Show The Men on the theby Dead Mans Man's Chest by Clifford Raymond Raymondv v CW NU Service Copyright Tho Bobbs Co CHAPTER X Continued X-Continued 11 11 Is MIs everything all nil right the porter por pore ter asked when he came to take the thc bag out of the room Everything said the lieutenant As he walked through the train shed toward the gate he decided to stand there a n moment and roUs satisfy y himself as to Blair and Ashley If It they were on the train Roberts would have to be conceded some sonic something thing more than agitated ing The Tile lieutenant was not required required re re- re to wait walt The two had preceded preceded pre pre- ceded him him and I they were waiting at the gate Blairs Blair's expression was puzzled when he saw only Stanton but Ashley Ash Ash- ley icy was' was grinning The lieutenant seeing seeing- them found that he lie was getting getting get get- ting angry and was on the point of showing showing- It He lie stepped out of the tile way of the stream of and stopped beside the thc two Welcome Welcom home lieutenant said Ashley Hardly expected to be here before you Dl Didn't nt Mr Roberts come with you I 1 think Ill I'll call can the tile wagon for you said Stanton Why Lieutenant I said Ashley I Were here her to meet Uncle Hiram Greene of Oshkosh Then you'd better hetter go to the North Western station D n IID-n n you Blair you had to be beso beso beso so cock cocksure Here nere we are at the wrong wrong- station Oh dry up I said Blair Who Is this cheap copper On your way war flatfoot Stanton lost his is temper He Bc drew his pistol Blair started back but Ashley continued to grin People nearby stumbled and pushed back out of the thc way A few women cried out A station policeman hurried up I Im Lieutenant Stanton of East Chicago Avenue Call a wagon for these men mCD Blair said Ashle Ashley sometimes youre you're certainly an awful d n fl-n n fool Ill break you for this said Blair to Stanton In Chicago said Stanton amused again ag Big lg boy just now youre you're one of two vagrants I ma may give gi you ou a murder charge later Anyay Anyway Any Any- way ay Roberts gets a break Hell nee need It t sai said Ashley ami ami- ably abl He was grinning when Stanton left him an and Blair at the detective detective detec detec- I tive bureau The mans man's amusement amuse amuse- ment meat was not feigned Blair havIng having hav hay ing lag made a n fool of himself Ashley although h he was In no better case than the other was enjoying ilie itHe it i. lie He couldn't win said Ashley but a thing thing- like that never stops the big boy bOj Lieutenant you'll love him when you know him better but you'll have to protect him from Roberts Ill I'll never be able to Stanton went directly to the states state's attorneys attorney's the CrImInal Criminal Crim CrIm- inal mat Court building had just come In and Horde Jorde the first assistant entered the room before the they had sat down Telegram just came for you Lieutenant he said holding ing out a yellow envelope from some sonic one who thought of addressing you here Stanton opened and read Decided best to leave you Am Indebted to you ou for consideration and kindness Am playing the game safe and will win R. R It The tele telegram ram had been sent from Ind lad where he left the train said the lieutenant In laying ing the paper pa per In front of the states state's attorney Who Is R n An And why did he lie leave the train R H Is Roberts He Is one of the three survivors survivor of the Turner will lie left the train while I was sleepIng sleepIng sleeping sleep- sleep Ing to get away from Blair and Ashley the other two survivors They have him marked for number four They were on the train They are over at the bureau now That's That s what I 1 came camo to talk to you about I It will all seem crazy to you but Ill I'll tell It as It happened First Id I'd suggest sag sug gest gent you have Mr l Horde telephone I Ithe the tile bureau to send over exhibits A j I I and B. B You ht might do well to talk I to them Do liDo that Horde will you ou Spin I your yarn Lieutenant For a hour half Stanton ga e a concise narrative I And there you ou are he ed Ive ah always ah's s 's told you I was vat no detective lye Ive got goot my birds s and anC no cage Ive I've Just let a man sUp slip I me Hes He's dodging his own murder Ive I've got a murderer or two of ot them and we cant can't lay a finger on them A sergeant came to the door ti to tosa sa say that the bureau had bad sent over the two men mend Bring them In said the tue states state 3 attorney Blair and Ashle Ashley were han handcuffed I Ito to each other when they were brought ht In with a policeman at cad each i side of them That Isn't necessary Stanton i exclaimed Take TaI those cuffs of ore off r them you jou ou m men n and you ou can walt wait t n a goot gool scout Lieutenant said Ashley I l didn't like c the d n ln n things not with Blair on the other cud end not at all anyway Blair scowled an and then forced an expression c of ot boredom and ence This Is the states state's attorney gen gen- The big boy Is Mr Blair He took tool the lanterns away Tile The smiling smiling- lad Is Mr l Ashley Blair Im I'm quite convinced Is a n murderer Ashley Ash Ash- ley icy may be And here we are and what whar to do Their present police pollee status