Show rhe he House of the Whispering Pines P nes I I By Anna Katharine Green r SONS Copyright 1910 by by I r W York and London ANNA KATHARINE I i It CHAPTER IX R Know of No Such Letter t. t Sits right in all al th the peoples people's hearts hat thich t at which would appear offense InU in inus us U like richest alchemy hanse hange to virtue and to worthiness haxe x Julius Caesar J Is ulus nd nd fi you still sti hold him f es but but with wih growing uncertainty one e of those fellows who affect judgment ju in ii spite of yourself some me beyond the ordinary a fin fin- fn gentleman and All an that he lie has in inon inon inon on to these advantages a way aim lim th that t goes oes straight to the heart hert hertto to te toof of prejudice and the claims of ene ence That That's s 's a dangerous factor as aso 60 like Iko this It I hampers hamlers a a man exercise of his dute duties You may mas CaY tho J tho fa fascination probably will you will understand my lt Imposition and wi wh why I telephoned telephone gork ork for tor an expert detective to toon IOU on on this job I wish to give the themy themy my old friend a aman cha chance nee man man whom hom Coroner Perry thus peed ed leaned back in his c and andt te t replied lr ure right not because because hos ho's the your your old friend a handsome feld fel fel- I nd Jour d all that but for the rea reason on I his hia full wery ivery man should have ful 3 3 LT whatever the appearances It i him Personally I have no fear ent hem being affected by his Ive I've had haa to do with too tons handsome scamps for that But I leas just to him as you will wl sime sun sun- I bru bru- e cause use it seems an Rn incredibly ime inie for a gentleman enteman to commit Iso De because I lay greater reater stress I three minor ron rou do on tho the two or Ion which seem to favor his latest that a a man had preceded aton visit to this lonely clubman cluba club club- cub a n bs man whom he had himself hImsel seen elite grounds in a a cutter cuter just as astred astred tred by the opposite driveway il ht came in quick ej ejaculation n lips t I i like to hear hearL L that I Iwas was purposely careful Jl lay y emphasis on the pacts facts fact you to I wished you oU to draw your without any ny ay aid from The Che police did find traces of a horse and cutter cuter having avin passed fc the clubhouse grounds It I was wasIE 0 IE- IE hard hud and these traces were wore 15 ly obliterated but and them in time timo to satisfy eve iw that the they extended from e clump of trees to the up up- wy iway them where cump they took the diree- diree hill is batis lit is not hi all al A A- grip sack pa packed ked Mv was in Mr Ranelagh S 'S Showing that his ne story of an in in- in I journey was was' not without some somo r We have hae retained that grip n is not the tho only proof we have te cation to leave leavo the city for forBe forr ton had made other arran arrange arrange- c I r buness Be But Butt arrangements t tier i here nor there o o one oneat oneat bat at he be planned an elopement b beautiful Carmel Canel tho the question n this i disappointment followed b byrder by byr fer r of of tho the woman who ho stood in in 1 lct Attorney Fox Pox you Il have I I his ident identity before now took ty I me deliberating carefully with ith tf If f before lefore venturing venturin to reply Then tho the coroner coroners coroner's s 's concealed Impatience ked feed bout to disclose itself itel he quietly suppose that no io conclusion can be belfron DO the tho c. c condition of the bod body our men reached it I Iud judge e that warm 88 es but so BO it it would have been if it id ad ld met her fate several minutes was supposed Clarke and rd differ about the length of time intervened between the moment tho the former looked into int the room the outside and that of their final see ace But whether it was fc five min min- rain rain- ir If ten the tho period was long enough l le id er r their testimony uncertain as 5 r exact length of time she had lain dead dud Had I been there there there- But lules to go O into that Let us PJ ip more tangible tan cry good Here it is Of the six of f spirits spiris which were lj taken from the clubhouses clubhouse's wine four dour were ere found standing un un- J n D the kitchen table Where fe other two t 1 ba hits hit's it That's the question I put myself ever since I th steward and found him bim ready ear to the correctness of his report disappearance be of these two bot bet nel h did id not empty th them ni Ie 16 e bottles themselves would have found somewhere about tho the place fh who did t tr r to ro one within the clubhouse pr pre pre- ii 1 They The were ere opened and e emptied here Theres There's our clue and if the youve you've got got up UT tP from cue New York is Hiis fis palt Falt he has his task ready t to hard I task for a stran stranger stranger and and er-and and i stranger er Not very prepossess prepossess- say a the least lest But he be has ha a ae ve e and will wi Jot get along with the theft ft Ti right h. h Nothing assertive about I ot enough go perhaps Would e et to see him a moment I want want- to clear my ij reference to t these bottles Oly Only ne De' De addicted to drink would auld drag wix ix s-it s bottles bottes out of that cold un un- un cellar i and a connoisseur at that The i tsing bottles held the choicest ing bottes i Ix n the whole stock They were arback at back too too hidden hidden as it ft were other bottles bottes