Show AGAYHA WEBB A Powerful New Story By I ANNA KATHARINE GREEN Author of The Leavenworth Case SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS CHAP-TERS j Just Ater a ball at the Sutherland I manloll Aatha Webb and her servant nre found dead and Philemon Webb Aga thas husband who for years has been growing demented is discovered asleep at the dinner table A trace of blood 011 his sleeve Points to him as the murderer 2Ir Sutherland and the local marshal Fenton investigate Agatha Webb is known to but few as A rich woman The Icey to her moneydrawer Is found clutched clutch-ed in hr hand Young Sutherland is not to bl found and MIss Page the niece of SutherJalltls housekeeper persists in 10 malnln about the Webb premises aUll discovers blood on the grass The mane dmwer is found to l lie empty hrd robbery is added to the mystery Frederick Suth > rlmd a wayward youth calls his father 1 to witness his determination to be a better bet-ter man anti promises not 10 marry Miss Page by whom lie has been fascinated t MIss Page tells Frederick that she followed fol-lowed him thu night of the murder and knew where he had secreted a thousand I dollars She gives him a week Lo decide whether to marry her or Le proclatnied I as tha murderer of Agatha i Vetb The whoJe town is stirred UI by the double murder and everyone tells of the gOOd Hess of Mrs Webb Six children had been born to her and all died In infanc It Is learned that the mOlWY was In new hills and the keeper of a small store produces on that A strange man gave him late the night of the murder A detective aniyes from Boston and reports Simple case Jdurdered for money Find the man with a flowing beard CHAPTER XL There were but few men ill town who wore long beards A list was made of these and handed to the coroner who rearded it with a grIm smile Not a man whose name is here Would be guilty of a misdemeanor let alone a crime You must look outsIde of our village population for the murderer of Agatha Webb Very 1I1elr but tell me something first about these persons urged Knapp Who is Edward HODe A watch reDairer a man of estimable esti-mable character And Sylvester Chubb A Jarmer who to support his mother wife and seen children works from morning till sundown on his farm and from sundown till 11 oclock at night on little fancy articles he cuts out from wood find sells in Boston 01m Barker Thomas Elder Timothy Tim-othy Snn All good men I can ouch for everyone every-one And John Zabel James Zabel Ah You might as well ask about ourselves Irreproachable both of them Quite famous shipbuilders once but the change to iron hiJibuildlng has quite thrown them out If that Pity too for they were remarkable builders By the way Fenton we dont see them at church or In the docks any moreNo more-No they keen very much to them tees getting old like ourselves Talbot Tal-bot Llvely boya once Ye must hunt th U enton Cant bear to seej I old friends drop out of good company but this isnt business You need not IJuse over their names Knapp i But Knapp had sUpped out Ve will follow him Walking briskly down the street he s eat UI the steps of a certain house and rang the bell A gentleman with a face not entirely unknown to us came to the door The detectIve did not pause for are limlnaries Are you Mr Crane he asked the gentleman who ran against a man corning corn-ing out of Mrs Vebbs house last night I am 111 Crane was the slightly surprised answer and I was run against by IL man there yes Very ivell remarked the detectIve quietly my name is Knapp I have ben sent from Boston to look into this matter and 1 have an idea that yoU can help me more than any other man here in Sutherland town Who was tllls pCrsr n tthio came in contact with you so violently You know oven if you 11ap been careful not to mention any nJTllS You are mistaken I dont know 1 cant know He wore a sweeping beard and walked and acted like a man no h ner young but beyond that h Mr Crane excuse ml but 1 know men If you had no suspicion as to who that person was you would not look so embarrassed You SUSKCt or at least asscIate in your own mInd a name nth the man you met Ws it either of thtsl you see written here Mr Crane glanced at the card on I vhieh the other had eerilibld n couple of names and started l1lrreDtibh I I You have me said he YOU must bl a man of remarkable perspicanity I The detective smiled and pocketed his j card The names he t1m concealed WIt Tohn and James Zabel You have not said which of the two it sas Knapp quickly suggested No returned the minister and I ha e not even thought Indeed 1 am nlt sure that I have not made a dread fut mistake in thinking it was either A glimpse such as I had is far from satisfactory and they are both such CXlll nt men Right You did make a mistake of cur e I have not the least doubt of ItS It-S dnt think of the matter again 1 ttiil ind out who the real man was rest tlS And with the lightest of bows Knapp drew off and passed as quIckly as he luld without attracting attention 1 < und the corner to the confectioners Hlte Ills attack was warIer Sally Lot a was behind the counter with her Jsband l and they had