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Show .iThe Sealed Trunk by HENRY KITCHELL WEBSTER , , Copyright The Bobbe-MerrM Co. WKD get-Hoe ' , boarding house, hud been to sent that trunk with strips of gummed paper all around the lid. tier father's dying reference to his papers prevented her from destroying de-stroying the thing. Art or the bur glary she'd looked at It to make sure It was undisturbed, but at thai time, preoccupied by the loss of her three hundred dollars, she hadn't thought much about It Up to now. until she heard Claire Cleveland pronounce the word California, Cali-fornia, she'd been able In her sensible sensi-ble moments to remind herself that all she'd ever seen in the trunk had been laboratory notes and diagrams, dia-grams, to argue that In all probability proba-bility it contained nothing else, and to promise herself that some day she would open It up, go through it methodically, and make an end of her nightmare once and for all. But now the nightmare was true. These people certainly Claire, and probably Forster and his nephew- I 1 WHAT WENT BEFORE At a danca Martin Forbes, newspaper reporter, meets "Khoda White." Ha overhears a conversation conversa-tion between Has Lewis and a woman which ha believea con-cerna con-cerna Rhoda. Ha recalls a "blind ad" Inquiring for "Rhoda McFar-land" McFar-land" and senses a newspaper story. Ha believes that Khoda'a real rnimt Is McFarland. She refuses re-fuses to admit or deny it. but Martin was right. Her Ufa In California had been happy after ber mothers death until misfortune misfor-tune overcame her father. Professor Pro-fessor McFarland. They move to Chicago. The professor dies suddenly, sud-denly, vainly trying to tell Rhoda about "papers" tn a trunk. Rhoda gets a Job as stenographer and takes rooms with "Babe" Jen. nlngs. Martin discovers that the "blind ad" advertiser Is C. J. Forster. Rhoda admits her Identity. Iden-tity. A mysterloua "Claire Cleva. land" asks Rhoda for an Interview. Inter-view. CHAPTER IV Continued "Well, rm glad it didn't bother you that I knew I" (She wasn't! Her voice gave her awny every time. It was flat now wltb disappointment disap-pointment over the loss of a weapon she'd counted on.) "You won't mind, then. If I call you Miss McFarland?" "Not a bit t My best friends know it's my real name. Only, why don't you call me Rhoda?" She hoped her voice didn't give her away, too. The next moment she had to manage to call her companion compan-ion Claire. "I'm a working girt, myself," said Claire, "or I have been until lately. Are you a stenographer? That's what I was. There may be ways that look easier, but In the long run I hey don't pay. Whereas now you take me, I was never out of a good Job, and the last man I worked for gave me a tip on the stock market that I made enough out of so that I dnn't have o work any more ever, unless 1 like. He owed It to me. all right. I'd made him more than that. I'd practically managed all his affairs for six years. It was easy, though; didn't take near all my time and I used to do outside out-side work afternoons and sometimes some-times evenings. That's how I happened hap-pened to work for your father." "Oh, I see." Rhoda agreed brightly. bright-ly. "1 remember how often he used to go back to work evenings. I always al-ways hated to have htm do It" '"' "You poor kid I You must have been lonesome!" want to do; go over your father's papers and pick out what she likes? It was a moment before she could trust her voice to -answer and even then it didn't sound quite right "Oh, that won't be necessary," she said. "I'm sure I can find it if It's there, and It won't be any trouble at all." Claire glanced at her watch and started a little. "Will you excuse me a moment, dearie?" she said. "I told a friend of mine that 1 didn't know whether I had a date for lunch today or not. 1 didn't of course, until I knew whether you'd come. And I said I'd call them up before one o'clock and let them know." Her departure worried Rhoda a little, principally because she had only two dollars with her. What If Claire had fled and left her wltb that enormous lunch to pay fori Really Claire wasn't gone very long but her return when site came was such a relief that for a moment Rhoda almost thought she liked ber. But that state of feeling didn't last long. Claire's manner had changed a little and had become vaguely disquieting. She talked be .ween and during mouthfuls all through the rest of the meal, about anything or nothing. The men! dragged to an end at last. But when, having set down her empty demi-tasse, Rhoda moved back her chair a little as a preliminary to saying she must go, Claire