Show N 0 aa dy by GERALDINE BONNER service copyright by the boban sterrill co what human being does not love a mystery mastery story one of hose affairs in ili which a puzzling crime suddenly lud denly disturbs the lives of a roup group df t people who have been going along in a normal way all at once a seed of malevolence to Is committed turns their placid little world topsy no one knows tho the perpetrator pe of the crittie crime but circuns stances are such that any one of tile the i apparently honest li onest sincere members member if f tile tho group may come under suspicion suspicion new mev angles of the affair and new lily mysteries a develop dov and a period of the most moat wracking suspense exists for all in ili this citso case there Is no super d detec ate ti live ve with hla his mathematics ills hla ch chemicals e in ills his measuring devices and his n methods ethoda I 1 of deduction to trap the crial lal ial and by the very completeness of the ills case against him force him to a no one but a few confused Ivl llana and a couple of fairly astute aw officers both of the latter wor k ins ing in different directions and by hie ill variance atice of their theo iles obstructing rather than alding it solution it wits was 1 one ane of those climes which seemed ilk like 3 y to remain a mystery unless some son 1 4 3 j I 1 occurred to clear it up and A n 1 Is he accident did occur one of the tri ingest accidents ever written into a mystery plot mid so terrifying in its effects that it brought a voluntary and n rid quite unexpected confession from the guilty party geraldine Geraldl no conner bonner has written ninny many clever stories anti and established herself 11 is 11 a 11 in master a 11 ter of thrill fiction PROLOGUE 1 oue of the morning trains that tap the lie little towns along the alie sound ran into tile grand central depot delot the passengers few in ili number for it was midsummer and people were going out of town not coming in III tiled up tile the long plat platform forill to tile elt one of them thein wits was it girl fair and young with vi ath distinctive attributes of good looks anti anil that drew mens eyes to tier lier face and ami ti to tier her clothes people I 1 watched tier noting the little grace of her movements tier del delicate dellease leate si linness the froth of blonde hair that curled out under the lirlin of tier her lint hat she appeared appealed oblivious to the interests slie she aroused and tilts tills indifference had once been natural for to be looked at and admired admire had been tier her normal right anil and become a state stale experience experienc now OW it was vi as assumed till an armor under which he file f sought ought protection hill hid tier herself s elf from froin morbid curiosity ciulo nail angerly observing eyes to be pointed out as sybil S ibal ya tin the actress ac tresa was a very ery different thing front from being pointed out its as sybil sibil saunders deis tile the fi alicee of janies james dallas of the dallas parkinson case the dallas Pur kinson case had been a sensation aen atlon three months back james dallas it a well known actor biad ili killed homer parkinson during a quarrel in a mens club and fled before the horrified onlookers omoo keis could collect their t iv uses diblasi it a man mail of excellent character had hall had many friends who claimed cia luied circumstances 11 arkInson drunk and brutal had provoked the assault but the parkinson clan new rich oil people breathing t vengeance hai had risen to the cause of I 1 their kinsman poured out money in art an effort to bring the fugitive to justice and offered a denvard of ten thousand dollars for ills his arrest of course sybil sounders saunders had figured in the investigation vesti gation she was the betrothed of the murderer mui derer their marriage find been at hand hall she had gone through hours of questioning relentless grilling and hall had steadily maintained lier her ignorance of dallas whereabouts from the night of ills his disappearance she had heard nothing from him and knew nothing of him the Parkin sons did not believe tier her statement the police were uncertain I 1 iler her taxi rolled out into tile the sweltering heat incandescent streets roaring under the blinding glare of tile the sun her destination was the office of f stroud and walberg theatrical munn mana gers mr walberg offered her a friendly liand hand and a chair mr wal herg a kindly hebrew was kind kindlier ifer than ever eer to tilts this particular visitor ile he was sorry for her us as who in his profession was not and wanted to kielp tier lier along and here was his apropo mitlon A committee of ladles a high sip fco clety lety bunch summering up in INI maine alne wanted to give a play for charity thornas thomas N driscoll the spool cotton magnate who was wag lit in Call fornin biad offered them ills hi place up there gull island was waa the name for tin an outdoor performance the ladles had wanted van a classic ic which mr opined opened was nil all right seeing lie the show was for charity and tin people could stand being aal bored for a worthy object twelfth night was wag diny they find selected tile the tallies ladles had placed the matter in air ir dalbergs Wal bergs hands and lie had ut at one once thought of sybil Sn saunders for viola she ans in ills opinion tile I 1 ideal person compensation was not PO 0 n fleeno but then miss sit sounders nd er not yet in chestar th the estar star cast a and d all expenses would be covered including n aln 9 a 11 week at gull island ile he had no need for faither pers ld slon for alts saunders accepted at onee once she was grateful to him film and said so and looked as if site she meant it so in a glow of mutual satisfaction they walked to the door mr walberg telling over such of the lie cart as had already been engaged sylvanus 3 grey fort forsbe be duke isabel cornell comell for maria john gordon tre vol for sir toby no one could bent beat had the lie old I 1 tradition and anno anne tracy for olivia at that name miss saunders deia had reclaimed exclaimed lit in evident pl pleasure ensure anne bracy would be perfect ind and it would ile 10 so lovely having tier her they were such friend fi lends and im going to gle give you uni in ill best director hugh bassett if with you ou und and hill they dont pull oft off a success the melne publics dumber than I 1 thought ifer her business accomplished miss saunders cra went acine site she lived in III 0 of f those thom ellid toa town it blocks of old brown stone houses into lints letting herself lit in with a latell key site she us as bended two hights tit nt a rapid run rull unlocked tier door mid anti entered upon the liot hot empty Ittle tude of tier lier own doni donl aill she throw lur her lint hat on 11 chair cliner fall ilig upon the divan