--\!
The Long Green Gaze
A Cross Word Puzzle Mystery
fijj Vincent Fuller
V.-J\
(Continued from Ynlerrinj.)
“I wish to heaven.” Janet confided
to him in a whisper, “that I hadn't
been scrapping with her just before
It happened. Of course, there can't
be any real connection, but I'd feel a
lot more comfortable if 1 hadn’t been
shooting off my mouth so. It gives
me the willies. I—”
"Aw, forget It. Nobody’s thinking
about you In this.”
"That detective is—he was Inquisi
tive as—well, he had me all balled
up.”
Jarvis, who had finished eating first,
after a few words with Burke, took
* central position on the hearth, fac
ing them all. “I'd like to say a few
words It you don’t mind.” he said, “as
soon as the servants come In. This
Is a pretty nasty situation for all of
us, and It seems to me we have to
look at the thing frankly.”
Soames, Johnson and Cordelia, the
negro cook, stepped Just inside the
door.
“It's a hard thing to say,” he con
tinued, “but it looks very much as if
one of us was a murderer. I know
that’s a hard word, but that’s exactly
what every one of you is thinking to
himself, and you know It. We can
tell more surely, of course, after the
analyses have been made. If they
confirm the doctor's and the coroner's
judgment, this thing is serious. And
there's Just this about it. We're all
heirs In Aunt Emily's will—at least
if what we've been told Is true. We
don’t know about the servants, but
Noames may come in for something.
That Isn't to point suspicion at
Soames; It's just to show that we’re
all In on it." Soames shifted his
weight from one leg to the other.
"That means that until some clues
are found, we're all equally under
suspicion. The detectives may dis
cover at once who Is guilty. When
all our movements have been traced,
and the food analyzed, there ought to
lie a pretty clear case. Of course,
they may not find the person at once.
In any event. It’s the duty of each
of us to use his head, to turn over
every Item that might hear on the
matter, to review very carefully the
day’s events, and to do everything, in
short, to help catch the guilty person.
Furthermore”—he took a step for
y 1 . >
Europe
--Day by Day
___—I
By O. O. MTNTYRE.
Paris. March 26.—People who live
by their wits naturally gravitate to
Paris, The bulk of the floating popu
lation Is here to spend—and there
are always plentiful crumbs for the
gleaners. I met an unusual fellow of
this type today.
He was nattily dressed—smart
suit, white gloves and walking stick.
He swung along with me on the
Champs Elysees. He suggested sever
al adroit measures for separating me
from the pitiful remnants of my
traveler's check book.
And when he saw the folly of It he
began to talk of himself with a naive
frankness.. Fifteen years ago he said
be was a "Come to Glory man” with
an Itinerant hot-gospeler. It was bis
job to lead the procession to the
mourner's bench for which he was
paid $2 a night.
Race tracks then claimed him and
he told of the days he served as a
tout at Idttonia, Havre de Gras and
other racing centers. Next a "shill"
at county fairs, which career was
inglorlously ended by a five-month
term In the county caboose.
He knew the half-world of wire
tapping and confidence schemes
along Broadway and had figured in
many. Ten years ago he became an
ocean, greyhound and traveled back
*nd forth on liners mulcting the un
suspecting with cold decks. He was
finally barred.
So he came to Paris. And has
lived In rather a grand fashion ever
since. He said he only Interested
himself In boobs who had what he
called “Important money.” He Inti
mateS that In certain shady trans
actions he had police protection for
a split of the spoils.
* There Is an agency on the Capu
nines that furnishes hired profes
sional mourners for funerals. It Is
their job to don black frock coats and
walk along with the hearse. Every
Frenchman stops and lifts his hat un
til a funeral procession passes. The
very poor hire wreaths of tin flowers
for a few sous to be placed on the
coffin of their dead.
The most pathetic American I
have met In Paris Is one who decided
to surprise his fiancee by an unex
peeted visit. He arrived at Cherbourg
In the evening. She had left for
America that morning.
Fruit merchants in Paris have
monograms on their fruit. A paper
pattern is pasted on the fruit as It
Is growing and the sun rays cause
the imprint. Monogrammed fruit is
about double the price of ordinary
fruit.
Florence and Palmer Jones are two
(Southern darkles who run The Ren
dezvous Florence at 3(1 Rue rigalle.
It opens at 2 o'clock In the morning
and remains open sll night. They
sing negro songs, the"mammy” craze
having swept Montmartre. Three of
. the smartest clubs In Paris are run
by American negroes. "Sneeze." a
New York cabaret, character, Is open
ing up another place for the summer.
When they become too prosperous,
however, France has a way of shut
ting them up. I
Incidentally Franc# had a way of
shutting me up today. I was prowl
ing about a department store which
for the American Is a real mystic
maze. I was after some shaving
soap and for at least sn hour I was
sent one way or another and Wound
up finally at. the department for
ladies' chemises. When I ssked to
see shaving soap a. lady begun pul
ling out one chemise after another
from the shelf. So | collected all my
furious blushes and walked right
straight home. I had really nothing
to say.
