MARK 1702

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 89, 25 January 1938, Page 7

MARK 1702

SERIAL STORY

BY EARDLEY BESWICK.

:: Copyright ::

CHAPTER X (Continued). A TURNER’S JOE. Hendringham naturally did the talking, explaining that he wanted the parts they had brought with them copied. At once Crowder asked jealously what' was wrong with them. They had been all right he asserted, at seven o’clock that morning.

“Well, they’re fitter's scrap now,” he was assured. “Go on!” he cried. “Who did they put on the job?”

“Fellow called Grossmith seems to have been responsible for butchering them up.” Crowder glanced at his companion and the two of them spat with the simultaneous precision of a salute. Evidently they were not surprised. “If you’ll call back m an hour or two I could give you a price for the whole job . . .” suggested the propriety, 'scratching his black hair and looking more -worried than ever. “The price is twenty pounds provided the parts are finished completely by noon to-morrow, and that no one learns a word about the job outside of this shop.” It was Johnny Cope speaking for the first time and there was a decisive ring about his voice. “I couldn’t promise that if I was to work all night, sir, though I wouldn’t say as the money wouldn’t be welcome. Kind of set me up like, but it isn’t any good. There’s part of a week’s work in this lot.” “Suppose I was to work along with you, Bert. It doesn’t matter to me about losing a day from the Gresham,” Crowder suggested brightly. ''‘Anything to get even with, those dirty blighters.” t “We’d hardly do it then, mate, only the two of us.” , Hendringham and Cope exchanged glances. I’ll bear a hand myself,” said the former as a result of the agreement thus tactily arrived at. ‘Tart of the time anyway.” “At that rate we might just do it, sir.”

“You’ve damn well got to do it,” saidi Cope amiably. For the next five minutes they were working out a programme. Before the end of ten there was metal on three machines, and the shafting was beginning to steady under its unwonted load. Cope, for once the only unwanted member of the party 7, looked at his wrist watch. He stood beside Hendringham and shouted in his ear: “1 am going to have a doss in the car. Be sure you don’t let me sleep more than two hours; It’s now twelve and a quarter minutes to four."’ It took Hendringham all of that two hours to get the feel of the work again, but his fingers took to it kindly, and before long he was enjoying the soothing regularity of a turner’s job, after the excitements that had crowded one another since the previous night. He forgot all about the overshadowing of an international situation that for days had been inspiring the leader writers with Casandral warning. He forgot the striving, worrying week that had ended so far as he was concerned in nothing but failure, forgot the existence of Mr Mench and of Messrs Morganthau, Pamphlett and Co., forgot his druggjngs and the scabbing discomfort of his face', forgot everything in fact, but a cheer fid efficient young woman who had succoured him and about whose attractive personality it was refreshing to let his idle thoughts play. But presently even those thoughts failed him and he just sank into tho oblivion of clean, rhythmic work, watching the chips curl from the point of the tool, feeling the diminishing diameters with his callipers, keeping the drip-can well over the job. He entirely forgot the existence of Johnny Cope, fast asleep in the big car outside, until at a quarter to six something in his brain recalled him to the exigencies of being leagued with that dynamic gargoyle of a man, and he straightened his shoulders and went out into the yard. . Johnny was curled up in the driving seat, a rug rolled into a pillow for his head, his long legs sprawling. He came awake sharply at a touch, Ins eyes immediately alert, his thin lips quiveiing into a smile. His first action was to° consult his wrist watch. “Bight on the instant,” he remarked approvingly. “Gad, but I wish I could have slept on for the rest of the week. All this being chivvied about is tiring when you have missed, your proper sleep. How’s it going F” Hendringham said they were well into tht job, but were beginning to feel ready for a meal. “Tell the lads to keep on steadily and leave the commissariat to me,” Cope instructed him. “Suppose we say seven-thirty sharp for a meal and In the meantime I’ll put in an appearance in the toolroom—it will look bad if we neglect that altogether. I want to get in and out of here without attracting too much attention too. We’ve lost the hunt for the time being and I don’t want to fall in with them again too much, until we’re through with that sample at all events. I’d rather keep this particular backwater a secret too until it no longer matters.” He scrambled out of the car, looked round for a moment and then climbed a decrepit fence by means of an old rusting tank. The last Hendringham saw of him as he himself turned again towards the shop was a bent, awkward fio-ure slipping unobtrusively along the hedge of a rough field in the distance.

COPE, THE COOK.

