"GAY VENTURE"

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 November 1940, Page 10

"GAY VENTURE"

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT. COPYRIGHT.

By

T. C. BRIDGES.

CHAPTER XXII. (Continued!. "Then Sagar had someone to meet her at Paddington,” Keith declared. “They’ve lured her off somewhere.” Dicky’s face fell. “I never thought of that,” he answered slowly. Keith sprang up. “I’m going straight down there and I’ll get the truth out of Sagar if I have to break every bone in his body.” He started towards the door. Dicky sprang in front of him. "How are you going, Keith?” “Quickest way I can. Train, I suppose.” “The next train for Exeter goes at 12. It’s only just after ten now. Do you want to kick your heels at Paddington for an hour and a half.” Keith passed a hand across his forehead.

“Sorry, Dicky. I—l can’t think very clearly.” “I shouldn’t think you could,” said Dicky. “Sit still and we’ll get you some food.” He hurried into the little kitchen and Joyce followed. “Dicky,” she said in a quick whisper, ‘Keith isn’t fit to go alone. Jan is still in Keith’s flat. Ring him up. Tell him to come here.” Dicky’s tired eyes brightened. “Good notion, Joyce. Jan’s the man. He's a level-headed beggar and if I explain things he’ll keep Keith out of trouble. I’ll slip down and ring him from the kiosk opposite.” “And tell him to bring some of Keith’s things,” Joyce added. “That suit he’s wearing makes him look like a tramp.” “Right,” said Dicky, and went back into the sitting-room.

“Just running down for something,” he said quickly to Keith. Back in a minute.” When he got back he found Keith eating cold tongue and bread and butter under Joyce's supervision, while a rich aroma of coffee rose from a steaming pot. Dicky kept a tactful silence until Keith had finished his meal then, as Joyce poured out the coffee, the door opened and Jan, carrying a suit case, strode into the room. Keith jumped up. “Jan!” he exclaimed. Jan dropped the suit case and sprang forward. “I knowed it,” he said, as he grasped the other’s outstretched hhnd. “I told ’em all as no desert could ever kill you, Captain.” His little dark’ eyes were glowing with delight, his happiness was so intense it reacted on the rest. Even Keith smiled.

“It’s good to see you again, Jan,” he said warmly. “Yes, I’ve come out alive though that’s pretty much of a miracle.”

“A miracle you’ve told us nothing about, Keith,” Dicky put in. “Tell us,” Joyce begged. “It began at Oran,” Keith said. “As you know, I was to cross the Sahara by air and I had wired for a plane to be ready. It was ready, but the pilot I’d engaged, an Arab called Ahmet, had gone sick and found a Frenchman named Le Gai acting at substitute. He was a sallow-faced fellow with sly • eyes and I disliked and distrusted him from the first moment I saw him. But there was no choice. I had to carry on and certainly he knew how to handle a plane. We got to Beni Abbes all right, and spent the night there. As you know,. .Dicky, it’s wicked country beyond, barren, waterless, and the sandstorms are bad. We both wore packs—parachutes—in case of accident. “We’d been flying about three hours when Le Gai got up and took a header over the side of the cockpit. For a moment I thought he’d got sun-struck and gone crazy but, as you may imagine, there wasn’t much time for thinking of anything but the plane. I grabbed the stick just in time to save her from going into a tail spin. “But you’ve never flown!” gasped Dicky.

“I’ve never piloted a plane,” Keith said, “but I’ve travelled thousands of miles by air and know the controls. As soon as I’d steadied her I looked down and there was Le Gai dropping quite comfortably towards a car which was evidently waiting for him. It flashed on me then that the whole thing was a plant and for a moment I fairly boiled. If I’d been a pilot like you, Dicky, I’d have gone down and charged that car with the plane and taken my chances. “But that was a bit beyond me. I decided to carry on and try to reach El Maruk. I didn’t know exactly where it was, but I did know we were due to pass over it, and I had the compass. If I kept the course I felt sure I’d get there.” “And you’d never flown before!” breathed Dicky, but Keith paid no attention. He went on. “I flew on for about ten miles, then the engine began to sputter. I opened the throttle, but that didn’t do any good. The engine went dead and there was nothing for it but to come down.” The others sat silent. Joyce’s face was white while Dicky, who understood better than the rest Keith's ghastly predicament, leaned forward, hardly breathing.

CHAPTER XXIII. “I got down,” said Keith. "I shouldn’t be here if I hadn’t. In fact I made rather a good landing, but the ground was much rougher than it looked from above. One wing struck the ground and I was chucked out. Which was lucky for me because the machine took fire. When I got to my legs the whole thing.was a mass of flames.” “I found her skeleton,” Dicky said. “You came after me!” Keith exclaimed. “Of course I did. Incidentally, Sagar paid the bill.” Keith bit his lip. “Sagar paid?” . “Yes, but that doesn’t mean ho hadn’t. something to do with it,” Dicky answered. “It might have been part of a plan to escape suspicion.” “Meaning that he felt sure I was dead.” Keith said grimly. “The wonder is I got out alive,"’ Keith went on. “I had no water. The

heat was frightful. Mirages flickered on the horizon and I kept on making for what looked like palms and lakes of fresh water. Later —I think I went off my head. Then I saw what looked like camels. It was a caravan on its way to the salt mines at Tandeni. They took me with them.