Is that of s. ag We can ask the sheriff up In Vilas county If be he cares for Mr Blair nIall said the tue states state's attorney Horde go and see If you ou can get him on the wire Tell him we are holding a suspect with some strong circumstantial evidence The Tue states state's attorney look looked d the two men over for tor a moment of cool silence which was Intended to be minatory and which was not Blair stared at him and then laughed The laugh was short and derisive It could be taI taken en In- In Inan any In-any an trade of ot opinion opinion ion as an Insult Ashley was cheerIly cheerily cheer cheer- ily us Interested What are you fellows doing the states state's attorney asked your jour reason for b being In Chicago Ask the lieutenant said Ashley Hes detaining us We were tray trav cling eling He lle said something about givIng giving ing Roberts a break We IVe dont don't crave Roberts' Roberts company Lieutenant He Isn't very Interesting not for hours at a n time tinie You ought to have found foun i that out last night Why did you send that fat man nina up to our room In the Palatine Stanton aske asked a sensible question said Ashley Not INot Insinuating that your question wasn't Mr l s Stats ney But the tile lieutenants lieutenant's question Is highly reasonable Why did we wc send a fat man up to your room roomi That assumes that we filth did ld Dont Don't you know we went vent to New York You started for New York And none of the flicks dicks told you yot youe we e didn't get gel there You'll often find them that way Sometimes they dont don't like lIko to admit they were outsmarted and sometimes the they are arc indifferent to such cases We Q decided de do- to travel and get gel off the thc train It wasn't going In the tIle right tion We wanted to go o north an and west It was going south It wa was I my I Idea e to s send tI the r fat t man nn up t to tp your room didn't think much of It I dont don't myself now I wouldn't have you Judge me by It Lieutenant Ashle Ashleys Ashley's s 's smile was Intended ed to be deprecatory deprecator tory I III thought ht It would be fun to flutter fiut flut t ter er Roberts and start him In mo mo- mo- mo tion I knew he lie must be with you ou He changed your room didn't he Ho IIo shouldn't be so fluttery but sometimes ie ic Is But dont don't rate him as a coward He lIe has as good g nerve as the next man but he lie has hasIs h his Is ruthers Some things he doesn't like He Be doesn't like IlIe heights heig Neither Nei Nel ther does Blair They dont don't bother me at nt all aJl Now scorpions dont don't bother Roberts and Blair at all and they panic me That's a n tip for you Lieutenant Introduce a scorpion scorpion pion an and Ill I'll climb a wall I suppose suppose sup sup- pose we were a bit conf confused as to your room I thought you'd youl oud mal make e Inquiries Well no harm done Just some natured good-natured fun Did Roberts soy say where he was going We Ve thought maybe he would go to San Francisio and anti take a n boat We might run into him Were We're going out to the coast Does Mr l States State's Attorney want to ask any more questions I may have bave seemed to have cut him off I 1 dl didn't nt Intend to Blair n wheres where's the lieutenant lieutenant lieu lieu- tenant asked Now youve you've got him on a sore spot said salt Ashley He Ille doesn't want to know That's why were we're traveling Maisie you know was was I Mrs Irs Trembly and her husband was killed In an automobile accident You know that You rou said something something some some- I thing abo about t the lights not being In place at a dangerous dang piece of bridge e c Horde came Into the roo room Tile The sheriff thinks It would be useless to hold the man for them to come after he said He says I they couldn't make a case He e sa says s 's the chances are a hundred to one no one would Identify him as ns having hay hav ing lag been in the count county and If the they did how would that prove he took the tile lights out oJ-It Theres There's the farmers farmers farm farmers farmer's ers er's story that they were taken awa away an and put back As he sees It that doesn't make a case anti and It Isn't worth the tile expense of ot trying to make malc nn anything thIng of It and then having tiny have In ing nothing They're heyre content to let It go as reckless driving with fatal fital results unless b better evl evidence ence turns up That's all right with this office said the states state's attorney I 1 think they are right dont don't you yon Stanton I 11 suppose they are said the lieutenant Blair mall of course did lid It He doesn't have to sa say he did but outside e a courtroom no one would I have ve any doubts I And you ron think they will kill Roberts Rob erts Im not so o sure They'll try to but Roberts Isn't helpless an and he he may take them to get rid of his bis dread of ot them A tip Up youre you're welcome welcome wel wel- come collie to It would astonish me rue If he tried I to said Ashley lie knows we are his friends O I Mr Blair does not sa say nn anything said the states state's attorney I And why should I n Ill I'll be glad I when you are tired llred of ot this I Theres no use keeping them Stanton We cant can't charge them and Its It's foolishness to hold them merely to mal make them get a writ Turn them loose