I
SERIAL STORY
1 AM A MURDERER'
BY MORRIS MARKEY ATKifc.
,' UOW IT WAS PONS
CHAPTER XXVII ' r
THE preparations for Vaughsn
- Dunbar's first appearance at
Stone House were somewhat com
plex. Henry Prentiss had to be In
jured, and lor two reasons. First,
to avoid playing in the game. Had
I played, people would have
Wanted to discuss the game with
m at Cynthia's party, to chide
me for missing a shot or con
gratulate me for making one. In
such a case, several people at least
would have had their attention
drawn directly to the fact that 1
was not there. Not playing, ii
they missed me at all they would
probably assume that I was oil
taking treatment from my doctor.
As it was, only Cynthia could
be positive of my absence. And
my excuse to her was deliberately
an annoying one. She was fond o(
me. She would not be likely to
point cut to our friends that I
was not there that I had gone to
keep a rendezvous with another
woman.
The second reason? An aid to
the disguise. Everybody knew that
Henry Prentiss had an injured
hand and the bandages which
covered that simulated hurt were
put on as conspicuously as pos
sible. The very absence of them,
In the person of Vaughan Dunbar,
would add to the conviction of his
character.
That first night, tho grand en
trance of Vaughan Dunbar upon
the scene, was the real test, ol
course. But a failure at that time
would not have been disastrous.
If I had detected the slightest sus
picion of my masquerade, the
faintest glance of puzzlement in
any face, I would simply have
dropped the disguise forthwith,
and laughed merrily at the pre
mature discovery of my practical
joke.
The same escape from the situa
tion was always available, of
course right down to the last,
critical Instant
The minor mechanics of tele
phone calls, messages and the rest
were simple enough to arrange.
I had three bad moments during
the 'Whole time of Vaughan Dun
bar's existence. The first came on
my second visit to Stone House
that time when I had to exert
every morsel of my ingenuity to
talk about Swedish mines. You
will recall that Norman Tinker
(or: Colonel Merriwether, if you
prefer) began the after-dinner
conversation with the remark that
I . reminded him of someone he
had known, and asked me whether
my ldnfolk had ever visited Cali
fornia. Of course he was not re
membering California, though he
thought he was. He was remenv
bering Henry Prentiss.
The second anxious moment
jcame during the talk which Cyn
jthia and I had beside the pool.
fTo my immense astonishment I
Isaw that, driven by the vacancy
and lack of meaning 4n her daily
life, she was becoming much at-
Nxactecrtd one whom she believed
a serious man of the 'world. She
was about to fall in love with a
creature who did not even exist
. For : a brief moment, I was
tempted to abandon the whole
plan, and to take Henry Prentiss
and " Vaughan Dunbar forthwith
out of Cynthia's life. Then the
memorjrof that day in the wilder
ness floated back to me, and flood
ed all my mind, and stilled my
instant of weakness.
-. Again, I was distressed on the
day of the climax itself. I felt it
necessary to appear at Stone
(House at lunch time. Among other
reasons, I wished to satisfy my
self, one last time, that the iden
tity of Vaughan Dunbar was fully
laccepted.
But, despite the care which I
(had used in forwarding the tele
Igram to myself, so that I would
be able to leave before the meal
itself, it was not until I was actu
ally in the library that I realized
I had made a mistake. "
'I had dared, for the first time,
lo appear as Vaughan Dunbar in
full daylight. Certainly, that ap
pearance was In the shadowed
library. But outside the library,
where my car stood, there was
brilliant sunshine. Suddenly, after
Ishowing Cynthia and Mitchell
prace the telegram, I realized that
Ihey would follow me out to the
car if I let them,
i The risk was too great. So I
aimply burst from them without
ceremony, and virtually ran to
itako myself pway.
T MAY be forgiven, I believe, a
..certain measure of excitement
on that day of days. And that
excitement came very near to
Ruining the scheme entire, 1 had
Ito play in the polo game, though
tertainiy I did not want to. Merely
Jo tuko my mind off tho critical
uiours that lay ahead, I played to
(the hill for those first three
jchukkurs and hardly heard at all
jthe admonitions of Cynthia,
j . But while we sat in the station
wagon, an utterly terrifying truth
tame to me through her words.
