(-.'..
SERIAL STORY
'I AM A MURDERER'
BY MORRIS MARKEY
COPVRIOHT,
HE SERVICE, INC.
MURDER AND FLIGHT
CHAPTER XVI
rT"HE guesta began to, arrive ai
1 dusk settled. Cynthia, now,
was In something light and airy
and pale green, and she was In
ia housekeeper's office, nodding
her approval of lists and menus.
; Fred West and Mitchell Grace
camo in to Join her there, and
were, naturally, put to work. One
had to be sure that the musicians
o the orchestra were decently
pared for, and the other to make
eertaln that the lights at the pool
Were In working order and, lncl
dentally, that there was water to
plunge into.
Then, cars were rolling up the
long, graveled drive, and Cynthia
Was smiling at people who got out
pt them.
.i.The early evening was quite
beautiful, and its graces of fading
blue sky, languorous trees, roses
.which held their heads high upon
the bush, were embellished by the
gay, bright frocks which moved
cross the lawn. There were very
many small white tables upon the
lawn, and small white chairs, and
the usual little groups began to
form.
" The lights ' went on ' to th
library. Its glazed doors were
swung open, and Colonel Merrl
wether was behind his desk, smok
ing, and looking quietly out over
he empty terrace, the populated
green turf.
j Waiters in white coats moved
among the tables with trays of
Brinks, and the orchestra played
out an indolent air of summertime.
Time wandered by, and time
was of no moment. ' -
' A few of the older people went
Into the library, crossing the
empty terrace from the lawn to
go - toward Colonel Merriwether.
But none remained long. Those
among the company who glanced
in that direction could see two
c'r' three ladies and gentlemen
moving away from the broad desk,
nd returning across the terrace
end there were glimpses of Colonel
Merriwether's manservant, attend
ing the needs of his master. -
' Then, just as a limousine
wheeled into the drive and came
to a stop, there' was a curious
sound from the library. The music
had ended, and this sound struck
sharply against the quiet
J i It was . of the order, of . a com
mand, a short, undistinguishable
word barked out The well-bred
heads upon the lawn turned, not
(without some Irritation, at the un
couth noise. And- Vaughan Dun
bar, stood beside the Colonel's
desk. . ,
TTIS left hand was raised an
almost imperial signal to the
people on the lawn. It brought a
"moment of complete silence, the
servants stopping in their, courses
to look, and aU faces puzzled, ex
pectant . .
Colonel Merriwether sat as If
ransnxed, .His .face . was very
White. His hands were spread be
fore him on the desk. : He was
staring, not at Vaughan Dunbar,
but straight ahead into the faces
pi his guests, half a hundred yards
way. . ' .
Vaughan Dunbar held up a sheet
of paper in his left hand. Then
he laid it calmly on the desk be
fore the Colonel, who did not
move. Vaughan Dunbar gazed foi
ah instant down at the face and
bead of Wesley Hope Merriwether
He lifted his right hand, and with
the small pistol that it held fired
wo shots.
'.Even as Colonel Merrlwethej
Humped forward over his desk,
jVaughan Dunbar was gone.
. In the madness of screams ana
Bhouts, men cried, : "Stop him!
Grab him!" But within that sam.
rush of frightened noise, the roai
bf Vaughan Dunbar's engine could
be heard at the rear of the house
His ear went off with a whine
The whine diminished rapidly, and
Its sound was lost.
The pursuit gathered instantly,
Willi motors starting, and serv
ants and chauffeurs yelling, "He
went this way!" and, quite con
trariwise, "He went that wayl"
Once past the stables, however,
foe rear approach to Stone Houst
broke into half a dozen lanes and
byways. . And all . of them ' were
empty. The pursuers cried out to
each other, and then they turned
back toward the house and the
telephones.
Within half an hourall but a
leery few of the guests were gone,
IBnd the police were in possession
lof Stone House. ' The ablest among
them was Lieutenant Thatcher. of
the State Police, and he had given
many orders, quickly.
Men of his own patrol, of the
county forces, and of the sheriffs
loffine were watching the roads of
U Wmg Island. The bridges and
!the tunnels and the ferries were
Kinder close scrutiny. And de
scriptions of the fugitive had been
broadcast, over the radio and the
teletype machines, throughout the
metropolitan district. ,
-..
1WTOTH this much done, Lleuten
" ant Thatcher spoke quietly
with Mitchell Grace, saying, "Tell
me everything you know."
Mitchell Grace told, then, .of
Vaughan Dunbar's first appear
ance at Stone House, and of his
subsequent appearances there.
Also he told - of those last few
shocking moments. . .