Gentlemen salt Stanton youre loose again I IL l J Jere were ere ere you Id I'd take care core of Roberts Roberts' health or allow him to cherish It himself Ive I've given glnn him the advantage nd of ot this little In Interruption In In- Take It as a suggestion sug to let him alone Il Ill I'll have you safely safe ly conducted to the the street Id I'd d not seek another ray vay of coming In here ag again ln If It advise Is admissible We welcome It Lieutenant said Ashley Blair we have ha the air again Adios gentlemen Well We'll give your your- regards to Roberts Adios CHAPTER XI Maisie TWO t da days s 's later Stanton had bad anA anI an- an A I other telegram from Roberts sent from Salt Lake City and as before through the thc states state's attorneys attorney's i ney's anys office So far so good It read rend I Thought you might like e to know Ill I'll wire you before I 1 take the final jump Stanton wished he lie could coul send him hima a warning He still sUlI reasoned that the situation rationalized Itself only for Incredulity or the most thoroughgoing thoroughgoing thoroughgoing thorough thorough- going skepticism but nevertheless three killings had bad to be conceded concede and the survivors of the group were not gentler of-gentler nurture and character charac charac- ter than the three who were dead It might be that the Incentive was less the deaths having doubled the Income of the living an and the risks were greater g With everything reasone reasoned Stanton Stanton Stanton Stan- Stan ton found he still considered Roberts Rot Rob erts In danger dang He lie could not warn him to avoid San Francisco He lie HeH H ilk O t V w II ife ih 1 I 0 V t When Youre You're Thirty five Youre You're Looking at the Sunset might warn varn him to be careful A telegram sent In care of ot the telegraph telegraph telegraph tele tele- graph company had hind an outside chance of reaching him a small one I but a n chance After writing several drafts trying try ing lag not to alarm Roberts too much and yet to put him on guard the lieutenant accepted the best he could do and sent a telegram readIng read read- Ing lag B and A. A were held a few hours here They are traveling west They spoke of San Fran Fran- I cisco A week later the lieutenant had hada hadI a telegram from Roberts I Adios dlos Good Goo luck lucI All set for the big Jump A new life Ufe I and a n merry one No more from I me Buenos R. R IL Stanton could not know whether his own telegram had been received or not Nothing more was heard from Roberts A week and then another went by The Turner case evidently had been heen folded up and flied filed away awny Stanton Stanton Stan Stan- ton wrote to Mr Darling and to the young Mr Turner The ol old gentleman In his reply said he lie had not received a letter from Roberts and did not as yet know where to send his December check He presumed that presumed that In good I time he would be Informed In a few weel weeks s more the routine of police pollee work put the Turner will case even further In the background background background back back- ground although Stanton expected that some day In some fashion I some phase of the affair would re recur re- re cur re-I re The recurrence came with a telephone telephone tele tele- phone call can the afternoon of ot January January Janu Janu- ary 7 getting the lieutenant at his desk It was a n womans woman's voice and she finding that she was talking to the lieutenant gave the Impression zion sion of being uncertain how best to tog g get t to what she wanted to sayI say sayI I III am about to ask you to call on me was what she dl did say after the Instant of hesitation Yes said the lieutenant I am at the Drake she said My room Is eight Why do you want to see me Stanton asked I III am Mrs Arthur Trembly she said I uI am Malsi It Is In that connection I III 1 see said the lieutenant When do you want me inc to call 1 Now If It you ou can cnn I can He ne called the captains captain's chauffeur anti and was driven to tho ho hotel A 11 fin de- with Its origin In n a volunteer volunteer vol vol- I de-I appearance of Maisie gave his Imagination a lively I turn At his ring of the thu bell tho door dooL was opened by a handsome woman of early mId middle lo age uge Lieutenant Stanton Come In ln Take off oft your overcoat That chair i I by the table Is comfortable There are ure cigarettes at your sl side o. o She lighted one herself As I 1 tol told you TOU I J am am That partly explains Itself to you 1 I Im mm- ugine Partly said the the lieutenant Enough to bring me me here In n a hurry burry o I a n goo good many things to ask you jou ou Youre You're a overdue long-overdue per per- son I I III suppose but I 1 have some things I want to tell you first Stanton looking at her thought besaw he be saw a woman of goo good mind and ex ex- The freshness of her good I looks 5 had laid passed but she bad not I tried to reclaim It with cosmetics Consequently she still was good good- I looking Wh Why did you write that letter to Clayton ton Stanton asked I didn't said MaisIe and that's ts t's the beginning of ot my deciding to talk mIlt to you My late husband Arthur Buck Trembly wrote that letter Arthur's Arthurs Arthurs Arthur's Arthurs Arthur's Ar Ar- thurs thur's only period In the tho penitentiary penitentiary was for not writing another |