PAGE EIGHT
MEDFORD MATT TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON, TUESDAY, JANUARY 2, 1940.
1 by Frances
Chapter 49
Explanations
THE little breakfast room was
bright with sun.
The French door from the study
was pushed open and four young
people entered. All bore marks of
train, of sleepless nights and of
worry, but the air of tension had
disappeared.
"Will you sit here, please, Dun
ean?" Tuck murmured, indicating
the chair on her left.
Michael dropped Into his own
' chair when she was seated.
"And I," Tuck agreed. "It was
o nice of you to come to breakfast,
Duncan. How is your brother?"
The fine eyes darkened. "Not
very well, the doctors say, but they
think they'll pull him through.
He's had almost three months of
, . . torture, you know. Drugs. He
Isn't sane yet."
The percolator bubbled and
sang. Bunny leaned forward, her
hands folded on the edge of the
table. 'There are seventeen things
I absolutely must know before I
can stop this whizzing in my head,"
she announced, "and I've been
waiting for years, it seems, al
though it's only thirty-six hours
to ask them. Has the time arrived?
May I?"
Michael tried his best to look
like an oracle. "You may."
"Thank you, Michael. It's so kind
of you. . . . Very well. I've got most
of it straight, you know. It's true,
isn't it, that all the things you told
us yesterday, all the dreadful
things you heard about Edgar
Murchison from that poor soldier
Smith and from everyone , , , the
things you so carefully kept from
our tender little ears . . , were not
true? Or, rather, were true only if
you put McBain's name in each
time instead of Edgar Murchi
son's? It's true that Dr. McBain
was deliberately impersonating
Dr. Murchison Just to keep himself
out of trouble and get the other
man into It?"
Duncan's brows drew together.
Michael looked at him swiftly.
"That's it, Bunny. But I was pretty
stupid about it. I got an inkling of
the truth when Jameson described
how Murchison acted when the
delegation came to him with that
paper from the pound bearing his
signature. Me naa a perfect right,
you see, to get animals to experi
ment on from the pound. It s al
ways aone mat way. it ne nad been
ruilty of torturing those animals.
I figured, he'd have had a story
ready for them. But he didn't. He
Insisted on seeing the signature
and then he said, 'Very well,
rentiemon, you win now, wny did
he insist on seeing the naner?
That's what I asked myself. Be
cause, i arguea, ne naan t Been
jetting animals from the pound to
use in the ordinary way, anses
thetized. Because he didn t believe
they had any such paper. If he
didn't believe they had it, then he
coma never nave signed it. There
fore, since the paper obviously
existed, someone else had forged
his name. Who? Well, I reasoned
It could only be one of two people,
Duncan Murchison or Dr. McBain.
In either case Dr. Murchison might
have acted as he did, through a
sense of responsibility. In his
brother's case it would be because
he wanted to shield him. In Mc
Bain's case it would be because
Murchison felt responsible for
whatever went on in the lab any
way and knew that he must settle
It with McBain himself."
"But the shrieks, Michael I The
poor tortured animals . . . wouldn't
Be have known about them?"
"I doubt It. I don't think it hap
pened very often, you know. A
thing like that doesn't need to
happen very often before people
itnrt talking. That very story
ibout the animals crying at night
made me suspicious. You see,
Jameson couldn't say that it was
Murchison himself who worked in
the lab at night. He wasn't on duty
then. No one was; and McBain had
managed so cleverly to spread a
net of insinuations over his col
league that when anything went
wrong, it was Murchison who was
iccused. That's why he gave that
paper to Smith signed presumably
by Murchison. I got a hint of that
the night of Dennes' party, when
I tnlked to McBain. He said, i was
trained In a day when the human
body was sacred, when men had
louls, when every life was of
value, but I refuse to condemn a
younger man who was trained dif
ferently and has the courage to act
according to his training.' Prettv
clever, and I swallowed it almost
whole , . . then. I began to think
Just what he wanted me to think,
that Murchison was a pretty cold
blooded lot."
