Show p K I e n W a s i 7 J W Y FREDERIC F. F VAN DE WATER WA n W. W No U. U A L CHAPTER XVI XVI Continued 17 11 17 Youre pot Miss Agatha asked slowly a a 3 very generous young man are you ou I have too little I told her still i tingling to be generous That I I suppose Is why I fight to keep It Im I'm so far beneath the Dont talk nonsense she bade I shrugged deliberately provoking my hurt So much that is uncomfortable Is-uncomfortable to me Is nonsense to a Paget I answered She grinned mockingly How proletarians proletarian You care less about lifting yourself yours ell than pulling others down Lets drop it I said and flipped my cigarette into the wastebasket with needless force Willingly she agreed and laid laidhold laidhold hold bold of the rim of her ber chairs chair's wheels Will you stay to lunch David No I said ungraciously I have bave an engagement With Cochrane of the Press I added to rub It In InI InI n. n nI I see said Miss Agatha calm ly When you come back this aft aft- afternoon afternoon well we'll get the typewriter from the basement And before you go out you might see that whatever is kindling In the wastebasket Is ex ex- Weve We've enough on our hands bands without adding arson I smelled scorching paper and bent over ver the basket Annie said Miss Agatha moving move moving ing toward the door should have emptied it but when the police come comeIn comein comein In the door reason flies but out but outWait Wait a minute I begged There was a single balled sheet of paper In the wastebasket and the tip of my castaway cigarette lay on it I picked up the crumpled wad and an odd feeling half hall inspiration half theory excited me My fingers trembled as I undid the ball It was a half completed half completed letter broken off oft in mid As I read it I could see Grove blindly In love as twenty odd can be hammering out reproach and devotion to the woman who had not kept their tryst I 1 could see him look up where the typing ended and mark that a win win- window window dow In the Ferriter flat fiat was bright lone had returned She had not failed him He had torn the paper from the typewriter cast It Into the basket and rushed headlong into disaster I 1 handed the crumpled sheet to Miss Agatha without a word and she too read It through be be- before before fore she spoke Poor boy she said at last and there was tenderness In her usually brisk voice Poor passionate fool fool- foolish foolish ish Grove I had expected something more from her than this though even to tome tome tome me the missive was more pitiful and less ridiculous than most letters of Its sort But dont don't you see I asked what this means She turned to to- toward toward toward ward me and replied with equal tartness See Of course I see This Is what put my my iny nephews nephew's fingerprints on those typewriter keys This is the letter he said he had been writ- writ Ing That note the police found on him was written by Everett bent benton on suicide earlier This merely proves that Grove has told the truth It seems more of a surprise to you David than it does to me She read it over again with a crooked little smile and folded it with gentle centle hands I suggested Shant we turn it over to Shan Shan- Shannon Shannon non It proves proves- Shannon she repeated with odd Indecision I III dont don't know It seems to me mc a rather sacred thing You see no one ever wrote such a letter to me Let me think it over Da Da- Da vid Well We'll talk of It later She rolled herself hersell away without another word I looked at the clock It was w s almost time for my appoint appoint- appointment appointment ment with Cochrane CHAPTER The food before us cooled while I talked and Cochrane listened Like the Ancient Mariners Mariner's stooge Jerry had to take it and like it I had come to the beanery to Tell All My mind had been partly laundered by my confession to Miss Agatha I wanted to- to complete the cleansing by holdin back nothing from Jer Jer- ry There was too much darkness for me to Increase It by further cence It was bitter under his mild mUd and trustful regard to lay bare things I might have told long ago but I went through with It I saw his eyebrows eyebrows eyebrows' go up and up as I told of Groves Grove's earlier visit to the Fer Fer- Ferriter Ferriter riter apartment of the voice I had bad heard in Minos Mino's and finally of Dukes Duke's letter Then I 1 leaned back feeling empty but easier casler and Coch Coch- Cochrane Cochrane rane ranc looked from me to the salt saltshaker saltshaker saltshaker shaker he fingered Duke he said still sUll watching it it was sore of