On the very stroke of seven-thirty he strolled into the little workshop, his arms ungainly with parcels. The mechanics were glad to slack off for the promised meal. They cleared a space on the bench for the spreading of the contents of his parcels and their eyes widened approvingly when they beheld a meat pie, a cold chicken and sausages, fresh lettuce, a loaf of bread, cheese and four bottles of ale. “Reckon you understands catering, mister,” was Evans's comment and Hendringliam thought he had rarely

seen Johnny Cope appear to be so pleased by a compliment. It put him into such good humour that he kept them amused with light-hearted- ironic anecdotes all the while they ate. The scene might have been that of a reunion of old cronies instead of a dirty little stable with a bench and a line of machines, and the guests three oily mechanics squatting on boxes to iood they ate largely with their fingers. When they had finished he announced that he was going to ' sleep for another hour and that he would be taking Mr Hendringham away from them at nine o’clock. He’d bring him back as early as possible so that the three of them could keep on through the night. Hendringham did not question him. Beplete with excellent food and beginning to feel more like himself than at any time since the previous evening, he was quite happy to go back to his lathe and continue to work. Crowder, though, said _ something about slipping away for a bit to let the Missus know where he was. “She knows already,” Cope threw over his shoulder as he strolled out of the car. “I thought I’d better let her know not to worry about a meal for you. You know what women are if a meal’s kept waiting, ancl quite right of them too, is what I say. I’ve nothing but contempt for the sort of man that keeps a good meal waiting.” “ >Ow long’s ’ee been married?” was Crowder’s comment when the door had closed behind him, and lie was unrestrained in his admiration when he was assured that Johnny Cope was a bachelor. “A chap that understands women like him ought to be married', though,” he commented. “Of course it isn’t as if he was exactly one of them screen stars, but then it isn't every woman that wants a hair-oil advertisement for a husband, either.” Hendringham only nodded. The job at that moment was getting down to size and required all his attention. Precisely at the end of an hour he again wok© up his friend and the tv o of them drove away in the car. “We’re - going to make an experimental trip to-night,” Cope explained as he steered through narrow streets back to the market place. “We’ve insinuated the idea into Mench’s head that we’re going to have a sample ready and I want to see what sort of a trap he’ll lay for us when he confirms that we are setting off for London. He’ll be in a fever to prevent that sample arriving, I imagine. Then there are all the others. If we advertise our departure Londonwards as openly as possible, we can leave it to them to take what they think is appropriate 'action. To-morrow night we make the real trip and have all the goods on us, we shall have already spiung their best traps and shall have some idea what to avoid. Tjiat’s my idea. Then there’s Morganthau, too. Until he sees us positively setting out lie won’t attempt to keep his appointment in Geneva. He’s easily the most dangerous of the lot and I want him out of the way rather badly.” Hendringham turned, over this argument in his mind. “There’s only one thing that occurs to me,” he said. “Supposing you. and I get smashed up to-night ...” “I’ve covered that. If the worst should happen the authorities will have full information as to the position of everything by ten o’clock to-morrow. They’ll only have to swoop down and collect the goods that matter. Those chaps in the workshop’ll have everything ready for the sample and the tubes will be where they can be found if needed.” “What’s the objection to getting the authorities in right away and letting them deal with everything?” “It’s only a matter of reputation, Geoff. Your reputation mainly, though mine is by now to a- certain extent involved. All this delay has been making your name stink a bit at beadquarters and if I hadn’t assured them that you would deliver the goods all right they’d have been swooping down arTd spoiling things for you before now. You won’t be properly rehabilitated until you turn up smiling with a, first-class sample and two tubes of explosive, a day before what they re doubtless regarding as the very last minute, see?”

“I see.” “Then let’s make the most of what we’ve got in front of us. It looks as if it might prove exciting and you •know I always did like a bit of fun. If we’re smashed to-night we shan’t give anything away. On the other hand, if we take the same risks tomorrow night we shall be carrying everything that matters. If I’ve got to break your neck I’d rather do it when you haven’t either tubes or sample on your person.” He was talking musingly as if expanding the subject In his own mind rather than attempting to convince his companion. “I suppose I’m a bit mad,” he broke out again after another corner bad been negotiated. “I never seem able to imagine the possibility of my own neck being breakable. Anyway, even that s all in a lifetime and if I’ve got to finish I’d rather do so without the help of policemen and general practitioners. I always was an independent sort of devil.”'

By this time they had reached the hotel, pulling up in front of it this time. They entered and Cope went straight up to the reception desk where, after a few minutes’ wait, a languid, colourful young woman appeared to attend to him She glanced distastefully at Hendringham’s blackened hands and he at once became conscious of their blackness and tried to hide them in his pockets. Cope informed her that he had to go up to London on important business and would not be in the hotel that night. She nodded indifferently but the waiter, who at that moment appeared behind the curtained entrance with coffee on a tray, seemed to Hendringham to look considerably more interested.

(To be Continued.)