Show hn ill les fJ L 1 dr amoon aly s teat Te vT CHAPTER XIII continued 13 44 well I 1 oriald that means tant ive got about half an hour to disguise a family metal meal as a corn company pany dl dinner dont all bother she interrupted ad they bey 0 wont be here for luncheon dinner I 1 need to see them thein only about ten minutes I 1 both er a g it if ahe he ways know any more about the ways of people in tills this country than that I 1 see ece why I 1 should take tt it on myself to teach tier her but she ehe was waa right slie bile talked to ill then era a few minutes and though I 1 insisted that they stay for dinner oft off they went it t was an insult inaudi to the desert moon aloon ranch every one on the place but MISS macdonald Mac Donnld knew it two weeks before if a couple of arlenda bad left the ranch at eleven thirty in the ilia morning with no reasonable excuse for so no doing sam would hove have blown up and burst with rage that thai boon noon he be was not even decently indignantly interested ile fee hod bad plenty of interest though concerning the of the attic key tie he bad had it all settled and was waa led that since it had been proven that onby had been killed on the stairway it had bad also alo been proven tant no bember of the household could have been implicated now this second key coming to light the key that must have been put over back of the wood before the ore fire was lighted that night and that must have been blackened in that one tire are bemuse there lind been ban no ore fire in that fireplace since drugged to quote sam bain not aoi wishing to use such words on myown my own hook book every d n one of us as back into the d n mess mesa again sam bani I 1 sold said and I 1 guess my only excuse to Is that I 1 was still bill angry nii ry ut at having my honest word doubted doubled to do you yon know what I 1 think t I 1 think that miss though land kno knows v v a she la ila a nice girl and a living vvo won n der as help in tile kitchen anti and around the bouse to la going to tw ba a flat fizzle from start to finish when it comes to discovering the murderer thais Tl iota kind ot of tile the way viny I 1 got it sized up too sam sold nut bill it good help to you sties worth a lot more than her bar expenses it tile the cost coat 01 her I 1 said i im ila afraid s blip be la Is going to do a lot of harm arm around herer goodnight maryl mary he sold said it anyone coa can do any more harm around here than lhnn has hijii been done already why leave leall cm do it not much with your leave lent en do its I 1 said cold aly iden idea isthan la that weve had about enough trouble la what im getting betting at la Is this sam I 1 think that fool girl giri at present Is 1 spec specking ting you yoo more than tiny any other one of us Tl inta the I 1 hod had lint gifted u op p too he said nut but let hot her go abend it if she can prove im guilty im cm will ing ine to t hang for it dont be a foot fool sam ham I 1 snapped did you ever happen bappe to hear of circumstantial cum evi evidenced dencell you bet hut but they cant hung hanx mo more re than one innocent person on circum stant lal evidence and theres enough of eliat stuff around here liere now to hang about five or six of us ua ill take my mv chances with the rest ot at you mary Ll landa clinis inis etro I 1 won taken chack do you think she mel nic something pretty close to tn the old twinkle came into sams pica eyes well mary alary laby was one extra to do for far and title eho cuine come lute late to meals mi ala nud ani pes pc you quite a lot furthermore it DOS does it bearn to you vou that thai danny and Canne alano are ar getting jion along g alt all bight 1 though ii tt it been mada A n point ot of you were all alone to 10 the kitchen tor for the hour between live nod six sit you too might have sil plied nit und and have done the deed between the time yuu you put the trient meat on and toot took the biscuits out I 1 knew that he thought he was being funny fanny but I 1 like it see here sam I 1 began dunny was golos going buck back and forth all the now then sam mocking miss did was bliss nave any particular rest ren son eon for fili watch ln you youl no I 1 see aee then thea I 1 am afraid she can not be positive that you yoa were not put out ot of the kitchen twenty minutes nl offen keemp AMP own lw sixteen minutes arial mary sam saia gol gel suddenly serious im going to wall wait a tew tevi more days and then if this lady progressing a deal faster than she he to Is at present im going to pay her bar off full amount of courm coarse and wire to frisco for a plain ordinary noman hemon no he mon man detective to come up op here and take hold bold of things ny by tho the ovay fray 1 he went on does docs it seem to you that danny and Conne zIano are getting along all right 1 I judge it a case of their getting ti ng along much I 1 sold so tar for as I 1 know she spoken a word to him since she greeted him the evening she carde annie home 1 well he hesitated weli welli I 1 know amite a mite auther further than that 1 ill 11 ll tell you some time that dinner time maybe laybe ri lie ile went into the lining dining room and I 1 followed him all durIng that thal dinner and the samp same bad been true of every ineal since the first breakfast ive mentioned 3 john hn mo hardly took