Suppose I should get hurt? Sup
pose even the most commonplace
pccldent might happen: a wildly
swung mallet hitting me In the
(ace and making a cut, or even
a noticeable bruise? Suppose my
horse should go down, and I
might suffer a genuine sprain, or
break! The wounds of Henry
rentiss would not fit well upon
the person of Vaughan Dunbarl
'.I was seized with fright as the
realization of my awful mistake
came over me. And thereafter, as
you have seen, I avoided the
slightest chance of a mishap.
'It will be obvious that on this
day of crisis I had quit the hotel
In New York for good,
'The background of Vaughan
Dunbar there was filled in to tho
extent which I thought necessary.
1 knew that his imposture would
be discovered sooner or later, and
pat made no difference to me
Iwhatever,
I only needed the delay of two
or three days two or three days
in whicB the hUii .and py. would
be up for Vaughan Dunbar, fugi
tive, and attention drawn awuy
from Gull Point itself. Two or
three days in which it must nat
urally be assumed that Uie fleeing
man, impostor or not, had ample
time to get away and put many
miles between himself and the
scene of his actions.
The telephone calls I had made
to the United Press, tho British
Embassy and the others were sim
ply to servo this end of delay in
tracing Vaughan Dunbar. I had
called those places, asked to
speak to an unlikely name, and
hung up. But the record of the
calls at tho hotel's switchboard
meant that they must be tediously
followed up.
The fingerprints were useful to
the same purpose. They would
have to be checked at many
places, the while Vaughan Dunbar
was, presumably, running hard.
The apparatus I had contrived for
making them was a product of my
long preparatory labors in Cali
fornia. In one of my practice roles
there that of an artistic but
rather amusing freak I had taken
paraffin casts of the hands of sev
eral motion picture actors. From
these casts, it had not been difll
icult to mold their fingerprints in
ithin, transparent rubber,
i Naturally, I did not wear the
'finger stalls when I called at Stone
House save for that last time
when I left my prints on the pistol.
J used them in my hotel room and
a noticeable bruise? Suppose my
on the car, being careful to leave
perfect impressions.
When I did not wear them, I
.took care to leave no prints where
thoy nilg'gt Vepresef vc&. Coclttall
glasses and highball tumblers
would not matter, They would be
washed clean very quickly after
they were used. And, of course,
the fingerprints of Henry Prentiss
would appear normally about a
house which he visited so fre
quently. (To Be Concluded)
Always read the classified nds.
10 C1NTS iiiys
FIVI CARTRIDGES
Five cartridges might save
the lives of five Americans
Might shorten this war
by five Japs or five Huns.
I urge you to let me turn
your discarded things into
War Stamps to buy cart
ridges to help win this war.
I'm a Herald and News
Want Ad, and I'm enlisted
for the duration.
Phone me at 3124 and I'll
turn YOUR unused things
into cartridges!
Herald & News
Want-Ads
Get Results
THIS CURIOUS WORLD
By William
Ferguson
v. i in fL
IN ANCIENT ENGLAND,
IF YOU OWNED A BIG DO
AMD LIVED WITHIN TEN
WILES OF THE KINGS HUNTING
PRESERVES, THE DOGS
KAS WESE CCJT
TO PREVENT HIS CHASING
THE eoVAt. GrAVW
feHAT DID THE FOLLOWING
MEN MAKE f
lllll
SMALL DOGS j
ABLE TO PASS
THROUGH A I
DOCr GAUGE.
SHOHASS&OW..
WERE EXEMPT.
.'itnui fat. err.
DORIS WHITEHEAD
OF PRESTON, IDAHO,
IS A S AD
7iarSs trrr.flSstierr7.
2Sf Gont IK SV HA 8CRVKL MC '
ANSWER: Chippendale, furniture; Stradivari,
IViieht airplanes.
violins, and.
