habit of
thought as witness their Code Na
poleon, which considers a man
fiuilty until he can prove himself
nnocent. If I mentioned Pat's mes
sage, I should have to tell them
the contents of it, and the 'des
perately urgent counting on you'
bit would at once make them smell
something fishy." He paused to ap
ply a match to his pipe. "I've
warned Penelope to keep her
niouth shut about the message,"
aid he, "and there the matter ends
until I've discovered what poor
Pat meant by it."
i starea at mm. Am j to take
It from that, that you're proposing
to carry out an independent inves
tigation into O'Donnell's death?"
"Just that," he agreed grimly.
"As far as the local authorities are
ware, ODonnell was a bond
salesman, presumably on a vaca
tion, but I'm taking run In the
tar this afternoon across the Ital
ian frontier. I know a fellow in
Now York who was a close friend
of Pat's and I'll send him a cable
from Ventimiglia, reporting his
death. He'll know what to do about
it If Pat was over here on busi
ness, it's probable his firm will
lend someone over to investigate
ind finish off the Job. but it'll be a
mn'.::r of ten days before he can
arrive, and meanwhile the scent'll
be cold. I Intend to carry on my
self in the meantime, though fll
be working pretty much in the
dark. Archie " He swung round
on me suddenly. "Are you dead
let on finishing yur yachting trip?
I'd be uncommonly glad if you'd
itay on here to give me a hand.
After all, you took that girl's death
to heart, and I've a strong feeling
the two crimes are connected."
I hesitated. Mark Lumsden
would, I knew, be more than an
noyed if I did as Hugo asked, for
we had planned this trip on his
little ketch for over a year. But on
the other hand, there were two
other fellows on board, so that I
should in no sense be leaving him
In the lurch, and even as the last
excusing thought came to me, I
knew that I had decided.
"All right," I said, "I'll stay,"
nd felt as I spoke the words a
aueer, premonitory tingle, half
read, half excitement run
through me.
"Good man!" said he, and held
out a muscular hand. "Shake on
Itl"
He broke off sharply, gave a
sudden, inarticulate howl of rage,
and swung his legs over the balus
trade. Next instant from the lower
terrace came sounds closely re
sembling a dog-fight I disentan
gled myself from my breakfast ta
ble and in two strides was at the
marble rail, peering over. For a
moment all I could see were two
stniRRling bodies, one In red and
black, the other In dingy gray,
rolling over and over at the foot
of a gnarled and ancient olive tree;
but as I looked they disentangled
themselves and Hugo got to his
feet dragging with him by the
coat-collar a crumo'ed figure.
'A Little Investigating
IT WAS a young lad, hardly more
1 than a boy, with a sallow, hand
lome face, long, sloe-like eyes, and
a mop of rullled black hair, and to
my surprise he made no effort to
struggle against the rough-house
he was going through, but hung
limp In Hugo's hands, making
what appeared to be deprecating
and conciliatory noises.
"Pardon, monsieur," he gasped.
"I beg of you to let me gol I apolo
gire for the intrusion."
Hiiro snorted with disgust.
"Another of these French re
porters," he observed to me.
''Couldn't get in at the front and
comes snooping round over the
wall to see what he could eaves
drop." He swung back on the lad,
raising a menacing fist. "Be off
with you now," he said warning
ly. "And make it snappy if you
rant to keep a whole seat to your
pants."
The lad looked from one to the
other of us appealingly. "But
monsieur," he Implored, "one little
word is ail I ask one small pho
tograph," and he stooped, agile
as a monkey, but with a cautious
eye on Hugo s foot and retrieved
from the long grass something that
I saw to be a bulky press-camera.
"Just a minute, I said quickly.
"Let me handle thU. will you?"
Hugo stared at me. "As you
like," he agreed grudgingly, and
added on a warning note: "but
watch your step, Archie. Don't
give anything away."
"Not on your life," I reassured
him, and I motioned to the lad to
follow me along the terrace to the
boundary wall.
"Now then," I said, "let's get this
straightened out What paper do
you represent?"
"The Marseille Soir, monsieur."
he answered nervously.
"The Marseille Soir?" I repeat
ed. "Not a big paper, I take it, and
this, I wouldn't wonder, is your
first job?"
He nodded.
"I see." said L "Your first big
chance, and you would risk any
thing to make good. Well, now,
just what did you want a photo
graph or two?"
"And a story, monsieur," ha
said eagerly. "A small, little wordl
It would mean" he drew himself
up, throwing out his puny cheat
"my future my careerl"
"Oho," said I, reflecting that the
paper must indeed be a small one
if ft combined cameraman and re-
Eorter in one person, "well, see
ere. I've a proposition to make
to you. I can't give you a story,
but I might come to an arrange
ment with you. How much does
your paper pay you?"
He flushed at that. There is no
regular emolument," he admitted.
"It is a matter of commission."
"Better and better," said L
"Then you're a free-lance and your
time is your own? 1 take it you
would be able, it funds were avail
able, to stay on here in Cannes
story to be written up at the end
of the time?"
Ha nodded vigorously. His face
was puzzled, but his eyes were
brightly intelligent.
