Show his chair The Mystery Of A DARK CAM STRANGER "I see And perhaps also an author your ta BUT THEN in a helpless sort of gesture "Dram you look simply terrible! Pale green and — well I can alincet see your bones! Come away You frighten me" Brain came ova and gave her what she called his "trust-m- e grin" He put his arm round her "You frightened me when you stood there Don't let it bother you" "But it does Dram It's uncanny" "It's just some sort of effect penduced by all the colored glass being reflected directly downward What we want to do is cover the holes at the bottom Maybe you could think something up that would do it" Lccna's expression was not inspired but "Yes" she agreed --Maybe I After dinner had been cleared away Dram settled himself at the desk in the WWI' with some work he had brought home from the office Lorna had thought something up She was painting tiny colored designs on Scotch tape which she intended to cut out with nail scissors and fix over the perkiraticms at the base of the lamp OFFERING WHAT SEEMED A FANTASTIC SUM FOR THIS BIT OF ORIENTAL BRASS by Sax nohmer Illustrated by Mac Conner could" 1 FEATURE FICTION I in what the advertisement had as an "artistic apartment" l3ram always referred to it as a "walk down:" Lorna was delighted with it If you happened to be passing a reconstructed New York brownstone house between Lexington and Third Avenue at night and if the shades weren't drawn looking down you had a glimpse of the living mom lighted by a lamp with a square shade of plaited straw which gave out a pleasant pumy glow You saw chairs upholstered in golden brown an olive green bookcase Painted by Loma with books Some modern and A small buffet of light maple furniture English walnut decorated with a Wedgwood salad bowl (wedding present) displayed a few pieces of good crystal Four steps led down to a tiny forecourt and a blue door with bright brass fittings Two sky-blwindowboxes were filled with geraniums Bram had always suspected that the blue door stood for ten dollars a month on the rent The boxes Lorna had decorated But a sense of happy contentment crept over him when he halted at the top of the TiLIVED 1 well-stock- g steps that evening and auelleyed this little home — his and Loma Ile HAD his key ready his footsteps magic 1 but Lorna had heard The Nue door opened as if bY "Darling!" she cried as she broke away from his arms "I bought a lamp secondhand It cost twenty dollars" Dram stifled a groan He adored his pretty wife She was a gay companion and a practical housekeeper but two months of marriage had proved her to be also a fanatical interior decorator "Our budget's getting low honey" "I know Dram But I simply couldn't stand for the flying saucer any longer!" The flying saucer was a standard ceiling fixture — a dull glass bowl — supplied by the landlord in the entrance foyer of their apartment and Lorna hated it "Oh Dram" she said clinging to him "You've never regretted what we did?" Brim grabbed her held her hard in a publishing self?" Fahlabis LORNA HAD BOUGHT IT IN A JUNK SHOP "I'm an editor house' But there sras a tender point about their finances At the time Lama came along and changed all his way of life Dram had saved up two thousand dollars and had planned to put it into the publishing business where he was a promising junks editor This would have meant postponing their marriage for at least a year and Dram hadn't hesitated for a moment He had chosen Loma and the two thousand had gone to set them up in their little apartment "Don't be cross with me darling!" Lorna drew beck turned his gaze "Look!" Dram looked An Arab brass lamp with panels of colored glass hung where the flying saucer had been THE effect was remarkable Their nine-fosquare foyer walls and ceiling bathed in subdued colored rays resembled the end of a rainbow An enlarged map of Bram in unit kern on a camel in liont of the SOW hid taken on the violet hue of an Egyptian afterglow The coffee table was bathed in mysterious golden light The kmg narrow settee lurked in deep blue shadows' Lorna was explaining eagerly: "I had Stobell fix it Etram I knew you'd be tired when you got home and superintendents are used to fixing lights Don't you think it's cute?" "Certainly is Marvelous" "I couldn't clean all the glass properly because that brass knob at the bottom doesn't come off I did the best I could with a brush from the top But there's a lot of wires in there and I was afraid I might unstick something" Lorna was standing right under the lamp pointing up Bram caught his breath shut his eyes " he spoke looked again and then: "Lorna quietly — "come over here hooey I want to find out if you see what I've seen" "What?" Urns was anxious "Is something wrong?" "Nothing to worry about Just come over here and let me stand under the light" He crossed and stood under the lamp facing Lorna "Do you notice anything?" "OW" Lorna's hands stole up to her face long-hand- le THE street was unusually quiet so that they both looked up suddenly when a slow heavy tread paused just outside and then came down the fotw steps The doorbell rang Dram stood up "Expecting anybody?" "No" ' Dram crossed the rainbow lobby Opened the blue door A tall man stood there his heavy features oddly lighted by the rays of the lamp He wore a tan coat and a black Hontburg hat His eyes which were dark also looked past Dram Their gaze was fixed on the lamp He lowered them and bowed stiffly "Mr Bramwell Barton?" "That's my name" "Pardon me ii I disturb you" He spoke with a marked accent "My name is Ramoullam I have called to make a proposition Mr Barton which I hope you will think it profit- "In a modest way" "Good You have the artistic conscience You will understand — and sympathize I am here tonight Mr Barton and Madame on the instructions of the Sherif of Mecca" "The Sherif of Mecca!" "But exactly Let me try to explain" Mr Ramoulian's gestures were few He gave a shrug "Some months ago while the Holy Places were crowded with pilgrims a great sacrilege was committed in the tomb of the One of the lamps Prophet at which for generations had lighted the tomb " was stolen Lorna started to speak but Mr Ramoulian raised his hand a quiet but impressive command "Apart from its history the lamp was not of sufficient value to justify so great a risk It was reported to be in Mecca By one hour the custodians were too late to recover It Again it vanished Then I was assigned to trace the lamp" "Do I understand you're a detective?" Dram wanted to know Lorna was watching Mr RaMoulian fascinatedly "I aim an antiquarian expert I could identify the lamp of the Prophet amongst a thousand other lamps One of my agents traced it to Cairo It was in the possession of an American tourist who refused to part with it "I followed her here She had died before I arrived All her property had been sold at auction I interviewed the auctioneers today The lamp with a number of other articles had been bought in one lot cheaply by a snail dealer on Third Avenue — " "Mr Linckel" Lorna spate the name on a high key "But exactly Late thisevening I called on Mr Lincke And again I was too late Once more the lamp had been sold But — fortuhe knew the name and address pf nately the purchaser You were the purchaire Barton and there" —be turned pointed — "hangs the lamp of the Prophet!" Stupefied silence (elflike a curtain on those last words Dram automatically held out a box of cigarettes to Mr Ramoulian but he shook his head -Thank you no" Lorna's gaze strayed to the lobby then came back to Dram's puzzled face It was Dram who broke the spell Continua akt page 26 able to accePt" "Oh?" Dram was at a loss to guess what this proposition could be and curious to find out "Won't you come in?" "Thank you" Mr Ramoulian removed his Homburg un- covering glossy black hair Dram stepped aside and dosed the door behind him Lorna was standing up when they came in "Mr Ramotdian has called on business Loma" Brain explained 'This is my wife Please sit down" Mr Ramoulian repeated his stiff bow And while Dram pulled up one of the golden-brow- n chairs Lonut was studying the visitor noting k his heavy brows black eyes and almost Orientally dark complexion The idea crossed her mind unaccountably that Mr Ramoulian should really be wearing a topcoat and an Astrakhan cap He sat down and looked from face to face in a calm inscrutable way "You are a business man Mr Barton — yes?" "Not exactly" Brain dropped back into Jim examined the lamp minutely 9 |