suddenly found that she had something left to say. "I said In my letter," she began, be-gan, "that if any strariger tried to communicate with you In any way I hoped you wouldn't answer him until you'd had this talk with me. You haven't have you?" "No. I guess not." Ithoda told het. alert again and answering as cas unlly as she could. "I don't he lleve I know whal you mean. What sort of communication?" "You havent seen It then," Claire said, with a sish of relief, "or you'd know. It was Just , a guess of mine and maybe I'm all wrong. This dirty old goat that I've been telling you about, the one thnt made me all my trouble I've sort of got him on the brain, I guess. . ." This much of which she was soylng, Rhoda reflected, was prohahly true. The hatred In the woman's voice sounded genuine, anyhow. "Maybe he Isn't doing It." Claire Mux Lewis knew it anyhow, for Rube had told him the night he brought her home that she and Rhoda worked all day at the News, and that Doris and Isabel were off on a tour with their ballet- No, Claire had asked her to luncb In order to find out something. What could she have found out? Not much, certainly. Rhoda was sure site hadn't told anything Important. Im-portant. Walt a minute, thnueh! She had snld that none of her father's fa-ther's papers had been destroyed. There was a whole trunk full of them, she'd sold, and she had sealed up the trunk. In other words, she'd volunteered the fact fool ! Silly, hnhbllng fool 1 that a sealed-up trunk waa the thing to look for. Rut had she said that It was In the studio? She couldn't remember remem-ber having said that In so many words, but she must have admitted It by Inference, since Claire had suggested coming home with her and helping In the search for the paper she wanted. Had Claire expected ex-pected her to accept an offer like that? Probably not very seriously, but she might have regarded It as a chance worth taking. Anyhow, It hadn't been until after Rhoda had declined this offer, giving away her own suspicion, no doubt, hand over flst that Claire had remembered remem-bered the friend who was waiting for her to telephone. "Them." she'd snld, though; not "him." Old that really mean there were two of them; Max and his uncle, Forster? Most likely not Claire's real hatred of old Forster had seemed real enough. It must have been Max she'd telephoned to, waiting at a telephone somewhere for Claire's Instructions. His attempt yesterday to find the papers they wanted had been unsuccessful, un-successful, because he hadn't known what to look for. So he'd token her three hundred dollars Instead. Pld (In Ire know that? she wondered. won-dered. Thnt might be worth thinking think-ing Bhout later, hut she hadn't time to follow It out now. Max had tried again todny. with better Information, Informa-tion, remembering, likely enough. Just where he'd seen the sealed up trunk the day before, and had succeeded suc-ceeded without any trouhle at all. It had Just happened, within the past hour, thanks to her own plain Imbecility In giving everything away. She hated the thought of telling Martin what had happened, even , while she was wishing he were here at her elbow now telling her mi ifj One of the First Things She Had Done After Her Flight From the Hotel. had their connection with her fa ther back In the days of the horror hor-ror and for some unthinkable purpose pur-pose of their own, wanted the thing due ud. what to do. Well, couldnt she think of anything, do anything, for herself? Was she going to sit down and let thnt pair of crooks get away with It? They were probably up at Claire's fiat now gloating over their booty, grinning about how easy she'd been. She wouldn't call the police. She couldn't do that, with the story of her father's disgrace Involved In the matter, a' d they knew It. That's what they were counting on. They'd been too clever for her; not Max, but Claire. The mere fatuous smirk on Max's beefy handsome face was enough to tell anybody that there was no Intelligence behind be-hind It He took Claire's orders. In spite of the rich uncle Martin thought he was afraid of, . Forster I The old man who had given her and Babe the ride downtown down-town In his limousine that morning. That hadn't been chance, of course. He'd been trying to And -her. and . he'd succeeded somehow. He was playing a hand of his own In this game. Her body stiffened under the Impact Im-pact of an Idea. Could she use him as an ally against the other pair? Claire was afraid of him, too, she thought She must be. to hate him like that Anyhow, she'd dune everything she could to keep Ithnda from going to him. She'd warned ber In the letter against