"I was walking Into the library
to see if the Colonel wanted any
thing, and Vaughan Dunbar was
standing in tho shadow. I - got
there' just in time to hear him
speak, to Joseph, the Colonel's
servant, and ask him to go and
fetch a glass of fruit juice. He had
rot seen mo, at that moment.
Joseph, wen.t out of the room,
and Vaughan uunDar neara my
footstep. He turned toward me
and said, 'Good evening. Will
you please ask Miss Cynthia to
meet me at once in the drawing
room? It is important' He seemed
very quiet and serious, and I went
without thinking much about it.
I had just found her, when he
called out, and I saw him stand
ing over the Colonel."
"What did Colonel Merriwether
seem to think of that?"
"I glanced at him. He seemed
a little dazed. I got the impres
sion that Vaughan Dunbar had
brought some bad news."
"Where were you when you
heard the shooting?"
"I heard it and saw it, toe
when I was about halfway down
the lawn. I had caught a glimpse
of Cynthia, and I was going
toward her, when he called out.
And I just stood there and
watched him shoot"
Lieutenant Thatcher meditated,
rubbing his chin gently. "He must
have planned his getaway very
carefully." '
And Mitchell Grace was vehe
ment "I'll say he did. I was
after him pretty quickly, as soon
as I could unfreeze myself after
the shock of seeing it. And all
I caught up with was a blast of
smoke and dust from his car when
he went off. It took me, then,
a few minutes it seemed like a
lifetime to get a car started, and
turned around to follow him."
Lieutenant Thatcher gestured
toward half a dozen of his men
who stood there, and said, "Let's
go" including Mitchell Grace in
his command.
Slowly, almost cautiously, they
trooped into the library. Lieu
tenant Thatcher stared around him
for a space of time, and ordered
that all of the lights be turned
HOLD EVERYTHING!
'SHUT-EYE"! -V-7
"I never saw an outfit so enthu- i
siastic about their own prod
UCU".
During the past year we have
welcomed the ever-growing
forces of America in our ports
and camps and on our nir fields.
The bonds of respect, compre
hension and comradeship have
been forged which will, I pray,
far outlive this war and be of
lasting support in the labors of
peace. Winston Churchill.
It is within the realm of pos
sibility that this 78th congress
may have the historic privilege
of helping greatly to save the
world from future fear. Presi
dent Roosevelt
up full. Men began to unpaeK
cameras, and measuring tapes, and
apparatus for recording finger
prints. And. thereafter, proceed
ings within the library moved with
deliberation, and with method.
(To Be Continued)
THIS CURIOUS WORLD
By William
Ferguson
SEEM TO EE
THE ONLY
ANIMALS
WITH AN
UNDERSTANDING
OF
THEY
THROW
S7GAS
AT THEIR
ENEMIES, WITH
TELLING
EFFECT.
less ta s-w r-
C0PS.19M BY NEA SC8VKC. INC.""
8nSy&l A TROPICAL CYCLONE
SPllffial whotkeo siw" is KNOWN AS A HUR?CAS
K Hat our M"""- 1 . ( IN THE WEST INDIES,
Ml 5LtiS2Z- ) A TYPHOON IN THE..
m. llffll.yjvewaft ft- ) WESTERN PACIFIC, A SA&UC3
" 1 oo HIS 105. N-, ( IN THE PHILIPPINES, 'AND A
'Z&h&i M0fG?i&2liSM CYCLONE IN THE
"... 'vN EAN'
1 IN THE END rri THE tJSJOSSskSy
I TAKER WHO TAKES OUEC, " -iS
, Says AMSS 8AILEY LEWIS, r"ssSSgsSgg3
- jy V6r& Cry. -! T. m. dec. u. . pjirTofrr
IN the end rrs THE
TAKER WHO TAKES OUEC, '
oey mOS OMILfcT LEWIS,
vcmj rorr iy. j-rL
NEXT: Where were the early California mission bells cast?
U. S. SENATOR
HORIZONTAL
1 Pictured U.S.
. Senator,
14 Whirlpool
15 Clip.
16 Protection.
17 Rhode Island
(abbr.).
18 Symbol for '
erbium.
20 Ever (poet.).
21 Exist
Answer to Previous Puzzle
23'Greek letter.