HEXEi Tk nctsto.
INDIAN HOME
;
Answer to Previous Puzzle
HORIZONTAL
lPictured
Indian home.
S Disease
(med.).
9 Hang.
14 Expunge.
15 Mother
(Tag.).
18 Was indis
posed. 17 Great Lake.
IS Networks
(anat.).
20 Honey (comb,
form).
21 Put on.
22 It is a .
tent.
24 Jujube.
25 Lira (abbr.).
26 Sailor (slang). 46 Tilt. 5 Ells English
Z7Like. 48 Betrothed. - (abbr.).
29 Cloth measure 53 Accomplished. 6 Demeanor,
I JIOIHjN B pTT CKEbL.
p U Rig SE E N Yhf A B .
Hd M Etc T AIsIt E MT I E S
AjSP ' ; A R mTTQNIE '.. L AP
TTtTTeR A NfOP A
ET" JEEP "N DIP. Y N
A R W. 4DE
OT M I NJD RDIfWR SETT
EIlis J. I steal
I M P 5U N iV SUB tfjJT E fc
PIT L SSMUSES;;PEER
Toy E S M A R iVME A T
Trepubl i cIaInis
18 Mantle. ."!
19 Rough lava. '
22 Small house.
23 Scandinavian
region. " '
26 Helmet
(Roman),
28 Sleighs.
31 Sailor.
33 Indonesian
Mindanao,
36 Overlord.
37 Experiments
38 Mountain
(Fr.)..
40 Lament
43 Since. VERTICAL 41 Clothes.
44 Nova Scotia 1 Croon (Scot.). 47 Malayan
(abbr.). 2 Mistakes. canoe.
45 Registered 3 Ache. 49 Became larger,
nurse (aODr.). 4 compass point 50 Opera by
' Verdi.
51 Driving
commands.
54 Uncommon. 1 0pposite 52 Editor (abbr.)
56 Attempted (prefix). ' 53 Clock face.
57 Stead. 8 Secular. i 55 Enlisted'
58 Solitary. 9 Ambary. , (abbr.).
60 Dutch city 10 Edge. 57 Lady Literate ;
61 Bondman. 11 On the lee. ' ' in Arts
62 Sacred song. 12 Little ball of (abbr.).
63 Existed. food. 59 Type meaiu.e.
61 Spain (abbr.).
30 Landed
property.
32 Dish.
34 High in pitch
(music).
35 Permit.
36 Current.
39 Aphorism.
42 Area measure. 64 Grows pallid. 13 Esculent
i j 3 4 i T""" t- a 7"" io lJTmf!
(&
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A
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4b qi ! 4-9 I SO M S2 i4t!? SJ
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r i i i i i i i i ri ri i i- i
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BORM THIRTy TOO SOOM
CR.Wittifl-
C6W5.tMl6C.Of MlfiUY T
BRoclA an iNtitAKre wwter,
OP TEMWORw; T-wTW&
INC0M& W DK-fvDLIME 9 &
6TILL REWOTS, OP COURSE
HEU WEU !- RUT IKl CA& 1
fcW iNvlpciTMPKiTCirin klriT J
. PAN OOT. COULD MOO PE-RHPsPSM
lr CTCQ lkT)-i 11 lc nnen J 7'
UNLOCK fANtot-Ll-
Our Our Woy
By J. R. Williams
'sty:, i
FOR THI9 SEP.W& k
60 T'M APRAMD J
MO i PEP1IOD ) MUTOF.R.
i fA bU Luvvj ,r i-tiiv
t CAtn EVEN M BUM'S
mimdok) swop y, te wJrm .N
onunil
LBAO PIPE
BOUNCES,
RflD RYT5&R' StRANGER
AROUND HERE' 1T3IDN5'T KILL.