The little flower girls that tag
vour heels st. nlglil with failed bou
quets reveal the lazily of French
laws to protect children Hundreds
of them are out until long after mid
flight and many may he seen sound
•sleep in doorways adjacent to thea ,
fit and egiss,
• I
ward and his voice grew taut—"you
want to remember this: One of us is
a murderer. Bear in mind the fact
that one who has murdered once may
do it again. I wouldn’t advise any
of you to confide suspicions to an
other. You might be confiding them
to-the person we’re all after. I guess
that’s all I’ve got to say about it.”
The group was silent as they all
thought over the Implications of what
had been said. Soames, .iohnson and
Cordelia left. Ghupal drummed on
the window pane with nervous
fingers. Occasionally Burke passed
the door as he paced up and down
the hall. Chalfonte watched Ohopal,
and frequently their glances met.
“A nice time I’m giving him.” Chal
fonte mused. As ills hook closed un
consciously in his hands, his thoughts
ran back to their first meeting: a
great white palace, weirdly out of
place, and at the same time native
to the Himalaya foothills to which It
clung ... a tired traveler trying to
make himself understood by the half
dozen swarthy ruffians who had de
scended upon him from nowhere, and
stood now with suspicion and dislike
plain upon their faces ... a quick
movement toward him . . . then a
voice addressing him in cultured Eng
lish from the top of a jagged boulder
. . . the fading away of the natives
... a pale bliue turban, glinting with
threads of silver . . . then under the
turban, the coppery face with which
he was now so familiar. It had been
more than a temporary rescue in the
India which his dying father had
urged him never to visit: it had lie
come, as they told each other who
they were, and exchanged various
opinions, an odd companionship.
When he had been ready to return to
America, Ohopal had wanted to come.
And Chalfonte gladly consented. . . .
Chalfonte's reverie was broken by
the sudden appearance of Burke be
fore the startled and nervous group.
"Which one of you,” he demanded,
"knows anything about this?"
They all looked in amazement at a
sheqt of white paper on which a de
sign of black and white squares
arrested every eye in the room.
"Why. it’s a skull and crosshones!"
Miss Minty cried.
"What it looks like, all right,"
Burke agreed. "I just found it on
the dining room table at Mrs. Bun
seath’s plare. What I want to know
is: Who left it there and who made
it?”
There was no answer.
CHAPTER IV.
"The Moving Finger.”
After a dismal breakfast, at which
everybody had made It a point to he
present, the party gravitated uncon
sciously toward the library. There,
only Jarvis Marsden and Homer Chal
fonte read, Chalfonte smoking a big
calabash pipe. The% others merged
Into mottling groups, talking uneas
ily of the weather, politics—and then,
occasionally, as If some dam had brok
en—of the "death."
It is difficult enough to he com
panionable In the presence of death;
to be so In the presence of murder,
and, possibly, in the presence of the
murderer, is somew hat more difficult.
Nobody tried.
Ted and Janet sat In the Inglenook.
oppressed by a moody silence that was
broken only by the rasp of a match
as Ted lit one of his Innumerable
cigarets, and by the nervous tap-tap
of Janet’s slipper on the tile hearth,
"if only they'd catch somebody,"
Janet sighed. "This is just the mess
iest thing I ever got Into. I had night
mares all night long."
"Well, don’t tell us about ’em.
We’ve all got some of our own.”
Janet opened the morning paper to
read again the account of the mur
der, and to look at the pictured de
sign of the skull and crosshones found
on the table in the dining room.
"if that thing Is a cross-word puz
zle, Ted. why weren't the verticals
and horizontals numbered?"
"Ask the author.” *
"Is'nt that what I'm doing?"
"Say—return to sanity, will you?
If you think I made that thing, you're
just a little dumber than I thought
you were." His tone was gruff.
"Now don't he Umrhy. I'd suspect
anybody here of doing It. All I know
Is that I didn’t do It. If you didn't,
all right. I'm going to number these
horizontals and verticals anyway.
That's something to do." Quickly her
pencil filled in the first squares of the
spaces devoted to the crlss crossing
words. "Now,” she announced w-hen
she had finished. "If only we had the
definitions, maybe we'd have some
thing. Grant—"
Grant Fowler, ruddy of face, hut
troubled of eye, crossed the room at
Janet's biding. “Why didn't you glvt
the definitions along with the puzzle
Grant?” she asked.
Grant became even ruddier of face
“Janet, you don't think I made that
do you? ... I have enough on tnj
mind without doing any kid tricks likv
that. I've been suspecting you ant
Ted. to tell the truth. And I don I
think you ought to do such things.
