PXGE TWO
MTTPFORD MATL TRmnyT!, MEDFOTin, OREGON. FRIDAY. OCTOBER 7. 1938.
,.::?'7r B MAX saltm
The Characters
Uat Stern, handsome author,
living on the French Riviera.
Archie Lumtden, myirl, Hu-
ffo's friend.
Bens Gelis, head 0 a murder
conspiracy.
Yeilcrdayi I'm
Venner'e murder.
tuepected 0
Chapter 33
The Unshorn Truth
'TWICE during Wednesday I was
' haled again to the death-chamber
and put through my paces,
but by now I was wary. I had told
iny story, and was sticking to it.
Three times the next day I made
the trip to the police station, sat
for half an hour in a small, stuffy
room, and submitted to 1 quick
fire battery of questions from a
succession of plain-clothes men.
Dusk was falling as the car de
posited me at the gates of the Cha
teau for the third time, and I was
brain- and body-weary. The hall
was empty and shadowed, but as
I turned towards the lounge, a
movement behind the office coun
ter halted me. and I saw the chns
seur eyeing me from behind It. his
eyes mt luminrvn llf (n tho
m- -
. .. -.ai 01 mm all tne repressed
Irritation, the nerve strain of the
last two days, suddenly came to a
head, the thought of the brutal,
beastlike crime he had committed
cracKed- my sell-control. I took a
stride across to the counter and
saw him flinch at my approach.
"You here?" 1 said. In no very
gentle voice. "I thought you'd
have cleared out long ago. Surely
you left Prague a trifle more hur
riedly after the opera-house shoot
In !j?,r
I could have bitten out my
tongue next minute, but the mis
chief was done. .He sprang back,
his hand flew to his trouscr-pocket.
and next instant I found myself
staring into the muzzle of an ugly
looking gun.
"Put It down!" 1 said sharply,
but even as I spoke, a tall, angular
whirlwind swept out from the of
fice beside us. It was the house
keeper, her round, puckered face
contorted with rage. Are you
man? she said sharply to the chos
seur. "Put that thing awayl" And
as he obeyed sulkily, she swung
round on me.
'This Is too muchl" she said
furiously. How dare you threaten
my servnnts7I will not have it, do
you near? You, a criminal, a sus
pected murderer! I shall report vou
10 the police.
"Report away, woman," I ad
vised her. "It may be the last
chance you have! and I turned on
my heel and stalked away.
1 could have kicked myself for
my stupidity, but I was too tired
to do It. Body and mind alike were
exhausted, and the one thing I
craved for was food and bed. But
as I turned to mount the stairs. I
noticed. In the angle of the balus
trade, a set of bookshelves.
crammed with aged and tattered
volumes.
A curtain was hanging behind
them, concealing, I imagined,
some wall cupboard, and I gave
an Idle tug to it.
It was no cupboard that the
heavy plush concealed, but a small
alcove, backed with a white
painted door on which a notice was
roughly tacked, and as I read It,
every atom of fatigue dropped
from me. It ran: "the innkeepers
Or FRANCE. CLUB OES SANS CLUBS."
It might be the merest coinci
dence, tor, after all. Hugo had
said that there was a highly re
spectable club of that name but I
sprinted up the stairs, two at a
time, and rang for Amcd6e.
"Listen, friend," I said, when he
rapped on the door. 'That alcove
behind the curtain in the lower
hall where does it lead?"
"Monsieur." he said. "It leads,
one believes, to the cellars, but
these many years the door has not
been opened."
What cellars?" I cut In sharply.
"Under the house?" But he shook
his head.
"Under the terrace. There Is an
other door In the lowor garden,
but that, too, has never been
opened, to my knowledge."
I "vns Immens 'v elated, for It
seemed that, after wctrv hours of
Inaction, I had stumbled on some
thing big the second meeting
place of that ill-omened club.
Confession
pointed to the table, on which lay
a sheet of white paper, a pen. and
an ink-well. "In one hour," said
he, "we shall return to And your
confession written therel" ana one
by one, silently and inexorably,
they filed from the room.
I sat there holding my head,
conscious only that the spinning
world was slowly steadying on its
axis, snd little by little I came to
tne realization that 1 was alone in
an empty room, with the paper
spread invitingly before ma. and
tne pen lying ready to my band
For a moment a mad imoulsa
seized me to give them a confession
or another sort: 1. Ken Ueiss.
that was how I would start, do
hereby confess that I instigated
myself shot down in cold blood the
American O'Donnell: that I Ber-
sonally instructed the chasseur to
kill Mr. venner.
