P.AGESTX
-by FrancM
Chapter 45
Twilight
TPUCK, lying tlone on the big
hammock on the lun porch,
was puzzled. She had strange
feeling that the had been lick and
out of the world for days, that
many thing! had happened dur
ing that time that ihe did not
know of. There were queer gapi
in her knowledge: and yet it had
been only yesterday that they had
arrested Duncan Murchison.
Michael, she reflected, hadn't
been quite himself throughout
this mystery. She knew there
were a great many things he
hadn t told her. For instance, what
had he been doing that day on the
river with Gordon, drifting along
the bank in the gray boat? He'd
Been looking tor sometmng.
Why did this murderer not
Duncan, of course, but the real
murderer why did he want to
kill them? Was it because Michael
really knew the truth, and the
murderer guessed? If Michael did
know the truth, it was certain he'd
found out a great many things he
hadn't told. That was like him.
What could he have found out?
Perhaps he knew at last where
Murchison's body had been taken.
Perhaps that's what he was look
ing for in the boat a weighted
body that had been dropped from
the cliff above.
And Michael was so strange to
night. He had sat til through din
ner awfully preoccupied, not an
swering when he was spoken to
at all. Finally he had looked over
at Bunny, and said, without warn
ing, "Do you believe he's guilty?"
Bunny was pale with great black
rings around her eyes. She had
been pretty sick after the gas. She
nad looxed up and said, uon I
ask me, Michael. How can I tell?
I don't feel that it's possible he's
guilty, if that's what you mean."
"That'll do," Michael had said
gravely. Then, after a minute,
"It's lonely in prison, I've heard.
We won't let him out on bail.
How'd you like to come down and
tell him you think he's innocent?"
Bunny had been sort of frozen
t this question, and she had
atarcd at him. "What do you mean,
Michael?"
"Do you remember exactly what
said to you about Duncan? That
if you knew as much as I do about
this case you would never speak
to him again?"
"Ycr."
"Well . . . can't you Imagine
what that means, Bunny?"
Tuck's head hurt again. It had
been swimming at dinner, and she
herself simply couldn't imagine
what that meant, except what It
snid. Evidently it didn't mean
that Bunny saw. She Jumped up
from the table, her hand at her
throat, and said, "Michael! Is that
it?"
"That's It Will you go?"
"Must we wait for dessert?"
Michael got up too. He came
over to Tuck, sitting at the foot
of the table, picked her up and
carried her to the porch hammock.
Then he kissed her. "You're still
sick, honey," he had said. "Lie
here in the fresh air until we come
back, and we'll explain."
Charlotte Jean had brought an
aspirin, then, and Tuck had taken
it Perhaps that's what made her
head feel fuzzy. The cool twilight
air was wonderful ... it made one
sleepy. ...
There was a rap at the door.
"Mrs. Forrester," Mr. Deane's
querulous squeaky voice said, "is
your husband in?"
"No. he isn't," she answered,
trying to rouse herself. "Can I do
something?"
"Gordon's conscious. I don't
think you can. He is trying to tell
your husband something, and we
can't understand him."
"What about, Mr. Deane? About
who hit him?"
"No. Nothing so sensible. Some
thing about a 'creeping man' he
keeps saying it over and over, and
he's so anxious to tell Mr. For
rester that we decided we must
get him."
Tuck's brain cleared like magic.
She stood up. "I'll come," she snid
Instantly. "Maybe he won't stay
conscious very long."
She led the way down the path
and around the hedge. Tuck
glanced about her for Hall and
Donovan. They seemed not to
have come vet: or perhaps they
were out in the wood. She felt so
safe, knowing that they were
guarding all the time.
1 Saw Him'
GORDON, his head bandaged
heavily, was lying on his bed.
flinging his hands out. tossing from
side to side, muttering.
Tuck went up to Gordon as he
lay on the bed, and put her hand
on his forehead. He flung It oft
angrily, and looked at her with
unsneing eyes.
"Gordon," she said clearly,
"what is it you know about the
Creeping Man? Have you seen
him? Do you know who he Is?
You must tell me. Gordon."
"No. no," he muttered. "Only
Mr. Forrester. Only him. I said
I wouldn't tell nobody but him.
The Creeping Man looked at me
. . ." Gordon shuddered
"Gordon, listen, Michael Is
away . . . trying to find the Creep
ing Man himself. You must tell
me. do you hear? Wo must catch
him. Michael would want you to
tell me. Where did you see him,
Gordon? Out by the clifTs?"