This is serious enough without any
thing like that. Here I'm kept from
my office all this Itnie. and no end
in sight, livery deal I have will go
to smash. This thing Is Just about
going to ruin me. Anil Helen's all
shot to pieces.”
”1 didn't mean to accuse you of It.
really, Grant, . . You’re an old dear,
of course, even if you can't think o.
anything except Helen nil real esta»e.
. . . You haven't .seen anyth)’:* of u
list of definitions, hi vp you?"
“Not a word of one.”
“I'm going to tuk” this tiling to
Iltirke,” Ted announced, l icking ui>
the paper in which .1 met had 111110
Uereh the square* of the x\‘ r «*
Burke he found in the diniv, n»»ui
with other mon.V-r* of rh»* • t.o* lii
‘-viuud.” Ail ol ’hem hoi purer hhi
-•harts it) haiiil. mu r. ir..* he.i swa!)
time for hip..
“Vu, m - . I vu '.i t toinf; lo!
work 0:1 a c?iue that !*me'ood> 'e drau
trin.^ across the ti;d!, just to plea
college boy 3 curiosity. . . , Yoi
woi*.a • 'it it yourself, If you want to
yjy ’ujdnew* finding a three let
!♦— wt r' meaning emu’ but h two
iwed being meaning hnurdererd.
Nov. you ok* ir out.”
"Well, do you give to** 'leave tt
work on U»I* myself, then?”
“All ?h* leav*» you want, just *<•
you siii k around here. and don t both
er u»."
Willi n fb. ,ed fi.ee Tml left 'h
loom. I ll filin'. Hint bird Who tin
the most Ivory In his load. I mn
not *>e good enough for college, bu
I'm sin*' just ns good ns he is us
detective. And here goes.*’
I To lie Continued Tomorrow.!
THE NEBBS ' THE END OF A PERFECT DAY. Directed for The Omaha Bee by bol He.,
• ✓well if ycu'-^
fTHINK SOO CAN Oo\
[ BET1 EH MAYBE 1
\ YOU SHOULD TAKE
/ THE POSITION * SHE
I NEVER COULD KEEP
I a Girl over two
i VYE-EkS because
\ SHE'S SO FUSSY 1
\ AND UNREASONABLE;
\ ~ \(3UT l THINK VOU
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vix u
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1 THOUGHT l OUGHT! i THE DOLLAR, \
TO TELL YOU I \ EMMA, BUT WE- \
COULD MAKE A \ M£N|B£R, I'M NOT j
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WEEK AND IM TRY- | WORK. 1VE DONE \|
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V GO I LL HAVE \ 1 CAN DO IT AGAIN i j
1 SOMETHING WHEN/ \ A KITCHEN IS NO ;j
V 1 MARRY MAX / \ PRISON TO ME - /
I SOMETIMES . \ 1
FEEL LIKE 1M
missing a lot .
\ OF LIFE STAYING /
AWAY FROM IT/
rCTV. ' C that's too CW>-\ i
/VOL- THINK OF I / AWFULLY SORRY TO\ ,
/ t.Tatmok OF l HEAR it - MV DRIVERS \
npp? SHE TRIED \ ' WENT ON A STRIKE \
'TO HIRE EMMA ' 1 TOOAY - MV BOOK-KEEPER \
'AWAY FROM I \0UIT BECAUSE SHE COUlONT; j
ME! | HAD TO j &ET ALONG WITH MY ,
\ GIVE HER A J SECRETARY - A FIRM \
\ DOLLAR MORE / l WENT BROKE OWING ME J
' A WEEK' / OVER 800 DOLLARS- \
\ BUT THIS NEWS ABOUT]
V. EMMA IS TERRIBLE- J
\ ITS SPOILED MY,- y ,
\ WHOLE
fcL \ T
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BRINGING UP FATHER - ,, ,Rp,i*t,T*i(#, SEE J,GGS AND MAGG,E ,n full Drawn for The Omaha Bee by McManus
UlXinVilllVJ 1 rt I 1 1U1\ U. S. Patent Office PAGE OF COLORS IN THE SUNDAY BEE ICopyrieht 192SI
THACT'tj the
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—
1925 by Inti. PeaT'jbc Service. Inc.
Crest Brrtstn ri|hti reserved
JERRY ON THE JOB DOCTOR’S ORDERS Drawn for The Omaha Bee by Hoban
-- -- —. _ __ (Copyright 1925)
, "
1 6oTTA Sfet A Oot
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IF I IAIE WT OUT TO THE
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Movie of a Man Making a Great Discovery. By BRIGGS
PoTTCRlMG ABout*th?
Yard lookin<j fow.
pl*mt . Life
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pokinks up uiiAves
ANOliTHAW
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To ASTONISMED \JUIF(?'
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ADMIRATION
ABIE THE AGENT Drawn for The Omaha Bee by HershfieU
ACCIDENTS R\PPF.N—FOR THE BEST
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'3 27