an- , swerlng his advertisement, and had rubbed the warning In today at lunch. Well then, why not go to him now. ns quickly as a taxi could take her to the Worcester hotel? Thnt was where Martin said he lived. Take Claire's letter along as a bit of documentary evidence. She got the tetter out of the drawer of the writing desk, crammed It Into her ulster pocket slummed the studio door behind her and darted down the two long flights oi stairs to the street. "Worcester hotel." she snld to the taxi driver who pulled up to the curb when she slgnnled him. It was quite s ride the better part of a mile, at least and though she didn't want to chill with wet blankets, the fine warm resolution . that possessed her, she couldn't help doing It. ' . Forster might not be a desirable ally even If Claire hated him. He might he as bad as she said he was. He might huve been her father's arch enemy. There wouldn't be much satisfaction In spoiling Claire's and Max's game If doing thnt Involved delivering herself over., tied ham' and foot. Into the power of a man like that And could she spoil their game? Could she convince Forster that Clnlre and his nephew were conspiring con-spiring against him? To what extent ex-tent hnd Claire given herself away In the letter? TO BB CONTINUED.) Rhoda fell her face burning as If It had been slapped. This woman's profession of sympathy was an Insult In-sult she couldn't stand. She looked down at her plate ond managed to swallow a few morsels of the food that was on It When she thought she could command her voice she broached the main subject of their Interview. "You asked In your tetter about a paper yon had given him to keep for you. I haven't destroved any of my father's pnpers." Rhoda told ber. "There was a whole trunkfttl of them and I sealed It up Just as it was. What sort of paper was It?" The woman, despite her pretended pretend-ed hesitations and reluctances, was perfectly ready with her answer. Rhoda listened Intently for a sentence sen-tence or two and then more or less switched off her mind to other things. It was glaringly evident she was lying. The gist of the story was that a wicked man had wronged her years ago when she was a mere girl. The paper was. It seemed, a sort of confession con-fession which she had. somehow, forced him to give her. Its value to her was that It showed her to hove been really Innocent though ' If she had heen wronged in the nsunl way It wns hard to see whnt good the exhlhlflon of this document docu-ment would do her with anybody. Rhoda asked no questions, however, and pressed for no. details. Claire's reason for wanting her paper so desperntely after all these years was not the least remarkable port of the narrative. She wns planning to be married and she had reason to believe that her enemy meant to try to prevent It by telling tell-ing the man some lies shout her. P.nt If she had his confession to confront him with, he wouldn't dare say a word to her fiance. Rhoda hoped her face looked as if she were believing If all. but she was afraid It didn't. "I can see how badly you must want It." she snld. when the story wns finished. "I'll try my best to find It for yon." "Will It take very long?" Clnlre asked. "Before you can start look. Ig for It, I mean. Of course you can't tell how long It will tak you to find It." "No," Rhoda assured her. "T'l! go at It as soon as I get home this afternoon." "That certainly Is mighty sweet of yon." Clnlre hurst ont. with i sudden snffnslon of warmth. "It seems a shame to make yon si much trouble I'll felt you what we might do," she added, "l et me go along with yon and help yon look. I ronld probably find It quicker than you could, because I know Just what to look for." The attempted ensunlness of the suggestion may. have heen a little overdone. Whether for that reason or another there flashed Into Rhodn's memory, as clearly as If she were hearing It over a radio a question Martin hai asked her that morning: "What does she went on, "but It's exactly the kind of thing he would do. He's old and he's got rheumatism so bad he can't walk without two canes but I bet he still likes voung girls as much as he ever did. He al ways got them whenever he could." Rhoda found herself getting frightened. The old man who had given her and Babe a lift thl morning had two ennea with him In the car. There was some horrl fylng admixture of truth In the lies the woman was telling her. "He must know about you," Clolre went on smoothly, "because he was In business. In a way, with your father. I don't know- very much about thnt except that he played your father about the dirtiest trick Ihnt a mnn could play on another