Show j tl d By Alg Algernon Knox E. E PHILLIPS erno ernon n OPPENHEIM L Accidental Detective i s The The Tragedy I at No 16 Hendon Street Ii Copyright b by the McClure Newspaper News News- t paper syndicate tf Tho three young men flieD eat fat together in ina 1 a a. private box at tho fashionable skating kat 4 in ing rink It was wa Sunday afternoon The music was inspiring th the ice ico was gf not too crowded Yet all three seemed tj content to remain onlookers They C of their little at at and w watched ono coterie and their faces grow grew gloomier c Only oxly X who bad had been over in Paris rf r for a a. fortnight ht sipped his tea in con eon w. w c. c and remained by the te general depression rl r-r ct You ou fellows dont don't seem very ery gay m t ho he remarked presently Ii Hov Ho bo gayr Sammy Ford v can we gay ay replied motioning with with his heap head toward toward to to- w ward d a passing passin couple with that to u J. J look at att at f Poor old Len 1 1 Knox put up his 0 eyeglasses e lasses and followed fol lowed the direction of of hIS bis friends friend's that it V ture I admit he sighed 1 is R a at depressing sight Bight t to tee tec l one of our own pals guilty of ot such a aH II H shocking Mocking breach of taste why do you Jou you 1 allow it if you fellows T Dash it all alf a supper room would could be ho bad bat enough but 1 hero on Sunday afternoon Has lias v J Leonard gone out of his senses senses senses' H t They all began to talk at once but butI I Samm Sammy silenced ct them Come Come 1 bc h b b be e c aid for the moment I had llad forgotten fc 1 that AJ Algy y knows nothing of this 1 You know tho the young woman U H Al t Knox ox nodded Miss Rose Montres Montres- 1 sor back hack row of the Hilarity and not Dot le too sure of her Or er place even there A Aloud Aloud l loud ud bold kin king young youn woman whom i none ol w s 5 excepting Len has ever o r. r poke that I Know of I H I estimate of Ot young ounH worn worn- Sammy aminy Ford ord t. L brings i lute nto to lin line with ith us No doubt yoi are Ling in yur elf then the same Qu que ques s s- s are dl dlin driving in us almost crazy int why h in I tho name Dame of all an that that's s sable sable able cable is is Leonard advertising him him- e e on Sunday afternoon and at ater every er every ry other place you jOU can think of with such a Secondly what in heavens heaven's name is the tho matt matter r with the follow fellow He Ho looks frightened to death Ie Have Hac any of you vou fellows tackled hIm hm about it r Knox asked Done our best Samm Sammy Ford re reo re- re plied lie He He only mumbled something n about her ber benz being a n jolly decent sort o ot of girl girl and ran off lies lie's given i en us the goy go go- by y al altogether o et er And all the time as you OU he be is 1 engaged cd to Lily Huntingdon Hunting lon Ion one oDe of the nicest little girls in London They relapsed ed into inlo silence for lor a a. time timea a a. silence broken a little abruptly by Knox Knor Is I Leonard short of money or anything of that sort t Not Not here Ford answered He is up to his his' eyes in n it though that wretched Ii e huss' huss hussy must have e cost him a b b I HV r clothes weren't fit tit t toI to I I f a a. mont mont 3 ago O. O Now she's trot cot sables like Jike a duchess hats bats like liko lamPshades lampshades lampshades lamp lamp- shades and she he reeks of all the tho per per- of the Burlington n arcade arcade- Mighty i queer business Knox remarked re r marked marked thou thoughtfully Ill I 11 tackle Len Ln n first opportunity Haven Haven't t s seen cn mm hun since sinco I 1 got ot back from Paris Palls s B so L shall ha have hae e an excuse The couple whom they were discussing discuss I in lug ing swung by bj at that moment The Tho Theirl girl irl was dark gold overdressed over over- dressed and her unpleasant voice oice and i shrill laughter T reached them like a jarring note She skated badly and clung to her companion a tall taB thin youth whose bO boyish and rather pleasant pleasant pleas pleas- ant expression Slon was wS marred just now bv by a curious tightening of all the lines Unes