evidently been tjllng the matter over ery confiden tai But Knapp was not to be awed by h1 small keen eye or strident voice and prescnt succeeded ill surprIsing kloingIook on the hatys face which convinced him that in the confidences btteen husballd and wIfe a name had been used which she was less unwUlln to impart than he appeared to be He C1lsuentlr turned his full attention toward her using in his attack that odEr and moat subtle weapon against t111 sex flattery 1Iy dear madam said he I see what a good heart you have Your husband hus-band has told you who he thought thIs man was but fearIng that he may be mIstaken you do not like to repeat the rame A neIghborly spirit maam avery a-very neighborly spirit but there should be bounds to your goodness If you sImplY told us whom this man re spmbled we would be able to get some Idea of his appearance He dIdnt resemble any one I know growled Loton It was too dark for me to see how he looked His voIce then People are traced by their voices J didnt recognize his voice Knapp smiled his eyes sun on the woman Yet you have thought 01 some one lie reminded you of The man wa silent but the woman tossed her head ever so lightly Now you must have had your reasons rea-sons for that Xo one thinks of a good and respectable neighbor In connection with the buying of a loaf of bread at midnight with a 20 bill without some positive reason UThp mm yore a beard I felt it a brush my hand as he took the loaf Good That is a Doint Which made me think of other men who wore beards As for instance The detective had taken from hIs pocket the card which he had used with such effect at the ministers and as he said these words twIrled It so that the two names written upon it fell under Sally Lo I tans inquisitive eyes The look with I which she read them was enough John Zabel James Zabel Who told you it was either of these men she asked You dId he retorted pocketing the card with a smile La now Samuel I never spoke a word she insisted In anxious protest to tier husband as the detective slid quietly from the store CHAPTER XII The Hallidays lived but a few rods from the Sutherla11ds Yet as it was dusk when Miss Hal1iday rose to depart de-part Frederick naturally offered his servIces as her escort She accepted them with a slight blush the first he had ce1 seen on her face or at least he had ever noticed there It caused him such surprise that he forgot Amabels presence in the garden till they came upon her at the gate A very pleasant evenIng Jhserved that young girl in her high musical voIceVery Very was Miss Haillidays short reply and for a moment the two faces were in line as he held open the gate before his departing guest They were different faces in feature and expressIon and till that night he had never thought of comparing them Indeed the fascination which beamed on Amabel Pages far from regular countenance had put aU other faces out of his mind but now as he surveyed the two the candor and purity which marked Agnes features come out so strongly at his glance that the countenance coun-tenance of Amabel lost its charms and he hsstily drew his young neighbor awnAmabel Amabel noted the movement and smiled She had no fears of Agnes Hal lidsy lidaPerhaps Perhaps she might have felt less con fidelICe if she could have seen the short glances he cast at his old playmate as they proceeded slowly down the road Not that there was any passion in them he was too full of care for that I but the curiosity which could prompt him to turn his hCld a dozen times in the course of so short a walk to see why Agnes Halliday held her face so persistently away from him had an element el-ement of feeling in it that was more or I lets significant As for Agnes she was so unlike her accustomed self as to astonish as-tonish even herself Whereas she had never before walked a dozen steps with him without indulging in some sharp sayitig she found herself disinclined to speak at all much less to speak lightly In mutual silence thq they reached hegatewny leading into the Halliday I grounds But Agnes having passed in they both stopped and for the first time I looked squarely at each other Her eyes fell first perhaps because his had changed In his contemplation of her He smiled as he saw this and in a hal careless half wistful tone said I quietly Agnes what would you think of a man who after having committed little else but folly all his life sUddenly made up his mind to turn absolutely toward the right and to pursue it in face of every obstacle and every discouragement discourage-ment I shouid think she slowly replied with one quick lift of her eyes toward his face that he had entered upon the noblest effort of which man is capable andth hardest I should have greats great-s for that man Frederick Would you he said recalling Ama bels face with bitter aversion as he gazed into the womanly countenance he had hitherto slighted as uninteresting It is the first kind word you ltve ever given me Agnes Possibly it is the first I have ever deserved And without another word lie doffed his hat saluted her and vanished down the hillsIde She remained remained so long that