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THE HIDDEN DOOR BY FRANK L. PACKARD = Colin Howitt, had picked up the Te, oro of New Mask am faas himse a im, a crook, admitted "8 : how, . disguised "into one of the itosk He learns Buck ‘0’ in YMara, 4: Semen of Colin’s group, that the dno’ nomen: the Cana- rum runner who twas aible for wrecking the Masks hi “ gounterfeltina plant on the St. Law: Chapter 37 SURPRISE FOR DOLLAIRE storm, though still hesitant, ~ Was as threatening as ever. The *~ banked clouds, with no sign of moon * 0 stars, were like a dead black ceil- . dng overhead. There was a slight sea { om, but not enough to impede prog- * -Fess—the boat was making near to thirty knots, To port and to starboard, one on _ either side, were the dark shapes of two other boats, running without and mostly discernible by Feason of the flying spray flung from their bows as they cleaved ‘rough the water. | stood in the shelter of the Colin stood in the s@ out of the sweep of the superstructure that raft’ possessed. ‘There was a ‘cabin aft below deck where or eight men were gath- several of whom had been en- in assembling a number of guns, while the rest, mous and obscene com- » looked on. It had been stuffy in the cabin—and something it, @ foulness fot merely of ‘air, had driven him on deck. face was hard and set. He was situation that revolted him in fiber of his being, that turned heart sick with dread—but from mh there was. no escape, As Malone had said: “You got say today. You said you wanted ; you're in. You're on the true. He had asked had got it. Where he expected Clarkie Lunn to ‘the line? Nowhere—if he har- “any hepe of running down. the Well, the énd justified the didn’t it? His hands tight- clenched. He was not so sure. the moment he was mentally ee, Tonight it was murder and pillage thought of which his sou! c And tonight he was sailing the Mask’s colors, one of Buck ‘8 mob, one of those that had termed the “little mur Organization” that the Mask al- vs kept on tap, HEY, Buck O'Mara, Benny Ma- Jone, and hiwself, had picked up waiting car a block away from the Press, and had driven to some- ou Long Island—just where, ‘did not know. There a small army Men had embarked, and these fast motor cruisers had put to ‘That had been. considerably less @n hour ago, but in that time, through the talk that had gone! around him, and because Buck | once well started on hia} » had. been more communicative, ‘had acquired a very sure and cer- minute. that. passed, bringing the end that much nearer, he liked i less, This wheelhouse against which he leaned was steel, bullet-proof out of compliment to the marksmanship of any revenue boat that might at any time be inquisitive enough and in- considerate enough to stage a pur. suit. A rum-running craft—like those iby others to port and starboard. Ahead, somewhere beyond the 12. mile limit, lay Dollaire’s schooner, the Alouette. The aim was to repay Dollaire in his own coin, only in this case neither Dollaire nor any one of his men would escape. A mas- sacre—and the men down there in the cabin, fingering sub-machine guns, had licked their lips and blas- phemed in glee at the thought of it! There had bee. no thought of put- ting Dollaire on the spot at Spinelli's Jast night. That would have been, it now seemed, neither subtle enough nor, in retribution, adequate enough to quench the Mask’s thirst for re venge. Benny Malone and Harry the Lynx had been detailed there, not to watch Dollaire, but as bodyguards for Heimie Schwarm—and Heimie Schwarm had been there to bait.the trap that would write a gory finis to the careers of Dollaire and his entire crew. SS, shelter of the wheelhouse. Hee SCHWARM, haggling patiently and craftily, had at last agreed to Dollaire’s greedy and somewhat exorbitant price for the Alouette's cargo; and Dollaire had fixed a rendezvous—given Heimie Schwarm a’ position out here where the schooner would be waiting at ten o'clock tonight—the position that. Buck O’Mara in turn had handed on to Klengell, Smudge Kil- réa, and Geordie Napp, the skippers of the three boats that were speed- ing abreast of one another now in eager haste to keep the last rendez- vous that Dollaire would ever make, It must be almost ten o'clock now. At the speed the boats were travel- ing, it could not take long for them to reach their objective unless the Alouette was at some considerable distance up or down the coast from the point of their departure—which was not likely. ‘ Colin drew his hand across his foreh It,came away wet—hot | y. ‘The other two. boats, | carrylig Heimte enaaceratenae? enced rum runners, were to look after the disposal of the Alouette’s | cargo