Show I Sl VI v ti is L ti r l v r x ii t a I Ii r j 41 ty Jr 9 ill J JI ti I l it I Iff 1 ff l ii w SJ y r Q r. r p St j 1 COP tc 10 SYNOPSIS Law 1 a fence tence Blakeley Blakey lawyer goes to Pittsburg with the forged notes noes In the Dronson case caso to get the deposition of or John Gilmore millionaire In the latter's lattera home lie he le Is attracted by a 0 picture of a young girl whom tho the millionaire explains Is his granddaughter A lady requests Blakeley to 0 buy her a Pullman ticket He gives her ler lower eleven and retains lower ten Ha FIe H finds a drunken man In lower ten and retires In Ie lower nine Ho He awakens in lower ower seven and finds his his clothes clothes and bag missing The Tho man In lower ten Is found murdered Circumstantial evidence places both oth Blakeley and the unknown man who had exchanged ed clothes with him him- under suspicion of murder becomes becomes Interested In a 0 girl in blue The train is 8 wrecked Blakeley Is rescued from the burning car by bJ the girl in blue His arm Is 3 broken They go to the Carter place for or breakfast The girl proves to be bo Allon All Ali son Bon on West his partners partner's sweetheart Her pc peculiar ullar actions mystify the lawyer She drops hor her gold Jold bag baj and ond Blakeley puts it In n his pocket Blakeley returns home He finds that he is under surveillance CHAPTER XIV The Trap Door By Sunday d even evening ng a week after the wreck my forced inaction had goaded goaded me to frenzy The very vary sight of Johnson across the street or lurk lurk- rig ing always within sight of the house kept me constantly exasperated It was on that day that things began to come to a focus a glass burning of ot events that seemed to center on me I dined alone that evening In no cheerful frame of at mind There had hadeen been een a polo game the day before and andI I had lent a pony which is always a abad abad bad jad thing to do And she had wr wrenched wrench wrench- ed her her sho shoulder lder besides helping to lose ose the game There was no one In town the tempera temperature ure was 90 and climbing and my left hand persIstently persIstent persIstent- ly y cramped under its bandage Mrs herself herselt saw me served my bread buttered and cut in tidbits my meat ready for my fork She hovered hovered hov hov- ered eyed around me maternally obviously trying to cheer cheer- meThe meThe meThe me The paper says still warmer she vent ventured red The thermometer Is 92 now And this coffee corree is I said putting putting putting put put- ting down my cup Where la Is Euphemia Euphemia Eu Eu- phemia t I haven't seen her around or heard a dish smash all aU day Euphemia is In bed Mrs said gravely Is ils your meat cut small enough Mr Lawrence LawrenceT Mrs Klop Klop- ton can throw more mystery into an ordinary sentence than any anyone one I know She can say Are your sheets damp sir And I can tell from her tone that the house across the street has been robbed o or that my left hand neighbor has appendicitis So now I looked up and asked the question she was WS wafting waiting for the matter with f Euphemia Euphe Euphe- mIa mla I inquired idly Frightened into her bed Mrs said In a stage whisper had three hot wat water r bottles and sh she hasn't done a thing all day day day- but moan She oughtn't to take hot water bottles I said in my severest tone One would make me moan You need not nol wait walt Ill I'll ring if I need anything Mrs sailed to the door where she sae stopped and wheeled Indig Indig- I only hope you wont won't laugh laughon on the wrong side of at your face some morning Mr Lawrence she declared with Christian fortitude nut Hut I warn you I am going to have have the police watch that house housA next d door or I Y w was 3 S half halt inclined to tell her that both it and we were under police surveillance surveillance sur sur- at that moment But I like Mrs In spite of the fact that I 1 make male her life a Ii torment for her so soI soI I 1 refrained said It Last night when the paper was vas going to storm I 1 sent Euphemia t i J the roof root to bring the rugs in Eliza had slipped out although It was her evening in Euphemia went up to the ther r it Cit it was 11 it o'clock and o'clock-and and soon I heard her running downstairs crying When she got to my room she Just folded up on the floor She said there was a black figure sitting on th the parapet parapet parapet para para- pet of oC the ho house se next door the door the empty house house and and that when she appeared it rose and waved long black arms at ather ather ather her and spit like a n cat 1 had finished my dinner and was lighting a cigarette If there was any anyone one up there which I doubt they probably sneezed I suggested But Dut If It you feel uneasy Ill I'll take a look lookaround lookaround lookaround around the roof night to-night t before I 1 turn in As far as Euphemia goes I 1 wouldn't be uneasy about her her her-doesn't doesn't she always have hare an attack of some sort when Eliza rings in an extra evening on her so Rn I j made a superficial examination or of or the window locks that night visitIng visiting visit visit- Ing parts of at the house that I 1 had not seen Been since I bought it Then I 1 went t t-j t the roof root Evidently it bad had not been intended for tor any purpose save to cover the