Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 29 March 1937 — Page 16

wn BEG Be rr Gl mp i i i i

PAGE 16

By Nard Jones

BEGIN HERE TODAY Martha Brittain and Betty Haynes overspend on their California vacation trip and find themselves stranded in San Diego. They answer an ad of the Airspeed Trailer Co. and obtain an assignment to travel up the West Coast, demonsirating the new de luxe trailer. Their suspicions ares aroused somewhat when Arnold Sloss of the Aicspeed company fails to ask for either bond or references. They return to their apartment to mack. At their door they surprise a handsome young man frying to enter. Anologetically, he tells them he stepped

of at thes wrong floor and that he is |

Gerry Neal, They start north. And then on the outskirts of a little town they pick up Neal, hitch-hiking. He tells them he is to meet a friend, Jack Speddon, at Long Beach. Bui at Long Beach auto camp, Neal has disappeared from the trailer. Speddon appears, says he can't understand Neal's behavior and drives off with Betty to check if Neal is at the last gas station visited by the girls. Hour and a half later, Betty and Speddon are still missing. Frantic, Martha calls police. Soon after a loud knock sounds on the trailer door.

NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY

CHAPTER FIVE

ARTHA opened the door. “Somebody here to ser you,” the auto camp manager said meaningly, and the burly man put in, “You telephoned headquarters?” “Yes . . . please come in.” The camp manager hesitated. “I guess you won't be wanting me Any more.” “T would like to say, if there's going to be any trouble I'd just as soon you got your outfit away from here. My wife—" “That's okay. I want to talk to the lady.” The burly man shut the door and turned to Martha. “My name's Sloan. What's all this story you ‘phoned in?” Hurriedly, sometimes a little incoherently, Martha told him—beginning with the time they had met Gerry Neal in the apariment hallway at San Diego. Sloan allowed her to go on without interruption, but when she had fin-

ished he chilled her with a state- |

ment and a question:

“Looks to me like you're connect- |

ing up a lot of things that don’t make sense. so sure your friend was snatched?” Martha's jaw dropped. “Why, I —] saw them leave!”

“Sure. I get that part of it all | her own |

right. But she left of free will, didn't she? So how do vou know she didn't cotton to this fellow? How do vou know they didn't decide to take in a movie or something?” Sloan got up. bending his head a little to accommodate his height in the trailer. “I'll bet she turns up before morning.”

un n u

“OR a moment Martha was without words. Then when she found words she was almost too angry to utter them. “It might interest vou—if facts do interest you—that Betty wouldn't do that. . . . Oh, you've got to believe me, Mr. Sloan! She—" “Now don't get excited. Just put yourself in her place, Miss Brittain, You were adventurous start out in this trailer clear up the coast. You took a chance on picking np a fellow on the highway. You wouldn't yell and scream just because you'd told somebody you'd be back in an hour.” He paused a moment, perhaps warned by Martha's rising “Anyhow, give this thing another 12 hours. If she’s not back by that time we've got something.”

“Twelve hours?” repeated Martha | aghast. “Why, in 12 hours that blue |

roadster could be four or five hundred miles from here.” Sloan shrugged. you need to worry a bit, Miss Brit-

tain. They're taking care of that

down at headquarters.” “Is—is this all you're going to do?” “It's all T can do,” Sloan said. “I just came out to get vour story, and I'll make a report. If this does turn out to be something screwy, then all the pieces will fit together. Good

night, Miss Brittain. You better get |

a little sleep and quit worrying about your friend.”

» u ”

AS Sloan's broad back disappeared into the darkness Martha slammed the door of the trailer furiously. Yet as she stood there with her hands clenched so tightly that her knuckles showed white, Martha slowly realized that her fury would do nothing for Betty. She must do something—something more. But what would it be? She was so helpless. The police seemed phlegmatic, and she knew no one in Long Beach or Angeles to whom she mizht appeal for advice. It occurred to her grimly that the one person she had met—the manager of the auto camp—had only one suggestion: That she leave if there was to be any trouble!

But as she sat there thinking of |

his dubious acquaintance she heard his voice once more outside the trailer. “Miss Brittain? . . . There's a telegram for you.” Martha leaped up, swung open the door, and snatched at the yellow envelope. With chaking fingers she tore it open, and read: MARTHA BRITTAIN GOLDEN STATE AUTO PARK LONG BEACH MEET YOU PALACE HOTEL SAN FRANCISCO. CONTINUE ITINERARY AS BEFORE, CANNOT EXPLAIN NOW BRUT DO NOT REPORT TO POLICE. EVERYTHING IS ALL RIGHT. BETTY. n un on ARTHA dropped wearily to the trailer's settee, read the puzzling message again, The telegram had been sent from Tos Angeles. Was it really from Betty, or had Speddon sent it? There was no way for her to know. She read the wire for the third time, slowly, vainly trying to hit upon some word which would unalterably sound like Betty Haynes. But over her came the dismal

Jrealization that it could have been

written by Betty or a thousand others. Martha came to her feet suddeniy with a decision. She'd assume it

. was from Betty and go on to San

¥rancisco—at once. Already she'd notified the police, and she wouldn't retract that. Betty's reason for wanting the disappearance kept quiet—if, indeed, she'd sent this wire—would be to save her family from worry, She'd he afraid that the news would drift Rast to her home town.