I picked up the pen. dipped It
in the ink, and drew a flourish on
the oaoer.
it was a queer-looking nourish.
uncommonly like the norn ot a
goat, and almost without realizing
what I was doing I added a second
line and then another and vet an
other; and slowly, as I drew, found
something growing under my to'
experienced Angers.
It was the head of a goat, horned
and bearded, its pebble-like eyes
boring Into mine, and those eyes
were the eyes of Rene Geiss. And
as I sat there, staring back into
those expressionless eyes. I heard
the door open behind me.
I swung round in my chair and
saw the juge d'instmction peering
in at me
One Little Hint!'
HIS eye lighted on the table, and
I thanked my stars that I had
had the forethought to turn the
drawing upside down but at sight
of the pen, the Ink, the paper, ha
rapped out a sudden oath. "Ths
lmbecilcsl" he muttered. "I will
have their skin for this! Monsieur
Lumsden, this was done by no
order of mine."
He moistened his lips. His fact
was pale and drawn and there was
a worried look. in his eyes. "Mon
sieur Lumsden." he said at last
you must be aware that every
thing in these two crimes points tc
you as the murderer."
I nodded. "I grant vou that" I
niri nnnriirilv "What tkan9"
can afford the money. The month of
Auguat showed a net profit of $100,
000.07, bringing the total net profit
for the current fiscal year to S380,
87e.es. Ths fiscal year started July .
been Introduced In Breslau, Germany.
For 80 cent anybody can have th
historic city hall flood-lighted for
three minutes by dropping tba coin
Into an automat.
Oraensboro, If. C. produced 100.371
pounds of milk a-ad 4.237 pounds of
butterfat In 10 years.
Th tame Eskimo language Is
DIVERSION
By GLUYAS WILLIAMS
ONCE again that night, I. was
taken to the police station.
There were six men waiting I01
me in the stufTv little upper room,
but 1 noted that there was no sign
of the Mine the commissaire or
Fleuriot. The fellow in charge mo
tioned me to sit down opposite
him st a big desk, on which were
displayed a water-carafe and glass,
a medicine-bottle, and a couple of
door-handles.
With a sinking heart 1 guessed
what was before me, and guessed
only too well. For the next hour
and a half I sat there, while first
one. then another, then a third took
It in turn to question me. whis
pering, shouting, caiollng. accus
ing. I sat there, mv brain diziv
and reeling, in that small, stifling
rlace, with the unshaded lamp on
he table glaring straight in mv
face.
At last the climax came. All six
got to their feet standing In a
circle looking down at me. like a
ring of accusing fates. Their leader
He scrutinized me with sham
intelligent eyes. "Just this." said
he. "Monsieur Lumsden. I have
seen many criminals. Every detail
of these two crimes points to you
ss the killer and yet every In
stinct that I have cries out thai
you are an innocent man. But my
instincts also tell me that although
you are in no way guilty, you know
a great deal more about thest
crimes than you will admit You
could, if you would, lead me to ths
murderer!"
I considered that for a long
minute. "Monsieur le Juge," I said
at last "I appreciate your confi
dence and I won't betray It It's
true, as you say, that I believe 1
know who did the murders, but I
have nothing to go on except a lol
of wild surmises and crazy Imagin
ings. There Isn't a lot of tangible
evidence that I could lay before
you. and until I have something
concrete to prodvee. I prefer to
hold my tongue. Only. I'll tell you
this: in my opinion, these three
crimes were committed by three
different people, but" I broke of)
and looked him squarely between
the eyes "behind sll three ol
them there is the same man."
And that man? he asked, but
even as he spoke, there came again
the click of the opening door and
next minute Fleuriot stood beside
the desk.
) "I Interrupt you?" he queried
Vot at all." said I. "Motuieur
le Juge and I have had a most In
formative conversation, and I
think I am right in saying that he
now acquits me of complicity in
both crimes."
Famous! he retorted with a
tinge of Ironv. "1 mav sav that hi
conclusion agrees exactly with my
own but all the same. Monsieur
Lumsden. I should be clad nf a
little further conversation with
you. You will oerhaps allow me
to offer vou conveyance in my au
tomonitor
"I should be charmed."
As I made to leave the room the
juge took a quick step round the
ik'.'k towards me. Fleuriot waj al
ready out of earshot and satisfy
ing himself of that by a quick,
sideways look, he caught my arm.
