Evening Star Newspaper, October 4, 1936, Page 91

~ October 4, 1936 when the net was in use, but it might do to open the trunk. He grabbed the net in his arms, car- ried it over to the trunks. Without bothering to detach the staple from the strap, he slipped one point of it under the hasp of the trunk and pried. Nothing happened. Then he took the strap with both hands, braced with his feet, and pulled. The hasp flew open with a loud snap. He stooped down to lift the lid of the trunk. Then he felt something behind him. He wheeled around. Mr. Gregory was standing in the door. “You had better come with me, Volney.” The next few minutes were blurred in Volney’s mind. He went to the lob- by desk with Mr. Gregory, saw Mr. Gregory plug in, heard him talk quiet- ly with his father. Then Mr. Gregory pulled the plug out and they sat there. In a surprisingly short time Volney’s father and mother appeared. Mr. Gregory made a brief explana- tion about the trunk, said this prob- ably cleared up the riddle of the thefts, mumbled something about there not being anything to worry about, all boys go through a kind of a stage like this, they think it’s smart, that’s all, swiping they call it, and then Volney realized the implication of what he had been caught doing. His father and Mr. Gregory went off to a far comer of the dark lobby, whispering. He felt frightened, and started to cry. His mother kissed him, patted his head, then got up and started a restless marching about the lobby, alone. It was at this point that Wash came in. He started when he saw Mrs. Knight. ““Oh, there you are. Gregory THIS WEEK The Old Hag said you were over at the five green.” “Gregory said—what?"” “Well—didn't you send Volney over?”’ “I don’t know what you're talking about.” Wash started to speak, then turned very white and stood as though he had turned to ice. Mr. Knight stepped out of the shadows, looked at Wash, looked at Mrs. Knight, lit a cigarette. “So. That was why you had to kiss Volney goodnight. Why you just couldn’t go to sleep until you had one last peep at him.” “Jack, you had better be sure what you're saying.” “All right, if you want to make a confederate out of your own son —"’ Mrs. Knight's palm against his cheek sounded like a pistol shot. The lighted cigarette fell to the floor. Mr. Gregory was hovering near by now, worried, apparently under the impression they were still talking about Volney and the trunk. He began to mouth vague, soothing phrases. “He did break the lock on Mr. Lewis’s trunk, but that’s all. Fact of the matter, in a way it was my fault, because I was standing there, and I saw it, lnd!oughttohave stopped him, but —" At this, Wash’s wary manner changed, and he began to snarl. *‘So. Now I've got it. Just a little family detective agency, hey? Well, you can take that kid of yours home, and if he ever goes in my room again, I'll give the little thief what he has coming to him, I'l1 —" Continved from page four Mr. Knight leaped at Wash, who retreated toward the desk. ‘““That’ll be enough of that, Lewis.” ““You heard what I said. They have laws in this country, and they cover young thieves just as well as old ones —" “Did you hear me?”’ Mr. Knight, the desk. Wash, breathing hard, looked at the clenched fist, opened his mouth to say more, didn’t. A man sud- denly appeared in the lobby, wearing a dressing gown. It was Mr. Richards, who had the room next to Wash’s. He blinked at the commotion. Al Baum, the golf pro, appeared beside him. “Hey, what's going on here?”’ “Nothing at all, folks, nothing at all. Just a private matter, we'll get it straightened out in a minute, without any help if you don’t mind.” Gregory was still trying to smooth things over. * Everybody said ‘“‘Oh,” and nobody moved. Wash was at the desk, directly in front of Volney, his face working with rage, his eyes darting from one part of the lobby to the other. At the sight of him, all the bitterness of the night came to the top in Volney, swept away fright, his confusion, his paralysis at terrible things in the air. He screamed suddenly: “I'm not a thief! I went in there to get what he took from the house. He took it, and I went to get it back —" “What's that?”” demanded Mr. Knight. In anguish, Volney realized he had said too much. They would search the trunk, find the pajamas, and then Wash would have won his bet, and his mother would be the laughing stock of the club. ““What did you say, Volney?” It was his father who was beside him, “Nothing. He — didn’t take any- thing,” Volney stammered. His father turned to Mr. Gregory. “‘Bring that trunk.” Wash suddenly turned into some kind of snarling animal. *“You let my trunk alone. You can't search my trunk! You haven't any right.” ‘“That’ll be enough of that, Lewis.” His voice was hard and cold, and it meant business. “‘Get that trunk!” “Yes, Mr. Knight.” Gregory trotted off toward the east wing. In abject misery, Volney ran over, put his arms around his mother, opened her coat, pushed his head in- patted him, talked to him. He opened his eyes, started. For his nose was pushed up against the very red silk pajamas he had come to steal. They were safe—Wash hadn’t taken them. Mrs. Knight hadn’t bothered to dress when they got Gregory’s call. She had thrown on her polo coat and there she was, and there were the pajamas. Volney stood back and started to laugh. As to what happened to Wash, once those pajamas were safe, he Gregory returned, lugging the trunk, dumped it down in the middle of the floor. The lobby was now full of people. Somebody snapped on the lights, and they blazed down just as Magazine Section 1 Gregory raised the lid of the trunk.' Before Volney, uncomprehending, was lifted an assortment of watches, foun- tain pens, and jewelry. But then, to his astonishment, he saw a light gray leather jewel case, that his mother always kept in the night table beside her bed. And out of that, Mr: Gregory, transformed into an incredibly grim master of ceremonies, lifted the very bracelet, studded with rubies, that Vdney‘ufaflulndpvenhi-mothc on their wedding day. ““Well, Mr. Knight, I guess this does kind of clear up everything. Little dif- ferent than we thought.” Home, in bed, Volney sobbed me- chanically while his mother rubbed his face with her finger tips, in a funny way she had that made him want to laugh. Presently his father came in. “He decided to leave town. They gave him an hour.” “‘So he could collect his bets?"” . « Jessie, I acted like a fool. I’'m sorry. I can’t say any more than that, can I?”* “I'm prettymndatm]uk.nut I'd be madder still if you weren’t jealous — 80 I guess I'm not mlly mad at you at all.” “I can’t help it. I love you too much to — to act with any sense.” “Me too, Jack.” “‘Some boy we got.” “Some boy!” ‘l‘heydidn'tukhmmyquemm He didn’t want them to. He wanted to forget it all — except how beautiful his mother was. After a while they left him. This time, as her perfume wafted against his face, it was the loveliest smell he had ever smelled. The End means dental da See your dentis £ i Help your dentist = give your gums the work they need- St ooy TO IPANA AND MASSAGE HAT first tinge of “pink” on your tooth brush—how harmless it looks--but how serious it can be! Neglected, it may mean the start of a real dental tragedy—a smile lost and loveliness ruined. That's why your dentist—every modern dentist—ad- vises, “Never let gum troubles start.” For the sake of your own good looks and good health—when you see “pink tooth brush”—see your dentist. It may be a sig- nal of serious gum trouble. But it's far more likely to be a simple warning of gums robbed of work by our modern menus * —gums that need more work and stimula- tion—gums that will respond to the health- ful stimulation of Ipana and massage. Rub a little extra Ipana'into your gums every time you brush your teeth. For Ipana is especially designed to help bene- fit the gums as well as keep teeth spar- kling. Lazy gums waken. Circulation in- creases. Gums feel stronger. They're less “touchy,” and more resistant. Ipana and massage is approved by mod- ern-dentists, taught in modern schools and classrooms. Switch to this modern dental health routine. Your teeth will soon be whiter—your gums firmer. And you'll be far safer from the threat of the really serious gum troubles. Tooth Paste