it was nearly 9 oclock when she entered enter-ed the family l parlor As she came in her mother looked up and was startled at her unaccustomed pallor Why Agnes cried her mother what is the matter Her answer was inaudible What was tIle matter She dreaded even feared to ask herself I Meantime a stranC scene was taking placeinthewoodstoward which she had seen Frederick go The moon which was particularly bright that night shone upon 2 certain hollow where a huge tree lay Around it the underbrush under-brush was thick and the shadow dark but in this especial place the opening was large enough for the rays 10 enter freely Into this circlet of light Fred erich Sutherland had come Alone and without the rcstralpt imposed upon him b watchIng eyes he showed a countenance counte-nance so wan and troubled that It was wen It could not le seen by either of the two women whose thou hts were At that moment fixed upon him To Amabel it would have given a throb of selfish hope while to Agnes It would have brought a pang of despair whIch might have somewhat too suddenly interpreted in-terpreted to her the mystery of her own scnsatons He had bent at once to the hollow space made lw the outspreading roots just mentioned and was feeling with an air of confidence along the ground for something he had every reason to expect to find when the shock of a sudden sud-den distrust seized him and he flung himself dotln in terror feeling and feeling feel-ing again among the leaves and broken tWIgs until a lull realization of his misfortune reached HIm and l1e was obliged to acknowledge that the place was empty Overwhelmed at his loss aghast at the consequences it must entail upon him he arose in a trembling sweat crying out in his anger and dismay She has been here She has taken it and realizing for the first time the subtlety and strength of the antagonist pitted against him he forget his new resolutions and even that old promise to Agatha lVebb and uttered oat1 after af-ter oath cursing himself th woman and what she had done till a casual glance at the heavens overhead in whIch the liquid moon hung calm and beautiful recalled him to himself CeasIng Ceas-Ing his vain repnlngs and silencing with a fierce but determined effort the fierce demon in his breast he turned from the unhallowed spot and made his way with deeper and deeper misgivings toward a home made hateful to him now by the presence of the oman who ruhge tst i Was thus bent upon his ruin He understood her now He rated at I its full value both her determInation and her llower and had she been so unfortunate un-fortunate as to have carried lies imprudence im-prudence to the point of surprising him at that moment In one 01 the hollows Qf that midnight copse it would have takei more than the memory of that days re8ohes to have kept him from using his strength against her But she waS wise and did not intrude upon I J him in his hoirof anger thou h who could say she was not near enough to hear the sigh which broke Irresistibly from his lips as he emerged from the Wood and approached his fathers house A lamp was still burning in Mr Suth erlands study over the front door and the sight of it seemed to change for a moment the currents of Fredericls thoughts Stopping wfth the gate in his hand he considered with himself and then with a freer countenance and a lighter step was about to proceed inward in-ward when he heard the sound of a heavy breather coming up the hill and pausedwhy he hardly knewexcept that every advancing step occasIoned him more or less apprehension The person whoever it was stopped before reaching the brow of the hill and panting heavily muttered an oath which Frederick heard Though it was no more profane than those whIch had just escaped his own lips in the forest it produced an effect upon Irederic1 I which was only Second in Intensity to the terror of the discovery that the money he had so safely hidden was gone Trembling in every limb he dashed down the hill and confronted the person standing there You he cried You And for a moment he looked as if he would like to fell to the ground the man before himBut But this man was a heavyweight of no ordinary strength and adroitness and only smiled at Fredericks heat And threatening attitude I thought would be made welcome wel-come he smiled with just the hint of sinister meaning in his tone Then before be-fore Frederick could I have t c O speak merely saved you a trip i to Boston Why Iso I-so much anger friend You have the money of that I am positive Hush Yve cant talk here whispered I whis-pered Frederick Come into the rrounds or what would be better 1n to the woods over there I dont go into any woods with you laughed the other not after last night my friend But I will talk low thats no more than fair 1 dont want to put you into any other mans power pow-er especially not U you have the money WattlesFredericks tone was broken almost unintelligible What do you mean by your allusion to last night Have you dared to connect me Pooh Pooh interrupted the other goodhumoredly Dont let us waste words pver a mischance word I may have let drop I dont care anything about