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"Would you take my word for it that Sir Timothy will withdraw from all proâ€" ceedings against you. Remember he wants a safe return home. Money doesn‘t matter. As for Jones, a prison cell will keep him out of mischief." "Hold your tongue." Broome‘s arguments sucdenly lost force. The change came at the mention of Scotland Yard. "Or," he continued persuasively, "I could carry on alone whilée you went into hiding." "I though you said I‘d be safe from the police?"" Once more he was taking an interest in the discussion. "From the Chief, I meant," Broome said, ramming home his point. "Anyâ€" one of independent means has the whole world to roam in." "Abroad, eh?" "Why rot?" At least until the coast is clear. Later you could return and "This time they are here, and so am I. And you are still afraid to dump me by the roadside and make off for fear the police chase will then begin in earnest. Right?" "More or less." "All that is necesary is for me to telephone Scotland Yard, after which you can g0 your way, a wealthy man, while .. . % "Thats difi'erent â€" business. â€" The Chief and the rest of ‘em and me are partners." it would be tions asked bogey man "Come, aren‘t you tired of running round in circles?" "That‘s your fault mostly. Once we expected to get the notes from the safe Then we had you bring them to us. This time . . .‘ "Why nrnot?" At least until the coast is clear. Later you could return and settle down in England." "Listen, mister, England hasn‘t done me much good, nor my mates, but 1 don‘t like playing the dirty." Broome was too disappointed to answer. Major Mosson would cerâ€" tainly not have hurtled past like that had he managed to get hold of a suffiâ€" ciently speedy car to take up the pursuit. Nor could it have been the police. All he could do was to wait and see what was intended of him. He had rather expected to be taken to the kidnappers‘ headquarters as he had been when accompanied by Felicite. But this hope was rapidly fading. "Twentyâ€"five thousand pounds," he murmured, reverting to the role of the tempter. take any were “K,idnapi)ing an old man and a young girl isn‘t very clean." "In crime. Here is an ideal opporâ€" tunity to get out of the racket, to put yourself in the right and set your- self up as a gentleman from now on Reaching down, he picked up the suitecase. "Look." he exclaimed with a nice sense of drama, £25,000 in notes. All yours for the asking." The man removed one hand from the wheel, snatched at the bag and pitched it into the unoccupied rear seat. "Wouldn‘t T be a sucker," he snarled. "Where would you come in as soon as I was on my way? Setting the cops for miles away after me!" "No. I‘d keep on my own and settle with your old friends my way. Don‘t you understand that must be the case. We can‘t trust each other too far, but so long as I keep going in this car and you look after yourself we‘re both safeâ€" guarding our interests." "Are we?" "I think so. Have you a better plan?" "Mister, by this time toâ€"morrow T‘ll either be thirsting for your blood or blessing you." "Then you agree?" For answer the man drew up close to the grass verge. Switching on the roof light, he produced a road map and began to mark in pencil certain direcâ€" tions. "Here is the cove," he explained. "Couldn‘t be done." A slight hesitaâ€" tion pointed to distinct weakening. The gunman was impresea. "Some bus!" he said enviously, "Wish we had one like it. This old tub was doing a steady sixty and he left us standing." yOou "Somehow or other you‘ll have to get a boat. We had the only one in the district. This is the island." "Phew! Awkward to get at!" "IT‘ll say it is. That‘s all T can tell "Not a soul â€" and they won‘t be friends of mine after this, not by long chalks, T‘ll get out at the next town. After that it‘s up to you." Broome was only begining to appreâ€" ciate the amazing turn when they came "Anybody else there but the prisoners and your three friends?" "Looks like a car and coming along pretty fast, too." An automatic appeared in the man‘s hand as if by magic, displayed menâ€" acingly against the wheel. "First bullet for you if there‘s any monkey business," ne grated. But the overtaking motor passed with a hoot and the whirr of tyres. | 5000000000 800000008 0800000 8 88000000 00000 0000000000080 d e e L880 88 88 8 e e 8 8e e e 88 d e e e 8 9 6 "Call it ‘King‘s Evidence‘ " "A big bribe,ch?" "Suppose we call it a reward for turning King‘s Evidence." "Nothing doing, mister." Broome sighed. "I think you‘re makâ€" ing a mistake," he remarked, "If you knew The Chief you wouldn‘t think so. The cops don‘t scare me, but he does. Isn‘t there a saying about honour among thieves? That‘s us â€" sink or swim together. What‘s that beâ€" hind ?" 