Show BY n ro WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE john drone drane prosperous ious westcote man of mastery tery Is visited by will dart and by a boyhood churn chum simon judd As he be speaks to them i 1 young youl gill amy drane app approaches roar lies him NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY aliat was it amy john dane asked oil oh nothing she said it was waa only about robert whether you wanted to lee I im now blit i it have visitors vi 1 this evening perhaps john drane said but oils dl arry airy this is an old frield of fmc alli ic chura chum black my cats cat when we were kids why doat sc i zay cay huh simon judd demanded iles afraid to tell how long aia tp 0 o that was huh yes rne EC of try boyhood dims john drane said smiling slightly simon judd in n j art frt rl and judo this is ray my grandniece grand niece amy the athe girl agave judd her hand and for a minute or two they talked the girl smiling and judd laughing for no reason but because of nis ills own unfailing good humor 11 in she be said having learned that tile the jolly fat man might stay a day or two that bob was waldir wai wal tiri tir for her ber and after r word of tr t val pait t she hi ried aay she did rt r it ke e dart she ri er liked b ti ii i ii conic not nol iliae what ho her tirl ti rl 1 l jobs saw in him dart stood stroking h hiu k gray beard studying simon judd as the bis big wall man climbed the veranda steps biers flom the rear the movements ot of the man from riverbank Riber bank were a almost grotesque Kio tesque as lie he hoisted his great hulk bulk from step to step 1 I think dart said when john di drane ane turned at the top of the steps ill conic come back later on an tomorrow perhaps drane scowled his annoyance now dont do that william lie he said you know I 1 dont like to have my plans disarranged you said aid on would stay the night and I 1 have counted on it I 1 to thresh that writer out nil enli you dont be a fool T only thought as you nd jird sir mr judd here now just wiy aliv I 1 want you to stay ohi i drape drane aalt af simon and I 1 go ge to ut ticking king roywood roy hood days well neve get to I tes ed dont you tee ec well be talking lal king over alil old day days s well never stop cant stop me lie once I 1 att t stalled stai ted sine enough said simon judd balkins Ta lkins ruy my lung lulli guit arid and always was I 1 guess du but dont you folks let me ine bust up any plans bouvo made if you want to talk ive got a lot of stutt stuff ive sot got to read over toni tonight alit tuff stuff I 1 came down to now to get hold of I 1 been made chief of 11 lice lacek lac if home john that Is interesting at seventy too simon iSla ion brint said i yes I 1 guess they got around to where their the thought thor the some bonie brans brains at last simon judo chuckled folks do sometimes yes sir made me chief of pollare of riverbank Riv eibink swie ns as you 0 a tout foot high william Wll liar I art rt had coule come up tile the steps aid aad taken one of the wicker el chairs lairs lie III put Ws plows on its arms and now began be an revolving his hig thumbs leaning forward and looking off over the lawn yes sir john simon judd continued cheerfully chebi fully 1 I been all ply my life bryin one thing and another but you cant discourage a good man sooner or later lies hes goin to find out what lies hes made for there was one time I 1 tried pi eachin and it looked for awhile like that was goin to be it but I 1 ain t got the voice for it when I 1 go to let loose the voice gets squeaky nn ms me there was awhile I 1 tried the butcher busi business nem hut but sight of blood always did make me faintish ain tish so I 1 the right rig jt thing now john pretty near ever since I 1 was p hoy boy ive had a deanin lean in wnm it reins fing n william asked I 1 camp ci inie gracin explained simon judd ti inz z towi cl c th lh little man maa in ic lack ll out cut who done the crime tt wr all ro work I 1 feel I 1 got genius that way aa A and a d brought you to new yr yo simon dipna asked are you y u on I 1 tiac n of a criminal linna 0 ogo goodness no laughed simon judd alai slapping ing his luge auge thigh b why I 1 aint started in yet john I 1 dont get ray my badge until first of the year no s 1 I 1 come down here heie to have a look around and see how these new york detective tellers fellers eznor c the business and I 1 must say liht kindly t st erf cd me I 1 1 1 I of thin things s g m lot ot of r ap lifts and one th r s g I 1 anoche T 3 join goin to help me r lot job johr i I 1 1 it I the genius for it all right but I 1 got to brush up on the more r les less I 1 guess play maybe ill get along all right no goibert bert ibert as it i knowing what was desired de appealed oa aa the veranda with cigars long slender light cigars of admirable quality dart and drane took cigars but judd hesitated mostly I 1 smoke a pipe john he said and when I 1 do so go in for a cigar I 1 kind of like ern em dark and st strong rollf 1 but