10-Story Detective Magazine Cover — page 18: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ve ig if fal ry; yt ae) ‘0 pe wenn Ae ae &. af wy aa ‘ 04 i i} vA SoA er UMP, (ae ET Ba» ae Nie aot te ; ‘hs ; / hi pss a ‘ c- eran, 22 — sa se ¥ ao = se, = a ims - —- = ets. Se > = 2 ~~ , Vy BY ee \ i 7 4 ‘ . at te 2 Pats iY 7 ‘ / WN ee ee an ay ry ey hy TF ‘4 \3 fy rai Shap ys oy Ra TS ed de aPt 7,8) r “ » 4 > yLVT i in Me i hf ‘ e ait fe } (iw aay mere through his compartment door, and the catch clitked behind him. | _A sergeant of police took Nevel Nason’s arm and started for the plat- form. “¥’m sorry, miss,” he said, “but you'll have to make a statement to the district attorney and perhaps appear at the inquest.” Paul Hammond stared at Nevel Nason’s departing form. But was she Nevel? An aura ef mystery sur- rounded her. Death had come to her stateroom, yet she had remained cool, self-poised. Then through his mind flashed a story he had heard of another woman, even more daring than Nevel Nason. Her name was Bette Langwell, and she was known to the police of the en- tire continent.as the most dangerous woman in the world. Bette Langwell was a phantom woman who boasted that no one had ever seen her real face. She was known as a master at disguise. Could this be she? CHAPTER II _ THE MURDER WOMAN ROM his stateroom window, Paul Hammond watched Nevel cross a the platform with the sergeant of po- lice. A line deepened between his brows as her figure melted into the crowd. He wondered if she really was 3 | Nevel Nason. He stepped out into the corridor again, and saw a long, wicker basket being taken from the girl’s compart- ment. It was the body of the mur- - dered maid. Hammond’s gray eyes were coldly serious. Not only had _ murder ‘been done, but the crime was a part in the swiftly moving drama -. in which he had a role. _ Who had killed the maid, and why? It was either an attempt on Nevel Nason’s life or a trick to hold her in Pittsburgh. If she had been the in- tended victim, another attempt would ee: be made. If it was a plan to hold her, ae =e had been suecessful. As the train resumed its journey, Hammond heard the other passengers discussing the crime. Many hinted that the girl was the murderer. He wandered into the observation car. There, too, the crime was the topie of gossip. -.“T heard her tell the police ser- geant that the dagger must have come through the open window when the train was standing.” Max Ulrich was giving his views to a circle of women. “Personally, I know that did not happen.” “How do you know that?” Ham- mond asked, gous the ring. “Because [I platform not five feet from her win- dow,” the mdn replied. Hammond looked into the bearded face. If was unreadable. The shad- owed eyes stared out through the tinted glasses and met his gaze. “Then it must have been she,” a woman exclaimed. “Or Ulrich,” Hammond said soft- ly, his eyes still fixed on the bearded face. A smile flashed through the heavy beard. “That is a reasonable deduc- tion,” the man retorted, “but I was under observation all the time. You'll have to find your guilty man else- where.” Morning found the train roaring through the Middle West.: Paul Ham- mond was one of the earliest to arise. As he passed Max Ulrich’s room, he looked in to see it empty of all lug- gage. The young man again flashed his railroad detective’s badge and made inquiries, ‘“‘He’s gone back to Pittsburgh,” the Pullman conductor informed him. “He received a telegram asking him to testify at the coroner’s inquest.” “Going to appear against Miss Nason?” “No, he said he would testify in her behalf. He seemed quite anxious about it.” Hammond nodded. He could do nothing to help her, for his presence was demanded in San Francisco. Nev- was standing on the = comicbooks ¢om