Show MEDUSAS HEAD By Josephine Daskam as an Bacon BaconI Service I Copyright by D. D Appleton and Company x i I CHAPTER I IA IJ 1 J A SLENDER dark young man manI I s skipped nimbly out of the very lu luxurious French motor In which he be had had been carried carried from rom New York city to Southampton Long Island and preceded his luggage up the marble steps of that t typical American Ameri Amerl American can palace called a summer cottage into the vestibule This vestibule was constructed very Tery simply of mottled old ivory ory marble with bronze urns holding Venetian glass lights and bronze doors carved ed In the simplest possible possible ble Greek design The hall Into which It opened might well have ha belonged to one of the simple old Italian merchants of the Fifteenth century most century most of It had In fact For this cottage was the summer home of Aaron Glaenzer Jeweler extraordInary extraordinary extraordinary and gem-cutter gem plenipotentiary plenipotentiary to the royal families of London London London Lon Lon- don Paris and New York It was three full generations since Aaron aron iron Glaenzer's family had left Vienna and he be might perfectly well have bave been named James or Henry If jf he had liked but liked but he hadn't liked His wonderful brow his lidded deep eyes and his unmistakably modeled nose had not altered by n a centimeter centime centime- ter In those three generations and he be was very glad they hadn't for he lie was very proud of them This made marle him like any other aristocrat very easy to deal with and everybody e liked and admired him among the rest his young guest whom one of the cottage helpers in introduced ro In a n pronounced English accent as Mister Mister Mis Mis- ter Motherwell l This Is very good of you Motherwell Motherwell Moth Moth- erwell said the older man shaking shaking shaking shak shak- ing han hands s warmly We could have ha met In town of ot course cours but but l I had my reasons for dragging you out here It was a very pleasant drag sir the young man replied Id rd be glad to walk out just to see this room 1 The cottager smiled the quick flashing smile of ot his hits race evidently pleased as all ail of his sort are likely to be with the appreciation of his little shelter against the elements clements After their meal which was perfectly perfectly perfectly per per- digestible and calculated to sustain them till morning they went ba back k to the library for their coffee When there was no one In the room but themselves Mr Ir Glaenzer lit a pale and very fragrant cigar and mo e moved to the fireplace where since It was late October a dull duH fire i And how is your young friend Mr Mr l that married old Miss WIntham's niece was niece was it Reid neld he be I asked uy Yes es Douglas Reid She was as only her goddaughter I believe sir They're as happy happ as possible Hes He's working like lIle a horse Going to have ha havea haea a baby very ery soon Again Mr Glaenzer smiled his flashing smile nice Now Isn't that nice he said warmly I they'll be I 1 Ive I've collected about everything there Is to collect Motherwell Moth Moth- erwell but theres there's nothing like the babies 1 If only they'd yd stay so so- so like the other things one collects l I Motherwell thought of the only two of Mr Glaenzer's sons he be had ever met and said nothing Ah yes said his host tab ah yes They both smoked Tell me Motherwell the older man said abruptly do udo you ou consider consid consId- er yourself a member of the police force Certainly not sir came the quick answer You have baye a regular re business then r I have been a member of my grandfathers grandfather's publishing firm for eight years I 1 am one of the managers managers managers man man- agers of the New York branch Alt Ah I see But you have haye suf- suf sufi clent leisure to follow your various hobbles er er hobbles Motherwell's l e eye ee e twinkled led be said The liThe Quite sn arrangement arrangement arrangement arrange arrange- ment was made with both my uncles Its It's fully understood I I 1 used to know Imo your uncle Sears rather well They tell me you have a rare gift gift gift-a a sort of ot flair Mr Motherwell l for putting your our finger on things things for for Jumping at the right conclusion he branched off abruptly The uThe Chief thinks Ive I've done It once or twice Motherwell answered simply But Im I'm bound to tell you Mr Glaenzer that they have mostly mostly mostly most most- ly suspected something and asked Ime I Ime me to follow It up They had the case really Not In my case said the Jew jew- eler Oh 1 Motherwell Jl waved his Iris hand depre- depre I That was different sir That was an accident 4 When a pair of ot que queer queer r people move moc Into the tile house next but one to toa toa ton a n great Jewelers Jeweler's and tal take c great reat pains to get c everybody out of ot both houses and keep k ep them under their eye and even eyen to remove an Interesting Interesting Interesting Inter Inter- esting party across the street and when they spend most of ot their time Ume In the cellar knocking and hammerIng hammering hammer hammer- Ing and when their alleged business bustness bust busi ness turns out to be an utter bluff why why It doesn't take any vast amount of flair as you put It It- It Walt Wait a moment