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Show Ey MAHY ROBERTS BINEHAET. Mm ' CHAPTER XXV. H:j?H A Visit Prom Loniso. Hj "j That day wns destined to be an Hjijjj eventful one, for when I entered the ' , houso and found Eliza ensconced in Bijljn the upper hall on a chair, with .Mary Bjllij.' Anne doing her best to stiile her with Kjj! houscohld ammonia, and Liddy nibbing IJJi her wrists whatever good that is Mm'' supposed to do I knew that the ghost 111?1 had boen walking agaiu, and this time I'jjjH-; in daylight. iff 4 Eliza was in e frenzy of fear. She clutched at my sleeve when I went Blffr -f c'loso to lier' aufl refused to let go un- BMIi; til sho had told her story. Coming jJ3t In M after the fire, the household was do- IwM" moralized, and it was no surpriso to me ljaJ- to iind Alex and the undcr-gardncr Hajjfl' struggling down-stairs with a heavy Kl2i trunk botween them. "I didn-'t waut to do it, Miss Tn- ncs," Alex said. "But alio was so ex- I&gij: cited, I was afraid she would do as sho $B$. said drag it down herself, and scratch the staircase.'- fijl I was trying to get my bonnet off Pfi'. and to keep the maids quiet at the samo time. '"'Now, Eliza, when you wMm have washed your face and stopped I'MijlM bawling." T said "come into my sit- ling-room and tell me what has hap- Mb nni Liddy put away my things without TAhM speaking. The verv set of her shoul- linjjj'f ;lcrs expressed disapproval. uim "Well.' 1 said, when the silence I Hi 1 became uncomfortable, "things seem to lit' 1 1 be warming up. " iu HI Silouce from Liddy. and a long sigh. H i "Jf 1'IJiza goes. I. don't know where f f ' lo look for another cook." More- si- jH' j JejICC. 8'Jra "Rosin is probably a good cook." ! Sniff, 'c j "Liddy," T said at last, "don't dare jg I ',) dony that you are having tho time of your life. You positivelv gloat, in iftr: (his excitement. Yon never looked itfjjj bettor. It's my 'opinion all this run- jjsjt' uing around, and getting jolted out of ''?!! a rut. has stirred up that, torpid liver I II j -jf yours. " I "It's not myself T'm thinking ij$ nbout. " sho said!" goadod into speech. it "Maybe my liver was torpid, and may-t may-t it, wasn't; but J know this: I 'veil 've-il ot some feelings left, and to sec you 13 standing at the font of that, siaircnse In xhootin' through tho door I'll never 19 tie tlie panic woman again," i "Well. I 'm glad of that ainMhing Jor a chance." I said. And in" enmc Eliza, flanked by Jfosic and Mary nne. S 1 Her story, broken with sobs and enr-iu enr-iu reel inns from the other two, was this: id AT two oVIork (two-fifteen, Knsie in-(h in-(h i sish'd) she had gonr upstairs to got a picture from hor room to show Mary Anne. (A picture of a lad'. Mary Anuo interposed.) Sho went up the II 5yrva.nl s staircase and aloug the cor-M cor-M ridor to her room, which lay between M :ho trunk-room and the unfinished ball 11 room. She heard a sound as. she went I down the corridor, like some ouo mov- ing furniture, but she was not nervous. J She thought it might be men examining 'I : lie house after the fire the night, bell be-ll fori-, bul she looked in the trunk-room Ti and saw nobody. n She went into her room quiefty. The I noise had ceased, and evorvthing was j quirt. Then she sat down on the side I of her bed, and. fooling faint she was i Hibject to spells ("J told you that U when I came, didn't 1, Rosie!" j "Yos'm, indeed she did!") sho put. J her head down on hor pillow and ; "Took a nap. All right!" I said. ; "Go on." J "When L came to. Miss Innca, sure ; as I'm siltin' here. I thought I'd die. ;j Somethin' hit me on the face, and 1 1 1 set up, sudden. And then I seen tho 1 plaster drop, droppin' from a littlo B holo iu the wall. And tho first thing I 1 know, an iron bar that long" (fuJlv I two yards by her measure) "shol I through that holo and fumbled on tho I iK-d. .If I'd been si ill sleeping" f ("Fainting," corrected Uosio) "I'd u' I lier-ii hit ou the head and killed!" I "I wisht .you'd heard her scream," put. in Mary Anne. "And her face as i white as a