1939-06-30 — Page 15

CHINA MAIL

FRIDAY

knew Bob Setter up at Cam- bridge. We were friends after we came down, and our friend- ship continued until I went out to the East for my father's death I returned to England, and spent two or three years grinding hard in London, at the end of which time I thought I could sit back and take it easy for a while, There was a boom ahead, and things looked pretty rosy.

I went to the States. My cousin Brenda was in New York some- where, doing stuff for a woman's journal. I suppose it was in her blood. My aunt had been the daughter of a newspaper publish- er in Philadelphia.

I failed to find trace of my cousin in New York. People knew of her, of course, had seen her recently, but, for some days prior. to my arrival she seemed to have slipped out of the landscape. I didn't think that odd. I knew Brenda; knew what a creature of whims and fancies she was. I gave myself up to enjoying the sights specially put on by New York for the Old World tourist- and they were plenty.

Then, like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, I saw Bob Setter, He was the same old Bob, his shock of flaming red hair-which had earned him the nickname of Red at Cambridge-was as un- ruly as it had ever been in the time I had known him, and he wore the same creased tweeds and affronted the sartorial nice-

Short Story

ties in his same flagrant manner by wearing an horrific tie of yel- low shot with vermillion streaks flaring, over a pale lavender shirt, Red always struck a note. Sometimes it was the wrong note, but it didn't seem to matter. He was a personality; he always had been. He was dynamic, a breath- 'ing bunch of action sewn up in a

human skin.

"Well, by the living wonder!” was his roared greeting. "If it isn't the great business man him- self." He nearly wrung my arm from its socket. "How's Peter ??!

"Sore," I said, rubbing my arm. "And there's no need to you're a disgusting object of fit-

ness."

see

He grinned his wide, expansive grin, full of good-humour and bantering acceptance of life.

"Come and have a drink and tell me what in the name of crea-

SUPPLEMENT, JUNE 30, "RED SETTER"

He looked at me with smiling eyes.

I

"No, perhaps you're right,” he said slowly. "She's engaged."

"Engaged !" echoed. "To whom?"

"That," he said, secret. More than worth to repeat jun."

"really is a my life is it-honest In-

"But, look here," I protested, "I've looked her up, and no one seems to know where she is. I don't see that you can very well-→→"

He stopped me with a gestur- ing hand.

"That's like Brenda, to slip away without word. Don't you remember she was always like that? There was that time we were at your home for Christmas

let's see, must be all of seven years ago-heavens! that's a long time and Brenda thought she'd like to see what the seaside was like with snow falling-____”

"Red," I interrupted, "for good- ness sake don't wander. It was à failing I'd hope you'd grown out of. But you haven't changed. I suppose you're still up to all your pranks. They never seemed so funny to me--"

A waiter approached. "Mr. Setter?" he inquired... "Yes?" said Red,

By Leo Grex

"You're wanted on the 'phone, sir."

Red went, leaving me with my second Manhattan. I had met him in a restaurant on Fifth Avenue, a popular place to which all visi- tors gravitate in time, and now. we were seated in the smoking- room of his club. The afternoon ‹ was growing old.

He seemed gone a long time, and I supposed it was a business call, though had I thought more. carefully I should have asked my-. self what possible business could Red Setter be engaged in. He had a comfortable income, I knew, and lived a fairly active life do- ing nothing. At least, I had never heard of any occupation that had captured his interest.

He came back after nearly ten minutes, a grave `expression on his face. I felt concerned.

"What's the matter, old man,"

tion brings you to this nook of I asked, "grave news?" the globe."

#

Over a Manhattan-Red kept to

a sour Baccardi-I told him of the changes that had taken place in my life during the past few years.

He made suitable retorts, or-. dered another round of drinks, and then said, "So you haven't found your cousin Brenda?!!

"No. You remember her?” "Very well. I ran across her few weeks ago, and she told me a Becret."

"What's that?"

"Well," he demurred. “I don't know that I'm free to you, Peter.

"Don't be

►

He looked at me, and there was

a look on his face I had never seen before. He looked wire- drawn..

