SYNOPSIS
Philo Vance, famous detective, and John
¥. X. Markham, district attorney for New
York county are dining In Vance's apart.
ment when Vance receives an anonymous
telephone message informing him of a “dis.
turbing psychological tension at Professor
Ephriam Garden's apartment” advising
that he read up on radio-active sodium,
consult a passage in the Aeneid and coun
seling that “Equanimity is essential." Pro-
fessor Garden is famous in chemical re-
search. The message, decoded by Vance,
reminds him that Professor Garden's son
Floyd and his puny cousin, Woode Swift,
are addicted to horse-racing. Vance says
that “"Equanimity’’ is a horse running next
day in the Rivermont handicap. Vance is
convinced that the message was sent by Dr,
Siefert, the Gardens’ family physician. He
arranges to have lunch next day at the
Gardens’ penthouse. Vance is greeted by
Floyd Garden and meets Lowe Hammle, an
elderly follower of horse racing. Floyd ex-
presses concern over Swift's queer actions,
Mrs. Garden, supposedly ill, comes down-
stairs and places a $100 bet on a horpe
Gathered around an elaborate loud speaker
service, listening to the racing are Cecil
Kroon, Madge Weatherby and Zalia Graem,
who bet varying armounts on the race.
There is tension under the surface galety.
Zalia and Swift are not on speaking terms.
Kroon leaves to keep an appointment be-
fore the race starts. Miss Beeton, a nurse,
and Vance bet on "Azure Star.” Swift reck-
lessly bets $10,000 on *“"Equanimity’” and
goes to the roof garden to hear the results.
Floyd follows Swift, remaining away sev- |
eral minutes. Zalla Graem answers a |
phone call in the den. Soon after the an- |
nouncement that ““Azure Star” wins, the |
guests hear a shot. Vance finds Swift |
dead, shot through the head with a revolver
nearby. He says Swift has been murdered.
After calling the police, he finds the door of |
a vault ajar. Kroon returns and is sharply
questioned by Vance, who finds he had not
left the building. Vance orders Miss Bee
ton to guard the stairway and prevent Mrs.
Garden and Zalia from viewing Swift's body.
Floyd Garden admits the revolver belongs
to his father. Further questioning by Vance |
reveals that the revolver had been found
recently by Zalia in the presence of the
other guests. Floyd hints that Swift bet |
so recklessly because of Zalla. Markham, |
Sergeant Health and two detectives arrive, |
Markham and Sergeant Heath scorn the |
murder theory.
CHAPTER VI—Continued
wee Bee
Markham meditated on this for
several moments.
“Still, Vance,” he said at length,
“reasonable objections could be
raised to all the points you have
brought up. They are based almost
entirely on theory and not on dem- |
onstrable facts.”
“From a legal point of view,
you're right,” Vance conceded. !
“And if these had been my only
reasons for believing that #2 crime
had been committed, I wouldn't
have summoned you and the
doughty sergeant. But, even so,
Markham, I can assure you the few
drops of blood you see on the chap-
pie’s temple could not have thick-
ened to the extent they had when
I first saw the body-—-they must
have been exposed to the air for
several minutes. And, as I say, I
was up here approximately thirty
seconds after we heard the shot.”
“But that being the case,” re-
turned Markham in astonishment,
“how can you possibly explain the
fact?”
Vance straightened a little and
looked at the district attorney with
unwonted gravity.
“Swift,”” he said, “was not killed
by the shot we heard.”
“That don’t make sense to me,
Mr. Vance,” Heath interposed,
scowling.
“Just a moment, Sergeant.”
Vance nodded to him in friendly
fashion. “When I realized that the
shot that wiped out this johnnie's
existence was not the shot that we
had heard, I tried to figure out
where the fatal shot could have
been fired without our hearing it
below. And I've found the place. It
was in a vault-like store-room—prac-
tically sound-proof, I should say—
on the other side of the passageway |
that leads to the study. I found the |
door unlocked and looked for evi- |
dence of some activity there . . .” |
Markham had risen and taken a |
few nervous steps around the pool |
in the center of the roof.
“Did you find any evidence,” he |
asked, ‘to corroborate your the- |
ory?” |
“Yes — unmistakable evidence.” |
Vance walked over to the still fig- |
ure in the chair and pointed to the |
thick-lensed glasses tipped forward
on the nose. ‘““To begin with, Mark-
ham, you will notice that Swift's
glasses are in a position far from
normal, indicatin’ that they were
put on hurriedly and inaccurately
by someone else—just as was the
head-phone.”