But that wasn't as important as-- |

as Betty's life. J bi Martha decided, she'd let the

| police watch for Speddon and a against hope that in San Francisco | {blond in a roadster, while she her- | she would really rejoin Betty | self went on to San Francisco. | Haynes. |

® = = |

» ” 2 | OR. hours she paid no attention “JK VERYTHING all right, Miss| f4 ; the time, holding the wheel Brittain?” | in nerveless fingers, her eyes glued She looked up to see the auto | to the road. camp manager. In her preoccu-| nee beyond Santa Monica and | pation she had forgotten his exist- | into the straightaway she increased ence. “Why—yes. Only I'm afraid | por speed dangerously, grateful for {I'll have to leave at once instead | 1,0 fine: smooth run stretching | of staying overnight as I planned.” | jo thward. But eventually she could He seemed more relieved than iianq the grind no longer, found not. 2ut he managed to Say, | herself swerving dangerously into | “That. too bad. I hope you've | the shoulder of the road and real- | heard from your friend.” | ized she had momentarily dropped ' Martha didn’t answer. She was gqjeep. i putting on her leather jacket. | At Santa Barbara she dropped | How long she would be able to | into an all-night cafe, hoping that | drive without succumbing to wear- | coffee would revive her enough so |

iness she did not know. It did not | that she could go on. But as she | even occur to her that by leaving | climbed from the little coupe she Long Beach she had put her job in y,. a¢ Jast that her brain and | jeopardy, and that the next word | body were at the rebellion point. from Arnold Sloss of Airspeed Wearily she returned to the wheel | Trailers would undoubtedly be one | ;,,4 drove the car and trailer bedischarging her. | yond the business district, down toMartha's one thought was for w.,.q the wide stretch of sand that | Betty's safety, and her disgust with | skirted the city’s yacht harbor. Sloan's attitude had strengthened | 71, another five minutes she had | | her resolve to start out on her own. | taken down the trailer's berth, |

And as she drove the wide high-| gropped into it fully clothed, and |

HE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES :

hb LE

T OUR WAY asa

OOH ~~ LOOKIT THAT 7 YOU WANDER AROUND WITH SUCH A DUMB LOOK = NO

WONDER. TH' CAT THOUGHT YOU WAS A STUMP?

He looked at Martha. |

And what makes you |

color. |

“I don't think

Los |

| way into Los Angeles and began the | was asleep.

| long, tedious meandering through

| the heavy traffic, she kept hoping!

a (To Be Continued)

Daily Sh

CRUISING TAXI—By S. F. Knowlton

ort Story

or drove up to the lighted | gas station, opened the door of the sedan, and stepped out. | A young, uniformed attendant came to the door. “Yes, sir?” he | said pleasantly. | “Where's your hazarded. | “Gettin’ a bite to eat,” the voung {man replied. “D’ you want to see { him?” “Nothin’ | casually.

pal?” Slink

special,” “When’ll he be back?”

{watch on his wrist. “Oughta be back n 15 or 20 | minutes.” | Fine, thought Slink—the attend|ant was alone.

some other time.

[‘er up,” he added. “Guess four'll | do it.” | The attendant ran in the gasoline; withdrew the hose, and replaced the cap on the tank. | “What's the sad news?” | Slink. “Sixty-eight cents.”

| Slink, glancing up and down the |

deserted street, drew a handful of

silver from his pocket with his left |

i hand—carelessly dropped a coin. | The attendant stooped to pick it up -. .

| Slink’s right hand streaked un- |

der his coat, flashed up—down. The lead-filled tube of black leather thudded dullv. The attendant sank to the ground without a sound.

enough to |

= n un

Que: grasped the fallen man |

under the arms, dragged him inside the station, bound him, and put a strip of adhesive across his lips. Then he roughly shoved him into a corner. Straightening, Slink went to the

cash register, opened it, and emptied | it, stuffing the money into his pock- | He went to the door, looked |

ets. out, saw no one, He dashed for his car. “What's your hurry, brother?” Slink looked over his The other uniformed attendant was | coming down the dark street, Slink jumped into the car, had difficulty starting the motor, The man in uniform reached the | station, threw a quick glance through the doorway, spotted the | open cash register, and darted inside. He snatched a .38 from its | hiding place, swung on his heel, and made the door in two strides. The car was roaring away into the darkness. The man's arm raised. | He pressed the trigger—once—twice —three times. of glass as the car swerved round a corner and disappeared.