his eyes off of miss macdonald a ca I 1 made a way to spink to ham hm about it 14 alone right after din ver ijohn i 1 john I 1 sold said for gercys bakes what do yon van to sit and stare at B adlas macdonald cDonald Ua for during meals like ike she ahe was the place where you had lost something file ile blushed ansh maryl I 1 been doing that tant have 17 I 1 you certainly have it look nice john why do you to do it icv 1 I 1 know that I 1 did but on tile tho square nore did you ever see anything 86 prettye prett yI mean os as clean and epli kind of at comforting looking she bile changes so BO too tike ike a dinni ond or a desert or a sunrise sundae or sor DO dd you ever see sea anyone an aa interest ing to lo look at mary never mind asking me I 1 said just yon KO go and ask ash danny some of those questions donny danny he answered Is well danny la Is danny of course ashes different better take to watching how different to t ent she Is 19 11 i 1 advised and left him tol think it over and ant went into the living room 1001 was around in there mary he sold said ill anh a a 8 ill dicker or with you 1 not with will rue me I 1 said and started op agthe the stairs curiosity like mine la Is a curse rd id gope about four stops steps up when it I 1 caught me your old dicker dicke r I 1 said ald it if per sundo sim sam to give M ms the ten thousand thou nand for producing the th murderer ril HI spill it with you jou I 1 on am tired ot at apologizing for or irvill 1 attl state slate merely that 11 1 to buy tile the one thing under those circumstances cum stances that I 1 slin should tild not have sold cald do you know who tile tha murderer Is thereby proving that I 1 was possessed of about its as much dl di as no nn alarm alarin dock clock certainly not net k to answered 11 lie e had not he be tind find looked into ny my eyes bajt I 1 knew that he believed believe tant I 1 thought ought th ho he had lied see here I 1 sold mid 1 I 1 take it that onil one tive thousand dollars la Is as good to ou nu no as another it if you know who committed tile the murder ind and will pro duce him ill give you the five thou annid dollars myself bollt eay any that filbry danny stepped step out front behind the long lone curtains curt at tile tho enil anti ol of uie the south win dows dowa cai lumped jumped like a spurred bronco eli all my lady site she spoke directly to tile me listen mary dont ever for any reason ren stin en ter into any sort ol of nn an agreement with tills this it t he knows ur that he knows who the mur murderer deret Is he con be forced to tell without a bribe lf it tie lie had known for one day ono hour 1 ur tied had bad withheld the lie in formation fori he a in effect an accola accota alico there Is s a begal terra term for ll it bin bt t I 1 haye have forgotten tor gutten it L I 1 am got out alit now to ind uncle sum an to brings bring hird him here ano and tell him hill that thai this man says stint be knows who committed tile murder mry mory telephone to tile lie shariff in telko P just a moment cunnell anu smoothly anti anil smilingly 11 1 time have said raid not know who killed auby and anda 11 do not dot know I 1 am bored ably baret I 1 should like to try my hand at K g this er cr n nut but he shrugged tile tila narrow shou t ders with itu ho lul impetus petus 1 the fact hint she eh was vba your own daughter I 1 began betina hotly dont donl mary dantly interrupter with a sigh there lb it no use oae yon yet and he do not the sanie same tan ian blage isow how Is in sold bif and went on speaking very rapidly in some foreign Ion danny stood and stared at him with out nut a mite of bl expression on her hei face ile he paused for breath she said eald 1 I 1 have forgotten fore otten my italian I 1 do ool understand yon and I 1 am aind I 1 do ool not come coale mury mary shall ahall we go up stairs at alra in the upper apper bull she said that ah she wanted we me to go with her to miss atlas macdonald Mac Donnld because she lie dented to tell miss what had bad just jual we knocked on tier her door she greeted us pleasantly enough but there wan wait a pucker between her eyebrows you have asked u annu began bt at doncet oto to tell yon ion nothing about the anse doin does that mean that hat yon i do not wish to feo nave us uj tell bell you jou ot of by kay cleaver strahan 0 by doubleday doran co ind ina arl day by day developments which seem to have a direct henri ti carlny tig on the he casel easely As AB for instance miss bliss macdonald cDonald Blu questioned nanny danny told her hereabout hero bout about what period from fram tile tie time blip had find stepped behind the curtains until the she and I 1 hart bad come a ab milre together miss bliss farst was why were yon watching him because Re cause couse danny a u r w e r bcd a it 1 I 1 think he cann nere here with some evil purpose I 1 should like to find out what that purpose Is why were you so enger eager to prevent tit mrs airs hIn a pact with hiell til in 1 I hove have dealt with will this ninn man I 1 know that thai he is bod bad and crafty voi for five thon thousand sand dollars jet JO would perjure himself over rind over agala lie ile would produce witnesses who would perjure themselves hus this man approached you with offers similar to thir one was miss can lie ile line hns had no