Yet they th to the front front and carried I yo you say and by some pome fome ono who whoa a good thing was hat hat tood was in the four bottles bottles' botteS found table tablet f whisky irry-whisky rry and rum Two bot hat rU IJ and an one ea each li of sherry am and andre re B thief meant to carr carry them allt aUt allt all aU t h had bd d not the time e gentleman enteman thief No common common for would we are looking looking- choice hoice of just those bottles So are a again ain Contradictions in w e. e nt let us bother with tho the con eon but just follow the clue Those J full till or empty must be found W band and the shape shap shapE and color of tho the both oth of which ar are arc peculiar Now sow let us see sec your our detec detec- j e ter was Wa not called caled in yet t Cho Coroner nCr Perr Perry ofer offered to touch tonch touche ne e dC door r opened and Mr Clifton Clfton e ted teA in in 1 Well VelI Wel and favorably W o 1 he had tad no Difficulty F v DIB and preferring J r i u the interests of Elwood i t. t i i 4 Ranelagh h said he be He uHe is willing to toconce conce concede e and 50 so o am I I. I that under the I circumstances his arrest arest was S justifiable bIe but not his hs prolonged ed detention He lie Ie ha has haS' little tte excuse to offer ofer for the mistakes mis mis' mis mistakes takes ho has bas made mado or or the thc various offenses of or Lenses of which he behas has been guilty uit His Itis best best friends must condemn conden n his hypocrisy and fast and loose treatment of Miss SK Cumberland but he ho vows that he be had bad no hand ha d in her violent death and anil in inthis inthis inthis this re regard n I 1 feel not anI only hound bound but forced to arc believe him At At Atall all al events I 1 Iam Iam I am Joir going to act at on that conviction and have como here to entreat your jour aid in clearing up one or two points which may affect your you own opinion of his guilt u As As his counsel I have bave been Ju able to extract from him a fact or or oi two two which he hehu has hu hitherto withheld from the police Reticent as he has his shown himself from the tho thos tho's s start start and and considering the character of the two women involved in this tra tra- this cannot be looked upon as en en- timely irely to his hia discredit discredit he he has confided t tome 9 i me a circumstance which ii in hi the tho cx ex- attendant on Miss Carmel Cumberland's sudden udden in illness s Ja may have haye escaped the notice of the and very veI naturally of the pol police e. e It I is this The The ring rin which Miss Cumberland wore as a the sign and seal sel of of- her engagement en en engagement to him was not on her hand when he came upon her as he ho declares he e did ded dead it I was there at dinner time time-a ime a curious ring which have I-have often noted myself and could accurately do do- scribe if required If I she sue took it off ol before be be- fore ore starting etring for Tho The Whispering Pines it t should easily be found But if shedid sho she did lid not what a n clue it offers to her unknown assailant Up till tm now no lr Mr has been anticipating inK ing ne this ring rint back in il ui-a ui a letter leter written before she left her home But he be has hal heard leard of no such letter and doubts doubt now if f you have Ma May I ask if he is correct in n this surmise surmise We know of no such letter None has las come to t his rooms looms I replied the coroner I th thought u ht not The whereabouts of this his rin ring then is still sti to be determined You will wi pardon my havin having called caled your our I attention t to it i. i As Mr r Ranelagh's I le legal egal al adviser I am ver very anxious anxious to have that hat rin ring found We are glad lad to receive your sug suggestion es ion tion ton replied the district attorney But you must remember that some of its it ts for force e is lost b by its bain having ori originated with the accused Very true but Mr Rancla Ranelagh h was wal only in induced to speak spek of this matter mater after I had worked with him im for an hour lour There is is a mystery in his hs attitude which I. I for one have not yet et fath fath- med orned You must have noticed this also Cor Coroner ner Perry t Your inquest when you ou hold lold it will i reveal some curious facts facts' but jut I doubt if it will wi reveal the secret secret underlying this man mans man's 8 reticence That we shall shaH have nave to discover for our our our- u. u selves elves t He He has another secret then than I Ithe the be one involving his arrest ns RS a SU ant sus- murderer f was tile tie subtle con con- I elusion lusion of tho the district distrct attorney I Ye Yes Yeii or why does ho be balk bulk so at the limpl simplest st inquiries inquirIes' I have hae my ray notion as s to its nature b but t Im I'm Im no not not here bore to express express notions unless you VOl call can J my al al- mo most t unfounded belief belef in him a notion What I want to present to you 01 Is s fact and fact which can be utilized In the cause of your client clent l' l Which is i's equally the tho cause of ins jus u tice U Possibly Well We'll Wel search for fur the in ung ing Mr Clifton Meanwhile C will wi you C east cast t your eye eyo over o these fragments of n a unto noto which Mr rr Ranelagh says sas he rc received iv 1 from Com while whilo Miss Carmel Cumberland v on the tho station for her com corn in ing To be continued d. d |