Tleclng Things Together'
"U'HEN Smith sent for me,"
' Michael went on, "and said
that he'd seen Murchison himself
I got it all. It couldn't have been
Murchison, with every man on the
force on the lookout for him: and
by piecing things together it was
plain. McBain had been using
Murchison's name and identity to
further his own oleasant little
plans, and Murchison had found it
out. They had quarreled, and Mc
Bain had taken the quickest way
out. He was bitterly Jealous of
Murchison anyway, a younger man
who had been brought In over his
head, and had hated him from the
beginning because of his clever
ness. The motive was plain
Jealousy, and a fear for his own
skin, in case Murchison exposed
him. So I decided that he had
killed Edgar Murchison and
dropped his weighted body into
the river.
"What I didn't think of." Mi
ehael went on bitterly after a
pause, "waslhe truth. I wondered
what happened to the bodies of
those animals Jameson talked
Hobokon Blue.
Hoboken, N. J., Jan. 2. M'l
Firemen fought late Monday a
blaze which broke out in the
recently completed home of
Mayor Bernard N. McFcely and
spread to a nearby factory and
several other buildings. No
other Information was available
Immediately
Shelley Wee
about, and I'd come to the conclu
sion that McBain had Invented
some new sort of solvent that
would dissolve animal matter
completely , . . and I admit, I
thought of that later . . . however,"
he went on hastily at the expres
sion on Tuck's face, "I didn't sus
pect for a moment that he had a
secret laboratory near by. I should
think that fact would explain the
disappearance of those bodies , . .
as it explains so many other things.
He'd have had no trouble getting
them through the woods unseen at
night, and into his boat. If I'd
guessed of the existence of that
place ... or dreamed that Murchi
son was still alive, I'd have had
McBain shadowed, sooner."
"Sooner?"
"Yes. Donovan was shadowing
him the night . , , the night he got
you. Tuck. Hall was up here, you
see, but too late. After Smith said
he'd seen him buying an oar-lock,
I decided it was time to keep an
eye on him. I thought he had some
devilish scheme up his sleeve to
dispose of us through this boat,
and we couldn't take any more
chances. We'd thought, you see,
that it was enough to search for the
boat. It wasn't. So Donovan was
watching him down town that
night for an hour or two until I
could get fresh men on the trail,
but then he was pretty tired, and
McBain gave him the slip. My
fault, but Donovan insisted on
doing It. He hated McBain after
what he did to Gordon."
Duncan looked up quickly,
"What about the attack on you,
Forrester? The gas? How did he
do it? There wouldn't have been
time for so much gas to have es
caped Just while the two men were
at Deanes', would there?"
Michael shook his head. "There
are a lot of places where he was
too clever. I don't see how he
pulled that stunt about the poison
ing of the meat but he did. Perhaps
he'll tell. However, he certainly
had the furnace fixed, possibly
weeks before, with the chimney
pipe disconnected, and certainly
he pulled the gns lever with that
string through the window. When,
we don't know. He must have done
it Just after our bedroom lights
went out. At first the ens wouldn't
be noticeable, you see, and we'd
get off to sleep . . . and then it
crept up and caught us. I think
perhaps he had a second cord tied
to the first, running out to the
hedge. I don't know, it was a very
dark night. You can ask him your
self, Dune, if you'd like to try it
sometime."
Key Or KeysT
'"pHANK you. I'll remember
that. Another thing will you
tell me now why you were having
me followed?"
"I wasn't. That's Just It. If you
were followed, McBain himself
was doing it. I was afraid of that.
He was away from home a great
deal too much. I knew he'd do it,
nfter Miss Lissey talked to you on
Sunday. You see, he was almost
sure she suspected or knew the
truth. In any case, she knew too
much. And he was sure that you'd
discovered that he'd signed, your
brother's name once or twice, and
he didn't know exactly how much
your brother had told you. He
thought you might be wnHiino-
only for confirmation before you
spoKe, ana you were very danger
ous to him. That's why he put
the keys and the poison In your
rooms, you see. He hoped you'd be
arrested long ago. He was counting
on the enmity between you and
the Devoes and perhaps he got
the idea itself from what shall
we say Mrs. Jarcd Devoe . . . said
about the keys. She overheard
your brother saying he would
leave vou the keu. I take It the
key to the mystery of the diamonds
ana the papers relating to her
future those love letters from
another man. After she had tes
tified at the Inquest that your
brother said ketis. McBain eat a
new idea. So did I."