last nights work or who vas concerned in it Thats nothIng to me All I want my boy is the money and that I want devilish bad or I would not have run up here from Boston when I might have made half a hundred off a coun trman Lewis brought In from the Canada Can-ada wilds this morping VAttles I swear But the hand he had raIsed was quickly dram down by the other Dont said the older man shortly It wont pay Sutherland Stage talk never passes for anything with me Besides your white face tells a truer story than your lips and time is precious pre-cious I want to tale the 11 oclock train back So down with the cash Nine hundred and fiftsix it is but being frIends we will let the odd six ro Wattles I was to bring it to you tomorrow to-morrow or was it the next day I do not want to give it to you tonight hi deed I cannot butTIattles wait stop Where are you going To sec your father I want to tell him that his son owes me a debt that this debt was incurred ih a way that Jays him liable for arrest for forgery that bad as he thinks you there are facts which can be pIcked up in Boston which would make Frederick Suther lands continued residence under the parental roof Impossible that in fact you are a scamp of the first water and that only my friendship for you has kept you out of prison 50 long Wont It make a nice story for the old gentle mans ears WattlesIoh my God Wattles stop a minute and listen to me 1 have not got the money I had enough this morning to pay you had it legitimately Wattles but It has been stolen from me and I will also tell him the other broke in as quietly and calmly as If Frederick Freder-ick had not uttered a word that in a certain visit to Boston you lost 500 on one hand that you lost It unfairly not having a dollar to pay with that to prevent A scandal I became your security secur-ity with the understanding that I was to be paid at the end of ten days from that night that you thereupon played again and lost 400 and odd more so that your debt amounted to 955 that the ten days passed wIthout payment that wanting money I 1Jressed you and even resorted to a threat or two and that seeing me in earnest you swore that the dollars should be mine within five days that instead of remaining re-maining in Boston to get them you came here and that this morning at a very early flour you telegraphed that the funds were to hand and that you would bring them down to me tomorrow tomor-row He may draw conclusions from this Sutherland which may make his position as your father anything but grateful to him He may evenAh you would try that game would you The young man had flung hImself at the older mans throat as if he would choke off the words he saw trembling on his lips But the struggle thus began be-gan was short In a moment both stood apart panting and Frederick with lowered head was saying humbly hum-bly r beg your pardon Wattles but you drive me mad with your suggestions and conclusions I have not got the money but I will try and get It Wait I hereTen Ten minutes Sutherland no longer i The moon is bright and I can see the I hands of may watch distinctly At a quarter to 10 I will receive the money from you here or seek It In your lathers I lath-ers study Frederick made a s hurried gesture and vanished up the wall The next moment he was at his fathers study door CHAPTER XIII Mr Sutherland was busily engaged with a law paper when his son entered his presence but at sight of that sons face he dropped the paper with an alacrity which Frederick was too much engaged with his own thoughts to notice no-tice Father he began without preamble pream-ble or excuse I am in serious and immediate im-mediate need of 950 I want It so much that I ask you to male me a check for the amount tonight conscious con-scious as I am that you have every right to deny me this request and that my debt to you already passes the bound of presumption on my part and indulgence on yours I cannot tell you why I want it or for what That belongs be-longs to my past life the consequences of which 1 have not yet escaped but that you will not be the loser b1 this materIal proof of confidence in me I feel bound to state as I shall soon be In a position to repay all my debts among which this will necessarily stand foremost The old gentleman looked startled and nervously fingered the paper he had let fall Why do you Say you will soon be in a position to repay me What do you mean by that The flush which had not yet subsided from the young mans face ebbed slowly away as he encountered hIs fathers eye I mean to Work he murmured r mean to make a ma of mself as soon as possible The look which 1Ir Sutherland gave him was more inquiring than sympathetic sympa-thetic And you need this money for a start said he Frederick bowed He seemed to be losIng the faculty of speech The clock over the mantel had told off five of the precious moments 1 will give it to you said hIs father and drew out his check book But he did not hasten to open It his eyes still rested on his son Now murmured the young man There Is a traIn leaving soon I wish to get It away on that train His father frownea with natural distrust