25 Goal.
2? Speak. '
28 Tip. ''
29SneaRy.lt- -
31 Was-seated.
32 Vigor -(colloq.
34 October
"-J1IL FIOIN SIO iLlOiPIEpf
TInIci i Idie nitL sailidIe r
MfffeaT OIRfHT rNtieIa r y
P'ElT ?;ROH.EiO ) iVM'Q's
' I no ;. !R:TriPlSl '
oiTir eTr s kmm "rie sferr
zzjfe LOPEZ jorr:
atTnTTj "" "" IPT1 E:SB
R ElN T SfcjNlO 'jEiRIAKriA'A
e n tTr1e 1c 61 l cm b i ia
'TlEiL-leStsI IaIpiaImUiniti
VERTICAL
133order. &
19 Sun god. j
21 Beside.
24 High
mountains
26 Within.
28 Corpulent
30 12 months
(Pi ). .
31' Wash by '
rubbings j
33 Peer. . .
34 Removed.,,
37Pedal'digit. : .
39 Hurrah!
40.MuffIer.
41 Music note.
43Vita! orgao-
44-Within.
45Toward. ..
45 Beverage.
49of skirt, lji 3
51 Sodium 2Hedacts.
(symbol).' 3 .North Dakota 46 Operatic sir.
62 Therefore. ' abbr.). 7 Whip. . ''
S3 Narrow injet. 4 Cereal grain. 48 Proceed'. .
55 Upon. 5 Symbol for ' 50 Bulk.
abbr.). 57 Rough lava. caesium. S2 Health resort.'
35 Limb. Jj 58 Snare. . 6'Exclamation. 54 Incorporate f
36 trencn (aDor.j 60Wash lightly. 1 7 Honey . - aljbr-).
8 Atiempu ez Auricles.
38 Pelt . .64Heisade-
40 Call for help scendant of
at 'sea. one of the
.42 Exclamation distinguished
of contempt f families
;44 Frozen water. Ii .
ma iter. . 56 Born.
8 Boat paddles. 59 Part of "be.",
8 Transpose 60Rupees , .
abbr.). (abbr.).
10 Be indebted. 6! Symbol for -
11 Danish (abbr.) europium.
12HaiU 63:Near.
TH' BIG OITVS IX-. TA.KB YthATS OM&V tV& THEM GIjOVES?
HAD TWO veACS'lVTH' STUPID J FEK SOU.' HE SET; A MAS WHO
I CERME GAKVS OJV--I THEV BEEN l2TOO PCOUD OP
) EXPEGIEMCE. AM" CAM'T USE SVAPPIM' IM SHO HAK1D3 CAM'T
TH' STUPID UCOKIM'J TH.VT OVHEC ALL TH' FAPECS) BE VECV PBOL1D
I OWE NSEVEC DID OME AT M.L,7FFO MEM OF OF HIS JOB OR
V CEPWG VDCK BLTT ) MOT FOR yEXPeCIEWCE, MIS COUKJTKV AM'
N-, IS VvlULIM" TO J A M1WUTE 1 X AM' CAM SOU IS A3 USELESS IM
v?V tev rr DOPE THAT A MACHIME SHOP
ll r WvTVOUT? yU OOLU IM A
THE BEAUTY FTVCKS
1
EGPD.' PER.MPS rX MORSEL TO
HIS PALME WOULD
iKriire tub i itt p- ftoM to
CEJVo& THAW INPERML CMER-
VJAULINiG.'---HM ' BEANt,
- 30VJE.' VMHAT6 IN) T Hfe IJUWL, )
Tcni ? IT A MOST ,. . . J
. T. GOESS MB
STILL A UTTL&
VflLlMG COR A
HOT 'DAVOG
ICsi
3 1
3iV
, I t -At rtVmf
P mm;
mm
i. w i i
in
Out Our Woy
By J. R. Williams
1-22
Our Boarding Houso
With Major Hoopla ;.
Zusl
INCE
PI&
MlGrAT
DO IT ,
H3
1 1 7" 7 " " S & 7 8. 3 l It 'I 13
' ', .
M . . ' iM.
mfj 1
44 45 ' 4V&47 J
' ; ' Vill'h &i Sjffifgl,. . ,
61 . Si 5P5 3 S i'57,: s 56 ?izgj; sj . .
IM i&L &i
SB S9 sPi" 63
55 ; ;
WT HO3 OUT T7'S triT WANT HELP X
I THERE VOHAT'O feJifiSf A COWBOY KiArAED
I THEY, WANT, AMi TtP RED RYDER,, BLINDED)
K LOLITA? JaZrAxj A PEE STiNGS, AND
Red Ryder
BUT WE CANTTRQ5T
ANYBODY TUCK '
1 CHASED ErA AWAY t
SHOOT IF THEY COfYE
BACK
CP
I WS&tJp
N WE VsJONT RETURN A
MA TH"'' COWBOY AIN'T L
ifirWHiKLM..
f YOU'LL HAVE THE
BRAT START TO SCHOOL
DOWN IN THE VILLAGE -U
mL BE PERFECT-SHE
(SUSPECTS NOTHING -SHES
BOUND TO BE GUESTIONEO-
i-irci ici ID.L csv-
B-43
THEY'LL BELIEVE A WEir HM--M-
STUPID KID YOU'RE m I HOPE SO
SUPPOSED TO BE MALCOLM Y OF COURSE.