opportunity you are sure cure ot of that dannys chin went up a trifle 1 I dont a der stand 11 think 1 I 1 think that hat yo you udor do danny turned to me mary she said yesterday afternoon that man came to my mv room when I 1 was alone oe ile slipped in closed my door and locked it I 1 ran into globys room hat but I 1 could not get out of 0 it the doors were oil all locked I 1 went into gabys and locked myself la in I 1 stayed there for hall half an hour or longer until tie lie lett miss nine donad eyl dently thinks that tie lie end I 1 were in conversation conver antion during that time ri I 1 enve no proof that we w erent do you believe me ma aenry 1 I 1 do with nil all my heart I 1 sold said bliss persisted you yon told no one about ihla 1 I 1 lid nut not dare to tell it if john thought that that man she stopped at short yearl yes questioned miss bliss Al acDonald 1 I 1 mean tant john would tight figh t with him would whip hlin him within on an inch of hla his life why should you yon coral denny took at me ine shed care I 1 said nn the appeal in her MR big hurt eyes bec imse she bile ta fa a wann allas it f may he haro hard frer you to hut but women who arent prime crime dont wont their raen men fighting thank you mary iary panny danny mid find walked hurriedly 0 o out at of the room mrs lira magin miss atlas be gun gan right ott off tile the minute the lie door hurt had closed behind behin d panny donny 1 I wont want to ask ansh you to help hell me wilh this case ansei 1 I rint be tiny help to you yon I 1 said I 1 guess I 1 was rather tart about it why not one renson reason Is I 1 said that any notly who know any he better iter thou to suspicion danny in this at fair would need a 0 loi more help to set get thou I 1 could giad efiem llie rn sly only cone conferring erriNg bliss she in Is that lint slip knows knowe inure than she elic IP IF willing botell 0 o tell I 1 may inny he be wrong about that lieve you any other reason for refusing to help me 41 only unit that you dont believe a word I 1 say it if you would on consider ona liler sider that I 1 fro anyway trying to be honest and if f yond do the same with the others I 1 until yon are anre varr that YOL yoi hove ren rca son to to do otherwise id consider it on an honor to help you and id thank lining you aln lly id lie be nv n use to you ns no long ns na you doubled every word I 1 said it if I 1 know that hint you ore are believing abat ill help and tell the truth ill try to if I 1 think I 1 am ain to be doubted doubled anyway maybe ill soy say what id ilka allia to any she sat and looked straight at me corat ora least halt half a minute 1 I 1 do be lieve yon she said nod and trust you I 1 haye since I 1 first met you atthe at the station I 1 cant help myself youre all ali right mrs magill and I 1 know it ill agree to your terms now then As my Is there anyone on the place who would benefit in any way by mr stanleys Stan leys conviction in a way I 1 said bald though it all allbut abut choked me john would ue ile Is to inherit everything sam has busjohn but john loves lovea sain and john do dd it bliss llosa 1 would also ben cut then she since she Is to marry young mr Stant stanley eyll 1 ill it make sense I 1 sold ald molin john tins has plenty or 01 his own right now and sam would give them any thing and everything they wan wanted teabe besides as long as he lived Is there 1 slie site disked next any per son at n li present r sent on the ranch whom you would concede might possibly corn com triet it a mur murder derl Conne zinno yes I 1 know kilow and leaving him out of it well I 1 had find to hesitate 1 I 1 am not sure every instinct I 1 have bave tells telle me that neither hubert hand eland nor sirs mrs sticker no it Is an awful thing to say bay b but ut it do or y you on know gabal elle herself war the only other person who hns has been on this ranch whom I 1 could even imagine doing such a terrible thing she bile hove have any of tile the decent ordinary virtues she bile know any anything hIng about them not charity nor grail tide nor kindness nor honesty nor modesty nor nor anything 11 it strange that twin st sisters who looked us tie much alike as these girls did should be afi entirely different a as to character strange or lof biot it IP true in char acter those ivo wo garm were as different as night nod and flay day I 1 never even thought that they looked alike who told you that they did 1 I 1 have seen their heir photographs she reminded roe me their photographs may look alike they rhey but they did she insisted 1 11 I tell you I 1 sold that they acted so BO differently and dressed so differently that there was not one bit of likeness A most unusual state ot of affairs for or duplicate twins miss danielle non lelle van dezinno bame came here on a most doubtful errand an errand eliat amounted to robbery nothing else it you are accusing danny I 1 Inter interrupted Apted oil I 1 am riot not I 1 there was a flush flash 0 or f temper its in that making all allow ances for or mistakes in time MISS can could not have committed the murder herself but suppose suppose that her ber past part was not as innocent anil and blame less ns as she alie would like to have you ill all think suppose that a revelation of all she knows or concerning her sisters death would also tiring bring to |