Markham and Heath leaned over
and peered at the glasses.
“Well, Mr. Vance,” agreed the
sergeant, “‘they certainly don’t look
as if he had put "em on himself.”
Markham straightened up, com-
pressed his lips, and nodded slowly.
“All right,” he said; “what else?”
“Perpend, Markham.” Vance
pointed with his cigarette. ‘The
left lens of the glasses—the one
furthest from the punctured temple
—is cracked at the corner, and
there’s a very small V-shaped piece
missing where the crack begins—
an indication that the glasses have
been dropped and nicked. I can
assure you that the lens was nei-
ther cracked nor nicked when I last
saw Swift alive.”
“Couldn't he have dropped his
glasses on the roof here?” asked
Heath.
‘Possible of course, Sergeant,”
Vance returned. “But he didn’t.
1 carefully looked over the tiles
round the chair, and the missin’
bit of glass was not there.”
Markham looked at Vance
sh -ewdly.
“2nd perhaps you know where it
is."
by S. S. VAN DINE
Copyright 8. 8. Van Dine
WNU Service
‘“Yes—oh, yes.” Vance nodded.
“That's why I urged you to come
here. That piece of glass is at
present in my waistcoat pocket.”
Markham showed a new interest.
“Where did you find it?” he de-
manded brusquely.
“lI found it,” Vance told him,
“on the tiled floor in the vault
across the hall. And it was near
some scattered papers which could
easily have been knocked to the
floor by some one falling against
them."
Markham's eyes opened incredu-
lously.
“I'm beginning to see why you
wanted me and the sergeant here,” |
he said slowly. “But what I don't |
understand, Vance, is that second |
shot that you heard. How do you |
account for it?”
Vance drew deeply on his ciga- |
rete,
‘Markham,’ he answered, with |
quiet seriousness; ‘‘when we know |
how and by whom that second shot |
—which was obviously intended for
us to hear—was fired, we will know
who murdered Swift , . .”
At this moment the nurse ap-|
peared in the doorway leading to |
With her was Doctor |
Doremus, and behind the medical |
examiner were Captain Dubois and
Detective Bellamy, the finger-print
men, and Peter Quackenbush, the |
official police photographer,
Miss Beeton indicated our pres- |
ence on the roof and made her way |
back downstairs. !
Doremus acknowledged our joint
a breezy wave of
the hand.
He made a cursory examination |
bullet hole, tested the arms and |
legs for rigor mortis, and then |
swung about to face the rest of us.
“Well, what about it?” he asked,
in his easy cynical manner. “He's |
dead; shot in the head with a small-
caliber bullet; and the lead's prob-
No exit
Looks as if he'd decided to
shoot himself. There's nothing here
to contradict the assumption. The |
bullet went into the temple, and is
at the correct angle. Furthermore,
He Made a Cursory Examination
of the Limp Figure.
there are powder marks, showing |
that the gun was held at very close |
range-—almost a contact wound, I
singeing around the orifice.”
Vance tock the cigarette from his
mouth and addressed Doremus.
“lI say doctor; speakin’ of the
blood on the johnnie's temple, what
would you say about the amount?”
“Two damned little, I'd say,”
bullet wounds have a queer way of
acting sometimes. Anyway, there
ought to be a lot more gore.”
“Precisely,” Vance nodded. “My
theory is that he was shot else-
where and brought to this chair.”
Doremus made a wry face.
“Was shot? Then you don’t think
it was suicide?” He pondered a
moment. *‘It could be, of course,”
he decided finally. “Find the rest of
the blood and you'll probably know
where his death occurred.”
“Thanks awfully, doctor.” Vance
smiled faintly. “That did flash
through my mind, don't y' know;
but 1 believe the blood v as wiped
up. I was mereiy hopin’ that your
findings would substantiate my the-
ory that he did not shoot himself
while sitting in that chair, without
any one else around.”
Doremus shrugged indifferently.
“That's reasonable enough as-
sumption,” he said. ‘There really
ought to be more blood. He died
instantly.”
“Have you any other sugges-
tions?" asked Vance.