and the schooner itself; this boat that he was on carried the | Mark's murder squad, of which he’ | was one, with Buck O'Mara in com- mand, The businesslike, snub-nosed au- | tomatic with which he had been supplied bulged in his pocket. The | Job of Buck O'Mara’s mob had noth- | ing to do with the disposal of the | cargo—their job was merely to put. Doliaire and all his crew on the spot and then return to shore. Hideous— even if it were by way of retaliation! Dollaire, suspecting nothing, would: be taken by surprise, and he and his men mowed down, And he, Colin, must appear to take an active part in the killings. There was no way out of that. No bullet of his, of course, would find its mark any- where; but if he were caught at that sort of thing, or the slightest suspicion was aroused that he was playing a passive role, his life would not be worth a second’s purchase. A hideous dilemma! {Copbright, 1933, Frank L. Pockerd) wiedge of what was afoot. He did hot Jike it—and with every | 2 Set att Sr lack he ~mnemberehip ta ‘the wortioy, has tor, has New York unilerw Lunn. eres: danger from the mus- jase, underworld rier, Jo stumble wyon admitted to rte, Masks mony guage. He ts initiated into the mysteries of the “Wine Press.” the Masks era. and sent Out almost at once with Buck Mara’e gang to dispose of a ‘anadian rum runner named Dol- ‘igire who has M-jacked the Masks Ht. Lawrence River counterfeiting slant. Howitt, 1g, the Chapter 38 MURDER SQUAD" CT then, sooner or later, Colin mused, his life was forfeit any- way unless he could uncover the Mask’s identity and force out into the open this little-less-than fiend, who more and more continued, it ap- peared, to grow and acquire the stat- ure of what might well be the most ruthless, versatile, and powerful criminal of his time. ‘The stakes were heavy. Thoughts of Germaine came to him. He was fighting not only for his own life but for Germaine’s happiness as well. His all was on the table. He shrugged his shoulders fatalistical- ly, There was no turning back now. {t was the toss of a coin. But'he had come a long: way on the road. Heimie Schwarm and Buck O'Mara, it was certain, were both at times in direct contact with the Mask—and he, Colin, was now in Buck O’Mara’s mob. Heimie Schwarm was remote; it was Buck O'Mara’s confidence that he had to win, and Buck O’Mara that he had to watch, That was why he was here. He smiled without mirth, Misgiv- ings and fears were the human lot and came unbidden, but why sub- ject himself to this mental tor- ment? It was useless, purposeless— even if it was human to do so. He had chosen his course deliberately, there had seemed to be no other way, and, whatever happened to- night, he must perforce go through with it—to the end. He drove his mind afield. More had been said about Lazarre and the “members” of the club who had taken flight on the night of Dol- aire’s attack. They were still in hiding, still under cover, and New York knew them not! The identi- fication of Kenniston, their roué millionaire leader, had been awk- ward—Kenniston'’s life was still being subjected to, a searching in- vestigation, as were the lives of all those who, so far as the police could discover, had ever been associated with him, And since the uttering of coun- terfeit money was a matter that au- tomatically involved the federal au- thorities, the Secret Service was in the forefront of the picture. La- tarre’s name had not actually been mentioned, but through inference, a reference to the man who had got @ “hide full of lead,” it was appar- ent that Lazarre had entirely re- covered, and like the others, was still in hiding, Colin smiled queerly, So, after all, he had saved Lazarre’s life. He was glad in a purely humanitarian sense that his efforts had not been in vain;\ but in a material sense it mattered little now whether La- garre was dead or alive. Instead of Lazarre there was now Buck O'Mara, ROBABLY. from the start, La- zarre, even if Lazarre had been willing, could have helped but little. He rated Lazarre as being perhaps of the same status and on the same plane amongst the Mask’s tools as Benny Malone—quite a different status from that of Buck O'Mara or Heimie Schwarm, And yet Reddy’s letter, though still undelivered, had proved to be by a strange twist of fate the “open sesame” to the Mask’s operating headquarters at the Wine Press, and to whatever meas of Buck O'Mara’s confidence he already pos- sessed. If it had not been for that letter he would never have gone to Cap & l’Orage; it he had not gone to Cap & l'Orage he would never have heard of Dollaire. And, if he had never heard of Dol- laire, he would not have gone to Spinelli’s