Show 1100 I TRUE DETECTIVE STORIES I 1 I WRITTEN IN RED Copyright 1921 Wheeler Syn Syndicate Inc Inc Itc Therefore the he only clue to the whole affair is the fact that this crazy woman worn worn- an was found on the porch of ot her house shrieking something that sou sounded sound sound- sound sound-j d- d ed cd like Americans John Wilson Murray chief of or the Canadian secret service paused as as' he glanced across the table at the local loca chief of or police the man who had summoned summoned sum sum- mooed him in an attempt to solve the mystery of ot the murder of ot John Bryan Brjan and his son two prosperous farmers who had been prominent In an outlying outlying outlying out out- lying community That said the chief of or police is abs absolutely all But I take issue with you when you ou say something that sounded Bounded like Americans Americans' That's what she Bhe was saying or at least its it's all I that an anyone one could possible make male of ot her het babble As I recall it mused roused Murray the testimony shows that some children on their way to Sunday school school chool heard Mrs Bryan sobbing on her porch One o ot or th them m went up to to see what the matter mattei was and found her halt half clothed and apparently entirely out ut of ot her hei head repeating over over and andover andover andover over a single word But that word was not Americans but Amer Amer What would Amer Arner be le but the first syllable of or American demanded the chief of ot police It H make no sense by itself and the woman unfortunately cant can't explain it because the sight of ot the murder unseated her reason leason Her husband and her r son were l killed before I her eyes How Slow she es ped is alfy aby more moie tha than than- we shall Know But Rut the fact that her husband had hall had hada a quarrel only a t few w days lays before with i isome some workmen from the other oter side of the border coupled with Mrs Dr Brjan's 1 strange reiteration of ot the meaningless I IAmer Amer makes males it practically a t ty that the last think which was was was' burned into her consciousness was that I her hei husband and son had been killed b by the Americans Have you b been en able to trace these people queried Murray No admitted the chief of ot police we haven't They to have hac left this neighborhood shortly after having r their quarrel with the Br ans But theres there's nothing to prove that they may not have hae returned And ther theres there's s nothing to prove that they did either was was the muttered comment of ot the head of the Canadian I J secret service I 1 wonder if if It b U by any I chance you vou happen to have Conan i have I Doyles Doyle's Study in Scarlet You Good Do you yon r member the word I scrawled In letters of ot blood upon the wall wall the the word Rache which the In Inspector Inspector In- In I from Scotland Yard insisted was Rachel but which Holmes proved was merely the German word woid for tor re revenge 7 I 1 have a feeling that re I an situation exists here heie Yes I know that Doyles Doyle's story was fiction and this Is hard brutal fact fact but but they sometimes dovetail you know I j And vou are aro going to waste your I time timo working along that line I II I am going to work with that as assumption as- as I certainly said Murray urray urray I as-I I grimly Whether It is a waste of ot tune time will develop later Where did th the th I Bryans originally original come from froni and he I launched into a Zt series of ot questions questions' dealing with I local cal history which consumed consumEd consumed con con- con con- I the Jetter part of at the morning After several telegrams I Murray put In the balance of or ottlie the day in going oin over th the ground i I which surrounded the Bryan Bran homestead home- home I i stead The entire place had been so trampled by the curious crowds that I t It was impossible to discover er any I i footprints that would p prove ove of ot value i j But he did find tind one outstanding point I I j which struck him as being beng worth worthy of ot I Imore I more tha than n passing note The ground I close to the Bryan house was composed of ot a sort of ot sticky red clay entirely I I different from that which m made up the remainder of or the country countr near by hy and I 1 I i I evidently an outcropping of ot a stratum I i j which la lay well hidden elsewhere in the vi vicinity I n II Th The adjoining homesteads were ere oc occupied occupied occupied oc- oc I I by families named Connoly and Reynolds both of or whom had settled there r recently and had had little to todo todo I do with the Br Bryana an The Reynolds Renolds I Ido particularly seemed to be of ot a retirIng retiring I ling ing nature and took little HUe Interest even In the Bryan murders which had hadI I stirred the remainder of at the country country- slOe to a a. white hite heat The follow following ln r morning Chief durray was awakened by the receipt or of a long lone telegram which caused him to to I IsmIle I T smile i rather grimly when after readIng read read- I r log Ing It t for the second time he tucked d It away In an Inside pocket I Get your men he Informed the chief of police and surround both the I Reynolds and Connoly farmhouses but do It so that It wont won't be noticed Im I'm I going g to pay each of ot trem a I. visit and if Ir I 1 am not mistaken one of the families lies 1 Is going 1 to 0 be a bit upset p by it It I dont don't know lenow which one It will b be but they're the only newcomers around here and the trail is well weil worth fol rol lowing Hut But protested protest Ill I'll the chief neither of ot them are Americans I I 1 didn't say the they were were retorted Murray and n turned away to an active io discussion of his breakfast R I When AMien the chief of the Canadian se secret secret secret se- se cret service left the Connoly Connol farmhouse however howe he shook his head as a ala sig- ral to the men on the outside that he had discovered nothing and then made marie his way toward the bleak and rather forbidding house where the Reynolds brothers lived A frank statement of or his gained him instant admission and both of or the ward brothers vr in appeared their ar replies to be to S straightforward this b questions guest ques gues- t on s. s So neither of ot jou ou has been near the Bryan Dran farm during during- the tIle past week week he lie asked more In the manner of or one who makes certain of or a point rather than putting a blunt question Both heads shook In an emphatic negative Then which of you you and and Murrays Murray's s hand hard slipped Inside his coat until it came in contact with the butt of or the automatic which he carried in a holster hol- hol ster slung from his sho shoulder is lder is Is John Amer and which is James Dont Don't t move Ive I've Ive I've got you dead to i rights and the house is surrounded You lou might as aswell aswell well come out with the whole story atory though I know now most of or It already the feud which existed between you and the Bryans ears years ago o in another part of or tho the country the way in which you were forced to leave how you wandered wandered wan wan- dered here under an assumed name only to find that you vou were next door to the man you vou hated But Dut you overlooked over- over looked one Important bit of ot evidence Mrs Bryan DIyan She witnessed the murder murder mur mur- der as you OU now probably know and It was your our real name that remained in her memory when everything ese else had hart been wiped out win Will you ou get quietly or shall I 1 call for help p It was less ss than an hour later that Murray y was preparing ar t to return r to his er fy ore j duties t elsewhere only to be momen I halted by the appearance of ot the j chief of police police- with his congratulations and acknowledgments of ot de de- de- de feat You were right about the American American Ameri Amen can end of ot it he admitted But how could you vou be lye certain that the Reynolds boys had done it Look at the soles Boles of ot their boots counseled Murray Under the Instep close globule II b back a of bright bv by tile the r red heel dee clay cay ia you'll such note o as I is a to to-be to be found only In the immediate vi vicinity vicinity vl- vl of ot the Bryan Dran house where the they said they hadn't b been n They must have had a reason for lying and tying and the rest w was as easy |