spelled tit the paper that he had lidid carried ance site alie left the orand hand central station sliu folded the tinges pages back nt at tile the pet bonal nl fill and settled tiber it bent motionless tier lier eyes ees traveling d down 0 v it its length suddenly t they 11 ey stopped focused focus od on oil a took it pud find and pencia front tle the desk it small table up lip to tile divall spread the newspaper on oil it and coaled the paragraph onto into the pud pad it ran its follows slater ster carrle Edin und stoney broke but albert to licup think w wo e ought to chip in call a date be arranged for discussing its ills affairs sam and lewis she studied it for some soine time tile the pencil suspended then it descended crossing out letter after letter till three 4 now he had grown bolder telling her where he was words rema remained I 1 ned edmonton nd monton ton alberta canada canaan the signature site guessed as the name lie went by she burned the written paper grit ding it to powder in the asli ash tray I 1 im tic newspaper she threw into the wastebasket where luella the mulatto woman who did up for tier lier would fand it in the morning she felt certain luella was paid to watch her but ale he had continued to keep the evil eyed creature fearful that tier her dismissal would make thern more than ever wary strengthen their suspicion that sybil saunders was in communication with tier her lover the deadly danger of it was cold rt at her heart she had heard directly from him once a letter the day after he had fled the only one that even he reckless lit in ills his despair had find dared to send in alint lie h lad nol told tier her to watch the personal column in a certain paper and had given lier the names by which she could identify tile the paragraphs slie she had watched wat clied and twice found the message and twice waited in sickening fear for discovery it hall had not happened now lie he had grown bolder telling tier her where he was it was as ii if ills hand beckoned tier her to come she could write to jilin him at last ins t do it tilts this evening and take it out after dark lying very ery still tier her hanus hanas clasped behind her lit head ad she rtin mn over lit in tier letter boxes boe post offices where sit she might mall it were ere the lie ones lit in crowded or tawie e in secluded byways bv was tilt the it was like walking through grasses glasses where live wires wert wen hidden A ring tit it the boll bell nunly lui her leap to tier her feet feel with wild visions of tives lives hut but it was only anno anne tracy lincy come jn in to set her if site she was baik back fro from it tier her visit on oil tile the bound it vas 11 colu fort to see anno anne she always ul ns ailed acted as if things were just it they hall had been field awnet 11 disturbing ques 4 she was MIS Sll ls best fi friend lend to have bun been tier hut but site she knew no inbae of Q sybila secrets sn rits since jim dallas disappeared any otle one ose and slie she never IH M I sought s it I 1 know alint mas 1 wily l the held they lind it great deal to tull full about but calelly tin tilt affair anne wits nus ile tell nied aed bilat sybil lind to lo play sit klio did not lot 8 iiii till sho she ally 1 jill to sybila i recent conducting of liei hel life but liri her enthus lasal it ull lilt was sis 6 it ohp sad rud girl gill into interest tile viola co cos tunit was na brought front its cut cui board the golden wig 1 tried on oil lion anne took liei her late in tile day site felti felt nuch relieved rell eLd eved about tier lier friend she wits MIS coming conil ng bink backi out ing hillve again anne occupied another little lint hut oli 0 another of tile bild town ton streets lit in un all other of the brownstone unstone br houses lloid was one roon target fur tier brother biot liei joe tracy lived with tier when lion nol pursuing ills profession on oil tilt road there were mere hiatuses in joes pursuit purs during dining which lil cli lie he inhabited a 11 senall bedroom its ih the lie tear rear and an caused anne aline it a great deal of worry oiin and expense joe ammi antly did not worry orry not about the expense absence of work aik oik wore w ore K on ills hla temper not because anno anne had to carry tilt the lat flat alone but because e lie he lind had no spending ili money olleY they said ald it wits mia ills temper that stood lit in ills way something did for foi lie mia its an all excellent actor with that power of himself into tin an empty receptacle le to lie he filled liy by tilt character hu it portrayed hut but directors alio lio had had bud exper experience lence of john hlin talked about ins ills natural meatiness tind and shook their heads people who m tried to be sympathetic with etli anne about hini got little satisfaction all the most persistent persis teut ever extracted was as nn 1111 admission that joe was difficult hugli hugh bassett had biad boosted and helped and lectured him anti and not for love of joe for la ills his I 1 heart ebirt bassett thought him it 11 pret ty ho hopeless hope lesi proposition that hutt evening alone lu in her ter parlor anne was thinking about him film ile he lud had no engagement and no expectation of one and it was not wise to leave illin alone in the flat without occupation she went to the lie window and leaned out tile air rose front from tit alie street breathless and dead the heated exhalation of walls and pavements baked all day by the merciless sun to leave joe to tills while sit slie e was basking backing in tho the delights of gull island apart front from anything aidi thing lie might doit fair and then suddenly tile the egression of tier lier face change and tin blie bhe drew diew lit in from the window litell bassett was down the street the bell rung lung slie ilie pushed tilt the button and presently I 1 e wits at tile the door saying saving lie he was passing and thought hed drop in for a minute lie ile wits was rt at big thickset thick set man inan with a quiet reposeful quality unshaken even by the hent heat lie he hud had dropped in a great deal this summer and us its the droppings jn in became more frequent annes outside engagements gage ments became less they always simulated a mutual surprise giving then them time to get over that somewhat breatt breathless liless moment of meeting they achieved it rather better than usual tonight for their minds were full of tile the same subject bassett hail had come to impart the good news about sybil and anne had seen tier her and heard till all about it finally when they had thrashed out all the lie matters of first importance bassett basett said did you iou tell h her er that walberg wanted aleck stokes for the duke no I 1 say bay a word about it what was the usel use it would only have upset her and put a stop to it TO BE CONTINUED |