"So that's it," he said. "Key . . .
keys. Certainly. And those love let
ters, fcdgar expected to leave a
message as to where I could find
them certainly he did. I told you
that. The key. It hadn't occurred
to me just what she meant that
she'd overheard. And the moment
I saw those loiters I knew what
they meant, that she wasn't
worthy of anv consideration from
Edgar." He fell silent, thinking.
Then "How'd you know he had
planted those things on me?"
Katie, Michael answered
promptly. "Katie Jameson. She
was watching for me. The first
time McBain showed his nose
around the residences she was to
telephone me. She called nearlv a
week ago. I told her to look for the
things in your room, and she found
them. We Just left them there for
a while lotting things transpire. I
hoped McBain would make a move
to cast you further into suspicion
and incidentally get himself into
the limelicht. My hands were tied,
you see. He couldn't be arrested
for the murder of Edgar Murchi
son when we had no body. He'd
have gotten off on some count,
trust him. With Miss Lissey's
death, the evidence was against
you, and with poor old Mrs. Devoe
It was going to be hard to prove it
wasn't suicide. He didn't take
many chances. For instance he
stole Fred's body because he didn't
know what the reactions might be
to that poison. Of course he didn't
know that Jethro had tried it on
his cat. Mrs. Devoe's death was
suicide. She was standing there
that night when he came up nut
of the stump. He stabbed her. But
the proof! Well, one of these
transcendental detectives could
have managed it. hut not I. I can't
see far enough. If I could . . . Turk
wouldn't have had to stand that
. . . that . . ."
Concluded Monday
Congressman Hat Stroke
Johnstown, O., Jan. 2. (.4")
Hep. William A. Ashbrook (D
Ohio) suffered a paralytic stroke
today and his family said his
condition is critical. Ashbrook.
72, first was stricken last Octo
ber In Washington but had Im
proved rapidly.
Um Mall TriVjuo aul art.
On the
RADIO CHAINS
STATIONS
Where to Find Them on the Dial:
KEX, Portland. 1180; KH, 640,
Loa Angrln; KGA, 1470, Hpokane;
KOO, 790, Han Kranrlsco; KGW,
B20, Portland: KJH, 970, Seattle;
KNX, 1030. Loa Anielea; KOA. S30,
Denver: KOIMi, 040, Portland;
HOMO, 920. Keatlle; KI'O, (130. Han
Franrltro; KM., 1180, Call Lake.
Tueiday
5:00 Aldrlch Family, KPO, KPI,
KOW; Frank and Archie, KJR.
6:30 Sherlock Holmea, KOO, KEX.
KJR; Pot of Gold. KPO, KPI, KOW;
Court of Miming Hetra, KNX, KOIN,
KSL.
6:00 We. the People, KSL; Caval
cade, of America, KPO, KPI, KOW.
6:30 Fibber McOee, KPO. KOW,
KPI: Human Side of Literature,
KOO, KEX.
7:00 Bhlelda Revue. KEX: Drama,
KOO; Bob Hope, KPO, KOW, KPI;
Calling All Cars, KNX.
7:30 SporU Huddle, KNX. KOIN;
Mammoth Mlnatrela, KOO. KJR;
Dog House, KPO, KPI, KOW; Newa,
KSL.
8:00 Fred Waring. KPO, KPI,
KOW; Amoa and Andy, KNX, KOIN-,
KSL; Information Please, KOO,
KEX, KJR.
8:15 Jlmmie Fldler, KSL, KNX,
KOIN; I Love a Mystery, KPO, KFI,
KOW.
