Oh God! I suppose he blabbed the whole thing in front of them. One could almost believe he knew what I was planning. Willie, could you slip out and bring them up to me? Good. I'll simply have to tell the police I misplaced them and found them after I called. Oh, that little varmit! But hurry!"

―

said the blond. Yes, he had threatened it was one of his favorsuicide often ite threats to get his way and he was very bitter against the young blond just now. Yes, they both thought he kept strychnine up at his farm in Connecticut.

Then the blond young man related how Johnny had implored him to deliver As Johnny put the telephone back in the watch and ring as a dying wish, its cradle a violent pain twisted up and how he had agreed to only because through his stomach and writhed into he believed Johnny to be bluffing. And his chest to explode into unbelievable Willie, wasting not a few of those famous agony. He howled. Sweat broke from his sidelong glances that had upset bars face and body and he seized the arm of from Rome to Hollywood, related how the sofa to keep from rolling to the floor. Johnny knew he was planning to be He managed to get the telephone in his out all evening, but how friends of his hand and gasp, "Operator! Operator, had dropped around unexpectedly, theresend me the house doctor. Urgent. And by detaining him. Yes, the Nelsons call an ambulance. I think . . . I'm dyagreed, they'd seen the young man deing!" His voice tore out of him in a liver the valuables and heard of Johnbreathless savage shriek that left him ny's strange behavior. vomiting on his best oriental rug.

The police were puzzled, naturally,

Less than an hour later Johnny died but any cop is smart enough to recogat the height of a strychnine convulsion. nize suicide, clumsily disguised as murWillie, his best friend, and a startlingly der for gain. So they allowed handsome handsome young man with blond curly Willie and his charming new friend to hair, candidly told their stories to the go home together.

police. Happily ever after? I wouldn't say so. Yes, Johnny was extremely temperIf you were Wealthy Willie, or the mental, Willie recalled suavely. Yes, he shrewd young blond, could you quite had had an affair, rather, with the blond, dare?

James Barr

James Barr is at present finishing a sequel to "Quatrefoil", (Greenberg, New York) You'll see a selection from it in ONE's pages soon.

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