pillow-slip when she tumbled I down the stairs." "Nr doubt thcro is some natural ox- pJanation for it. Eliza,'-' I said. "You if way havo dreamed it. in vour 'faint-j 'faint-j ing' attack. But if it is" true, tho moral rod and tho holo in tho wall will show it." Kb'j'.a looked a little bit sheepish. "The hole's (here all right. Miss Innes," she said. "But tho bar was gone when Mar' Anno and .Rosie wont up to pack my trunk." "That wasu't all." Liddy 's voice came funereally from a comor. "Eliza snid that from tho hole in the wall a burning eye looked down at her!" "The wall must be at least six inches thick.' T said with asperity. "Unless the person who drilled tho hole carried car-ried his eyes-on r.ho ends of a stick, Eliza couldn't possibly have seen them." But the fact remained, and a visit to Eliza's room proved ir. I might jeer all I wished; some one had drilled a holo in the unfinished wall of the ballroom, ball-room, passing between The bricks of tho parmiou. nud shooting thrqugh tho unresisting un-resisting plaster of Eliza's room with such force as to send tho rod flying on to her bed. T had gone upstairs alone, and T confess the thing puzzled me: in two or three places in the wall small ancrturcs had been made none of them of any depth. Not the least mysterious mysteri-ous tiling was the disappearnnco of the iron implement that had boen used I remembered a story I read once about an impish dwarf that lived in tho spacos between the double, walls of an ancient castle. T wondored vaguely if my original idea of a secret entrance to a hidden chamber could be right, nftcr all. and if we were, housing some erratic guest, who nla.yed pranks on us in the dark, and destroyed tho walls j that he might listen, hidden safely away, to our amazed investigations. Mary Anno and Eliza loft that afternoon, after-noon, but Rosio decided to stay. It was about, five o'clock when tho hack came from the station to get them, and, to niv amazement, it had an oceupant. Mattliow Geist, the driver, asked for mo, and explained his errand with pride. s "l'vo brought vou a cook, Miss Tnnes, " he said. "When the messago came to come up for two girls and their trunks, I supposed thero was something doing, and as this here woman had been looking for work iu the village, I thought I'd bring her along. ' ' Alreadv 1 had acquired the true suburbanite ability to take servant? on faith; Ii no longer demanded written and unimpenehrible references. I, Rachel Inm's, have learned not to mind if the cook sits down comfortably in my sitting-room when she is taking the orders for tho day, and T a,m grateful if the silver is not, cleaned with scouring scour-ing hoan. And so that day I meroly told Liddy to send tho new applicant in. "When she came, however. J could hardly restrain a gasp of surprise. It was the woman with the pitted face. She stood somewhat awlcwardly just inside the door., and she had an air of self-contidence that was inspiring. Yes, she could' cook: was not a fancy cook, but could make good soups and desserts des-serts if 1he.ro was any one to Inkr charge of the salads. And so, in tho end, T took her. As Ilalsey said, when wo told him, it didn't matter much about the cook's face, if it waG cle&u. I have spoken of Halsey's restlessness. restless-ness. On that, dox it secmod to bo more than ever a rosistlcss impulso that kcot him out until after luncheon. I think he hoped constantly that fio might meet Louise driving over the hills in her runabout; possibly ho did meet hor occasionallv. but from his continued gloom I felt sure tho situation between them was unchanged. Part of the afternoon I believe ho read Gertrude and 1 were out, as 1 have said, and at dinner wu both noticed no-ticed that something had occurred to which is unlike him, nervous, looking at his watch every few minutes, and ho ato almost nothing. Tie asked twice during the meal on what, train Mr. .ramieson and the other dotcctivo were coming, and had long periods of abstraction ab-straction during which he dug his fork into my damask cloth and did