MITT. WRITER "tLttM IKL- I fVS MY
WELL. TvUKt WKI liri H I BUILtK.
BOOK-CAKT SEE ANYONE- YOU COULD
THE YOKELS WILL tlHKOLL ntK
FALL FOR THAT- rA IN SCHOOL.-
X
AH. TM 6URe. MY DEAR.
YOUR "DADDY WOULDN'T WISH
YOU TO MISS SCHOOL "AND
IT WILL BE DULL HERE FOR
BE POOR COMPANY-WORKING
ON Mf NEW BOOK, VOU KNOW-
SCHOOL? OH.
I'U LIKE THAT.
AND HAVIN' ME
AROUND WOULD
BOTHER NOU WHEN
VDU RE WRITIN'
WHEN CAN
I START?
WELL. SALT'S CAN
TAKE WU DOWN TO
TH6 VILLAGE NOW
AND MAKE THE
ARRANGEMENT'S
THEN YOU CAN
START MONDAY'
6W1
Little Orphan Annis
By Harold Gray
For Two weeks, You will. I what if someone
WAVE Irt DO WHAT ANYONE ASKS ME TO DO
TELLS YOU TO DO -:-NO J SOME WORK, OR.
U4TTCO AMO S ' SUMC MINI?
fcUUALLY UNfLtASANH .
I
YOU'U. HAVE
TO DO IT OR.
fcET
DAnni en
1 V
Om Top or that,
you are not
allowed to
Tell the
TRUTH Phone
MOT EVEKj HILDA AND
ftKlrPJ WELL
HOW IT ,
WOBK?
ft
7
Li
I'M AT THE CRYSTAL. PALACE , DANCIN&
WITH ANOTHER GIRL AND HAVING A ' ..
WONDERFUL. TIME , AND -SHE HUNS UP (
Freckles and His Friends
By Bloitof '
lirWAT LEARNED WHERe ' Al
Sf LUC, frft&ttotjf THEV KEEP, ALL IM B V
II MAJOR i'.QJimwffl P0RTAHT PAPERS I V-i U'
I mI $ WSS AIBCRM-T PARTS, LJ.'f ; I I
I "1MAMDEUEN WHERE 7rZi ' . ,.
L ....... mfm, rw Xl
. Wash Tubbs
1 LEARNEP THE
TROOPS ABE JUSTOFr"
THE RUSSIAM FRONT.
THEV BELIEVE THEWE
EARWED A RE6T AW0
TAItTE THER DUTIES
VERY II6HTLY. FURTHER
M0RE,THERE'6 AW OFF
ICERS' 0AWCE AT THE
H0FBRAU TOWI6HT,
AMP PEW WILL BE
ON PUTr
J2L
it QV. O0FJ: PLAN IS y-WT V
VMl SOUND AND W3RKABLE, IK BB
Wa UMLE55 50METHIU6 60ES IV -
Ian 1 WR0W&, HEiwr, our raid'il- J
: " BE OVER BEFORE THtY "S -
By Crana
1 tWSKJc.O TWSSti ViWV ViCJV
v0O& If VO.
9tT bQI?-N8d TO ,
TO N-i.
ran
8 S
NOiTWt--ifi..1L
vi.
Boots and Her Buddies
SOU SURE WORKED
MIRACLES WITH MY
FACE.OOOLA,
BUT HOW D"YA
EXPECT TO GIT
ME INTO THIS
LITTLE I
THING.'J
'ORTHAT 1
WILL. BE NO ' II
( PROBLEM FOR. 11
ME...THIS 3
( FOUNPATIOM f J
JL PRESS X WILL TJOTM& Jt 1
klrV TRICK. JFi I
T COME NOW
Vrnar V vouii
?ZK nrr-if-V CORP.'
wrnc. j
n
'i.T'
'WW
HquN
(( I'M SORRY. yOUR. HIGHNESS,
BUT VOU'VE HAP THIS COMIN6
I TO YOU FOR. A LOWG TIME... j
V vMow I'M eoitoe to zip
f o VYOU UP THE BACK Y
o , cirfw goshT
1 i&Sja taOTTA LOOK
By Martin
TjTAt'OUT. YOU
NOSEY JUGHEAPEO ,
- SNOOPS
Alley Oop
By V. T. Hamlin
o
a