o of or his hiLs face He looked as as Sammy ammy Ford bad had recently declared like Jike the therrin t t. nf himl cl Something I wrong there ther without a I doubt II Knox decided finally dually II It Iti It i must b bo be investigated II Knox presented himself at Leonard rooms rooms about past half 7 V t that at evening He brushed past the somewhat doubtful manservant erani and strolled into the tho bedroom where whore his hia friend was struggling with a white tie tio in in in front of a looking glass Thought ht this would be a safe time timeto timeto to run you down old chap he rc re marked How are you Rotten Leonard replied shortly Knox seated himself on the ed edge e of the bed beth wrong Len he be de do- Through h the lookin looking glass lass ho he saw aw the boys boya face harden hardon Nothing Rot Knox replied Youre making a thundering ass of yourself with a silly silI underbred girl There must be some explanation Out with it it For a moment there was a stout si si si- lence Then without a word Leonard crossed the room to tho the door doors turned the tho key oy and came back His lips bps were quivering He Ho spoke with a a. sob H Algy old man I will out with it swore swore I 1 Got to break my mv word Nord I lean cant can't t stick it out any lon longer er Look at mc me Im I'm a Knox stared at his bis friend fixedly Leonard sat down by his side upon the tho bed Y You m ta take talo e. e it it very gui quietly ho went wont wenton wonton on but the things thing's s like a a. nightmare to me It was all aU my own fault I drove Rose homo one night She lives hives quite respectably down with her people in Hendon street West K Kensington ton I r went ent in and was introduced introduced introduced intro intro- to her father and mother They're They shocking both of em cm Of cours course they mad made a fuss over o mo me and andRose andRose Rose ROle wouldn't let me go o. o There was a beast of a cha chap there who kept on on trying try try- jug ing to come eoma and arid talk to her Wretched bounder he was waa and no end of a nui sance sauce To escape from him Rose Roseand and andI I went into the back room He followed followed fol fol- fol- fol lowed us there and kicked up a row I Iwas Iwas Iwas was a a. bit lit Hit and I couldn't stand the thc chap I coned celled him a cad and he came for lor mo me There was a brass candlestick candlestick can can- on on the tIle mantelpiece e and I struck him with it rj right ht across the thc head He Be wont wout down Al Algy y just like i a lo log never log never er moved mo nose got Irl ingot Dt ened and we wo called some one Fortunately Fortunately Fortu Fortu- only the old man came camo in They found Id I'd Id I'd-I'd Id I'd killed him P But how bow on earth has a thin thing like liko this been kept quiet Knox asked aced Have you read of the tho disappearance of Robert Jul Jules s stockbrokers stockbroker's clerk Knox nodded I saw something about it in the newspapers he be ad ad- I That Leonard went the tho chap on i Roses people have bave certainly behaved cd like bricks They got ot the fellow into a hospital mixed up with tho the victims of the railway accident that night at Earls Earl's Court Count station tation Knox shook hook his bis head slowly Youre I a Billy ass Leonard he pronounced You ou ought bt to have bave owned up ri right ht aw away v. v The thing was on only a a. brawl Wh What t made Miss Mies i s people behave c so o decently about it The Toe fellow fellow fel fel- fel low must have hayo be been n a a. friend of theirs They Thes thou thought bt T was engaged cd to Rose Leonard explained explain cd slowly Hm Hin Knox remarked And now youve you've ou ve got to mar marry the In And nd And now Leonard assented gloomily CI as you u tay I hr have e to marry her Told Mi on yetI yet yet- vet ett I i cant can't bluff it Leonard rd groaned Ill PH have to in a day da- daTor or two to because Reso insists upon in ha having our OUI cn engagement engage ment announced ed II Any Any objection to my mr interviewing e in inthe f the he old man I HI I dont don't see what good old it t can do lo cot Leonard replied It isn't he who's th the