not hear when he was spoken to. lie refused re-fused dessert, and left the table early, excusing himself on tho ground that, he wanted to see Alex. Alex, however, was not to be found. It was after eight when Ilalscj' ordered the car, and stnrtcd down the hill at a pace that,, even for him, was unusually reckless. Shortly after, Alex roported that he -was ready to go over the house, preparatory to closing it for the night. Sam Bohaunon camo .at a quarter before be-fore nine, and began his patrol of the grounds, and with the arrival of the two detectives to look forward to, I was not especially apprehensive. At half-past nine I heard tho Bound of a horse driven furiously up the drive. It came to a stop in front of tho houHo, and immediately afLcr there wcro hurried stopH on tno veranda. Our nerves wore not what thoy should havo boou, and Gortrudc. alwayB apprehensive appre-hensive lately, wns at tho door almost instantly. A "moment later Louise burst into the room and stood there baro-hended baro-hended and breathing hard. "Where is Ilalsey fM sho demanded. Abovo her plain black gown hor eyes looked big and somber, and tho rapid drive had brought no colov to her face. I got up and drew forward a chaiir. "Ho has not come back," I Raid quiotly. "Sit down, child; 'ou aro not strong enough for this kind of thing." I don't think she even hoard me. "lie has not come back?" sho askod, looking from mo to Gertrude "Do you know where he went? Whore can I find him?" "For Heaven's soke, Louise," Gertrude Ger-trude burst out, t "tell us what is wrong. Halsoy is not hore. Ho has gone to the station for Air. Jaraieson. What, has happened1?" "To the station, G'ertrudo'7 You are suro'?" ' Yes." I snid, "Listen. There is the whistle of tho train now." She relaxed a little at our matter-of-fact tone, and allowed herself to sink into a chair, "Perhaps T was wrong," fihe said heavily. "He will be hero iu a few moments if everything is right." ' We sat there, the three of us, without with-out attempt at conversation. Both Gertrude Ger-trude and I recognized tho futility of asking Loniso any questions: hor reticence re-ticence was a part of a role sho had ns-Humcd. ns-Humcd. Our oars wore strnined for tho. first throb of the motor as it (urnod into tho dri.vo and commenced the climb to the houso. Ton miuutCB passed, fifteen, twenty. I saw Louise's hands grow rigid as thoy clutched the arms of hor chair. I watched Gertrudo's bright color slowly ebbing away, and around my own hoart I seemed io fool tho grasp of a giant hand. Twentv-fivo minutes, and then a sound. 33ut it was not the chug of the motor; it, was the unmistakablo rumble oft tho Casanova hack. Gortrudc drew aside tho curtain and peered into the darkness. "It's tho hack. I am sure," she snid, evidently relieved. "Something has gone wrong with tho ear, and no wonder the wa- Ilalsey went down the hill." It seemed a long time before tho creaking vehicle came lo a stop at the door. Loniso toko and stood watching, her hnnd to her throat. And then Gcrtrudo opened the door, admitting Mr. Jamieson and a stocky, middle aged man. ffalscy was not with them. When the door had closed and Louise realized that Ilalsey had not come, he'r expression changed. From rense watchfulness watch-fulness to reliof. and now again to absolute ab-solute despair, nor face was an opon page. Halscy7" J asked unceremoniously, ignoring tho stranger. "Did he not moot yon?' ' "No." Air. Jamieson looked slightly slight-ly surprised. "I rather expected the car, but we got up all right." "You didn't, see him at all?" Louise demanded breathlessly. Mr. Jamieson knew her at once, although al-though he had not seen her before. She had kept to her rooms until the morning sho left. "No, Mise Armstrong," he said. "I saw nothing of him. What is wrong?" "Then wo shall have to find him," sho assorted. "Every instant is precious. pre-cious. Mr. .Iamie30n. t have roason for believing that ho is in danger, but T don't know what it is. Only he must bo found," The stocky man had said nothing. Now. however, ho wont quickly toward the door. "I'll catch tho hack down the road and hold it.'