Glaenzer interrupted interrupted in in- gently wait walt a moment I quite agree with you But the point Is that everything was so cleverly managed and so apparently open and aboveboard that the average average aver aver- age and unsuspecting persons concerned concerned con con- were completely hoodwinked In fact your friend Mr Reid neld appears appears ap op pears to me to be distinctly above the average But he suspected something all along Mr Glaenzer He felt that they were fishy from the start That was why he lie told me about them Ah Ali yes Glaenzer replied quickly quick quick- ly but what did he suspect my young friend That's Just the point He suspected the wrong thing en en- It was your quick action that saved us us I think you lay too much stress on on It sir Well Vell said the Jeweler slowly we shall shail see sec That's what I want ant antto Y t I I w I Il That Is Mrs Crandall White to find out Have you ever eyer done anything entirely by yourself Mr Motherwell The young mans man's eyes lighted up He could not restrain a slight flush Not since I 1 left college sir he answered I worked out a few odd orld things But of course I never had bad any authority It You can have some now now said Mr Glaenzer and you ou are the thc only person I know Motherwell to whom I feel justified In appealing I may maybe maybe maybe be wrong but you ou are the only person He moved over to the wonderful refectory table and took up a n large photograph framed in Florentine leather Do liDo you know this lady he asked Very few women's faces could be said to add to a n room as beautiful as ns Mr Glaenzer's library but this one did It was perfectly familiar to to Motherwell Motherwell Moth Moth- erwell but he lie could not to save saYe his life put a n name to ItI ItI It I UI know her of course Mr Glaenzer z zer r. r he said after a moment but Im I'm afraid you'll have to tell me who she Is sir Ive I've certainly seen her picture often enough That Is Mrs Crandall White said Mr Gla Glaenzer and Motherwell nodded a ri quick assent Of Ot course he said of course it is B By a curi curious us chance Mr Glaenzer zer went on here Is another photograph photograph photograph pho pho- Just published today and he lifted a magazine from the table opened it and handed it to the young man The frontispiece was a n reproduction tion In color of a n famous portrait of the lady and you saw what not no ordinary photographer could show you ou the marvelous coloring of ot the original From the unusual yellowish pink 1 of ot the flesh up through the pale ii i rose of the lips and the strange i greenish l hazel azel of the lashed deep-lashed t wide-spaced wide eyes the color rose to the extraordinary golden red of her unmatchable hair It framed her face In profound Irregular waves as different from the commonplace results of the process which embalms em era balms the memory of ot the great M. M I. I Marcel as from the God given grace of or the lucky curly head bead It was planted In the famous seven points of ot beauty around her low forehead and it folded back graciously with witha a vague reminiscence of the classic just showing the tips Ups of ot her small ears too ears too red to be golden but far too golden to be merely rc red Now Mr Motherwell said the Jeweler Mrs White V left her house day before yesterday at about eleven cleven in thin tho and has not been seen since Except that she went out on some perfectly ordinary errand fully intending to return to her lunch for which she had given orders nobody knows anything about her since that hour One message message mes meso sage from her her or or purporting to come from her her has has been received by her husband but It Is not of ofa a nature to allay his anxiety Quite the contrary In fact It was received received re re- late at night on the day she left left Wednesday Here It is is He handed the young man a n sheet of ot smooth violet wrapping paper of the sort used In the higher-class higher shops that cater to rich women On OnIt Onit Onit it was written In a heavy soft pencil pencil pencil pen pen- cil in very Irregular lines quite ob obviously obviously ob- ob blistered and rubbed with drops of some liquid Dearest Cran I must leave you for a little the thelast thelast thelast last word had bad been scratched out replaced by some time replaced again by the original phrasing and andI I cannot tell you why But I cannot cannot cannot can can- not have haye you frightened to death death- though I 1 am But you need not be I 1 will try to come back as soon as asI asI asI I can Nobody l is hurting me Cran you must not think so I ought not notto notto notto to take even this time Ume You are not to send to the police poUce or anything anything anything any any- thing of that sort I 1 am nm going of my own accord If you tr try to find out by the police I 1 swear that I will never come back Remember that I 1 mean it I will try to let you hear again Pack up some clothes and send them somewhere somewhere- you will know what to say I 1 shant shan't need any I am quite well No one is hurting me I told him that 1 I tell you know v I love loye you I 1 hope to come back LELY CHAPTER II 1 1 l 11 1 1 lOTHER OTHER WELL read this through 1 V very rapidly and did not read it again Holding it in his hand he hc addressed a n question Lely Her name