"Well," I said, "the position Is
this. I may want certain informa
tion that I'm not In a position to
oDtain mysell, and ir, in the mean
time, I allow you to take a photo
graph of me, and if, say for the
next fortnight I pay you a certain
sum per day to enable'you to stay
on here, I take it that you'd be
willing to do a little investigating
for me in your spare time?"
The Red Delage
THE boy stared at me, and for a
moment I fancied there were
tears in his eyes. "Monsieur." he
said very solemnly, "I am your
man, L Jean-Francois Lubec!
Though I am Marseillais, my
frandmother lives in Cannes, and
know the town as I know this,"
and he kissed the back of his hand
"I can stay with her without com
ment and what you wish to know
I can discover for you."
"May it be so!" I assented pious
ly. presented him with a couple
of hundred-franc notes. "That's
for the first two days," I said.
"You can meet me by the wall here
every evening at say, ten o'clock
and report progress, and now take
your blooming photograph and be
off with you''
He posed me with artistic care
against the wall and did his stuff:
and then, as he unslung his big
Instrument, he looked ud at me
curiously. "And the information,
monsieur?" he asked. "What is the
first Inquiry to be?"
Just this, I told him. "1 want
you to find out whatever you can
about Monsieur Ren6 Geiss: his
habits of life, his domestic staff
and arrangements, and his friends;
and particularly I want to hear
something about the party he was
giving last night"
ne gave mo another sharp up
ward look, full of comprehension.
"Monsieur," he said softly, "1 will
find out what I can, and especially
I will try to find out where Mon
sieur Geiss was from the time he .
left his villa at ten-thirty last
night until he returned to it at
midnight"
It was very still there on the
sun-filled terrace among the olive
trees, ror an instant i stared at
the lad: then I took a swift step
forward and gripped him by the
shoulder.
"And what the devil do you
mean by that?" I demanded.
He disengaged himself, grimac
ing with pain. "Nothing more than
I said, but you understand that
Monsieur Geiss is always news,
and in the course of talk this
morning with my confreres"
Again he threw out his chest
proudly. "One mentioned that at
half past ten last night he had seen
Monsieur Geiss slip out on foot
from the small garden door that
lead., into the I. ne at the side of
his house. Then another colleague
spoke up and said that he had seen
Monsieur Geiss return In his car
at midnight and leave it in the
garage at the corner of the rue du
Dragon, where he is nccustomcd to
keep it I was sufficiently Im
pressed by the discrepancy in the
stories to offer a cigarette to the
mechanic at the garage and heard
from him that It wai so. The car of
Monsieur Geiss, a red Delate, was
taken out by another con eman.
a dark gentleman of medium
height here he eyed me oddly
at nine In the evening "
"Jean-Francois." I said solemn
ly, "you're worth your weight in
more than cigarettes Get on with
the Job. I feel, somehow, that you
uuii i uccu any uiuio uiau uiuuu.
from me."
fCorvHeM l.t. Uitt Snllmnrik;
Tomorrow: The InqalrT.
Roscburg Power
Cut By Tree Fall
nODEBUHO, Ore., Sept. 7. (API
Rjspburg was without elrctrlc power
tor two hours Tuesday when a Iree
lell across the Rosebura-Proepect
transmission line about ftve miles
south nt Dlxonvllle.
The Springfield power plant was
unable to assume the additional
load, while a pari of the equipment
was down at the Marshfleld steam
plant and eneray could not be ob
tained ovei fie R'ehuin-MM"i.hl:e!d
lire u rjl fir mirMi-ry there could
be restored to service.
13 Months Sentence
For Farmer's Kidnap
BPOKAM!. Sept. 7. (AIM-I'.nd-Inn
guilty to a kidnap conspiracy
charge Involving an Idaho farmer,
Lee Wallace TomblMon, 36. wns sen
tenced toda In U. a district court
to 1 months In McNeil Island fed
eral penitentiary.
I. O. Ansells. Portland attomet.
and Anthony oargutlo pleaded Inuo
cent. They were Indicted on the sumo
charge All were arretted t P.i t -land
The Knverntiirnt ac.i.l tlicm ft
bringing Thomas Low-e, Benewah
STRANGE AS IT SEEMS By JOHN HIX
For farther proof address the author, Inclosing a stamped envelope for reply. Kef. V. 8. Pat. Off.
phase tumi oh
all Lights mot
is,r:J?!JV Aw A . m.
?- I 1 a
1ta
IS POSTED
THR0U6HOUT
&OULDER DAM'
LbRGtt
ELBCTRlCfbHERPM
IN THZ WORLD
1 .JT- v . V
Jr. .1?
I SWZ K Hi
or
IN IHm EKKIICKy,
TkfeN WrYs-friE FIRST 'MPhl IH
OKLkHoMh To &E TRfED FOR , I
MURDER UNPER HlSOWN LhVJj
1 First
fHty WERE NTeRP
oHmZAMBPAV
mo- '
FLoor OF
THemPIRE9tffi
eUILDtH3 AMD Wf
ItfPiRP ON Tri STREET.