.' he said, "Is the gonllc-mau gonllc-mau down in the town?" "Mr. Jamieson," Louise said impulsively, im-pulsively, "I can use the hack. Take my horse and trap outside and drive like mad. Try to find the Dragon Fly it ought lo be easy lo trace. can think of no other way. Only, don't lose a moment." The new detective had gone, and a moment later Jamiesou went rapidly down the drive, the cob's feet, striking firo at every step. Louise stood looking look-ing after them. When she turned around she faced Gertrude, who stood indignant, almost tragic, in the hall. "You know what threatens Halsey, Louise," she said accusingly. "I believe be-lieve 3'ou know this whole horrible thing, this mystery that wo arc struggling strug-gling with, jf anything happens to Halse, I shall novcr forgive you." Louise only raised her hands despairingly despair-ingly and dropped thum again. "Ho is as dear to mo as ho is lo yon," she said sadly. "1 tried to warn him." "Nonsonse!" I said, as briskly as I. could. "We are making a lot of trouble trou-ble out of something perhaps very small. Halsoy was probably late he is always late. Am- moment we may hear the car coming up the road." But it did not come. After a half-hour half-hour of suspense, Louise went out quietly, and did not come back. 1 hardly know sho was gone until I heard tho station hack moving pfl'. At eleven o'clock tho telephone rang. It was Mr. Jamieson. "1 have found tho Dragon Fly, Miss runes," he said. "It has collided with a freight car on the siding above the station. No, Mr. Innes was not there, but wo shall probably And him. Send Warner for the car." But thoy did not iind him. At four o'clock the next morning wo were still waiting for nows, while Alex watched the house and Sam tho grounds. At daylight, I dropped, exhausted, into a sle'op. Ilalsey had not come back, and there was no" word from the detective. CHAPTER XXVI. Halsey's Disappearance. Nothing that had gone beforo had been as bad as this. Tho murder and Thomas'" sudden death we had been able to view in a detached sort of way. But with Halsey's disappearance everything every-thing was altered. Our little circle, intact in-tact until now, was broken. Wc wore no longer onlookers who saw a battle passing around them. We were tho center of action. Of course, there was no time then to voice such an idea. My mind seemed able to hold only one thought: that Halsoy Had been' foully dealt with, aud that every minute lost might be fatal. Mr. Jamieson camo back about eight o'clock tho next morning; he was covered cov-ered with mud, and his hat was gone. Altogether, wo wero a sad-looking trio that gathered around a breakfast that no one could eat. Over a cup of black coffee the detective told us what he had learned of Hulsey's movements the night before. Uu to a certain point the car had made it easy enough to follow him. And. I gathered that Mr, Burns, the other detective, had followed a similar car for miles at dawn, only to find il was a touring car on an on durance run. "ITc left here about ten minutes after eight," Mr. Jamieson said. "He wont, alone, and at eight-twouty he stopped at Doctor Walker's. I went to tho doctor's about midnight, but he had beou called out ou a caso. nnd had not como back nr. four o'clock. From tho doctor's it seems Mr. Innos walked across tho lawn to the cottage Mrs. Armstrong and hor daughter havo tak-on. tak-on. Mrs. Armstrong had retired, and he .said porhaps a dozen words to Miss Louise. Sho mil not nay what thev wore, but the girl cvideutly suspects what has occurred. That is, she suspects sus-pects foul play, but sho doesn't know of what nature. Then, apparently, he started directly for tho station. He was going vory fast the flagmau at tho Carol Street crossing says he saw thfi enr pass. He know tho siren. Aloug somewhore in the dark stretch between Carol street and tho depot ho evidently swerved suddenlv perhaps somo one in tho road and" went full into tho sido of a freight. Wc found it thero