LATE TRAIN
COB DOWN TO SUBURBAN
StfrflONlbMEEfCOUoW
IRMft ARRIVING OM ME
EvtNN6HyMU.SDWS
1b KEEP WARM
WAHPERS-fHRW DESERT
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TAILSPIN TOMMY A Heavy
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TO FLY THE V m SMALL ) I POrVpc cPl J V tVJt0-, 1 F WE1 ON HOW LONG (rfl
A GOIN&1N FOR V2 .CRUISING RANGEJ- k AZ 3CT
BEN WEBSTER'S CAREER But, I. Her By EDWIN ALGER
VOU SAW THE MASS 1-22 WELL. MY FRIEND. WWo I Y wuitta uu c, , .mA I I , . v 1
the n ebbs Come Out of It
lr ; KJOW LOOK weRE.KUDY.Y Uf J- DO'saG this X we dowt 1 ;! TUATSRISUT.AWDIFVVKADX
' ji; ' 1 THIS THING HAS GOT TO BECAUSE I'M GETTING EED ALLTHAT TO YOU EVER r ,: , EvERVTHlMS WE WAMTEO WE ,
( STOP '. VOU'LL HAE A. .) j&fcAjr OP IT WE OUST MONEY -OP TO Think iFT wOiaDUT HAVE ANYTHING TO
-A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN: ( i QSTMit t im"op nou AP1 T"r pr-r-R X'0U HAD EVERYTHIN&NaRSuE ABOUT-AnD weVe enjoyed
yy-JZ-- - i I WHEN 1 LOST THAT 1J 'TWPF WAMT COULLsrrJsCwe STRENUOUS ARSUMENTS.l
Vr-Y jS U J ' I ' ' 1 V cKoL m A ZW-CHt ENdOY ThE ANTlCl-flCOONT THINK WE OUITEFiNISHED
J '
8:30 Aldrlch Family, KOO, KEX,
KJR: Johnny Presenta, KPO, KPI,
KOW; Big Town, KOIN, KNX.
8:00 w, the People, KNX, KOIN;
Beyond Reasonable Doubt, KOO.
KJR; Doner's Orch., KPO. KOW.
8:30 Battle of the Sexea, KPO,
KOW. KPI; Lorch'a Orch., KNX,
KOIN; Meaaner'a Orch., KOO; News.
KJR.
10:00 Newa Reporter, KPO. KPI,
KOW: Paul Sullivan, KNX, KSL:
Heldfa Orch., KOO, kx, KJR;
Newa, KOIN.
10:30 Foster's Orch., KPI. KOW;
Saundera' Orch., KOO, KJR, KEX;
Ted Flo Rlto. KSL; City of St.
Francis, KPO.
11:00 Ravazza'a Orch., KPO, KFI;
Thla Moving World. KEX: Oray'e
Orch., KSL, KOIN; Newa, KOO, KNX,
KGW.
Wednesday
5:00 Frank and Archie. KJR;
Sunset Shadows, KOO; Waring'
Orch., KPO. KOW, KPI.
5:30 Kelaejrs Orch., KPO; We
Preaent, KOO, KJR.
8:00 star Theater. KSL, KOIN,
KNX: Radio Oulld, KOMO; Musical
Soiree, KPI, KOW: Safety First.
KPO.
6:30 Horae and Buggy Day, KOO;
Hollywood Playhouse, KPO, KFI.
KOW.
7:00 Mlller'a Orch., KNX, KSL,
KOIN: Kyser'a Program, KPO. KOW.
KPI; Shield's Orch., KOO, KJR,
KEX.
7:30 Burna and Allen, KNX,
KOIN. KSL.
8:00 Warlng'a Orch., KPO; John
WESNTSEEWWHEfiof
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UP AMP PCWlNPUtTroRM
MP READS ALL AVAILABLE
AWERHSW6 6I6U8
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MUST HAVE SloPPED
WANDERS OUf R&filN AMD
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DER. IN HI& Evt
REMOVES if AND WANDERS
MrolWlb&(6A&E1'lCKEf
A&ENflNTALX. AfsCNfJS
BUSY MAKING OUY REPORTS
Bll flrndtrat. Int I
Assignment!
ny Present. KOO, KJR, KEX: Amoa
And Andy, KNX, KOIN, KSL.
8:151 Love a Mystery. KPO,
KOW, KPI: Lum and Abner, KSL,
KNX, KOIN.
8:30 Sketch. KNX, KSL, KOIN;
Quiz Program. KOO. KJR, KEX;
Avalon Time. KPO. KFI, KOW.
8:00 Al Pearce, KNX, KSL. KOIN;
Fred Allen. KPO. KOW, KFI; Be
yond Reasonable Doubt. KOO, KEX,
KJR.
0:30 Nobles Orch., KOO, KEX;
Newa. KJR.
