Show a 4 13 SYNOPSIS Lawrence LIl Blakeley lawyer goes gocs to Pittsburg with the forged notes in th the theT Bronson T case caso to get Bet the deposition of or John Gilmore millionaire In the latter's latter s 's home he Is attracted by a picture of or a a. young oung girl whom the millionaire explains Is Vt his granddaughter A lady requests Blakeley to buy her a Pullman ticket He gives her lower eleven Aleven and retains lower ten He finds a drunken man In lower ten and retires it h In lower nine lIe He awakens awakens awa awa- kens in lower seven and finds his clothes and bag missing The man In lower ten Is found murdered Circumstantial evi ovi- d dence nce points to both Blakeley and the unknown man who had exchanged clothes with him Blakeley becomes Interested In n a girl In blue The train Is wrecked Blakeley Blakeley is rescued from the burning car cr by the girl irl In blue His arm Is broken They go o to the Carter place for breakfast break- break fast Cast The girl proves to be Alison West his Is partners partner's sweetheart Her peculiar pecullar actions mystify the lawyer She drops her er gold bag and Blakeley puts It In his po pocket Blakeley returns home He lIe finds that hat ho he Is under under surveillance Moving pictures of the train taken Just before the wreck reck reveal to Blakeley a a. man leaping from Crom rom the train with his stolen grip Blakeley learns that a a. man named Sullivan Sullivan Sul- Sul livan tvan leaped from the train near M Mand Mand M- M and nd sprained his ankle He stayed sot some tI time Ime e at the Carter place CHAPTER Continued Continued Was the name Blakeley I aske asked It might have been been I I cant can't say But the man wasn't there and there was a lot of noise I couldn't hear well veil Then In half an hour down came the he c other ther twin to say say the gentleman was sas taking on awful and didn't want the he message sent Hes He's gone of course Yes Limped down here In about three days and took the noon train forthe for forthe forthe the city It seemed a certainty now that our man having hurt himself somewhat in n his jump had stayed quietly In the farm arm house until he was able to trav trav- el But to be positive w we decided to visit the Carter place I gave the station agent a five five-dol- tar lar ar bill which he rolled up with a couple of others and stuck in his pocket locket I turned as we got fo o a bend bendIn In n the road and h he was looking curl curl- curiously after us It was not until we had climbed the hill hUl and turned onto the road to the Carter larter place that I realized where we were going Although we approached it t from another direction I knew the farm arm house at once It was the one where Alison Allson West and I had breakfasted break- break fasted asted nine days before With a new restraint between us I did not tell McKnight I wondered afterward if he had suspected it I saw him look look- big ing ng hard at the gatepost which had figured In one of our mysteries but he asked no questions Afterward he grew almost ta taciturn taciturn for him and let me do most of the talking We Ve opened the front gate of the Carter Barter place and went slowly up the walk Two ragged youngsters alike even to freckles and squints were playing in the yardIs yardIs yardIs yard I Is your mother around I asked In the front room Walk In they answered in identical tones As we got to the porch porch we heard voices and ana stopped I knocked but buthe the he people within engaged In animated ed rather sided one-sided conversation did not answer In In the front room Walk In in quoted McKnight and did so so In the stuffy farm parlor two people peo pea pIe were sitting One a pleasant pleasant- faced aced woman with a checked apron rose somewhat embarrassed to meet us She did not know me and I was thankful But our attention was riveted riv- riv eted ted on a little man who was sitting before a table writing busily It was Hotchkiss He got up when he saw us and had the grace to look uncomfortable Such an interesting case he said nervously I took the liberty liberty- Look here said McKnight suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly did you make any inquiries at the station A few he confessed I went to the theater last night night night-I I felt the need of a little relaxation relaxation and and the sight of ofa a picture there a cinematograph affair af- af fair Calr started a a. new line of thought Probably the same clew brought you youg g gentlemen men I learned a good bit from the station agent The son gun said McKnight And you paid him I suppose I gave him five dollars was the apologetic answer Mrs Carter hearing sounds of strife in the yard went out and Hotchkiss folded raIded up his papers I think the identity of the man is established he said What number of Df hat do you wear Mr Blakeley Seven and a quarter I replied Well VeIl Its It's only piling Up tip evidence he said cheerfully On the night of the murder you wore g gray ay silk underclothing underclothing under under- clothing with the second button of the shirt missing Your hat bat had LB LB LB L B. B in gilt letters inside and there was wasa a I. I very minute hole In the toe of one Flack lack black sock Hush McKnight protested If It word ford gets to Mrs that Mr was wrecked or robbed or whatever it was with a