He turned his head toward her.
"That's it . . . the cliffs. He came
In a boat ... my boat. He came
across the river. 1 can't find where
he DUt the boat ... I InnkrH for
it . . . but . ran to the cliff, and hid
in me trees, and he came lip . .
. rieht out of thr Frminri Th
irg Man. And he walked right
up to me, and . . . he looked at me,
Plants Designated
Toledo, O. (U.R Fifteen man
ufacturing plants here have been
listed by the ordnance depart
ment of the U. S. army as being
ready to make equipment and
parts for the war department In
emergency.
Shelley Wees-
and . . . then he hit me . . oh, o..
Gordon sighed. Then he sat up in
bed, and pointed his finger straight
before him. "I'll telll" he shouted.
"I'll tell . . . we'll get you . . .
Freddie ..." he sank back.
The doctor lifted his wrist
"You'll have to go," he said to
Tuck imperatively. "1 must give
him a sedative. This can't go on."
Tuck turned and made her way
from the room. What had she
learned? Nothing except that the
Creeping Man really existed . . .
but if that were so, if it had been
he who hit Gordon . . . then Dun
can was innocent! Duncan had
been with Bunny when they saw
the Creeping Man. Out along the
cliffs . . . then perhaps Michael and
Gordon had been searching for
him that day . . . certainly they
had. And that meant that Michael
knew Duncan wasn't the fiend he
was looking for.
She stood on the path behind
the Deane house and thought Her
brain raced. To find him I But she
would never dare go out there
alone. It was foolhardy . . . and
she wouldn't dare. The Creeping
Manl He might come up behind
her, and do what he had done to
Gordon ... or to old Mrs. Devoe
. . or to Edgar Murchison . . .
There were cautious footsteps
out in the wood. She looked up.
Out in the darkness of the trees
stood a tall figure with the short
policeman's cape that told its
identity. He did not move, but
waved a reassuring hand.
Tuck waved back, and started
for her own gate. Agamemnon
came racing to meet her, and
walked by her side, brushing and
arching himself against her skirt
She did not notice him. What was
it Gordon had said? "Came up out
of the ground." How?
And then Tuck stopped short In
her walk. She had remembered
the hairpin . . . the hairpin she
and Bunny had found that day,
out by the stump. Mrs. Devoe's
hairpin. Supposing . . . why had
that hairpin lain where It did?
Supposing it lay there because old
Mrs. Devoe had fallen there? And
supposing, supposing she had
been murdered . . . because she
had been standing right there
when the Creeping Man came up
out of the ground! That was why
he had murdered her.
I've Found Something
TUCK glanced up at the sky
swiftly. Another half hour be
fore dark. It would still be light
out on the cliffs. Her mind was
made up. She couldn't wait until
tomorrow to know.
She turned toward that dark
figure out in the wood, leaning
there against a tree, and called
out softly. "Mr. Donovan," she
said, "I'm going out along the
cliffs. Will you come behind me
in the trees, and see that . . noth
ing happens to me?"
He raised his billy, and straight
ened up. She went up the path on
flying feet, and looked his way
only occasionally to see that he
followed. Agamemnon came too,
dashing ahead of her happily.
They reached the fork of the path,
and Tuck raced madly through
the darkness.
' Like a flash she ran up to the
big stump where she and Bunny
had seen the hairpin. She scanned
the ground all about it, with care
ful search, to distinguish, perhaps,
a trap door set into the earth. II
seemed a little ridiculous, now
that she was here. Trap doors dc
not open Into the earth . . .
The earth was perfectly solid,
as far as she could see. Agamem
non nosed around her. sniffing. It
was getting dark very rapidly, it
seemed. It was strange, eerie, out
here, with the sun dropping out
of sight over the rim of the hills
ahead, with the water surging
along so blackly . . not a bird
was singing. She turned swiftly
to look for Donovan, and he wai
standing tall and straight undet
the edge of the trees. He was
keeping her safe.
Then she looked at the stump;
and her eye was caught and held
by the straight line of a cut run
ning around it very near the bot
tom. She caught her breath, and
moved closer. She bent over and
looked. She saw one cut running
half round the stump on the river
side and another transversing it
across the top, and running down
both tides. It was as if half of it
had been sawed loose and never
removed.
An idea came to her. She stood
up and beckoned to Donovan. He
was already coming toward her.
"I think I've found something
. ." she said, and stopped.
She stared at him. This was not
Donovan . . this was . . .