u " ”

EVERAL blocks breathed easier. shake this car, though, with its telltale bullet-riddled windows. Turning into a side street, he pulled up at the curb and climbed lout, Casually, he strolled away. At | the corner, he stopped and waited. Soon a cruising taxi appeared. | Slink hailed it. He ga: the driver the name of a street, nd said he wanted to go to a certain block, but didn't remember the exact address. | He'd know the place when he saw it, he said. The driver turned down | his meter flag, and started. The block Slink had named was in |a warehouse section of town and was poorly lighted, as Slink had [known it would be. When the cab | was halfway between {wo dim street lights, Slink tapped on the glass partition that separated him from | the driver. “All right, fella,” he called. “Here's | the piace.” { The driver pulled up to the curb, {and Slink got out. He took some | change from his pocket, fiddled with {it for a moment, then dropped a jcouple of the coins. | “Got a flashlight, fella?”

away,

| The driver took his flash from a |

|side pocket of the cab, stepped to [the sidewalk, and sprayed the {ground with the beam of light. | “There they are.” he said. | As he stooped, Slink’s right hand [once again flashed up—and down

|" This time, Slink didn't stop to

|bind his victim. He appropriated |

the driver's cap, badge, identifica[tion papers, then climbed into the | front of the taxi, and squeezed be-

{hind the wheel.

| “Cinch!” he grunted.

FRED

“Nothin’ to Now to get out of town!

! * nn

ETECTIVE SERGT. HENNESSEY, driving homeward, stopped at a red light. A taxicab, with a sereech of brakes, pulled up | alongside his car. Hennessey glanced idly at the cab, | noticed that it carried no passen- | gers, and spoke sociably to the man | at the wheel. | “How's business, buddy?” he in- | quired. | “Rotten!” the man snapped back. “Been cruisin’ around for two hours | ain't picked up a single fare.” As the jeht flicked to green, and

Slink said, |

The young fellow glanced at the |

“Okay,” he said, “I'll drop ‘round | In a hurry now. | | But while I'm here, you better fill |

asked |

shoulder. |

There was the tinkle |

Slink | He'd have to!

| the taxi leaped forward, Hennessey | gave it a sharp look, then suddenly | bounded out into the street. Fingers between his lips, he { whistled shrilly, The cab driver | looked around. Hennessey gesticu- | lated for him td stop, but instead, | the man speeded up. | Hennessey’s gun came out, spout- | ed flame. One of the rear tires of | the fleeing taxi popped—then, the other. The rear end slewed crazily, struck the curb. The door flew open. | The cab driver, automatic in hand, spilled out, shooting. Hennessey’s gun flashed again— | once. The other man’s automatic clattered to the pavement, as he | clutched at his hand. He spun about, and started to run. Hennessey was after him—had him. Snapped bracelets on his wrists. = = 2 ALF an hour later, there were . gathered, at a police station, the two filling-staiion attendants— | one with his head neatly bandaged | —the taxi driver that Slink had slugged, Detective Sergt. Hennessey —and Slink. Slink dejectedly slumped | chair,

in a Suddenly, he straightened, leaned forward, and glowered at | Hennessey. “Say!” he spat out. “How the devil did you know 1 was a phony?” Hennessey grinned. “Well, I'll | tell you,” he drawled. “There was | just one thing that you forgot—no | bonafide taxi driver would have | | been ‘cruising for two hours’ with | his flag down!"

THE END

i (Copyright, 1937, bv United Feature Syndicate, Inc.) |

| The characters in this story are fictitious |

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Inclose a 3-cent stamp for reply when addressing any question of fact or information to The Indianapolis Times Washington Service Bureau, 1013 13th St., N. W., Washington, D. C. Legal and medical advice cannot be given, nor can extended research be | | undertaken. | | Q—How can bone

| cleaned and bleached?

| A—When the discoloration is only |

articles be |

| | |

Q—Are the choicest grades of tea | [grown in China exported? A—Those grades are consumed chiefly in China or Russia, where they command high prices. The |! reasons assigned for the nonex-! portation to, distant countries are that the quality usually deteriorates during long transportation, and that some kinds do not keep well | unless highly “fired,” a process which impairs their flavor.

Q—Are either of the two sons of former President Plutarco Elias Calles of Mexico governors of any of the Mexican states? A—One son, Rodolfo Elias Calles, was formerly a Governor of Sonora, but does not now hold the office; the other son, Aniceto Elias Calles, was a candidate for the Governorship of Tamaulipas, but was not elected.

