Show R aw ja j lw ELA L don 0 b w 0 0 4 L 0 J k A K CHAPTER VI a after our conversation with fit ashton in the ornIng in which ind had terminated with a declaration of war sr on our part upon will ills visit lilt to our laborn laboratory tory took us its rather liy by sur prise I 1 think perhaps tant lie intend od ed it that way uny and alint there ma tine have been lurking lit in tile the bottom of tits his mind tile lie idea that by coming coining upon us ns in alint unexpected way lie might surprise sortie some secret ive c were holding back from film well lie he said cheerfully in answer to our greeting 1 I just met liar vey coming away from cipro tit in mallo ryas rs convoy conoy I 1 suppose anit AN with it such A nn array of instruments its as tills lie he waved ills hand to include pretty prett much e everything entailing en tiling in the room youve succeeded in getting tile lie truth the whole truth and nothing but tile the truth out of him how about it Is tic lie in or guilty ills mo mockery cicery was ns perfectly good nature but the lie depth of lit his tiel Stil made lunde it possible for doctor me mc allster to be perfectly braill biank with tilla him lit Is innocent slid said he fie lie ire find no more connection with the oal oak ridge murder than you ou had ciul lie ile says sas so himself I 1 presume ob served ashton acty exactly nc ty replied the doctor the telephone bell rarig just tiler and I 1 answered it I 1 heard hear a voice olce from somewhere inquiring if f tills this was ans doctor mcalisters McAll McA listers laboratory and ob on my lily in the lie affirmative tit alie voice olce asked if sir mr ashton had arrived yet lies iles here now I 1 saiu do you want to talk with him then I 1 turned away find and called asli ash ton to tile phone As lie ile started across the room mv lily chief poke to him 1 I see tin an evening piper st sticking leking of your pocket said he fie lot let nip me have hae a look will you sou while you iou are at the telephone asleton 11 it to him then crossed tile the room and picked up tip the receiver er tile the doctor beckoned to tile me for the moment lie he seemed very ery little con corned with the news for he turned the front froni pages rapidly until lie he canie came to the lost and found section in the classified advertising once there illee his pounced like ilke a n hawk hak upon tit lie item he fie wanted ills long bony finger pointed it out to tile me found A green cloak owner cui call have same by identifying ing and pinc paying cost of tills this insertion 1 I wonder if that halt tins brou alit any nibbles tills this afternoon tit lip inc doc tor whispered then ihen before I 1 could reply it tic gripped my arm ti ghaly find and noil nodded del toward ashton A woman you ou sayi i heard him with every ecay appearance of excitement did site she identify I 1 it what sort of woman anything unusual about her I 1 there was a little silence while tille lie fie listened for the description lon then lit in tin an incredulous tone we c hearil heard him ex claim an ali english and sh ah gave gae tier her name as jane perkins did she phe identify the cloak beronil a 11 doubt wil what a address did i slie giver alc What ls that three seven 0 Woodin nil I 1 win why you vou idiot alint tl int dinv inv in own address I 1 the meredith anti and you iou let liei ile wilk walk oft if with ill that ali it cloak over oer tier her arin after slie site ili ind given gien yn u that nd diessl IT lie waited for I 1 n fin r replaced priced the receiver on oil the hook honk iiii li it jurk jerk and lid whirled ili around eulid us its lils lil r rite ace red with etli anger 1 I gentlemen clont you 01 ol you 1011 hae carried this joko joke it little tori too far lie I 1 suppose tile alio iino minted accusation ion alight nil lit llie ride smidt nn lilt if I 1 awid hit ind lc lelur lur to lo Indi lige u in ill SIR sin 11 nn an emotion hut bilt tit ill my lily other feelings feell naro v r swall nud 1111 its in 11 tint one deball ly Asli tons conversation convirs gllnn over iner ft alie belr phone strete heil an already cro dible to the nning jane not only nl tin imd it a gnon clong wiil A high collar lur hut she hid had lot it II alad setin set in it ildred aed tit found lind wine gone mid lind ti ral 11 allol it moil ud and ard gone avay by YORKE DAVIS hervle copyright 1 it 96 it over oer tier her arm hut but the address lvell ed I 1 admitted to Iny self that reduced