1936-03-20 — Page 8

THE CHINA MAIL FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 1936

The Perfect Crime

(Continued from Pose 10.)

the loan were promptly repaid. there the matter ended-at the statutory rate of interest for such transaction. It was only when the: borrower found himself in further difficulties that Mr. Deever's in- genious schemes came into opera- tion. It was then that his victim found himself straying little br little into a maze of complicated mortgages. discounted cheques. "nominal promissory notes, my- sterious "conversions," and techni cally-worded transfers straying into that labyrinth so gradually at firet that it all seemed quite harm- less, slipping deeper into it over and an easy path of documents signatures, floundering about in it! at. last and losing his bearings more and more hopelessly in his struggles to climb back-finally awakening to the-haggard realisa- tion that by some incompréhensible jugglery of papers and figures he owed Mr. Deever five or six times as much money as Mr. Deever had given him in cash, and baving it proved to him over his own signa- ture that there was no question of the statutory rate of interest hav- ing been exceeded at any time.

Exactly thus had it been proved to the widow of a certain victim! in the case that they had listened to that afternoon; and there were ether similar cases that had come) to the Saint's receptive knowledge. "There were days," remarked the Saint, rather wisfully. "Thea some latis of the village and I would have carved Brother Deever

into smail places and baited! lobster-pots with him from the "North Foreland to the Lizard."

"And what now?" queried Peter Quentin.

"Now," said the Saint, regret- fully, "we can only call on him for a large insountary contribution to our Pension Fund for Deserving. Outlaws".

Peter lowered the first quarter of his second pint.

"It'll have to be something pret- ty smart to catch that bird,” bel said. "If you asked me, I should say you couldn't take any story to him that wouldn't have to pass under a microscope."

"For which reason," murmured: Simon Templar, with the utmost gravity. "I shall go to him withi a story that is absolutely true. I shall approach him with a hook and line that the cleverest detec tive on earth couldn't criticise. You're right, Peter-there probably isn't a swindle in the encyclopaedia that would get a yard Brother James. It's a good thing| we aren't criminals. Pete-we} might get our fingers burned. No. laddie. Full of righteousness and the stuff that passes for beer in this country, we shall draw nigh to Brother James with our haloes fairly glistening. It was just for a man like him that I was saxing

up my Perfect Crime."

past

If the Saint's halo was not ac-1 tually visibly laminags when he called at Mr. Deever's offices the next morning, he at least looked remarkably harmless. A white the flower (for purity," said Saint) started in his buttonhole -and flowed in all directions over} his coat Lapel; a monocle waj screwed into his right eye; his hat sat precariously on the back; of his head: and his face was re-. laxed into an expression of such amiably aristocratic idiocy that Mr. Deever's chief clerk-a men hardly less pour-visaged thar Mr. Deever himself-was even more obsequious than usual

Simon said he wanted a hundred pounds, and would cheerfully give a jolly old note of hand-for it if some johnnie would explain to him what a jolly old note of hand was The clerk explained, oleaginously, that a jolly old note of hand was a somewhat peculiar sort of thing. that sounded nice in advertise- ments, but wasn't really used with important clients. Had Mr.--er -Smith? had Mr. Smith - any other kind of security?

"I've got some › Jolly' old pre- mium bonds,” said the Saint; and the clerk nodded his head in

perfect sea of oil

#

"If you can wait a moment, siz, perhaps Mr. Deever will see you himself."

The Saint had no doubt that Mr. Deever would see him. He waited around patiently for a żew 'minutes, and was ushered into Mr. Deever's private-sancium.

"You see, I lost a bally packet at Derby yesterdayevery blinkdin” horse fell down dead when I back- yed: 17 ff work system, but of]

(Continued on Page 18):

YOU HEARD ME-YOU'RE THE ONLY ANTIQUE IN THE FAMILY NOW- BUT WE GOT TO BUILD-UP A FAMILY BACKGROUND

WILL TRACEM

PROFESSOR

OF RESEARCH

IN FAMILY

TREES

ANCESTRY.

CLANS

RACES ETC-

WELL, STEP

INTO THE LIBRARYV-

ALL IS READY-

Rosie's BEAU

BY..