button missing miss ing and a hole in one sock shell she'll retire re- re Ur tire lire to the Old Ladles Ladles' home Ive I've beard eard her threaten it it Mr Hotchkiss was without a sense jf t t humor He regarded McKnight gravely and aDd went op Ive been up In in the room where the theman theman I man enan lay hey while he was unable to get n The i p r W RJ fj- fj r. r bY MARY ROBERTS ROBERTA AUTHOR of 41 THE DR ni ILLUSTRATIONS b by Y P G. G J. J I tE I aMT bY tor Sol OO iBS as FI COI COMPANY LY t f y V N 1 ur kJ I 1 1 jj 1 g A i I You dont don't Dont Don't Think He Locked the Door Himself away and there is s nothing there But ButI I found what may be a possible clew in the dust heap Mrs Carter tells me that in unpacking unpacking unpacking un un- packing his grip the other day she shook out of the coat of the pajamas some pieces of a telegram As I figure figure figure fig fig- ure It the pajamas were his own He probably had them on when he effected effected ef et- the exchange Q p QI I nodded assent All I had retained of my own clothing was wa's was the the suit of pajamas I was wearing and my bath bathrobe robe Therefore the telegram was his not yours I have pieces here but some are missing I am not discouraged discouraged i aged however He spread out some bits of yellow paper and we bent over them curious curious- ly It was something like this Man with p p p- Get Get Get- Br Br- Br tWe spelled It out slowly Now ow Hotchkiss announced I make it something like th this s The Thep- Thep p p Is one of two vo things pistol you pistol you remember remember remember re re- member the little pearl-handled pearl affair affair affair af af- fair bel belonging to the murdered manor man manor manor man man- or is it pocketbook I am am inclined to the latter view as th the pocketbook had been disturbed and the pistol had not I took the piece of paper from the table and scrawled four words on ll It Now I said rearranging them it happens Mr Hotchkiss that I found one of these pieces of the te telegram telegram tele tele- e- e gram on the train I thought It had been dropped by some one else you see but that's immaterial Arranged this this' way it almost makes sense Fill out that p p with the rest of the the- word as I t imagine it and It makes papers and add this scrap and you have Man with papers In lower ten car seven Get them McKnight slapped Hotchkiss on the back Youre a trump he said Br Is Br Is Bronson of course Its It's almost too easy Y You u see Mr Blakeley here engaged engaged en en- gag d lower ten but found It occupied by the man who was later murdered there The man who Idid did the the thing was a friend of Bronson's evidently and in trying to get the papers we have the motive for the crime There are still some things to be explained Mr Hotchkiss wiped his glasses and put them on For one ore thing Mr Blakeley I am puzzled by that bit of chain I did not glance at McKnight I felt that the the hands with which 1 was gathering up the bits of torn paper were shaking It seemed to me that this astute little man was going to drag in to the girl in spite of me CHAPTER I A New World Hotchkiss Jotted down the bits of telegram and roseWell roseWell roseWell rose Well he said weve done some some- thing Weve We've found where the murderer mur mur- derer donor left the train we know what day he went to Baltimore and most important of all aU we have a motive forthe for forthe forthe the crime It seems the Irony of fate tate said McKnight getting up that a man should kill another man for certain pertain papers pa pa- papers pers he Is supposed to be carrying find he hasn't got them after all aU deCide decide decide de de- cide to throw suspicion on another m man n by changing berths and getting out bag and baggage and then by the merest fluke of chance take tak with him in the valise he changed for his own own the very notes he was after It was a abit abit abit bit of luck for him Then why put In Hotchkiss doubtfully doubtfully doubt doubt- fully why did he collapse when he heard of the wreck And what about the telephone message the station agent sent You remember they tried to countermand It and with some ex ex- We Ve will as asli him th those se ques questions ions when we get him McKnight said We were on the front porch by that time and nd Hotchkiss had put away his notebook The mother of th the twins followed us to the steps Dear me she explained volubly and to think I was forgetting to tell you I put the young man to b bed d with a spice poultice on his ankle my mother always was a firm believer In spice poultices Its It's wonderful what they will do in croup And then I took the children and went down to see the wreck It was Sunday and the mister had gone to church hasn't missed a day since h he took the the pledge nine years jears ars ago And on the way I met two people a man and anda a woman They looked half dead so I sent them right here for bre breakfast and some soap and water I always say soap Is better th than liquor quor after a sh shock ck Hotchkiss was listening ab absently McKnight was whistling under his breath star staring ng down across the field to where a break In the woods showed a half dozen telegraph poles the line of the raU railroad oad It must have been 12 o'clock when we got back I wanted the children to see everything because it