last; night." "Tie njight huvo boen thrown under the train by tho force of the shock," I said tremulously. Gertrude shuddered. "We examined every inch of track. There was no sign." "But surely he can't be gone!" T cried. "Aren't there traces in the mud anything?" "There is no mud only dust. Therz has been no rain. And tho footpath there is of cinders. Miss Innos. I am inclined to think that ho has met with bad treatment, in tho light of what has gone before. I do nor. think he has been murdered." I shrank from the word. "Burns is back in the countrv, ou a clun we got from tho night clerk at the drug store. Thero will bo two more men hero by noon, aud the city olTico is on the lookout." "The creek'?" Gertrude asked. "The creek is shallow now. Tf it were swollon with rain, it would bedif-1'crenl. bedif-1'crenl. There is hardly any water in it. Now, Miss Innes," he said, turning turn-ing to me, "I must; ask you soma questions. ques-tions. Had Mr. Halsey any possible reason for going away like "this, without with-out warning? 1 ' "Mono whatever." "He went a way once before," he nersistcd. "And vou wero as sure then. ' ' "Uo did not leave tho Dragon Fly jammed into tho side of a freight car before." "No, but he left it for repairs in a blacksmith shop, a long distance from here. Do vou know if he had any enemies? Any ono who might wish him out of th'o way?" "Not that 1 know of, unless no, I can not think of any." ' "Was ho in the habit of carrying monov'J" "itns nover carried it far. No he never had inoro than enough for current expenses. ' ' Mr. Jamieson got up then and began to pace tho room. It was an unwonted concession to tho occasion. "Then I think we get at it by elimination. elim-ination. The chances are against flight. If he was hurt, wo find uo trace of him. It looks almost like an abduction. This young Doctor Walker havo you any idoa why Mr. Innos should have goiio there last night?" "I can not understand it," Gertrude said thoughtfully. "I don't think ho knew Doctor Walkor at. all, and their relations could hardly have been cordial, cor-dial, under tho circumstances." Jamieson pricked up his oars, and littlo by little ho drew from us the unfortunate un-fortunate story of Halsoy 's love affair, and the fact, that Louise was going to marrv Doctor Walker. Mr. Jamiesou listened attentively. "Thero aro some interesting developments develop-ments here." he snid thoughtfully. "The woman who claims to bo tho mother of Lucicn Wallace has not como back. Your nophow has apparently been spirited away. Thero is an organized or-ganized attempt being made to enter this house; in fact, it has been entered. en-tered. Witness the incident with the cook yeslerdav. And I havo a new piece of information." He looked carefully awa3 from Gertrude. "Mr. .lohn Bailey is not a I, his Knickerbocker apartments, and I don't, know whero he is. It's a hash, that's what it is. It's a Chinese puzzle. They won't fit together, unless unless Mr. 'Bailey and your uenhew havo again " And onco again Gertrude surprised me. "They aro not together," she, said hotlj. "T know whore Mr. Bailev is, and nvy brother is not with him.'"' Tho detective turned and looked a I. her keenly. "Miss Gertrude," he said, "if you and Miss Loniso would odIv tell mo everything you know and surmise about this business. I should be able to do a great mauy things. I believe I could find vour brother, and I might bo ab.lo to well, to do somo other thiugs." But Gertrude's glance did not falter. "Nothing that I know could help you lo find Halsey," sho said stubbornly. stub-bornly. "I kuow absolutely as little of his disappearance as you do, and I can only say this: I do not trust Doctor Walker. I think he hated Halsey, and he would get rid of him if ho could." Perhaps you are right. In fact, I had somo such theory myself. But Doctor Walkor went out lato last night to a serious case in Summitvillc, anu is still there. Burns traced him there. Wc have made guarded inquiry at tho Greenwood flub, and through the vil-lagc. vil-lagc. There is absolutely