the house for unlike the tho houses bouses around there was no staircase It and led to trap door A lad ladder and a nice balancing on it required some useless with my part to get up my Count and arm I 1 made It however this unexplored part of my domain rather attractive Itt It was cooler than the brick downstairs and I sat on and smoked my final cigarette parapet adjoined The roof root of or the empty house mine mine along the back wing but investigation I Station showed that the trap door I Iacross dividing way was the low across bolted bulted I 0 There was WIlS nothing out of the ordinary ordinary or or- anywhere and so I 1 assured Mrs Needless to say I did not tell her that I had left the trapdoor trapdoor trap trap- door open to see if it would improve the temperature of ot the house I went to bed at midnight merely because there was nothing else to do I turned on the night lamp at the head of at my bed bod and picked up a volume of at Shaw at random it was Arms and the theMan theMan theMan Man and 1 I remember thinking grimly grim grim- ly 17 that I was a good bit of a chocolate cream soh soldier ler myself and prepared pr I to go to sleep Shaw always puts me meto meto meto to sleep I have no apologies to make I Ifor for what occurred that night and not i even an explanation that I am sure of I did a foolish thing under impulse and I have not been sorry I It was something af after er two when the doorbell door rang It rang quickly twice I 1 got up drowsily for the maids and Mrs always lock themselves beyond reach of at tho the b bell bellat bellat ll at night and put on a dressing gown gOYn The bell rang again on my Vf way down down- stairs I lit the hall light and opened the door I was wide awake now and andI I saw that thai it was Johnson R a bald baldhead baldhead baldhead head shone in the light light hIs his crooked mouth was twisted in a smile Good heavens man I said Ir Ir- Dont you OU ever go home hom and go to bed 1 0 He closed the vestibule door behind o tl a 4 iFt i F T t 1 The Wrist Was Slender I him and cavalierly turned out the light Our dialogue was sharp to Have you a key to the empty house hous next door he demanded Some body's In there and tho the latch h it caught cl The houses are alike The Tho key tc this door may fit Did you see then go in No Theres There's a light moving uj uI from room to room I saw something like It last night and I have been beeri watching The patrolman reported queer doings there a week or so ago A light I 1 exclaimed Do you m an ean that you you you- Very likely he said grimly Have you a revolver All AH kinds in the gun rack I Ire re replied replied re- re plied pUe 1 and going Into the den I came back with a Smith and Wesson Im not much use I I exp explained with this arm but Ill I'll do what I t can There may be somebodY be-somebodY somebody there The servants servants servo ants here tere h have ve been uneasy Johnson planned the campaign He suggested on account of ot my familiari J. familiarity ty with the roof that I go there and cut off oft escape in that direction I 1 have Robison out there now now the the patrolman o 0 or the he beat he said Hell watch below i u. u ti you above while 1 I search the house hous Be De as quiet as pos sible I J was rather amused I put on some clothes and felt feU my way carefully up the stairs the revolver swinging free In my pocket my hand on the rail At the tho foot of ot the ladder I 1 stopped and looked up Above me there was a gray rectangle of ot sky dotted with stars stars It occurred to me that with I my one serviceable hand holding the ladder I was hardly In n a pos position to defend myself that I 1 was about to hoist a body that I am rather careful careful of Into a danger 1 J couldn't see and wasn't particularly seen peen about any bow how I dont don't mind raying Baying that t the o. o seconds It took me to up the ladder were among me the most unpleasant as- as ant that I t recall I I got to the top bow however ever without Incident 1 I see fairly well after the darkness oi of the house beneath but there was waa nothing suspicious us In InBI BI sight ht The roofs separated by two feet teet of brick wall wan stretched armind Tae nee unbroken save by an occasional chimney I went very softly over OTer to the other otheT trap the one belonging to the suspected house It was closed but J I Imagined I could hear Johnsons Johnson's Johnsons Johnsons Johnson's John John- sons son's foot footsteps ascending heavily Then even that was gone A near-by near clock struck three as I stood waiting I examined my revolver then for the first time and found It was empty I II I had been rather skeptical until now I had had the usual tolerant attitude attitude attitude at at- of at the man who is summoned from his bed to search for burglars combined with the artificial courage of ot firearms With the discovery of my empty gun I felt like a man on the top of at a volcano in lively eruption Suddenly I found myself staring Incredulously incredulously In in- credulously at the trap door at my feet teet I had examined It early in the evening and found It bolted Did I Imagine It or had it raised about an anInch anInch aninch Inch Wasn Wasn't t It moving slowly as I 1 looked No I am not a hero I was startled almost into a panic I had one arm and whoever was raising