last night; and—— The trail led on, blazed by that letter, to where he stood at this moment, an initiate into one of the Mask’s mobs. Nevertheless, though it had now outlived its usefuness so far as he/| was concerned, he wondered, as he aways bad, what was in that letter. Some day perhaps he would meet | Lararre again and deliver the letter | -and perhaps not. And perhaps La- | garre would explain the nature of | his lHaison with Reddy — and per- baps not. It mattered little now. La-| uo jonger needed, and io longer be of any help, it bis mental scene shifted, O'Mara and Benny Malone had talked about Spinelli. Spineli on the payroll, too. Detective Sergeant Mulvey might prove to be altogether too curious as to the way in which Harry the Lynx had left the night club whose obvious exits might well have been closely guard- ed—to say nothing of the fact that the lights had so fortuitously gone out almost instantly at the sound of those shots! The subject had been introduced casually, dismissed casually. A pos- sibility, that was all. NoS OS had come from Spinelli, so everything was apparently jake so far. Why worry about it? Spinelli would be given “protection” if necessary, Co- lin cupped his hands over a match and lighted a cigarette. A side issue that concerned him little—no bear ing on the main issue. He stepped out from behind t wheelhouse and moved over to tl boat's rail. Someone was leavii the wheelhouse. Benny Malo: Buck O’Mara was still in there w Smudge Kilrea at the wheel. “Oh, hello, Clarkie!" said Beu Malone as he stepped over to ( lin's side. “I was just going to hv you up. Buck wants a couple of . to go aboard with him and have little social visit with Dollaire L fore the boys get busy — get t! idea?—so’s Dollaire won't turn b toes up without knowing what it’ all about. That would be just ta bad! I said I'd pick you to help play the hand, seeing that you didn't miss any tricks last night, and Buck said that was okay by him.” “Sure!” agreed Colin enthusias- tically. “You just look innocent,” cau tioned Benny Malone, “until Buck gives us the high sign to flash our rods. Dollaire’s schooner ain't showing any lights, but Smudge has just picked her up out there. We’! be alongside in a few minutes, Yo: just hang around here, and the trail along with Buck and me. U: derstand?” “Sure!” said Colin enthusiasi cally again. “Thanks a lot, Benn; for a ringside seat.” oO’ of the darkness Benny Ma. lone’s features, grinned in friendly fashion. “It was coming to you, Clarkie,” he said. “You made good. Now] got to check up with the boys down in the cabin and hear ‘em recite their lessons the way Buck doped it out for them, I won't be long.” He moved away—heading aft at a half-run. Colin swallowed hard. Bad as it had looked before—this was worse. Dollaire’s executioner! Or co-execu- tioner with Berny Malone! He stared out into the blackness ahead. Something out there was taking shape. He felt the boat’s speed slacken, the vibration cease as the engine was shut off. A hail came across the water, Buck O’Ma- ra steppe? out of the wheehouse and answered it, using his hands as @ megaphone. “That you, Dollaire!” he bawled. “This is Heimie Schwarm’s outfit.” “Sure it’s me, by cripes!” the voice answered. “Come alongside. The Good Lord could not have given us a better night, eh?” “Attaboy!” Buck O'Mara called back heartily. The boats maneuvered—bumped against the schooner’s hul) and were made fast. Colin brushed his hand across his eyes. His mental! processes burned his vision. It was all strangely indistinct—and yet it was all horribly real. He found himself mounting « short rope ladder on the heels of Buck O'Mara and Benny Malone There were no lights showing any where; but, his eyes grown accus tomed to the darkness, he could see. as he reached the deck, a dozen or more forms leaning over the schoon er’s rail—while a chatter of voices as bantered greetings were ex changed between the crew on the deck and the boats below, resound ed discordantly in his ears, Boats always seemed to take him to slaughter, Colin thought with s grimace as he carefully placed his feet on the rounds of the swinging ladder. There had been the nigh! when Germaine’s boat had taker him to the “club” on the St. Law rence, and when he had had to see men shot down while he was help lessly tied to a tree. Then the slaughterers were Dol laire’s men. Tonight, in a boat be longing to the man who had threat ened him with death, Colin was to | see Dollaire’s equally cruel f (Copyright. 