I05OFKT&LOW
f
-IQ12 -
Mightiest concentration of elec
trical energy ever achieved .Is Boulder
Dam, Nevada, containing 15 gener
ators of 82,500 kllovolt -ampere ca
pacity and two of 40.000 kllovolt-
amnere capacity a total of more
than 1,000,000 kva.
Each of the larger genernotrs Is
alone- capable of lighting 15 cities
the atze of Denver, Colo.; water turn
ing the giant turbines flows from
spillways at a rate of 10.000 gallons
each second, frilling farther than the
waters of Niagara.
A visitor to this super-spectacle of
electrical engineering, rendered
speechless by the Immensity of It
all. Is but mildly shocked as a con
sequence on beholding numerous
signs posted throughout the Boulder
power station, reading: "PLEASE
TURN OPP ALL LIGHTS NOT AC
TUALLY IN USE."
Convicted I ntler Own Ijiu.
f.rst man indicted and tried for
murder under the provisions of a
law which he had Introduced Into
the Oklahoma legislature was Ira N
Terrill, member of that body. .
Terrlll, after successfully Introduc
ing and sponsoring a law providing
for capital punishment by hanging,
for first degree murder, was himself
convicted of murder in 1892. Once
condemned to the gallows, his sen
tence later was changed to a term of
12 years Imprisonment. He served
out 10 years and three months before
being released.
THE WORLD AT ITS WORST
BY GLUYAS WILLIAMS
JUSf AS V0U FINISH TTEMONSlfcAT- JLX '
IMS 1b Y0l)R WIFE HOW EASV Jyff
W b TO LOCK "THE CAR POORS Li'
MANIPULATING fHF HANDLES YOl Q.f
DISCOVER "THAT 5HE LEPf -fH KEY 7 to
IN -THE IGNrflOrt . CWAS
(Copyright, 1938, by The Bell Syndicate, Inc.)
8 MATTER POI
By 0 tVl PAYNE
Tomorrow: The Blind Postman,
county, Idaho, farmer, to Spokane
under pretense of arrest last July
5 and extorting $795 from him for
ball."
COMPANION OF MRS. F. R.
GETS CAPITAL DIVORCE
WASHINGTON. Sept. 7. ( AP)
Mrs. Malvlna Thompson Schelder,
personal secretnry and traveling com
panion of Mrs. Franklin D. Roose
velt, has obtained a divorce from
Frank J. Schelder, of New York.
The decree, which becomes abso
lute In six months, was entered Fri
day, but was not disclosed until to
day. It was based on a District of
Columbia law which defines five
years voluntary separation as grounds
for divorce.
150 PICKERS BUSY IN
APPLEGATE HOP YARD
BIO APPLEOATE. .Sept. 7. (Spl
The supervised activity of the hop
field at harvest time may be observed
now at the B. M. Ctute yards, wher?
picking of the fat green clusters is
in full swing. About 150 pickers are
working, most of them southern Ore
gon people. A few children are em
ployed. Two new cabins have been added to
the set up. making 15 cabins occu
pied as living quarters for pickers
and their families. Mrs. Maude Har
riott Is In charge of a commissary on
the grounds. The crop Is good thts
year, and free from spiders, aphis
and other pests.
- - .
Use Mall moune Want Adi.
r NOW- MICE, iTJlJ- fo MARVELOU5! V
int&tlockin6) ' 7 Just like. 7 V
TAILSPIN TOMMY Ominous Letter I
By HAL FORREST
BEN WEBSTER'S CAREER-Earthquaka Coming?
By EDWIN ALGE
-Sj (HOW'D V0U COME f PRETTY 6000, RUSTY- Y.. AND WEU SAWPIeA Uw&iCwE'U BUST THE JIPPEmI f OH, BOY, T OKAY LET'S XJw
-7 0UT IM X COME ON IN THE I EVERY HOUSE AND TEIL fcwjsc 5 HOLD OH THE MARKET 6 W UT'S Ll START W&i?y8$m-W
ZTLS VT7 BEN? J HOUSE AND I'LL TELL I FOLKS LOU SAXTON WLLN-JJ. -f-f wit 0PENERN--'N . 60IN1' rlfe SATHERlNS &'S4witl
SL. iVfT VOU- Y HAVE THE E6GS FOR ZhJL r Va EARTHQUAKI "WllJ UfejF ft
5 J vil " lS
uOJJ AC VOU WMT 15 'S? AC ( WELU.SAMMV, F VOU A PL-ES& STtNe, 1 STEVE , VOURE A GREAT GUV N
fp.yeo eiMMCiLLVjOu imquisitive ore V A little cough X DOnjt pOu mo fsou mavemt much CflmoKiX
SOT 7 (IS IT A TOUCH ? M HEQES A HUMORED APRIL. FOOL 0OHSy ( Pi RSulCST i
PLEMTV OF V50 LOt iM CARtV,WG, J BUCKS TV4EREV5 SEPTEMBER J E " ,D J fta
I nmiru n- VVWASWERS IM MY MPFrr OF wot PkFiMft ... .yfj TWJIST THAT ROLL OUT OF VOUR j FT.
)
THE NEBBS Just Great Guy
By SOL HEP"