1 CHAPTER TX to the outskirts of a busy urban area ting the wrong side of the postman. \ with the beginning of a tram track. _ My opinion is that another address has "This‘ll suit me," announced the been written on a used envelope after driver, preparing to hand over the the original words had been removed." | controls, | _ "Why didn‘t you bring it in sooner?" "Better make sure you take the "I didn‘t think â€"it important. We proper bag." knew they were faking the postmarks." "Trust me!" ‘Thére was the sound of _ "The date is significant. Hadn‘t you clasps springing open, the brief rustle noticed it is eight months old?" ofâ€"crisp paper and a breathless chuckle., "So it seems, though it isn‘t very They parted without another word | clear." being spoken. the envelope?" "Plain enough to me. Who opened | "Sounds like Rusian to me and I haven‘t even a nodding acquaintance with the language." "Oban happens to be a town on the west coast of Scotland, in Argyllshire, to be precise. Thanks to Diling we have been able to get beneath the top address on the envelope. They hapâ€" pened to fade the original wirting with a chemical compound. After treatment in the laboratory and submission to Xâ€"rays we know that it was first sent to Mr, Felix Scrandon, Cnoce Dearg, Chroisg street, Oban. They‘re fond of t@aAa ia ihawra UOAanve T +ala JSave your breath, mister. I could ) it any time, and without spilling beans."‘ Was it imagination or e there signs of arousing cupidity. Tot safely. Think how miuch better ould be as a free gift with no quesâ€" s asked and protection against your "Tt would be difficult to tell," Mapor Mosson agreed. "Sometimes it pays to be among a flock of sheep . Our latest John Smith may be any one of the score or more on your books." "Afraid I don‘t know them all by sight, sir. â€" Many of our clients are casuals. We can ask Smith if he‘d seen the other Smith before." In this Mr. Whetherby spoke truly. Horace had taken careful notice of the clergyman and was able to report the affix ‘"Rev.‘‘ before his name on the license. “What. a lot of Smiths there are in this world," Mosson chuckled. "Ever done business with this one before?" Without comment the manager openâ€" ed a large ledger and pointed to the index." "Phew, T shall get tangled up at this rate!" "The gentleman with him was carryâ€" ing a suitcase which I took to be brand new." he added. "We didn‘t dawdle over the job and they were away in a brace of shakes." "Seen either of them before?" "Never, sir. Quite sure. I don‘t forget a face easy. None of our regulars." "Any idea how he would know where to get in touch with you?" When Bellair Broome drove away with "the Rev. John ‘Smith," Major Mosson had been placed in a quandary. Since Assistant Commissioner Caythers had thrown him on his own initiative he hesitated to raise a hue and cry again. For a time it really had appeared as though they were being led slowly but surely to the latest haunt of the kidnappers. Then the bait had been swallowed whole, and he was left cursâ€" ing the mixture of bad luck and superâ€" ior strategy of the opposition which had gone against the police from the commencement of the case. Tracking down the car hire company had taken some time, though he had been fortunate in finding a taxiâ€"driver who had seen the clergyman take over and recognized the service motor car. In the same taxi he had essayed a futile chase which ended abruptly at a baffling traffic roundabout. M us ies w "Certainly!" Mr. Whetherby: proâ€" duced it from a file. It had been sent from Bedford, no doubt after being thrown from the train with sufficient money to ensure dispatch. "The staff driver, sir. Horace Smith, this time. A most intelligent chap." in dtrth the se Overb the te;lephone he had heard from headquarters some strongly exâ€" pressed opinions. 