He was laughing, a dark, sneer
ing laugh. He came straight on to
ward her. She was paralyzed.
"Yes." he said smoothly. "You've
found something. I thought you
would."
Her eyes were fixed on his face.
It changed suddenly He was half
crouching now He reached out
one hand, and seized her wrists,
tore her hand away from her
mouth. He held her at arm's
length.
"Another body," he said even
ly, "might be a little inconve
nient." And so saving, he lifted
a wooden pin from the side of the
stump, end lowered the side next
the river.
Tuck glanced down involun
tarily. There, beneath the stump,
was a narrow, dark flight of steps.
He lifted her, and set her feet on
them. "Go down." he commanded
roughly. There was nothing to do
but go . . . her knees almost re
fused to carry her.
Half a dozen steps. A ledge of
rock. Another flisht of steps, wind
ing this time, and then a narrow
cave. The flashlight glinted on the
floor, and she saw that it was
water: and on the water, floating
there in the dark, a boat
Continued tomorrow
Army Caste Broken
London, (U.Rl There are no
"Officers Only" restnurnnts in
London as there were during the
World war. No distinction Is
made In serving colonels or pri
vates.
Three ships were sunk off the
coast of North Carolina by sub
MEDFORD MATT
On the
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HAtfD OH
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MOOSE IN DEATH LOCK
LIBERATED BY HUMANS
Fairbanks, Alaska, Dec. 28.
OP) From the Kuskokwim
river wilderness came a rare
tale today of human hands re
leasing the "lock of death" in
which two powerful bull moose
By GLUYAS WILLIAMS
OVER IbWARDS IfcBLE
KNOCKS OFF AH ASH1WW,A MA&AZlKE AMD
A BOX OF MATCHES BEFORE REACHING THE
SPOOL Of THREAT)
60K OH READIH6, IbTAUY OBLlVloOS T6 LECdJRE
BElite DEllVERED fcW MOTHER.
DECEMBER 28, 1939.
apparently had been battling
for days.
Pilot Don Glass reported first
sighting the big animals with
locked horns. He flew back to
the spot two days laU with
wild life agent Jack Benson and
two other men.
Nearing the battle scene,
they heard a sharp crack as
the younger bull went limp
with a broken neck. They rush
ed in and hog-tied both animals.
STRANGE
For further proof address
third-magnitude etar. jr- T vffrr
mm 3 tun fj, 7,s
ks W YJr Y " '
0
THE DEAD SHOT
Early in the morning of May 18, 1916, Kiffin Rockwell, a North Carolinian, piloted a
little Nieuport pursuit plane over the Vosges Mountains into German territory. Suddenly his
motor started to quit and, heading for his own lines, Rockwell flew into the path of a German
two-seater.
A blast from the German machine-gunner sang past Rockwell's ears but Rockwell with
held his fire until a crash seemed inevitable. Then, he said: "I fired four or five shots and
swerved my machine to the right. . . "
The blast look effect and the German plane crashed in flames, the first official victim
of the now famous Lafayette Escadrille brought down with less than half a dozen bulletsl
TOMORROW: Years of Silence.
With a small hand saw, Benson
severed the entangled antlers
of the victorious forest mon
arch. Released, it trotted away.
The younger bull soon died.
Death in bull moose battles
is no rarity, but wild life au
thorities here said it was the
first case in which they had
heard of men freeing the com
batants. In many instances the
victor dies with the vanquished
because he cannot free his
horns.
AS IT SEEMS By JOHN HIX
the author, toclostmj a stamped envelope for reply. Reg. TJ. S. Pat Off.
rs , v
AtnPrican Morid War aviator
SCoREDlHe. FIRST OFFICIAL Vidfcfff
of TH6 r-Mwene kcadriue ,
SHooTlNG POWN 66RMAN SHIP
SCORED RUNS IN
OFFCM AT BAT
k Philadelphia,
duly, mi
As Others See
Oklahoma City W) Grover
Guthrie, theater usher, got a
glimpse of how other people sea
him when he surprised his own
wardrobe walking away on a
stranger. Guthrie called police
and had the straneer arrested
The man admitted he had beea
into the usher s locKer, in the
basement of the theater build
ing, while the usher was upstairs
at work in his uniform.
CCV f7"lf 1hlCI I
MH VNLV 9 PUUbtS
St
(Ma$id,l9b)
z-za
By HAL FORRES"1"
By EDWIN ALGER
By SOL HESS
Closina timo for Too Late to Clas
sify AOs Is 1:M p. m.
marines in Uie last world war.