"Peter," he said, "let me tell you a story. You asked about my... pranks, as you call them"

"He. paused, looking over my shoul- der, his mouth grim. Finally he went on: "I went one night to the Seven Stars Club. It's a glorified gambling-den, run by a crook, I thought I'd have some fun, Under the sleeves of my-dinner-jacket a home-made electro- fent for which I ressing a button Well, I know the

My electro opped the rigging, and ng comfort!

found

1939

and don't mind admitting it. But somehow I managed to say, "I'm coming. Red. After all, blood's thicker than water.”

The strange look was in his eyes again as he muttered, "I'd be

lad."

ably. The proprietor of the joint couldn't do a thing about it's but I could see he was mad, and he happier if it wasn't, Petter my knew I was out-cheating him

I tried to puzzle out what he somehow. When I came to leave

meant as his large roadster sped he stopped me. "Mr. Setter,' he

through the New York streets said. 'I'll give you five grand for

and out into the Long Island. that trick, and I'll give you till

countryside. There was a quarter- midday to-morrow to make up

moon, in the sky, and a chill wind your mind to sell. If you don't

blew from off the Sound. Spanish it will be too bad.' You see, T'had

Casa was back up a creek, which him guessing, and it's such a

in turn wound back from one of dammed simple device."

the Sound's many inlets. I sup- post we were driving two hours before we came to the place, set back behind a great fringe of beeches,

He stopped, his oyes going blank. I did not interrupt, caught by the sudden drama of his story. I felt I was being shown the inside of something I had never supposed real.

"The name of the proprietor is Dutch Schwartz,” he ́said.

I started.

"He's a gangster!" I exclaimed. "I've read about him in the Eng- lish papers.'

Red nodded.

"Everybody's read about him, Peter. He's the toughest crook in this man's town, and he's got the toughest gang. Well, to continue. I took no notice of Dutch's warn- ing. Just now he was on the 'phone, calling from a place out on Long Island-Spanish Casa, I know the place. He says I'm to go out there now or someone I'm very fond of will get hurt-bad- ly.

I breathed more easily. "Throwing a scare into you,"I said, "You can go to the police.".

He shook his head.

"That would be foolish, in the circumstances.'

"

"Which circumstances?" queried.

He looked at me strangely, and was silent some moments before replying.

"Peter," he said, “I know now where Brenda is." His voice was tight, strained. "You see, I'm the bloke she's engaged to."

. I stared.

"You, Red!"

He didn't grin; he didn't make the rejoinder I might have ex- pected, He sat there staring at me and through me.

"Yes, me," he said slowly. "And she's the someone-I know it now

who might get hurt. I can't go to the police. It's too dangerous, Besides, Dutch. Schwartz isn't an. amateur at this game. He covers, double-cross." He shook his head. his trails, allows for a possible "Dutch has got Brenda, and I'm going out there to Spanish Casa,”

"But it's madness," I stated, feeling the words fully inade-- quate to express what was in my mind.

"Of course," he agreed simply. "I never thought Dutch would take my countercheating-if you like to call that so seriously: But I remember now I made him look silly in the eyes of some of his mob, including Toni, Pironi.”.

“Toni Pironi ?:-:

"His chief henchman. Dutch is determined to reale lesson? That offer of five thousand dol

bluff. This ign t lars was

And you're really going there

His eyes. lit. "Hell

im no hero,

Red. braked the car, and we walked to the front door and rang. A man in a check suit, with hair long in the nape of his neck opened the door.

"What you want?” he growled. "Dutch is expecting us," saiā Red,

other's

"Yeah?" came the grow!! "An' who's us?"

"My name's Setter. This is a friend of mine."

We were kept waiting in a large hall. Finally a man came and ushered us along a corridor to a door which he opened and stood back from while we entered. The door closed quickly behind

us.

We found ourselves in a large room, facing a man seated at a wide oak table. Electric light poured over a scalp resembling, a tonsured priest's and a face as hauntingly malignant as the de vil's. My first sight of Dutch Schwartz sent a thrill of appre hension running over my b body. had read of this man.. had stepped into his strange world of strange values. It seem- ed incredible fantastic.

Then he spoke..

“I didn't tell you to bring com- -pany, Setter," he said, and his voice had the boom of a bull's roar, yet somehow had all the qualities of a husky whisper. 1 ́ "This is my financee's cousin, Schwartz. He wanted to come."

--

"Yeah?” Dutch Schwartz rose, slowly every movement studied; calculated. "Well, suppose I don't want him around, smart guy?"

(Continued on Page 7) /

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