isn't likely they'll ever see another wreck like that Rows of of- of y About 12 o'clock I broke In and what then The young man upstairs was awake she went on hammering at athis his door like ill ll possessed And It was locked on the outside Sh She paused to enjoy her sensation I would like to see that lock Hotchkiss said sald promptly but for some reason the woman d demurred I will bring the key down she said and dis dis- appeared When she returned she held beld out an ordinary door key of the cheapest variety n eo we we nna to break the lock she site volunteered volunteered vol vol- and the key leey didn't turn up for two days Then one of the twins found the turkey gobbler trying to swallow It It It has been washed since she sh hastened to assure I who showed an Inclination to drop It You dont don't think he locked the door himself and threw the key leey out of the window the little man asked The windows are covered with mosquito netting nailed on The mister mister mister mis mis- ter blamed it on the children and It might have been Obadiah Hes He's the quiet kind and you never know what hes he's about Hes about to strangle Isn't he McKnight remarked lazily or Is that Obadiah Mrs Carter picked the boy up and Inverted him talking amiably all all the time Hes always doing it It she said giving him a a. shake Whenever we miss anything we look to see If Obadiah's black In the face She gave another shake and the quarter I had I given him Mm shot out as 1 If blown from froma a gun Then we prepared to go back to the station From where I stood I could Into the cheery farm kitchen whee e Alison West Nest and I had eaten our al alfresco alfresco alfresco fresco breakfast I looked atthe atthe at atthe the table with mixed emotions and w hf 1 ly then gradually tho meaning of something something some some- thing on it penetrated my mind Still in its papers evidently just opened was a hat box and protruding over the edge of the box was a streamer of oi vivid green ribbon On the plea that I wished to ask Mrs Carter a few more questions I Ilet Ilet Ilet let the others go on I witched watched them down the flagstone walk saw McKnight McKnight McKnight Mc- Mc Knight stop and examine the gate gateposts gateposts gateposts posts and saw too th the quick glance he threw back at at- atthe the house Then I turned to Mrs CarterI Carter I would like to speak sleak to the young lady U upstairs stairs I said She threw up her hands with a quick gesture of surrender Ive doneall done doneall doneall all I I could she exclaimed She wont won't like It very well but but she's she's In Inthe inthe inthe the room over the parlor I went eagerly up the like ladder-like stairs to the rag rag carpeted carpeted hall Two doors were open showing Interiors of four poster beds and high bureaus The door of the room over the parlor was almost closed I hesitated In the hallway after all what right had 1 to Intrude de 4 on n her But she settled my difficulty by throwing open the door and facing meI me I I 1 I beg your pardon Miss West Vest I stammered It has Just occurred to me that I am unpardonably rude I 1 saw the hat downstairs and I-I I I I guessed It The hat she said I might have known Does Richey know I am here I dont don't think so so I turned to go ga godown godown down the stairs again Then I i halted The fact is I said In an attempt at Justification I Tax Im In rather a a a mess mesa these days and Im I'm apt to do irresponsible Irresponsible irresponsible irre Irre- things It is not Impossible that I shall be arrested in iii Ina a day orso or orso orso so for the murder of Simon Harrington HarrIng Harring- ton She drew her breath In sharply Murder 1 r she echoed Then they have found you aft after r all It ItI I dont don't regard it as anything more than er than er Inconvenient I lied They cant can't convict me you know Almost all aU the witnesses are dead She was not deceived for a moment She came over to me and stood both hands on the rail rall of stair I know just how grave It is Is she said quiet quiet- ly My grandfather will not riot leave one stone unturned and he can be terrible terrible But she But she looked directly Into my eyes as I stood bel below w her on the stairs the stairs the time may pome- pome come come- soon when soon when I can cm help you Im I'm afraid I shall not want to Im I'm a dreadful coward Mr Blakeley But ButI I I will She tried to smile I 1 wish you would let me help you you I I said unsteadily Let us make it a bargain each help the other The girl shook her head with a sad little smile I am only as unhappy as I deserve to fo be she said And when I protested and took a step to toward toward toward ward her her she sh retreated with her hands out before her Why dont don't you ask me all the questions questions ques ques- you are thinking she demand demand- demanded ed with a catch in her voice Oh I know I them Or are you afraid to ask I II II II I looked at her at the lines around her eyes at the drawn look about her mouth Then I held out my hand Afraid I said as she gave me hers There is nothing In Gods God's green earth I am afraid of save sav of trouble for you To ask questions would beto be beto beto to Imply a lack of faith falth I ask you nothing Some day perhaps you will come to me yourself and let me help you The next moment I was out in the |