OR R.OB fVNTBODT1 VE
GOT NOTHIN' TO HIDE' GO
nnNi'T KEE.R ifV-t. 7
r.VUH ARE BUND-' h'L TJl
Red Ryder
AH AlfATO'
PECKOt th' first T
PLACE T'LOOK IS J
UNDER YORE V y
'!c
Our Boarding Houia
With Major Hoopla
JUST WHAT
WIL.U IVTKSltK IHtStS-Ktt
OF THAT FORMULA I i GOOD
MUST GO NOW -BUT NIGHT,
SOON I WILL RETURN- I HANS-
DO NOD COME fr'A COME AGAIN
KNOW Tnc WAY-- X..M SOON
By Frod Harmon
Little Orohan Annie
SOKAE OF MV PALS
OM THEIR WAY OVER,
JERRY.' 1 WANT YOU
TO MEETlUBtl ,
PROBABLY THE
KIDS IN BED
AND ASLEEP
BUT IF 6HES
SNOOPING. SHE
COULDNT TELL
ANYTHING
I
1
I SEl
NO-HANS WENT
OUT THE MAIN GATE,
AND SHE COULD
WE BARRED
BEHIND 'HIM -
T HE . JUST SAID )
qOOD-BY AND LEFT-L
I WAITED TILL A
I SAW "EM SHUT
AND BOLT TK MAIN
I GATENJIMjy
ONe -TWO-THREE--THERE--NO
ONE HERE AT
THE CAETLE COULD GEE THESE
FLASHES" BUT MILDREDS
WATCHIN FOR 'EM AT HCR,
WINDOW" NOW I'LL JUST
HAVE TO WAIT AN SEE-
J LIKE'
C HECK
I DO
to-
1 v
Freckles and His Friends
They heard about you
SO THEY GOT UP A LITTLE:
POOL! THE- FIRST GUY
T& DATE YOU WIMS
Twn Rirr.if; well-
. .
I HAT
J
I L
-r- L
COM- OM N I
, I've omly r
SCAMtT Ftvte
ano
Diphtheria
They're?
not
OOMIM&
IMI I
WONDEI?
WHY?
by Harold Gray
HAVENT
SLIGHTEST
IDEA
Blonor
THE OWErZ6'E$CArVA!hJy
MA NOT 86 yBrXf-ymmSSmk Z$4C
EXClTW6,SERflEAHTj tSamSMMii 't't'
BUT ITS IMfORTANT. fcw5FlR'- VAmJ"
FIRST, LETS REMfllE (rSM
I NOW WE'LL BELACE THEM
COVER. THEM WITH SNOW, SO
NO VcmCLE CAM CR05S THE
onin-& i run r ai u i u
C7TiVL?w WMnvwi whwninw . 1
UP THE WHOLE WORKS. WFUJ
LEAVE A TEMpORARy
OPtNlNd.OF COURSE.
UNTIL OUR OWM TRUCK
. GETS ACR05S,
i v
i
OKAY, WE'RE SET.
W0THIM6 TO DO POR Ift
MINUTES EXCGPr TO WAN
AS PATIENTLY
AS POSSIBLE THATS
THE HARD
PART, SIR.
WAITING
mag
I
Wash Tubbs
By Crano
XOO VKWVstO
M TO TtlV. WOO
OOR eNS.Nb VO fs
6VAOVV
BUTT 1
1VV GQVW6
&OV,t.TV6t
V.VLf3 V
ViTW TVK
- .. .. "V-l
I ffi rS f. r'S I I I I S'TCffs r A T 1 I I I IV"WIU ' ' ' ' II
A J J'ni'. "nort, '
Boots and Her Buddies , ' ' ' t ' By Morrin
VES MYSOWS VEH.THAVS WHAT T7 SAV, FOOZY, " "l f VEZZIR.OOR IF IT HADKJ'T W GOSH, (VWE'RE PLUMB Y' SOU SHOULD7
rSABOLHEUMDER2 V THAT TIME .-IT LOOKEP II WOULDM'T BEmSAKES I SAIP SQ
i MIGHTIEST U nOOC UTGOShX WE M WDFORXHERE W VJffOUW
; WARRIOR IKJ V ALOWe SIDE ) OmaQf v VOL" AJ, WE'RE ) P?Fz$& .