dis-trust I wish you would confide In me said he Frederick did not answer The hands of the chock were moving on I will give it but I should like to know what for I Impossible groaned the young man starting as he heard a step on the walk without Your need has become strangely imperative proceeded the other Has Miss Page Frederick took a step forward and laid his hand on his fathers arm It Is not for her he whIspered It goes Into other hands 11 Sutherland who had turned over the document as hIs son approached breathed easier Taking up his pen he dipped it in the ink Frederick watched him with ever whitening cheek The I step on the walk had mounted to the front door Nine hundred and fifty Inquired the father Nine hundred find fifty answered the son The judge with a last look stooped over the book The hands qf the clock pointed to a quarter to 10 Father I have mv whnl f11h In which to thank you cried Frederick seIzing the check his father held out to hIm and making rapidly for the door 1 will be backbefore midnIght And he flung himself downstairs just as the front door opened and Wattles stepped in All exclaimed the latter as his eye fell on the paper fluttering in the others hand I expected money not paper The paper is good answered Frederick Fred-erick drawing him swiftly out of the house It has my fathers signature upon it Your fathers signature Yes rattles gave it a look then slowly shook his head at Frederick Is it as well done said he as the one you tried to pass off on Brady Frederick cringed and for a moment looked as if the struggle was too much for him Then he rallied and eyelng Wattles firmly said You have a right to your distrust but you arc 011 the wrong track Vat ties What I dId once It would be impossible im-possible for me to doagain and I hope I may live to prova it As for that check I will soon prove its value in your eyes Follow me upstaIrs to my father His energythe energy of despair no doubtseemed to make an impression on the other You might as well proclaim yourself your-self a forger outright as to force your father to declare this to be his signature signa-ture he observed J I know 11 said iederick Yet you will run that risk If you oblige me Wattles shrugged his shoulders He was a magniflcentlooldng man and towered In that old colonial haH like a youthful giant I bear you no ill will said he If this represents money I am satisfied and 1 begin to think It does But listen Sutherland Something has happened to you A week ago you would have put a bullet through my head before you would have been willing to have so compromised yourself I think 1 know what that something is To save yourself your-self from being thought guilty of A big crime you are willing to Incur suspicion sus-picion of a small one Its a wise move my boy but look out No trIcks with me or my friendship may not hold Meantime 1 cash this check tomorrow tomor-row And he swung away through the night with a grand opera selection on hIs lips lireuerick looked like a man thoroughly thor-oughly exhausted when the final echo of this hateful voice died away on the hillside For the last twenty hours he had been the pre of one harrowing emotion after another and human nature na-ture could endure no more but demanded de-manded rest But rest would not come The posh tion in which he found himself between Amabel and the man who had just left was of too threatening a nature for him to dwell upon any thought save how to avoid the doom of menacIng him Hid ing himself in his room he sought away a-way of escape But one presented itself it-self It was a cowardly one but any thing was better than to stand his ground against two such merciless an tagonlsts as had arisen in his path So he resolved upon flight Packing up a few necessaries and writing a letter which he left on his table to be given to his father in the morning he made his way down the staIrs of the noW darkened house to a door opening upon the garden To his astonishment but ghing I little he heed foundit to this in unlocked his I cx citement he opened it with caution and with a parting sigh for the shelterIng shel-terIng home he was about to leave forever for-ever stepped from the house he no longer felt worthy to Inhabit His Intention was to take the train at Portchester and that he might reach that place without Inconvenient encounters en-counters he had decided to make use as far as possible of the path through the fields This led him north and along the ridge that overlooks the road running around the base of the hills I But he did not think of this or Indeed In-deed of anything but to step on quickly quick-ly for it was too desirable for him to leave on the early morning train for him to forfeit this chance of doing this I by any unnecessary lagging But he was not destined to take that or any other train out of Portchester at pre eat for when he reached Ihe foncf dl i viding Mr Sutherlands grounds from those of his adjoining neighbor he aw drawn up in the moon1lnt just at the point where he had intended to leap the fence the form of a woman wilh one hand held out to stop him It was Amabel I I To be Continued |