Is Clella ClelIa said Mr Glaenzer Is that her writing I should say so be beyond ond a n doubt Here Is a note I had from her afew afew a a. few days ago ago And he handed Motherwell a small pale gray sheet Dear Glen It read be sure to come in about bout four on Friday wont won't you I want ant to talk over Cranny's birthday present I have ha U thought ought of something but 1 I dont don't know what you ou will say Hastily C L. L W. W You were good friends 1 judge Crandall White and I have haye been associated for twenty five years said Mr Ir Glaenzer There are not two men In the world closer to me I knew the first Mrs Irs White well and her children were ns DS free In my house as ns their own This second second sec sec- ond marriage Is but seven seyen years old and the present Mrs White can hardly be much older than my second daughter even en now Oh h Oh hi I 1 Then there Is quite a difference dIfference- White Is four fifty-four said Mr Glaenzer Clella cannot be over oyer thirty and sometimes she looks nearer twenty Frankly I dont don't know her age precisely I 1 have haye heard my daughter tease her about It Frances says she Is thirty and nna andI I 1 suppose she knows They are great friends She may be your daughters daughter's friend but she Is not yours thought Mr Ur Motherwell that astute young oung manYour manYour manYour man Your daughter does not know know- She thinks s Clella Clelia Is s taking a n acure acure cure somewhere about something connected with reducing her weight You know the women today today- I I know said Motherwell l brief brief- 1 Ily ly Was Was Is is Mrs White quite well i I 1 have ha never seen her when she was not In perfect health said Mr Glaenzer And happy Contented i If UIt she was not I have haye never known any human being conceal it I In better said Mr Glaenzer in In- She has a remarkably I even coen disposition Motherwell pondered a moment I Of course Mr Glaenzer he said looking squarely at his host there Is no use my going Into this unless I have at least all the help you can give me People dont don't do don odd things filings n unless they are Insane without reason Women's reasons 1 are less complicated I mean th the they y y fill 1111 a more limited field than mens men j Were Mr Ir and Mrs White happy together together toj to- to I j gether Mrs White the Jeweler answered answered an nn Instantly but hut choosing his i words carefully has been ever j since 1 met her alwa always s 's taking into j consideration her exceptional beauty I and the fact that she Is young oung 1 I enough to be her husbands husband's daughter daugh- daugh Iter ter a n devoted and und l 10 loving lo g wife wICe I 1 White And Mr I I Mr Whites White's attitude can only be I described by bj one word word I tion Uon I said Mr 1 Whites White's friend l I quickly Ills first marriage was like any other romance other romance domestic life friendship But when he brought Clella to this house a year after poor Nettles Nettle's death 1 saw that he had never been in 10 love loye be be- fore If anything has happened to her Mr Motherwell he will die llie I have not the slightest doubt of ot it Where did he meet her was was she she she- She uShe was nobody In the world but buta a beautiful girl said Mr Glaenzer Glaenzer Glaenzer zer and never ne pretended to be anything anything anything any any- thing else Her name was Clella Celia Lee and she was a n distant connection connection connection tion of a poor and gone to seed gone seed branch of the Virginia Lees When Interested ladles you ladies you know v how kindly and how Interested our New NewYork NewYork York ladies Indies can be asked be-asked asked her about this Lee and that Carroll and andall andall andall all the rest of ot It the man of a hundred generations smiled slightly she told them just what I 1 have haye told toM you It really renny left them Y very ry little to say I thought One or two of them didn't Invite her I 1 believe but after Crandall took her to London It was a little embarrassing for them because she created creat created d as they say a n furore there They dont don't know a n drayman's drayman's drayman's dray dray- mans man's daughter from a n Colonial Dame you know over over- there said Mr Glaenzer smiling mildly And now Mr Motherwell you know as ns much as ns I know which know which Is no more than er e everybody body knows he added Except the young man suggested suggest suggest- ed gently what Miss Lee Lec was doIng doIng doIng do- do Ing before re she married As to that I can only say that White told me that she was recommended recommended recommended mended to his attention by a French friend of poor Nettles Nettle's Nettles Nettle's an old gov gov- erness She duen duenna ed ed a bakers baker's dozen of music students In Paris and this girl she told toM him Im had come direct from a n Convent OD in the South over here bere somewhere on a scholarship She knew al nil all about her Had Dad any amount of ot letters She was as good as she was beau beau- He paused and sighed It was evident evident evi evi- dent that he was worried to a de de- gree You ou see Mr Ir Motherwell my poor friend didn't go to tile the the mu music lc halls hans he said He might have haye married anyone he liked I suppose If It he happens to love beauty more than anything on earth and |