I 1 dont know ill risk one now it if you tellers fellers had bad anything to talk over we can do that later john drone drane said tell me about rover bank not many changes I 1 suppose well yes simon judd said puffing at his cigar say this tais aint such a bad smoke is it yes quite a few changes john main street aint changed much but out around be surprised say that niece nie ce ot of yours is P mighty nice girl aint she you say she was your piece niece did you 1 I 1 I said she was my grand alice said john drane and william Wil liani dart looked up at him suddenly thare was a question in liis bis eyes a question and fright it if he feared anything however there was iwas no sign of anything to tear fear j simon judd Q face the tat fat man was milling unexpected pleasure in his cigar she stay here with you all the time he asked ashes makin making her home with me row now yes john drane answered nice nice to have the young folks around simon judd slid said and as I 1 was wag sayla sayin about the changes in riverbank cju know that field where rye ore ne low 1 iv r go to hunt rabbits baileys field john well youa neve i dv D v it all built up with acu 33 and all gas and electric se everything you remember ross gartner father used to run the western hotel no ho developed that part of town with simon judd talking and john drane asking a question now and then they r remained there on the veranda until dark daik when norbert called thera them to dinner on sunday mor mornings ninos john drane and his household usually slept later than usual and breakfast was not served until nine at nine this morning mrs vincent who tor for many years had sat at the foot ot of folrn dranes table behind the coffee pot and toaster stood iu ili the breakfast room waiting tor for hr employer she stood sod near her chair and slie she seemed to be suffering for her eyes were closed and she held one hand band against the small ot of her back she was actually in great pain tor for she was a diabetic ond and at times the pains caused by her condition were almost more than she could bear presently as no one appeared in the breakfast room other th than an the maid maid bosle bits AIs vincent drew out her chair and seated herself ready to arl at momentary notice iler her face w was as unusually vale ot of the hue natural to those suffering fromi brorn her disease but she was dimmed as always neatly josie josic she suld presently and with considerable effort 1 I think you had bad better have norbert call mr drape and the other myn men gal i they cant have gortva up tip yes mani mam the maid said it they felt the way I 1 do they nevar would got get up youre not so well this morning in oh I 1 feel awl just awful the girl exclaimed almost in ia tears 1 I dont hardly feel like I 1 could prag dra through the day im that weak mrs vincent your heart a aaen ain yes like always only last night it pained roe me worse than ever it did it was something terrible mrs vincent 1 I dont know iw hats the th mattei with us all sick like we are tle the housekeeper said you better tell norbert the girl went to find the negro houseman she returned almost immediately iles hes got ones ot of them awful coughing spells again she said 1 I guess ill have to go myself and I 1 dont feel hardly able she looked at sirs mrs vincent but that poor woman was suffering 1 I guess have to go josie sm she managed to say ive got to save myself tor for breakfast mr drane dont like it tor for me to he be away from breakfast aal the girl went on the veranda it was there ther the small family gathered before breakfast reak tast in nice weather ary amy drone drane was sitting wi 0 tho the arm of f a chair looking through the pages of the huge sunday newspaper and she had just opened a wide 1 double I page of brown illustrations when she herd he rd a piercing scream from the floor above and the tall fall of P body to the floor she threw aside the paper and swinging open the screen door ran up the wide stairs in the hall simon judd but coatless and with lils his suspend eta ei hanging was comos la eown down ape tl passage from the guest boors as hastily bassily as his huge diug ge beair coul coula giove and ct at the open door of john dranes room the girl joste lay outstretched stretched on the floor unconscious mily amy diane was about ab 0 ut to bend be nd d down to raise her nhep her icyel glimpsed her uncle on his bed and she stood willite and speechless petrified with horror taj th old man her er uncle lay with his tead head back a against the pillow his glassy eyes staring at her and the front j ot of his bajama Daj arna coat was sodden with blood from a spot tover over the heart to the bed covers drawn close about abou him the matter simon judd asked and then he too looking past amy saw the dead man hes been abden mur murdered derell he exclaimed and amy tell felt something huge lean against her back black my cats 1 simon judd said weakly im goin to faint and he lid did this his nast ast bulk A I 1 |