0. ow * o â€" Continuing the scoiding in tuite mnuil convenient surroundings of his own room, Captain Caythers lamentéd the intrusion of legal experts into the realm of purely police work and spoke regretâ€" fully of opportunities which Cranley and Tredegar would not have wasted. "It seems I‘m returning to my deâ€" partment for good," Mosson said. "PFirst, I want a minute by minute report of all the happenings," replied Caythers. In this Major Moson was on firmer ground. He had the trained legal aptitude for documentation and set the facts out in orderly procession. "An excellent resume," Caythers apâ€" proved. "After which we come to the exhibits in the case." "Exhibits?" "Letters from the kidnappers. Don‘t teil me vou‘ve mislaid them becauseâ€"" "All right, all right!" Mos hastily. ‘"Here they are, minus official red tape." The assistant commissioner scanned them attentively. ‘"This is rather in« teresting." he observed, setting aside that communication which bore the ostensibly authentic postmark. "A most laudable outlook Mr.â€"erâ€"" ‘"Whetherby." "Mr. Whetherby, And you could not have been expected to act otherwise." "Thank you. Naturally Oour man made sure the driving papers were in order. Thirdâ€"party cover is provided for in otur fees." "@Quite so. Did you keep the teleâ€" gram?" The major did not pursue this point further. It was the sort of emergencty the racketeer would provide for. That he could produce the very considerable deposit in ready money was one more instance of the constant state of preâ€" paredness. *"Yes, I thought so. It is the one the chauffeur handed to Broome after getâ€" "As far as you‘re concerned T don‘t suppose there is a great deal to worry about." Major Mosson had no wish to alarm the manager of the private hire company. f "I‘m not concerned about the car, sir. We‘re insured against most continâ€" gencies, and the client paid our driver a £50 deposit before taking over. Quite apart from business we dislike assisting people who are running foul of the police." We Ed%rtise pretty well. Timeâ€" tables, notices in stations, and on some of the main line trains." CHAPTER IX . Mosson is Superseded "The car was ordered by telegram sir. Anything wrong?" on said only the , "‘Thought you might care to have a glance at Dilling‘s report." "What‘s he say?" "Quite a lot. Cutting out the technical stuff about paper, ink and such like, we |come to the meat. As I suggested, the ‘sealed previously. The fresh tears did not coincide with the original ones. Marks of rubbing at the edges, a slight stain made by an indigo dye and odd splashes which gave a saline reaction are other data obtained.‘ "Dilling puts it down to action of salt water." "Saline? Surely our friends haven‘t been indulging in a bout of weeping?" Pushing away a bulky dossier relating to the borderline activities of a schemâ€" ing financier, the major grinned hopeâ€" fuly. "Plain enough to me. Who opened the envelope°" "Broome." "So you didn‘t observe its condition?" "Not at the time." "When yow did was it very much crumpled?" "It was a trifie grubby. "Splendid! Here‘s where Dilling does his good deed for the day." He broke off to summon the laboratory expert, a gaunt individual with chemicalâ€" stained hands, who promised to distil every scrap of information the envelope had to give in under an hour. Somewhere in Scotland Major Mosson was engaged in unconâ€" genial departmental tasks for the remainder of the day and halfway through the following morning. The entrance of Captain Caythers provided a welcome relief. "Afraid I‘m obtuse, but the importâ€" ONG FAMOUS AS THE creator of the "most beautiful thing on wheels," Pontiac proudly preâ€" sents for 1940 twentyâ€"seven stunning new creationsâ€" the greatest galaxy of beauties ever to grace an autoâ€" mobile display. Thrifty sixes. Thrilling eights. Bigger. Better. More luxurious. Introducing over 60 advanceâ€" ments, including improved Safetyâ€"shift Gear Control, 20 Thrifty, New Sixes ...7 Luxurious New Eights Prices Start Right Down with the