“I may have when I've gone over
the body more carefully after these
babies''—he waved his hand toward
the photographer and the finger-
print men—'"'finish their hocus-poc-
us ”
Captain Dubois and Detective Bel-
lamy had already begun their rou-
tine, with the telephone table as the
starting-point; and Quackenbush
was adjusting his metal tripod.
Vance turned to Dubois. “I say,
Captain, give your special attention
to the head-phone, the revolver,
and the glasses. Also the door
knob of the vault across the hall in-
side.”
Quackenbush, his camera having
been set up, took his pictures and
then waited by the passageway door
for further instructions from the
finger-print officers.
When the three raen had gone in-
side, Doremus. drew in an ex-
aggerated sigh and spoke to Heath
impatiently.
delicti over on the settee?
to examine him there.”
“0. K., Doc."
body and placed it on the same
wicker divan where Zalia Graem
sight of the dead man.
Doremus went to work in his usu-
al swift and efficient fashion. When
and made a brief report to Vance
“There's nothing to indicate a vio-
lent struggle, if that's what you're
hoping for. But there's a slight
abrasion on the bridge of the nose,
the left side of his head, over the
ear, which may have been caused
by a blow of some kind, though the
skin hasn't been broken.”
“How, doctor,” asked Vance,
with your findings-—that the man
to a tiled floor, striking his head
against it sharply, that his glasses
off when the left
lens came in contact with the floor,
and that he was carried out here
to the chair, and the glasses re-
placed on his nose?"
Doremus pursed his lips and in-
clined his head thoughtfully.
“That would be a very reasonable
explanation of the lump on his head
and the abrasion on the bridge of
his nose . . So this is another of
your cock-eyed murders, is it? Well,
it's all right with me. But I'll tell
you right now, you won't get an
autopsy report tonight. I'm bored
and need excitement; and I'm going
to Madison Square Garden.”
He made out an order for the re-
moval of the body, readjusted his
included all of us, and disappeared
swiftly through the door into the
passageway.
Vance led the way into the study,
and the rest of us followed him. We
were barely seated when Captain
Dubois came in and reported that
there were no finger-prints on any of
the objects Vance had enumerated.
"Handled with gloves," he finished
laconically, “or wiped clean.”
Vance thanked him.
the least surprised,” he added.
Dubois rejoined Bellamy and
Quackenbush in the hall, and the
three made their way down the
stairs.
‘Well, Vance, are you satisfied?”
Markham asked,
Vance nodded. *'1 hadn't expect
ed any fingerprints. Cleverly
thought-out crime. And what Do-
remus found fills some vacant spots
in my own theory. Stout fella, Do-
remus, understands his business. He
knows what is wanted and looks for
it. There can be no question that
Swift was in the vault when he was
shot; that he fell to the floor, brush-
ing down some of the papers; that
he struck his head on the tiled floor,
and broke the left lens of his glasses
-you noted, of course, that the lump
on his head is also on the left side—
and that he was dragged into the
garden and placed
dred and twenty pounds;
transported him after death . . ."
Ephraim Garden.
immediately from pictures I had
seen,
He was a tall man, despite his
stooped shoulders; and, though he
was very thin, he possessed a firm-
ness of bearing which made one feel
that he had retained a great meas-
ure of the physical power that had
obviously been his in youth. There
was benevolence in the somewhat
haggard face, but there was also
shrewdness in his gaze; and the con-
tour of his mouth indicated a latent
hardness.
He bowed to us with an old-fash-
joned graciousness and took a few
steps into the study.
“My son has just informed me,”
he said in a slightly querulous voice,
“of the tragedy that has occurred
here this afternoon. I'm sorry that
I did not return home earlier, as is
my wont on Saturdays, for in that
event the tragedy might have been
averted. I myself would have been
in the study here and would probab-
ly have kept an eye on my nephew.
In any event, no one could then have
got possession of my revolver.”
“1 am not at all sure, Doctor Gar-
den,” Vance returned grimly, ‘that
your presence here this afternoon
would have averted the tragedy. It
is not nearly so simple a matter as
it appears at first glance.”
Professor Garden sat down in »
ig of antique Workmanship near
tightly, leaned forward.
(TO BE CONTINU
[&
National Press Building
=
Washington.—The nation is contin-
uing to witness labor disturbances
of an exceedingly
More Labor gerious character.