nothing lo go on but this. On the embankmont above the railroad, at the point where wo found the machine, is a small houso. An old woman aud a daughter, who is very In me. live there. They say that tho3' distinctlv heard the shock whou the Dragou Fly hit the car, aud they went to the bottom of their garden gar-den and looked over. The automobile was thero; thoy could soo tho lights, and they thought some ono had been injured. It was very dark, but they could mako out two figures, standing togothcr. The women wero curious, and, leaving tho fence, they went, back and 1)3' a roundabout path down to tho road. Whon thc3 got there (he car was still standing," tho headlight broken and tho bonnet crushed, but thero was no one to be Been." Tho detective went awa3' immodiately, and to Gertrude and me was left the woman's part, to watch and wait. By luncheon nothing had been found, and f was frantic. I went upstairs to Halsey's room finally, from sheer iu-ability iu-ability to sit across from Gortrudc any longer, and meet her torror-filled eyes. Liddy was in 1113' dressing room, suspicious' sus-picious' red-eyed, aud trying to put a right, slccvo in a left armholc of a ,new waist for me. I was too much shaken to scold. "What name did that woman in tho kitchen give?" she. demanded, vicioual3' ripping out the otlending sleeve. "ttliss. Mattie Bliss." I replied. "Bliss. M. B. Well, that's not what she has on her suitcase. It is marked N. F. C." The new cook and hor initinls troubled trou-bled mo not at all. T put on 1113' bonnet and sent for what tho Casnova Hvor3'-man Hvor3'-man called a "stylish turnout." Having Hav-ing once made up my mind to a course of action, I am not one to turn back. Warner drove me; he waH plninly disgusted, dis-gusted, and he steered the liver3'' horse as he would the Dragon Fly, feeling unoapilj- with his loft foot for the clutch, and working his right elbow nt an imaginary horn every timo a dog got in the way. Warner had something on his mind, and after wo had turned into the road, he voiced it. "MiBs Innes," he said. ,T overheard a part of a conversation yesterday that I .didn't understand. It wasn't my business to understand it, for that mat-tor, mat-tor, lint I've been thinking all day that 1 M bettor tell you. Yesterday afternoon, while you and Miss Gertrude were out driving'. T had got the car in somo sort of shape again after the fire, and I went to the library to call Mr, Tnnes to sec it. I went into tho living room, whore Miss Liddy said he was, and half-way across to tho library 1 heard him talking to somo one. lie seemed to bo walking up aml down, and ho was in a rage, T. can tell you." "What did ho say?" "The iirst thing I heard was excuse mo, Miss Innes, but it's what he said, 'The damned rascal,' he said, 'I'll see him in' well, in hell was what ho said, 'in hell first.' Then somebody cite snoko up; it was a woman. She said, 'I warned them, but they thought .1 wouul be afraid.' " "A woman! Did you wait lo see who it was?" "T wasn't spying. Miss Innos," Warner War-ner said with dignity. "But the pest thing caught my attention. Sho said. 'I knew there wns something wrong from the start. A man isn't well one dav, and dead the next, withuut some reason.' I thought she was speaking of Thomas." "And 3'ou don't know who it was!" T exclaimed. "Warner, you had the key to this whole occufrenco in your hands, and did not use it!" However, there was nothing to be, done. I resolved to mako inquiry when I got homo, and iu the meantime, my prosont orrand absorbed mo. This was nothing loss than to sec Louise Armstrong, Arm-strong, and to attempt (o drag from her j what she knew, or susoectcd, of llal-scv'k llal-scv'k disappearance. But here, as in even direction I turned, 1 was baffled. baf-fled. A neat maid answered the bell, but she stood squarolj" in tho doorway, and it was impossible to preserve one 's dignity dig-nity and pass her. "Miss Armstrong is very illT and unable un-able to soc any one," she said. I did not beliovo hor. "And Mrs. Armstrong is sho also ill?" "She is with