man. For anything I know he may think your father left you something some-thing thnt he wants somethlna among his papers hut I don't believe be-lieve It's that. I think It's because he knows you're young, and pretty and have no one to look after you Anyhow, when I snw the ad In tin paper for Rhoda McFarland It came over me like second sight that that must be Forster up to bis old tricks again." "Forster?" Rhoda asked. Her lips felt stiff but she seemed able to talk all right. "Has he been advertising ad-vertising for me? Whnt sort of ad vertisement?" "Oh. the regular sort that's in the personal columns saying you'll learn something to your advantage by applying to so and so. That's good. If It's Forster who put In the nd. Of course I don't know thnt It's him. It hasn't gut his name to It ; Just letters. like XYZ. That's , enough in Itself to show that he Isn't on the level. Didn't your fa ther ever tell you about him? I don't suppose he would, though." Rhoda shook her head. It was under the fasrinntlon of terror thnt she asked, almost Involuntarily, the question. "Whnt sort of trick was It that he played on mv father?" . "Why. It's my personal opinion." said Claire, "though of course I don't know anything about It. It happened long before your father and I got acquainted hut It's my private opinion thnt Forter ws somehow or other at the bottom of the whole thing: your father's troo ble out In California. I mean." To Rhoda It was as If a burled thing hnd renred Its head after ail these years and stared at her Ever since her fat tier's death tliere'd heen an unacknowledged fear In the hot turn of her mind that this would happen -something like this. It had taken Its first vague nightmare form when, as a child of fourteen, she'd rend in the papei about an other trial under the .Mann act. It hnd been a fear of finding something some-thing that would give form and hody to this nightmare thnt had kept her from going over the pa pers In the old leather trnnk the day after her father died One of the first things she had done after her flight from the hotel, up In the little ball bedroom of her Drat She Sat there frozen. ' It was seconds before she could even turn her eyes from the woman's horrible face. "Yon know about It don't you?" Claire was saying. "You must know something about It Why, there wasn't hardly anything else In the papers at the time especially the Son Francisco papers. You don't wont to tnke a thing like that too hnrd, dearie." At that Rhoda managed to drag her hypnotized eyes away and turn them on her empty coffee cup. "Of course, to hear people talk dirty hypocrites you'd think a thing like that had never hnp pened before. It's happening all the time, only they didn't hopper, to get caught You must know yourself that a good looking girl could get any mnn If she wanted htm ; practically any man. They're funny that way most men are. But your father , . . I think they put something over on him. Of course," she hastened to add. "I wouldn't wnnt to be held to anything any-thing I couldn't prove, and naturally natu-rally I couldn't prove one single thing about this. Rut If there was a nigger In the woodpile, it was this man Forster And vou can piny that right across the hoard There's no way that you could get hack at him that I can see. be cause It was all over and done long ago. But there's one thing you can do. and that's lay off from him If he tries to come around." Rhoda heard her move her chair hack a little and thnt broke the spell. Glancing up she saw the woman gazing thoughtfully at her watch. "Well, I guess I've had my sny," she concluded. "And I know you must he wanting to run along. I'm going to order a taxi. I enn't take yon anywhere In It can I?" She hadn't quite snld her sny. though, for as she rose to leave the tnh!e she ndded. "You won't forget to look up thnt paper of mine, will you. denrle?" Despite her panic, Rhoda was nhle to note thnt this hnd heen i clear afterthought, and not a com plete one. either. Clnlre hadn't told her where she lived. Ithoda went home. She didn't known how she got there. Nor dl 1 she plnn what she'd do when she did. She hnd no clear expectation of whnt she'd find. But hy the time she had climbed the long flight of stairs and let herself Into the studio with her latchkey and flown straight up to her little bedroom tn the loft and looked under the bed, she was not mlly surprised to see that the trunk was gone. CHAPTER V The Enemy's Lair. HAD Claire's Invitation to lunch been anything but a trick to insure her bseru-e from the mi utlio while It was being broken into? It wouldn't have been necessary to do that and Claire probably knew It |