Tandeni is a ghastly place where the salt it got from a brine swamp by slaves. If they’d left me there I should never have got out alive. Luckily for me, I speak Arabic and they found I was a good shot and could get game when they couldn’t. They took me with them and in the end I reached the coast at a little place called Kebir where I was picked up by a French cargo boat.

I meant to let you know of my safety ,by wireless, but the old tub had no wireless. We landed at Marseilles, and here I am. He glanced at the clock. “I must get to Paddington.”

“Jan is getting you a taxi,” said Dicky. “Have you money, Keith.” “Yes. Why do you ask?” “Because Jan found your will and Eve took charge. She’s spent some of your money in buying me a new /plane,” he added uncomfortably. “A jolly good thing, too,” Keith said. “That plane may come in handy before we’re through. Good-bye, Dicky. Goodbye, Joyce. It’s good to feel I have you both to help me.” Keith’s train was a slow one, but even so he reached Crofton at breakfast time. Like Eve, he was struck with the charm of the Dower House and with the grim appearance of the Close itself.

“Looks like a ready-made prison,” he remarked to Jan. “It surely do,” Jan agreed, “but that there Sagar, he’d be to clever to use such a place to shut up Miss Eve.” Keith shrugged. “Probably. Now see here, Jan. I don’t want ybu to be with me when I call on Sagar. I don’t want Sagar or any of his people to know you’re here. You’d better find some place where you can lie doggo and wait for me. Jan pointed to a big pollard oak. “Looks like I could climb up there and stay a month of Sundays without no one seeing me.” Keith nodded. “It’s as good a place as any. I’ll wait till you’re safe, then I'll go "up the drive.”

Jabez Holt answered Keith’s ring. “Mr. Sagar’s only just down, sir,” he said civilly enough. “Please come in.” He ushered Keith into the drawing room which the morning sun lit up most pleasantly. Keith had hardly time to look round before Sagar entered. His face showed no sign of surprise. “I’m glad to see you alive, Captain Hedley,” he said. “Your friends had given up all hope.” “Yes, it’s a bit of a miracle,” replied Keith. “I needn’t tell you what I've come about,” he added. “Miss Nisbet’s disappearance of course,” Sagar said gravely. “Have you seen Miss Lovell?” “I saw her last night.” “Then you know just what happened,” Sagar said. “I know what you told her,”‘Keith answered. “Just so, and that’s all I know, but I’ll be glad to answer any questions.” “That’s what I came for,” said Keith smoothly. “I’d like to ask what reason Miss Nisbet gave for breaking the engagement.” “Just that she wasn’t fond enough of me —nothing else.” ‘And then?” Keith questioned. Sagar shrugged.

“I told her that of course, I couldn’t keep her to it if she felt the way she did, and she started to leave. So I ordered the car and my chauffeur, Maltby, drove her to Exeter. Maybe you’d like to see my chauffeur?” Thank you. I should,” Sagar rang and in less than minute the sallow-fac-ed Maltby arrived. “Captain Hedley wants to ask you some questions,” Sagar said, and went out of the room. Keith questioned Maltby keenly, but the man added little to what his master had said. He remembered that Miss Nisbet had worn a blue dress. He had driven her straight to’ Exeter and reached there about twenty past eleven. She had told him not to wait. That was the last he had seen of her. Maltby left and Sagar came back. He told Keith how devoted his servants were to Eve and of Eve’s love for the Dower House. ‘TH tell you straight, Captain Hedley, he said, “it was this house as much as anything that made her promise to marry me. I offered it to Eve,” he added, and for a moment his drooping eyelids lifted and his odd greenish eyes were fixed on Keith’s face. “She can have it now if we can find her,” he continued. Keith drew a long breath.

“Where is she, Mr. Sagar?” I wish I knew," Sagar paused then went on with a jerk. “Say, had she any enemies—anyone who’d have been interested enough to kidnap her?” ( “Enemies!" repeated Keith curtly. Surely no one in the world is less likely to have an enemy than Eve Nisbet.” That’s a fact ” said Sagar, "but I’ve just thought of one man who didn’t seem to like her. A fellow called Tarver.” “He’s dead," Keith cut in. “He was wanted on suspicion of murder, but escaped from the ship in the Suez -anal during a sand storm. He was never heard of again.” “You’re wrong. Captain Hedley. Tarvers alive. He followed Eve down here. Eye told me that when she was coming back from fishing on the last afternoon of her stay here, she saw Tarver passing down the road by the drive gate. I wanted to warn the police, but Eve wouldn’t have it ” Keith was very much disturbed.

(To be Continued).