GEO.MCMANUS

Registered U. À. Patent Office,

1936

OH-YA-AS, WE HUGGINS ARE LITERALLY STEEPED IN OUR FAMILY TRADITIONS- MY DEAR MRS JIGGS-NOW HERE IS OUR GREAT GREAT-GREAT GREAT GRAND-UNGLE-SIR HOWE DARYOU-HE OWNED 8000 SQUARE MILES WHERE UTICA NOW STANDS AND

SO IT GOES-MY DEAR

WELL YOUR UNCLE OUGHT TO KNOW A LOT ABOUT GROUND, HE'S BEEN DISSIN' IN IT OR YEARS-

Bringing Up Father

ALL HUGGING FAMILY HEIRLOOMS, MY DEAR FELLOW-WE BULGE

WITH ANCESTRY-

„TJUST KNOW THAT THERE'S ROYAL- BLOOD IN OUR FAMILY AND I WANT YOU TO | HAVE IT TRACED,

AN THEY AL HAD PU OF IRON IN THER BLOXOD BY

WELL, HERES A BOOK-ON

ANCESTRY- BUT IT DOES- N'T SAY ANY- THING ABOUT TH' O'RINNIGANS,

WELL-GOOD-BYE AGAIN – CHAWMED BEYOND WORDS WITH YOUR VISIT-1 SHALL

BE DELIGHTED TO TAKE

· A PEEK AT SOME OF YOUR FAMILY ANTIQUES:

THAT WILL REQUIRE SOME RESEARCH-

YOU MUST CALL AGAIN- ANY TIME- I'M IN EVERY EVENING-

WELL, I'LL SEE WHAT CAN BE DONE MAGGIES TALKING OF A COAT OF ARMS-BY GOLLY, HER CADDY DIDNT HAVEA

COAT ON HIS BACK-

CAN'T GIT OUT, EH? NETHER CAN ++

WELL,THIS

| LOOKS LIKE THE MAN ¡WANT-

MR. TRACEM, YOURE HRED, MAKE A GOOD JOB OF IT-" I'VE TOLD YOU ALL ABOUT THE FAMILY-THAT IS-

EXCEPT WHAT TH POLICE WANT TO KNOW-

THANK YOU, MR. JIGGS- I SHALL STARTON YOUR RESEARCH IMMEDIATELY.. AND DEPEND ON IT-I'LL

NOT LEAVE A BRICK

UNTURNED

ONE

WHAT'S THAT? EVERYTHING IS COMPLETE? ALL RIGHT, MR TRACEM, BRING ALL OF THE DATA AND HEIRLOOMS

RIGHT

HOUSE-

MY HEART IS ALL AFLUITER

I JUST KNOW THERE IS A KNIGHT ON MY SIDE OF THE

FAMILY-

LETS

GO IN AND SEI MOTHE

TWENTY-TWO CENTS. GEE-1 CAN'T TAKE ROSE OUT TONIGHT- IF I CALL ON HER I JUST. KNOW SHE'LL WANT TO GO TO A SHOW-

EEK!

BEEF AND

MONTH

LATER

UNCLE

TIMOTHY'S JERRY'S

DINNER-

BRIEF

PAIL ALSO

POP ULARRIT WANTED

STATE BY

USED FOR

BEER

IN EVERY

ST

THE

POLICE

FAMILY 1860

BOX MADE

BY MICKEY BEFORE HE WAS HANGE

THE PICK

OF THE

2.2

M'LL CALL HER UP-AND SAY THAT THE BOSS AND I HAVE. TO GO TO A BIG BUSINESS BANQUET AND. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO SEE HER TONIGHT-

HELLO - HELLO -

OK-1 JUST THINK YOUR BOSS IS HORRID, ARCHE - I WANTED YOU TO BE. HERE AND EAT A FNE ONNER I COOKED ALL BY MYSELF-FRIED CHICKEN - AND

ATOES AND EVERY- SO DISAPPOINTED

WED HAVE SUCH EVENING AT HOME

BEANS

154

IFRIED CHICKEN AND.. EVERYTHING - GEE

I COULD HAVE EAT- EN IT EVEN IF IT WASN'T COOKED SO

WELL

THE

·A· N

Great Britain rights reserved.

UNCLE

ED

NOT

WANTED

ANY-

WHERE

CASE

AUNTIE

BROGET'S

COAXER

UNCLE PADDY'S

FIRS

A SPADE'S

ASPADE

WITH

QUGAN

GRANDA DINNY'S

CALLING CARDS

BEEF

COUSIN LARRYS

FAMILY ROADSTER

1880

1936, King Features Syndicate, Inc., Great Briffin rights reserved.

WHAT'LL

I DO NOW?