Lowest THE PORCUPINE ADVANCE, TTMMINS3, ONTARIO ARSHALLâ€"ECCLESTONE LIMITED "Cranley and Tredeger go to Scotland while you get on with neglected work." "Have a heart." Caythers had really intended to let Major Mosson be in at what he beâ€" lieved to be the approaching end of the case though he was no longer perâ€" mitted to play an individual part. The two CID. men who had been investiâ€" gating the Marsh Hollow Manor end were detailed to accompany him. Cranley, a jovial Londoner, was rather a social asset, but the habitual gloom of the Cornish Tredeger somewhat offâ€" set this. Both of them, however, were trusted officers with high standing at Scotland Yard. Strangely enough Tredeger got along far better with the Scottish authofities who must have sensed a Celtic Mood affinity. "Me too. Where do we go from here?" "Exactly. I‘m banking on it, mainly because it appears to date back to about the time they were making plans for kidnapping, or rather before. As you say the envelope may have come from outside the ring, but I hope not." "Providing the letter was sent to one of the Smith, Jones or Robinson crowd!" "Oban happens to be a town on the west coast of Scotland, in Argylishire, to be precise. Thanks to Diling we have been able to get beneath the top address on the envelope. They hapâ€" pened to fade the original wirting with a chemical compound. After treatment in the laboratory and submission to Xâ€"rays we know that it was first sent to Mr,. Felix Scrandon, Cnoce Dearg, Chroisg street, Oban. They‘re fond of the Gaelic up there. Cnoc Dearg I take to be the name of the house. FProm the peak near Lake Treig." "Never heard of them, or Mr. Serandon." "Well, you have now. And the name is a genuine stroke of louck. Up to now we‘ve been harassed by aliases. This strikes me as genuine." "I was thinking of a small boatâ€"the sort of craft on which you ean‘t avoid a good drenching every now and again." ance of the discovery escapes me "As an example of forensic science this interesting _ conclusion . wouldn‘t carry much weight," Mosson observed. "Yet beneath the sangâ€"froid I detect signs of subdued excitement. In plain English there‘s something up your sleeve." SHOWROOMS, 7 THIRD AVENUE Try The Adavance Want Adavertisemen! Mosson was facsinated with the way his colleagues pieced togethéer the fragâ€" mentary scarps by patient observation unexpected interviews and a quality that was akin to intuition. (To be Continued) The characters in this story are enâ€" tirely imaginary. No reference is inâ€" tended to any living person or to any public or private company. (Copyright: Publishing Arrangement with NLEL.) Scrandon was "Mr. Jones," Valéntine the greyâ€"haired man with bushy brows, Croombe the fair one with light grey eyes, and Willis the chauffeur. These names were presumably genuine. increased Visibility, Safety Glass all around, and new Sealedâ€"Beam Headlamps. Now there‘s a Pontiac for EVERYBODY .. . styled to make you proud . . . powered to give you great perâ€" formance . . . priced to please your pocketbook. So give yourself a triple treat this year and buy a Pontiac for price, pride and performance! There was a Dr. McBrid who added a stronger colouring to the picture, for he had once been called in professionâ€" ally. " "Twas a long gash in the foreâ€" arm of the one they called Valentine," he said. "Being a Glasgow man I can tell a knife wound when I see one. Falling on a broken bottle doesna‘ cut so straight and deep, as I made na‘ ado obout the patient." But he had never found out the real truth. At Cnoe Dearg, a gloomy stone house on the outskirts of the straggling town, they drew blank. Tt had been vacated four months previously. "Fourrr men, look you, and lasie tae helw wi‘ the: worrk were told. Rumours had drifted around that their business associations were not entirely honest, though this had never gone beyond the whispered stage. For weeks the house would be closed, and the comings and goings naturally awakened local curiosity. It was not as if the residence was in the more thickly populated districts. On the edge of the town where there were fewer topics of neighbourly comment so unâ€" usual a household was bound to be noticed. Upon the