Troubles
Many persons
thought when the
big sit-down strikes in the automo-
bile industry were settled without
serious bloodshed that we were on
the way out of labor trouble in this
country. The feeling in this regard
had some confirmation when the
great United States Steel corpora-
tion reached an agreement by which
John L. Lewis and his faction of
organized labor was recognized as
the sole bargaining agency on wages
for the greatest single unit of steel.
Unhappily, those circumstances
were not indicative of an end, They
did not presage peace between labor
and employers. The conflict is con-
tinuing and, 1 believe, holds the
elements of much more danger than
we have yet experienced. Because
of the conditions that are now ap-
parent and those which happen to
lie ahead, the recent speech by Ed-
ward McGrady, Assistant Secretary
of Labor, becomes both interesting
and significant. Mr. McGrady, it will
be remembered, made a speech at
Atlantic City, New Jersey, in which
he said boldly to the members of the
garment workers union that if labor
and capital both are to survive,
there must be a sincere effort on
the part of each group to under-
stand the problems of the other. He
reduced the differences between
employer and employee to the sim-
ple formula, namely, that represent.
atives of each side, if they expect to
do justice by their own people,
things over honestly.
terest in labor cannot be questioned.
He is a former official of organized
labor. During his term as Assistant
Secretary he has been exceedingly
active and earnest in his attempts
to solve labor problems and bring
about industrial peace. His efforts
at conciliation cover the range from
west coast to the more or less in-
hundred employees in a hotel here
in Washington.
sume that any advice given by Mr.
McGrady must
Justice for the workers.
Mr. McGrady believes that the
employers to treat labor representa-
tives as agitators are due to’ ig-
norance. On the other hand,
ference at least that he regards
as irresponsible as some
ployers. His view in this regard is
indicated by the stress, the em-
phasis, which he laid upon the im-
portance of discipline among union
members together with his assertion
that labor must recognize the sancti-
ty of its contract with the em-
ployers just as much as the em-
ployers must recognize the validity
of their contract with labor.
Mr. McGrady pointed out what
losses result from shut downs or
strikes and declared that the effi-
ciency in production, whch the coun-
try has a right to expect from in-
dustry, cannot be achieved unless
labor and capital work together.
Further, the Assistant Secretary
observed that ‘‘responsible labor
leadership” must place efficiency
and elimination of waste and loss
among its objectives if organized la-
bor is to achieve a worthwhile goal.
- Ne *
Mr. McGrady's exposition of his
conception of relations between em-
ployer and em-
ployee comes as
something of a ray
of hope to the
great masses of American citizens
who are neither employers of labor
nor members of labor unions. I have
said in these columns before and
1 repeat that the tragedy of con-
flict between employer and em-
ployee, organized capital versus or-
ganized labor, lies in the fact that
there are millions of people in the
role of innocent bystanders. They
are the individuals who suffer most.
It is inevitable that they must suffer
because in a nation whose com-
merce and industry is as complex
as ours, every time capital or labor
abuses the powers entrusted into its
hands, those who are not members
of either group pay a penalty which
is not possible of measurement.
This characteristic of life obtains
not alone in the United States. It
exists in every civilized country to
the extent that that country is in-
See Ray
of Hope
learned to respect his mental capa-
city and his ability to foresee com-
ing events. When he says, therefore,
that labor and capital must be hon-
est with each other, 1 cannot help
feeling that Mr. Baldwin foresees
the possibility of bloody clashes and
unsound results in the offing, con-
ditions that will flow from the abuse
of power.
Mr. Baldwin told the house of
commons that: “You will find in our
modern civilization, that just as
war has changed from being a
struggle between professional
armies with civilians comparatively
uninterested in it, so the weapons
of industrial warfare have changed
from arms that affected compara-
tively small localized business into
weapons that affected directly those
who have no concern whatever with
the issue except perhaps natural
sympathy with their own class.”
The British prime minister added
that, under such circumstances,
‘the one thing we must pray for,
not only in our statesmen, but also
in trade union leaders and masters,
is wisdom.” It seems to me that
Mr. Baldwin's admonition can be ut-
tered from high places in our Ameri-
can government with a value just as
important as he gave to his words.
The fact that Assistant Secretary
McGrady has been the only public
official to speak so frankly and so
alone has
that he
spoken.