course over the skin skinning skinning ning weve we've handed him He lIe doesn't know how much worse It might have I been If it- it itHe He stuck I said If I hadn't held out on you Go ahead and tell teU me what I am I wont won't argue itHe it itHe It He looked look cd at me again and gave his beaming smile A guy who's That Way is never quite normal I might have done 11 worse myself You have large Ideas 1 Lochinvar Listen I told him Ive got one idea That is to get that noble and highbred sap out of this Jam and then fade out of the picture i. i I get you He grinned With Witha a sad gesture that will live forever In her memory I checked what I started to say lay layGo Go it ahead I answered Rub in I rate it itHe it itHe He still played with the shaker He asked at last So the old lady didn't have Win Win- show you the door No All AU I have to do Is help her herget herget herget get her nephew out of the coop and substitute the murderer Which should keep you busy Jerry said at least until day after tomorrow Would you like any help I did not understand himI him himI I I mean he went on on is this just a personal or a professional conference Do I 1 forget all youve you've told me or do we work it out to to- together together gether gither His generosity threw me off bal bal- ance If you still want me to play ball with you I began after I dont don't quite see sec how Im I'm to fin fin- finish finIsh finIsh ish it off solo He seemed relieved and went on more briskly Since were we're still accomplices Ive I've got something to show you you- He pulled from his bis pocket a creased and glazed placard bear bear- bearing bearing bearing ing the picture of four men in tights and spangles posed beneath a good deal of dangling cordage Below the halftone tone was the legend The Four v i i- i 1 r 1 I i I picked up the crumpled wad Flying Hying Cochrane gave It to me and said Handle H it gently I got It from Henkel time old vaudeville agent and Ive I've got to return it Recognize Recognize Recognize nize anyone I did and started to speak I looked more closely and at last faced Jerrys Jerry's expectant grin Either of the two middle ones I said at last could have been Lyon Ferriter ten years ago aco Excellent Watson Cochrane crooned My own idea The one on the left Henkel tells me was Lyon Ferriter His neighbor was his cousin Andrew Horstman The Theother Theother Theother other were named Levine and Pappas They were semi head liners in the old two day era Proving what I asked him folding the placard carefully and returning it Not No a thing in the world Jerry answered except that your friend used to be the daring young man manon manon manon on the flying trapeze Henkel has the memory of an elephant but even he doesn't know what happened next He does say that Lyon and his cousin were very Intelligent for acrobats When the movies ruined l lArt Art and the Four Flying flew apart Henkel thinks that Horst Horst- Horstman Horstman Horstman man went Into acting and played in stock for a while and that Lyon went to Alaska I Part of which I told him checks It does docs more than that that Coch Cochrane rane cane drawled with the sleepy air that was his mask for excitement It It practically proves that the Horstman who joined the Lyon and lone in their tonk hooky tonk or whatever in Alaska was their cousin And be he if you recall went out looking for gold with them They found it and lost Horstman He never came back Well I asked at V st. st for he seemed to have run down yet I knew the pause was for dramatic effect Neither Cochrane crooned did Lyon and lone He beamed I said All right spring it It They never came back to their cozy little shack Jerry went on pure Robert Service ch eh lone and her brother showed up the following spring In Fairbanks which is a considerable hike from from Tanana Crossing where their place stood claimed that Horstman They got lost in a blizzard bUzzard and he wasn't there to say he They had samples with them that started a stampede Lyon went in with It and sold his claim When he be came I back he and sister went river down i took look steamer for the states and anda van va- a 1 Ish cd They left leU so fast they forget t tto I to do anything about the dump at atI Tanana Crossing This was sold last year for taxes And thanks to the thet I r. r t Ii M assiduous Fairbanks correspondent of the Press there you are Where I asked Cochrane chuckled chu kled It all aU adds up he be admitted to whatever you choose to make it Its It's background on the guy you and the theold theold theold old gal have elected murderer any any- anyway way