thing on Who Wh il is- is then fit Knox asked You Youre ra not Dotin in love 0 with Rose Roe Montres Montres- I son eor are yo T It Ot Of eo core course rsc Im I'm not nol Leonard declared de do- I dared indignantly But But weB sho she expects it herself She told her father tho the lie He before ho hu got ROt me me out out of the ss Ill PH go o and have ha a n. chat with the theold theold theold old feU fellow 0 r anyhow Knox declared K If It you ou do L Leonard be begged ged him U just just let him know that youre you're you ro no a 11 par par- particular parti ti ular friend and that I am not telling anyone else elso lIe He is is rather scared over o the thing no now that its it's over Ho lIe got it managed thron through l la a doctor friend who ho lives s with them them rather rather a low d down dwa wn sort of beggar but hes he's a doctor all aU right They They're re ic a bit scared about a conspiracy nor K-nor paid aid hi his visit to No Ko 16 Hendon street West Kensington on on tha tho follow follow- In log ing afternoon Ho lio found round the tho neighbor hood bood as he had expected a little un savory orx The door Mor of his house was tas opened to 10 him after some delay deJay by br Sirs She listened to Knox's inquiry suspiciously I t am not so sure suro that Mr Montres Montres- sor is in she aho said What might ht your Jour business be bet 1 Knox gently insinuated himself into the passage My fy dear Mrs frs ho be explained explained ex ex- I am a great reat friend friend of Leonard Leonard Leon Loon ard s Need I say sa- an any more morel moret I should like liko to hae have just a word or two with your JOur husband if I might be bo permitted Mrs drew drow back and closed the door The passage was nas very verr narro narrow nar nan row ro and Mr Mrs was as cr very large I Henry I she called up the dingy linoleum covered stairs theres a friend hone hero of Mr wants to see see sc you Jou Thero was an inarticulate sound and silence Mrs threw o open on the door of a little room hun hung with I cheap tapestry Indian fans and other awful adornments Mr will win bo down in in ono one moment moment his wi wife o announced od Any friend Jf of rr i id always most welcome Take a seat scat sir You know my daughter I dare say I I 1 have the tto pleasure of knowin knowing her by sight well wen Knox very er admitted And a dear good girl sho she is ie Mrs tressor continued emphatically rc Never a moments moment's trouble to me rue since she sho was born II 1 I was on the tho stage myself my my- self MIl Mr 1 1 Knox ho he told her ber Mr who turned out to b be elderly with a dyed mustache and bags under tinder bis his furtive eyes eves entered the tha room with an air of marked anxiety The si sight ht of Knox who was lokin looking very verr pink and white wind and seemed to be bea a little nervous appeared however to console him Mr Mr Knox said hold hol l. l ing out his is hand Very Vory good of you to give ie me mo a a few c minutes M Mj- Mj name narno name is Knox Mr breathed more freely There was certainly nothing alarming about abou t bi his bis visitors visitor's tors tor's appearance rance Sit oe ee down sir he ho invited You are the first o of Mr r. r friends sir who has found us out You are aro welcome Very Ver kind of you I r am sure pure H Knox declared You ClYon aie are wondering T I dare say wh why I have come Ill I'll try and explain Mr r nodded gravely If your visit sit has a serious purpose pur pun post pose sir ho he said I we we should be he gla glato glad to 0 hear bear it I 1 do not know knoT that it if has c exactly Knox replied but I couldn't help c corning corn com m. m in ing to see you OU Poor old Len is fairl fairly knocked over by bv this little affair U My My wife a and d I 1 Mr declared solemnly have known n no no sleep since that awful moment I have run a risk Mr Knox which I would run for lor a few mens men's sakes I liked hiked young youn Mr r. r I ask for your sympathy Mr Knox in what I did I have broken tho laws I T have made myself a 8 conspirator I did it for your Cur friends friend's sake flake I 3 ask k confidently for your sympathy II To be continued tomorrow |