"That man. Monsieur Lumsden."
he said urgently, "the man at the
back of the three crimes can vou
not give me an inkling of whom
vou suspect?"
I shook my head. "Not for an
other day or two," I told him. 'The
thing's too serious to speak of
lightly."
His grip tightened on my arm.
"One little hint!" he muttered, snd
his voice was almost pleading.
I shook my head and he save a
sharp sigh, hesitating, his fingers
loving nervously with the paper
on the desk. And suddenly, as he
stood, I saw him flick over the top
most sheet. His eves lighted on the
drawing It held and he started vio
lently, taking a swiff backward
step, his horrified gaze scanning
my face. "Not" he stammeref
"not he surelv."
"There's mv confession." 1 said
slowly And with that I turned
and left him.
'CoeyiieM. ISIS. Ifo SallmartM
Tomorrow) My life Is entUntered,
aialn.
STATE BORROWING
MONEY FROM SELF
IS AN OLD TRICK
SALEM. Or.. Oct. T. (UP) Tht
fmt of th Mute of Oregon borrow
In ft from ltv,f, a was tlon nvrntljr
to pain loo.ooo for immMiitf rrWf
nprrt. U not a nw one, nocorrtin:
to Stilt Treaimrtr !tu!u C, Ho! nun
who nrRJtlti th loan.
Ha pointed out that it bd been
don Infrequently tn th put tn or
drr to avert the Interest mony from
lr a vi nit the atntea ecattered coffrra.
On the it cent tntnaaftloni Holman
borrowed the 9100.000 from the Ken
ral fund, iMtitng certificates of In
drbtednraa asun( the at ate liquor
commission. Interest t the com ml a
alcn waa aet at S7-100 of one per
cent, to be paid by the relief arncy
which obtained th monry. In that
way th money need not go to aome
ou ft nide agency.
Holman cited flfturea for the period
from N.-v. IS, 11)34. to July 15, 10J6;
durum which ttm an aggregate of
1 1 .Tfi.vooo was borrowed upon tuieh
rertlficatca and repaid, th laat hav.
lint hxn retired on Au. 15. lo.id.
The liquor commtMton. accord ins
to the moat recent survey (Oct, 4)
i
" : I
-, spoken from Greenland to western- , A
noodllbU by slot machine hu I A 18-year old Holiteln cow at I most Alaska. J 'dJ' I ' 1 ( M
8 'MATTER POI '. By 0 M PAYNE ' '
Cy- WHJ ' -fi ISfAKEM ffPWErHSfO DROPS ft MARBU WrfH LEANS OVER ToO IS 60T BACK OrJ SEtrf AWD
W x J St&QjJ Vt2 HEAR lUUtfRAfED "TALK ALOUD CLATTER -LOOKS FAR 10LD ToSlfaOlEfLV. DUES
XlEr ' Sf X TjLJJi ON BIRD LIFE. EMfERfAlNS To SEE WHERE KWEltf SO, ECEPf FOR WHISPER-
C"r T.U tJjUmf ( I HIMSELF BY PlMHd WITH 1H6 STEADILV ft WAS HIS
yy V J f XJf S CoHTErtfS OF POCK Ef BEST MARBLE.
AFfER A WHILE SAV.S IflS WHILE PARENTS ARE CCEA1E5 MILD EttlTE CLIMBS BACK lNfo HIS
Y L?alL V JSi f l5Vl. 1 lQjA DAD'S FOOT, CA0SIH6 iNfENT ON DAD'S FORI MENT 8VT0UCHIN6 SEAT, AS HE DOES SO
(uS-- bslmlN!,rn V 7L O M1,IN REACHW6 FOR HEAD, &Ef5 town TO ANKLE OT WOMAN IN THE OTHER THREE
'SC&2 fx?i vS& y vr vJ lttSJbj.. kbJ what turns out To be a look under seat net seat becomes marbles his Tocket
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3SpMVt ' (Copyright, 1838, by Th. Bell STsdic.U, Inc.) 0'6
TAHSPIN TOMMY If Paul Only Knew 1 ' : By HAL F0RRE8T
ai- , mm ji itv--3"!!' .fmmm
cPiF- &STheS THE . . . N JfHUROAH for vf ( 'H (i'veuH! zz?M 'but they VneHse n"
SSSS xl
BEN WEBSTER'S CAREER Ben Acts! . By EDWIN ALOEB
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HE " PELLO, MR. MEBB,VOU IfflBRIMG. VOUR SAMPUEsN 11 NEVER MIKJD-MO
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y XisiMER. Ls r. ; !
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