1 Tomorrow, Dotiaire surprises his murderous guests. PERSONAL MENTION. Jaoquin Romaguera, ‘employed with the Meltzer Motor company in Miami, left over the East Coast last night after a week end visit with his family. C. C. Brown, ordnance machin. ist with the U. S. A., left yester- day for Miami, Daytona Beach and St. Augustine, for a business visit of several days. Matias Vildostegui, . employed in the First National Bank at Mi- ami, who was spending a few days in Key West with his family, left over the East Coast yesterday to} resume his duties this morning. Miss Jennie Elwood and Mr. and Mrs, Frank Sheppard, who have been absent from the city! for about four weeks visiting at Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa and other points, are expected to re- turn to Key West tomorrow over the highway, Mr. and Mrs. W. V. Milling- ton, who have been on an extend- ed visit to the mountains of Geor- gia and North Carolina and other’ points, have returned ‘to Key West. % a Mrs. R. Ky Ming y Of Se vannah, Ga, artived yesterday af ernoon over the East Coast fora visit with her sister, Miss- Marie G. Peeples, chief nurse at the.Ma- rine hospital. Miss Mildred Olsen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Olsen, left yes- terday afternoon for Tavernier where she will spend a week with friends. Francis Moore, son of Mr. and Mrs. S. M. Moore, at Marathon, arrived yesterday afternoon and will be the guest of his :brother- in-law and sister, Mr. and Mrs. Victor Moffatt. : Miss Dorothy Dobbs, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Laine Dobbs, ar- rived yesterday from the home at Franklin, Ky., and will resume her studies at the high school next week, Miss Helen Hoefer was an out- going passenger Saturday” after- noon over the East Coast for Fort Lauderdale where she at for a visit with Mrs. Richard McNeece. James Curry left Saturday aft- ernoon for Miami where he will spend a vacation of one week. Mrs. Manolo Perez left’ Satur- day afternoon for Miami accom- panyin her sister-in-law, Mrs. Am- paro Galindo and her daughter, to Miami to be gone about 10 days. Mrs. Chester Allen and. daugh- ter, Lythe, who were in\Kéy West for three weeks visiting with rela- tives, left Saturday afternoon for i the home in Benson, N. C. Professor Horace O’Bryant. principal of the Key West high school, and Mrs. O’Bryant, who have been spending the summer in Chicago, Ill., where they were tak- ing special courses in studies, re- turned over the highway’ yester- day. sydney Hughes, captain of Will Hesson was an arrival over the East Coast Sunday from Mi- ami for a few days with friends and returned yesterday afternoon. John Lowe and mother, Mrs. Sarah Lowe, left Saturday after- noon for a visit with Mr. Lowe's wife and other relatives in Miami Beach. E. A. Strunk, Jr., left Saturday afternoon for Miami where he and his family are spending a vacation of several weeks. Mrs. Hughes, wife of Captain the wrecking tug Relief, left Saturday afternoon for Norfolk, Va., to spend a few weeks with relatives. Mrs. Mercedes Diaz and nephew, Norberg Sawyer, Jr., left over the East Coast Saturday afternoon for a stay with relatives in Philadel- phia, Penn, Mr. and Mrs, Charles Lunn and son, Arthur, left over’ the East Coast Saturday accompanying their nephew, Sherwood Courtney, who was a guest of the Lunn’s and other relatives for a few weeks. f George Adams left. over the highway:Stfiday morning for Hen- dergonville,:N. C.,° to join his mother, remain for a short time vand. return to Key West. A. F. Ayala, sales manager of the Key West Electric company, Mrs. Ayala and family, left over the highway Sunday morning for Miami where they will be joined by Miss Fay Ayala and proceed to Tallahassee where Miss Elizabeth Ayala will enter the State College for Women. Mrs. Morris, wife of M. C. Mor- ris of the Peninsular Life Insur- ance company, and son, who were spending a vacation of three weeks in Miami, returned on the Havana Special Sunday. Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Bowers came in over the East Coast Sun- day for a short visit with relatives before returning to their home in Miami. Miss Minnie Kelly, who was vis- iting in Key West as guest of Mr. and Mrs, Merrill Adams, left over the highway Sunday for Miami and from there will go to her home in Tampa. Miss Rosalind Grooms, daughter of B. L. Grooms, president of the; Key West Electric company, and} Mrs. Grooms, left Saturday for Palm Beach, where she will be the guest of her friend, Miss Carolyn Actanasio for a few. weeks. J.:Y.:Porter IV, and friend, Norvin Maloney, Jr., ieft over the highway Sunday morning for Nor-/0. 