Q—How high are the seven hills in Rome? A—Quirinal, 171 feet; Viminal, | 183 feet; Capitoline, 164 feet: Palatine, 164 feet; Aventine, 151 feet: Esquiline, 171-194 feet; Caelius, 164 feet.

Q—In what year did the Literary Digest conduct, its first straw vote i; Presidential candidates?

A<In 1020,

Tia Rees 1

THE FA

MILIAR TOUCH.

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i COPR. 1937 BY NEA SERVICE, INC. T.M. REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. ©

| FLAPPER FANNY

“Gosh!

LI'L ABNER

| ( UES’ AS YO SAY,

MISTAH LOVE.EF YO WISHES T'MARRY uP Wir ME IN NOO YAWK , YO KIN, TH’ MAIN THING IS THET WE GIT MARRIED uP SOMEWHARS-OR-

I'M CONVINCED SOMEONE STOLE THE & PLANS FOR MY LATEST INVENTION ! How ELSE COULD FOOTPRINTS HAVE FOLLOWED THIS BOY WITHOUT HAVING BEEN

MADE

ALLEY OOP

BY A HUMAN BEING &

YES.SLN. TREY WILL SHOOT YO DAID. AS MAHSELF - NOW

15 GONE. T'GLORYAH DONT CARE WHO AH MARRIES - OR WHER AH MARRIES

FO’

(-"SHE DOESN'T WANT. 70 MARRY MORE

€ DUNNO, BE : MISTER, BUT ( WELL IM IF YoU CAN GOING TO FIGURE IT HELP You FIGURE (T

“And King Solomon had 700 wives , .

And did they all have charge accounts?”

—By Al Capp

LOOK AT -THE=BACK -TIRES

BUT IT WANT You BOYS TO SHOW

ME EXACTLY WHERE THOSE FOOT PRINTS

WERE MADE ! OSSIE, WHEN You STOPPED, DID THOSE FOOTPRINTS'

MACHINE THAT NIGHT 2

—By Blosser

1 pune!

MAYBE

(WEY, GUARDS ! HELP! our

{

(S BEING SET | TRO

—

C'MON, YOU GUYS) [OH, OH! | WHAT ? RUN OFF AN’ LET

LOOKIT / THEM MUGS SPOIL RIOT CALL! | |" (geet pow

H BELOVED KING / GUZ IN \ EVERYBODY GUARDS /I EVER SAW? ’

UBLE ouT.

~( CH, NO! NOT T=

YOU SAID IT! TH FIRST ONE OF 'EM TO LAY A HAND ON OOP TS A CLOUT ON TH’ CONK:,

GRIN AND BEAR IT

WHATS GOIN’ ON HERE, A FIGHT? HAH! 5 HEY, WHASSA ! | IDEA? LOOKOUT WHO YOU'RE YOU CE :

4 rs pay Wy pr

“Okay, I'll book the act—but why sh

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Give Your “Innards” a

Spring Housecleaning

HORIZONTAL { Pictured is the coat of arms of ——, 9 Its president. 13 Atrearage. i4 Fire worshiper. 16 Prevaricator 17 Cowboy. 10 Sea eagle. 21 Some. 22 Blessing 24 Turf. 25 Postscripy 26 Northeast. 27 Blemish. 29 Chaos. 30 Aeriform fuel. 31 Tiny particle. 33 Clothed. 34 Palate lobe. 35 Fish. 36 Procreated. 37 Transposed. 39 Musical note. 40 Bronze. 41 Musical note. 42 Snaky fish,

\} ~-CoPk. 1937 BY NEA SERVICE. 1

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Answer to Previous Puzzle

En \ vo ng Y. M. REC, 3. S. PAT, OFF.

THE RSL R]RM

44 [.assos. 49 Golf teacher. 50 To depart by boat. 52 Luncheon. 53 Ache. 54 Crimpea fabrics. 56 To stay. 58 Important crop of this 9 Junior. country. 10 Custom. 59 Female sheep. 11 Indian 60 Mountains in weights,

this republic. VERTICAL 2 Showers. 3 Color. 4 To sin. 5 Northeast, 6 Container weight, 7 Metal. 8 Monkeys.

e |7 10

12 Tooth, 15 Smell. 16 Kills by stoning. 18 3.1416, 20 Primary —= is free in this land.

4 22 Beastly.

23 Characters. 26 Pertaining to the nose. 28 Wanders. 30 To secure 32 Mire. 36 To take a bath. 38 To extend to 41 Triple 43 Italian coins. 45 Beer 46 Artifice. 47 Within, 48 Land measure 49 Recompensed. 51 Meadow 53 Skillet. 55 Point, 57 Mother

1 He

POLK'S

ould I pay this loafer for just sittin’ and readin’ ?”

Buttermilk

1 Gallon BOTTLE

MONDAY, MARCH 29, 1937 | By Sylvia

he] Tal Pd