* » *
Since there are ominous signs in
a class struggle that unfortunately
. has been promoted
Nothing in this country, it
Doing seems to me the
attention of the
people ought to be directed some-
what more to conditions in congress.
columns my fear that the current
ing done nothing. Thus far, my fears
Congress went into session in the
week of January. To date,
therefore, it has been in session five
months. Its record of accomplish-
bills, providing money
for federal government depart.
ments; the Guffey-Vinson little NRA
coal law and the cash and carry
I do not see how
anybody can be enthusiastic about
those accomplishments. Passage of
appropriation bills is mere routine
usually because in most cases they
involve no controversial question at
all. Passage of the neutrality act
likewise was an action about which
there could be little dispute even
though there may have been plenty
of grounds for disagreement over
the type of law enacted. That leaves,
therefore, only the Guffey-Vinson
coal bill over which there could
have been much delay in house
or senate debate. All of this makes
the picture look even worse for con
gressional leadership.
There is talk already about ad-
journment of congress as soon as
hot weather strikes Washington—
and the temperatures can get very
high and unpleasant. While this un-
dercurrent of talk is not yet in an
important volume, it emphasizes the
fact that there is a growing body
of legislators who see no possibility
of accomplishing anything worth-
while in the current session.
But what are the reasons? Having
gone rather thoroughly into this situ-
ation, I think there are two factors
to be considered. One is the lack of
capacity of the leadership among
both Democrats and Republicans
and the other is traceable to the
White House. President Roosevelt
for four years has told congress
what to do and to that extent has
destroyed the initiative of the legisla-
tors as a body and now that some
members want to reassert the
power of congress, the President's
organized spokesmen appear not to
know what to do.
. *
It may be said that the immediate
cause of the failure of congressional
leadership to get
sulting from Mr. Roosevelt's pro-
posal to add six justices of his own
choosing to the United States Su-
preme court. That statement, in my
opinion, is only partially true. There
are many senators and representa-
tives, otherwise loyal to the Presi-
dent, who now feel that the
re-organization plan cannot
But esm
8
oH
& A General Quiz
© Bell Syndicate, —
INU Service.
1. Who would take over the du-
ties of the Chief Justice of the
United States if his office were to
become vacant?
2. When did Magellan circum-
navigate the globe and how long
did it take him?
3. Was Washington
President?
4. What is the average vi
from a ship at zea?
5 How much silver has been
mined in the world since the dis-
covery of America?
6. What is a lee tide?
7. When the Supreme court was
organized what was the average
age of the justices?
8. How old is the Pasteur
ment for rabies?
Answers
our first
sibility
treat-
1. In case of a y in the
office of Chief Justice or of his
inability to perform the duties and
powers of his office, they shall de-
volve upon associate justice,
who is first in precedence, until
such disability is removed or an-
other Chief Justice is appointed or
duly qualified.
2. He started in
him 1,083 days.
3. Washington
President because he was the first
President elected under the Con-
stitution of 1787; the Presidents
who preceded him were simply
presiding officers over the Con-
tinental congress.
4. About ten miles.
5. Only enough to make a solid
cube 115 feet square.
6. A tide which runs with
wind.
7. Just under fifty years.
8. Half a century old.
vacancy
the
ne
1810 and 4 1
i919 and 11 took
x <1 4 2 " =
is called our first
the
Early Sheffield Plate
Early Sheffield is most valuable
reasons other than its age.
The silver coating is much thicker
and its style simpler, though oc-
casionally a little clumsy. So lav-
ish were the smiths with their sil-
ver in the early period that, more
than a century and a half later,
hardly any copper can be seen at
all in the old pieces, while in those
made later it sometimes is more
evident than the remaining silver.
for
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Counsel From All
Take counsel of him who is
greater, and of him who is less,
than yourself, and then recur to
your own judgment. Arab Proverb.
Do something about
Periodic Pains
Take Cardui for functional pains
of menstruation. Thousands of wom-
en testify It has helped them. If
Cardul doesn’t relleve your monthly
discomfort, consuit a physician.
Don’t just go on suffering and put
off treatment to prevent the trouble.
Besides easing certain pains, Car-
dui aids in building up the whole
system by helping women to get
more strength from their food.
Cardul is a purely vegetanle medicine
which you can buy at the drug store and
take at bome. Pronounced “Card-udi™
Keep Your Lendings
Borrow trouble for yourself if
it to your neighbors.—Kipling.
What SHE TOLD
WORN-OUT HUSBAND