detectives devolved the wearisome task of building up the iden= tity of Mr. Felix Scrandon, until ft beâ€" came positive he was the same person as Mr. Jones of Marsh Hollow Manor. While remaining a mysterious figure he was not quite so nebulaus when Cranley and Tredeger began to draw aside the veil. Five years is not a long time when it comes to obtaining a footing in a dour Highland community, especially when a newcomer makes little effort to estabâ€" lish friendly feelings. Neighbours knew little about the occupants of Cnoc Dearg except that they were â€" all Sassenachs. We will always go first in a bowling game; except when we lose the toss. We will not pot hunt; except in the evening and on Saturdays and holidays. We will never go fishing on Sunday Louis We will sit up with sick friends only as long as we are winning. We will pick no quarrels with Joe Thomas Richard Henry‘s _ Sudbury Firemen Rescue Resolutions for New Year Boy Locked in Bathroom Just at this time when the proverbial New Year resolutions are being broken and forgotten for another year, it is interesting and amusing for the average Tom, Dick and Harry to read Thomas Richard Henry‘s New Year resolutions for this year, as set forth in The Toronâ€" to Telegram :â€" We will accept no remuneration from any magazine for the stories that they reject. We will call none of our petunias "Stalin," even if the seed catalogue says they are red and they turn out to be imperial blue. We will not get up in the morning the same day that we went to bed; un less it seems a good idea at the time. New Year Resolutions To us Christmas is a great day, but New Year is just the day we take down the old calendar and put up neéw one. This year, being war year and all, we have promised to make some New Year‘s resolutions, since if has been impressed upon us that there are plenty of resolutions that we could make which would be appreciated by others if not by us. So we resolve the following: We will not smoke in 1940; except when we are alone or in company. We will pay all bills promptly; except when we need the money for something when else. Juist Phone 427 New, big silverâ€"streaked beautneâ€"prnced right down with the lowest. Largest, most luxurious eight ever priced ?= so close to the better sixes. B A new concept of luxury combined wit, unusual economy and long life. It‘s longer, lower, roomier than before and priced right next to the lowest. Biggest Pontiac Six ever built. Greatly improved, completely restyled. See the New De Luxe Eight See the New Torpedo Eight See the New ‘Arrow‘‘ Six See the New De Luxe Six See the New Special Six We will criticize no politician whom the job has sought; only those who have soughtthe job. We will play no professional hockey. We will not accept any big governâ€" ment jobs, or become a wing com«â€" mander; unless the government asks us. We will give up trying to make our son pay more attention to what he wears and trying to make our daughter pay less attention to what she wears. . We will be polite to all insurance underwriters; unless they start trying to sell us insurance. Sudbury firemen one day last week had a call where there wasn‘t any fire, It was a case of a lad of five years old who had locked the bathroom door on the inside and "disposed of the key the way little boys sometimes do," as the daspaiches phrased it. The little lad made the customary noise when he dis= covered he couldn‘t get out of the bath=â€" room, and his mother found she could not get in. The mother called the fire brigade and before bréeaking down the door, the firemen used ladders to reach the bathroom window. One of the fireâ€" men got in through the window, was able to rescue the key, and release the bov. We will never exceed the speed limit; unless we are in a hurry. We will break none of the resolu« tions; unless it is very necessary. We will not disagree with our wife between sundown Sunday and moonâ€" rise Monday. when we are in the city, and never buy cigars on Sunday when we are in the country. i We will never say unkind things About the upper "clawses" except When they provide â€" the opportunity. mâ€"-â€"â€"â€"-r-â€"â€"â€"â€"â€" ts N l i+ cA ol ui PPA ks e m o OR We tror c 1y 4