Miss Louise and cau not bo disturbed." "Tell her it is Miss Tnnes, and that it is a matter of the greatest importance." import-ance." "It would bo of no use, Miss Innes. My orders aro positive." At that moment a heavy step sounded sound-ed on the stairs. Past ' tho maid's whito-straiped shoulder I could sec a familiar thatch of gray hair, and in a moment 1 was face to face with Doctor Stowart. Tie was very grave, and his customary geniality was tinged with restraint. re-straint. "You are tho very woman I want to see," ho said prompt'. "Send away your trap, and let mo drive you home. What is this about your nop'hew J" "He has disappeared, doctor. .Not only that, but there is ?ver3' evidence that ho has been either abducted, or " C could not finish. The doctor helped mo into his capacious buggy in silence. Until we had got a littlo distance he did not speak; then he turned and looked nt me. "Now toll me about it," he said. He heard me through without speak ing. "And you think Louise knows something?" some-thing?" he said when I had finished. "1 don't in fact, I am suro of it. The best evidence of it is this;; she askod me if he had been hoard from, or if anything had boon learned- Sho won't allow Walker in her room, and she made me promise, to see you and tell you this; don't givo up tlfe search for him. Find him, and find him soon. Ho is living." "Well," I said, "if she knows that, sho kuows more. She is a very cruel and ungrateful girl.' "Sho is a very sick girl." ho said gravely. "Neither you nor I can Judge her until we know everything. Both she and her mother are ghosts of their former for-mer selves. Under all this, those two sudden deaths, this bank robbery, the invasion's at Sunnyside and Halsey 's dis- "Sl appearance, there is some mystery that, , n mark my words, will come out somo day. And when it does, we shall find v Louise Armstrong a victim." . fP5rj 1 had not noticed where we wave go- . .Pt0? ing. but now I saw wo wero beside tho ; b railroad, and from a knot of men stand- Hf ing beside the truck I divined that it l4V"fne'1 was here that tho car had been found, i jil"na: The siding, however, was empty. Ex- iz' . ' copt a few bits of splintered wood on ;lSt? the trouud. thero was no sign of the . yori accident. "Where is the freight car that was jnt of rammed?" the doctor asked a "Sv". staudcr. -cs "It was taken away at dnyligbtM y'?Pl when tho train was moved." M fo&? There was nothing to be gained. He "n jty nointed out tho house on tho embank- 9shed mont whero the old lady and her daugh- -jf S8n d lor had heard the crash and seen two $ tor fimircs beside tho car. Then wo drove came slowly home. T had the doctor put mo ;j wtTue. down at the gate, and T walked to tho j; i.His : house past fhn lodge where wo had ? Mnt t found Louise, and, later, poor Thomas; ! W lai up the drive where I had seen a man weed watching the lodge and where, later, wardd Ifopic had been frightened; past the S east cntrnuce. where so short a time !. YUJ before the most obstinate effort hnd rfl .been made to enter tho house, and : e Yd where, that night two weeks ago, Liddy toy. f and I had seen the strange woman, ript .too. far from tho west wing lay tho black- m ened ruins of the stables. I felt like n ruin myself, as T paused on tno oroaa veranda before I entered the house. R Two private detectives had arrived J j in my absence, and it was a relief iq RAV turn over to them the responsibility ot the houso and grounds. Mr. Jamieson, ; "J thoy said, had arranged for more, to . M a assist in the search for tho missing ?s.' man, and at that time tho country was J?.? biencr scoured in all directions. . 'fiv ,01 The household staff was again do vF?cd pleted that afternoon. Liddy was wait- JFha ing to tell me that the new cook had lJPprj gone, bag and bacgage, without wait- Hutoi in" to be paid. No one had admitted j'Jr d tho visitor whom Warner had heard, in Sgli the library, unless, possibly, the miss- -iS ma ing cook. Again I was working in a Rtlio (To Be Continued Next Sunday.) , jpd be j-helio Mf- cai |