that trap-door trap had two My knees had hada I a queer Inclination tc to bend the wrong tiwa Py y footsteps were distinct enough but he was evidently far be be- low The trap raised perhaps two Inches now remained stationary There was no sound from beneath it once I thought I heard two or three gasping respirations I am not sure they were not my own I wanted desperately desperately desperately des des- to stand on one leg at a time and hold bold the other up out of at focus of ofa a 4 possible revolver I did not see the hand appear There Thera was nothing there thore and then it was there clutching the frame of at the trap I did the only thing I could think of I put my foot on it There was not a sound from beneath beneath be be- neath The next moment I was kneelIng kneeling kneeling kneel kneel- ing and had clutched the wrist just above the hand After a seconds second's struggle the arm was still With something real to face tace I was myself again Dont move or Ill I'll stand on the trap and break your arm I 1 panted Whit What else could I threaten ten I couldn't boot shoot I couldn't even fight Johnon John on I called And then I I realized the thing that t yeo with me for a month the thing f r cannot think of even now without a shudder hudder The hand lay ice cold quiescent Under my fin fin- ers ers an artery was beating feebly The rhe wrist was wa as slender as I as-I I held he he- hand to the light Then I let It I drop Good Lord ord I muttered and remained remained re reo on my knees staring at the spot pot where the hand had had been It was was gone now there was a faint rustle rustle rustle rus rus- tle in the darkness below and then silence I I held up my own hand in the starlight star- star light and stared at a long scratch In Inthe Inthe inthe the palm A woman I said to myself myself my my- self stupidly By all that's ridiculous ridiculous lous a woman Johnson was striking matches match s below below be be- low and swearing softly to himself How the devil do you get to the roof roo he called I think Ive I've broken my nose noc He found tho the ladder af after er a short search and stood at the bottom lookIng look look- Ing up at nt me mo Well I suppose you haven't seen him 7 he Inquired There are enough darned darne cubbyholes In this house to hide a patrol wagon wagon I load of thieves He lighted a fresh match mutch Hello heres here's another door iBy i By the sound of his diminish diminishing In footsteps I supposed It was a rear staircase He came up again In ten minutes or so this time timo with the po po- Hes gone all right he said ruefully ruefully rue rue- fully If If you'd been attending to your business Robison you'd have bave watched tho back door I Im not twins Robison was surly Well VeIl I broke in as cheerfully as asI I could if you are through with this jolly little affair and can get set down my ladder without having my housekeeper housekeeper housekeeper house house- keeper ring the burglar alarm I have some good Monongahela whisky eh eh They came without a second Invitation Invitation tion across the roof and with them safely away from the ho house se I 1 breathed breath breath- ed more freely Down In the den I fulfilled my promise which Johnson drank to the toast Coming throng g the rye He examined my gun rack with the eye of ot a connoisseur and I cv even n when be he was about to go be cast casta a loving eye hack back at the weapons l Ever been In the army he In No I said with a bitterness that he noticed but failed to comprehend Im a chocolate cream cream soldier you soldier you dont don't read Shaw I suppose Johnson Never heard of ot him the detective said indifferently Well good night Mr Blakeley Much obliged At thedoor tho the door he hesitated and coughed I suppose you understand Mr Blakeley he said awkwardly that this er this er surveillance is all in the I days day's work I 1 dont don't liko Ilko it but its it's duty Every man to his duty sir Sometime when you are in an open mood Johnson I returned you can explain why I am being wa watched at all CHAPTER XV The Cinematograph lph On Monday I went out ut for Cor the first time I did not go gO gOto to the office I wanted to walk I thought fresh air and exercise would drive away the blue devils that had me by the throat McKnight Insisted on a long day in his car but I refused I dont don't know why not he said sulkily I cant can't walk I haven't walked two consecutive blocks in three years Automobiles have made madeI I legs mere ornaments ornaments and and some not even that We could have havo Johnson out there chasing us over oyer the country at 5 5 an hour hour- He can chase us just as well at five miles an hour I said But what gets me McKnight is why I am under under un der surveillance at all How do the police pollee know I 1 was accused of ot that thing The he young lady who sent the flowers flow flow- ers she ers she Isn't likely to talk Is she No That is I didn't say it was a lady I groaned as I tried to get my splintered arm into a coat Anyhow she didn't tell I finished with conviction conviction conviction con con- and McKnight laughed It had rained in the early morning and Mrs predicted more showers In fact so firm was her be- be I II I lief and ana so determined ner her eye that mat i z took the umbrella she proffered meNever meNever meNever me |