10:00 Martin's Orch., KGO. KEX;
Newa. KNX. KSL; Newa Reporter,
KPO, KFI. KOW; Newa, KOIN.
10:30 Heldfa Orch., KGO, KJR,
KEX: Ravazza'a Orch., KPO. KFI,
KGW.
11:00 Grays Orch.. KOIN. KSL:
Nottingham Qrch., KPO, KPI; Thla
Moving World, KEX, KJR; Newa,
KGO, KOW.
Radio Highlights
By Aisociated Presi
(Pacific Standard Time)
New York, Jan. 2.- Opening
of congress and the president's
message will be broadcast from
the nation s capital tomorrow.
All three networks will trans
mit both programs, the opening
session to go on the air over
MBS at 8:45 a.m. and via WJZ
NBC and WABC-CBS at 9 a.m.
Broadcast of the president's
message will be started at
By GLUYAS WILLIAMS
pRl&HfElJSUPWHEN Af
lOrfG LA&f HE HEARS M
PROACHItfe fPAD), WHICH
7R0UES 1b BE fi SLOW
FREI6HT
RErtRK lb CORNER OF
WMTir6 ROOM AND
BROODS UMiL TRAIN
PULLS IN, FiFtEEN
MINUTE LATE
10:45 a.m. by MBS and at 11
a.m. by WEAF-WJZ-NBC and
WABC-CBS.
Toniffht: EnrnnA WARP.
CBS 5:55, 8; MBS 6, 6:15;
WtAf -NBtJ-East 8.
Wednesday: Europe NBC 5
a.m.; WABC-CBS 5 a.m.; 3:30
p.m. WJZ-NBC 2 Mrs. F. D.
Roosevelt on "Traininir For
Democracy."
Use Mall Tribune want ads.
STRANGE AS IT SEEMS By JOHN HIX
For farther proof address the author. Inclosing a stamped envelope for reply. Reg. TJ. S. Pat Off.
& faKRT
4ICK IN
OR JEKVI.U AND
PKSAWIEP, BURNED (T
AND RBWROfc The enVrb&ory
ifi 3 MORS
A R0&IN
GUILT HEI? NEST
UNDSR A FENDER Of
MP 0WN6P Si l GAME
m
CemmefLMillef,
Augusia Co.,Ga.
INVALID'S MASTERPIECE
Robert Louis Stevenson was ill in bed when he wrote "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and
Mr. Hyde." His inspiration was a real character Deacon William Brodie of Edinburgh, Scot
land, a town councilor who spent his nights at burglary. Brodie invented the gallows drop, and
later was hanged on his own invention.
THE COMMODORE'S MISTAKE
Two years before the United States officially look over California (then part of Mexico).
Commodore Thomas Jones, U. S. N heard rumors of war and sailed into Monterey Bay to
hoist the Stars and Stripes over the Presidio. Two days later he learned his mistake.
TOMORROW: Four Centuries of Mourningl
Happy Texas
Happy, Tex., Jan. 2. (P)
Thousands of persons through
out the country received "happy
New Year" greetings bearing
the postmark, Happy, Tex. The
volume of yearend mail was .
third heavier than a year ago.
Air Lines Set Record
Washington, Jan. 2. UP) The
civil aeronautics authority esti
mated today that commercial
airlines in the United States had
Louis Tevenson-
SEP, WROT6
MR. HWlN DAYS
A CAR
HARDEN I
y vv. jit i-r
. FMllrt BrndloU. Inc.
N PUDDING TROT He , (STLJ
t. is tlli .1 I IJk T rrF,r. . .--1
ld?K P0&E950N OF CALIFORNIA
FOR q-8 HOURS "BYMISlAKcf
tf WioM&'b MEXICO, WHICH
Ht eeUflfeD T & AT WAR WITH THE DA
-October,
flown 750,000,000 passenger
miles in 1939. with only nine
passenger fatalities and three
crew fatalities. The 82,000,000
passenger miles flown per pas
senger fatality was nearly four
times the 1938 record.
Seven tea tasters distate the
tea tastes of America. They
meet annually to test tea sam
ples and to decide which teas
shall be admitted to the United
States.
I8VZ -
By HAL FORRES
By SOL HESS