5. S. will i folk, Va., where Mr, Porter spend some time with his mother. Mrs. Wales Benham. Mr. Maloney will also visit with relatives there} pa with 43 and in Philadelphia. One of the world’s longest sus- pension bridges is across the Dela ware river in Philadelphia—it has! i a@ span of 1750 feet. ISAFETY STEEL TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 65, 1933. BODY IS LIFE Catching VICKS SAVER AGAIN) swan AUTO SALESMAN TELLS STORY OF HOW HE CAME OUT SAFE IN ACCIDENT IN WHICH HE FIGURED Another instance of a safety- steel body saving a driver’s: life in a highway accident was re- vealed here today, Fred C. Noble, an automobile salesman, is alive today to tell the story of his crash with a three and one-half ton truck “because of the rigidity of the safety-steel body on my Plymouth sedan.” “As I made a left turn on a state highway,” Noble stated, “a three and one-half ton truck, coasting out of gear, was forced to turn with me. The truck was heavily over-loaded and was found afterward to weigh a little over ten tons with its cargo. “The truck crashed into my Plymouth sedan, turning over on top of it. The safety-steel body: did not give way. The front wheels of the car dug four or five inches into the ground and the! rear wheels collapsed under the ten-ton weight. “I know that if it had not been for the fact that my car was equip- ped with a safety-steel body, the weight of the truck would have erushed the so badly that I would have been killed, or at least, seriously injured. “However, I was able to emerge with rfothing more than a slight scratch on my head.” It was revealed later that when the truck was lifted from the Plymouth the car was not in the least out of line and the doors on the other side from the impact opened and closed perfectly. The engine also started with no trouble, Noble reported, and even the front tires held air. “Naturally, being a Plymouth salesman, I’m prejudiced in favor of steel bodi Noble said. “But this gave me an opportunity to prove the things I’ve been telling prospects for many a day. I never expected that my car and myself would be the subject of such practical demonstration of the strength of Plymouth’s body— but, because of the safety-steel construction, I’m still alive to tell the tale!” FLORIDA BRINGS 128 PASSENGERS The S, S. Florida, of the P. and company, returned Sun-} afternoon from Havana with; gers of whom 54 were} ¢ vessel sailed for Tam-} assengers and freight. Ferry Palma came in from Cuba y with three carloads of grapefruit, one carload of mail and 21 empti Subscribe for The Citizen, 1933 Models Ice Refrigerators Made Of All Metal Equipped With WATER COOLERS They're Economical 100% Refrigeration Satisfaction Priced At $30.00 and $35.00 Easy Terms $5.00 FREE ICE If Sold for Cash 10 Days Free Trial USE OUR PUREICE for HEALTH AND SATISFACTION Saves Food Saves Money Thompson Ice (o., Inc. “A Sarety-Stee. Bopy aveD My Lire! “Ten tons landed on my Plymouth ...and I lived to tell the Tale” RED C. NOBLE is a Plymouth salesman. But Fred Noble isn’t giving you sales talk when he tells you you're safer in a Plymouth. Fred Noble is alive today because Piymouth has a safety-steel body! ae They don't show the terrific impact: pictures tell the story. How a three half ton truck with a siz and a half ton load crashed over on top of Noble's car. ‘of those ten tons traveling at 40 miles an hour! They don't show how the force of the crash drove the wheels four and five inches into the solid earth! But Plymouth is buiit of steel, reinforced with steel. Fred Noble came out with only ‘one slight scratch! For your own sake—for your family's sake —travel safely in a modern car. Let the nearest Plymouth dealer show you what safety-steel constraction is. You'll never rely on any other kind! NEW PLYMOUTH SIX to an announcement zen. j ine day — tainment committee of the Cuban a ——— a SERRE en INDUCEMENTS TO" KNDERGARTEN a. At the end of this series of | Enrollment will start Monday ATTEND DANCES: morning at the Kindergarten. Miss ow | ines in to- dances, announcement will be| jmade of those who will be given! NDAY Hill asks that all mothers to regis- free trips to Miami with all ex-/ jter their children early so that a ipenses paid. } jregular program can be worked - ——— Kinde: ; Mond jeut fer the school term. a ke: das K rgarten will open Mon day, ' «x Imperial; S, x Fest; Le ren Bags “mon eptember 11, at the Key West; ed to refund your Adve ims Tikkets on a free trip to Miami wile given away at a series of! danees to be held at the Cu Clb. cach Friday night Sebléimber 8, according to Ramon! ie om Reynolds avenue and South street, Ia gies ts on carcnctid ageing for The Citizen—20. | Hebieg Revween um Meved quickly by ap an} Eczema Rev gists are ayth: starting money if it ¢ rower ; f£L Boor AULIC BRAKES Kindergarten building, corner| man FLOATING s