I 1 said Its also a problem in relationship Everett used to be a Horstman Then he wasn't brother brotherto to Lyon and lone He may have been been been- I bogged down Brother or something to the Horstman the blizzard is alleged to have abolished Cochrane finished for me take a genealogist to figure it out eh And the authority on the subject broke his neck last night That's too bad We need him him- No I told him what we really need is Lyons Lyon's weakness That's what Miss Agatha Paget wants I went over my recent talk with her Cochrane ate and then forgot his food to sit listening apparently half hall asleep You know he be said when I end end- ended ended ed a pretty unusual crone Id I'd like to meet her Why not I asked He had been too generous for me meto meto meto to hold back now The question shook him out of his drowsiness Do you mean it Ill phone and see I said ris ris- ris- ris rising ing But you'll have to keep her herout herout herout out of the papers Oke Jerry beamed be enough enouch of a thrill just to get Inside the Morello At the telephone I told Miss Aga Aga- Agatha Agatha tha I was bringing Cochrane up to see sec her If I had asked permission I think she might have forbidden it it but I followed up with persuasion and reassurance until she consented and promised at my suggestion to clear our way through the hostile lobby She Sh was In the workroom when we entered She seemed re reo relieved re- re relieved I that Jerry had bad neither horns borns nor tail and welcomed him serenely I had grown accustomed to the spirit that dwelt Intact In that crip crip- crippled crippled crippled pled body but Cochrane was a lit lit- little little little tle dazed The wagon tea glass and bottle laden stood beside the old ladys lady's wheel chair One of the few perquisites of age Miss Agatha told us briskly is liquor I hope you drink Mr Cochrane Only he said solemnly In my social moments Miss Agathas Agatha's face changed and she glanced at me She picked her her words I I had understood that this was wasa a social call It is Jerry told her and she chuckled as she reached for the glasses We talked and sipped our high high- balls I watched Cochranes Cochrane's reticence reticence cence melt and saw the old ladys lady's stiff face relax Presently with his I doubt completely gone Jerry was I I telling her in a low intimate voice I IaU all aU he had learned from Henkel and I the Press Press' Fairbanks correspondent of Lyons Lyon's past Miss Agatha heard him through with slowly narrowing eyes She surveyed the placard Cochrane showed her and looked at atit atIt atit it so long that Jerry repeated Ferriter is the second man from the left This seemed to rouse her Yes she said with forced brisk brisk- briskness briskness ness yes I see and threw oft off whatever odd abstraction had held her He and his neighbor look much alike So hes he's the one ont who went with his beloved sister to the Arctic I dont don't think Im I'm over over inhospitable In wishing they'd stayed there Is she Cochrane asked sudden sudden- suddenly ly his beloved sister Miss Agatha looked at him hard before she spoke Ive seen no birth certificates she replied tartly but there cere certainly certainly is a family resemblance And he is utterly devoted to her If he were less so my nephew mightn't be in jail at the moment Because Cochrane went on I gather from our Fairbanks man man man-I I wish Id I'd brought broucht along that dispatch that that they quarreled a good deal while they were living at Tanana Crossing Pooh said Miss Agatha broth brothers ers and sisters always quarrel She was looking good in a region of few women and he probably was jeal jeal- ous Our O correspondents correspondent's idea Jerry answered is just the opposite He wires that Lyon objected because she wasn't attentive enough enouCh to cus cus- After Horstman arrived there was a 1 blowup blow blow up He and Lyon had a 3 fight That That- was just before the three of them went prospecting And Horstman didn't come comeback comeback comeback back Miss Agatha thought aloud and was silent for an Instant Well she added pulling herself together Lyon and lone probably murdered him Theres There's nothing to compare with a murder as a solvent or maker of trouble Yet when Cochrane bad had gone that part of his narrative seemed to irritate tate tale her She spoke of It while An Annie nie rolled away the tea Youve seen for yourself she appealed to me as though she need needed ed endorsement there never was wo wasa a more devoted brother than Lyn Lynn I 1 nodded as the bell rang ran TO UE llE E CONTINUED i r l r |