tile hole tiling to it farce for a moment nil III lily iny bellef in ili doc tor ilsters Ul theory li cory if tn tile lie validity of tile test we vo lind had upon in III very law I 1 had frit felt surest of tell minutes ngo tot on oil its foundation some one semen whOre liebic it in placid security horn front our suspicions allons and from froin the alio possibility of our detection was ns directing tills this ghastly glenist gl hirce force and was ta permitting athu self to laugh nt at us its that girl in tile lind lilt been shamming shain ming allaro irvey lind had been beef jane perkins who had identified thov the clock was uns per imps 11 ills 11 knitli altogether I 1 coula bouli inin etling 1 ans 16 lionor whoever lio tile lie part as Is she lie sulked ii away with alli tant clond r her ann picturing tile effect ubon upon nil all of us its wilen we should lanin tit lip address site ind had klon isitt to tile district nt ot torney toine tile lie situ atlon had a very deiy different look alti till lind ho no doubt nt at nil 01 lind on oil second I 1 could not hunroe we ourselves oui helMs selves wl boro re the center of 11 plot to tunica hill look ridiculous I 1 rot got tile shock of another surprise I 1 turned to look anol nt at doctor me ic allster instent of tile the re hilke which lil cli I 1 expected him to mote out to to tile lie young oung uina allo lio lind had just tie nc aused lift librn lie ho spoke poke cay very quietly and with etli A in ills eye CM you cabit expect tile me to pass mv lily opinion on it a joke ashton As liton until I 1 henr hear it lie sald bald you know icelow altogether too much about it already said tile attorney at torne hotly tills precious jane reruns of joins answers my m for the lie cloak lil cli you iou turned over oer to tile me she identifies it beyond any doubt as cil lyIle who aiom you iou lind hail in in nonnce would he be able to 1 flo do identifies it down don to a missing button and A patch in tile g ain s lack hack does the joke po go did you ion ind find the cloak as you ion pretended you lid did in oak blidge lie conr ar tile the adorgan house or was HS the finding of it part pait of tile lie game gaille A little gesture of rebuke and protest from froin the dottor checked will him very cr abruptly no I 1 that he 11 e said that was is nil an unwarranted thing to say I 1 hole believe that up to tills rooming in when hen you iou declared war upon tile ne you jon thou glit that by bv instructing tile the to gle give mv lily own on detective detect ive lily own address ns as tiers hers you iou were eie giving tile me a fair chonce to detect tile the fraud it won would he be I 1 suppose if tills this were cre it a game gaine of chiess but tills Is merlou bei loui business we realize that lint as well ell ns as ou oil to do I 1 started to say but my iny chief antei interrupted tile me cant you iou penetrate our fraud it little further lie asked and ills his tone now avas as openly derisive does it occur to you ou that phelps Ili elps here with lilt tile addition or of a skirt nil and A shawl might inight not ile be a sufficiently plausible I 1 e jane perkins to deceive the astute gentleman you iou left lit in charge there was vas A little pause there for ks liton was too angry to answer tile the doctors manner changed as he fie went on what phelps Ili says sas is true tru we realize better than you jou do I 1 think w alint I 1 1 at Is at stake liere here were not trying trains to thwart justice in tile long lone run we are attacking tills problem in our own way ai after giving you ou fair warning in we infused to guarantee eliat our nurval way would moult rot not conflict with out nuis and we e told you iou in so ciany man that eliat oud to do well to keep nn nil ave P on oil us its youve yone the law on oil your our youve vill ve till all the of the state attorneys tor odice whereas we e have no standing tit at till all if ou oil think weve wt vot the cloak search us its search seir cli the laboratory where will you begin be ln still too ton angry angi to make tiny coply asleton strode out of the rocio not actually slamming the door after bilm but shutting it decisively shelt to suggest that lie felt lne like sla slamming minIng it and the next net inot moment ilent we heard ills motor el lugging ably doll ri the a evenue ellue the doctor hurried to the window and cooled out after hini him presently lie fie turned toward nie me ft with ith n long breath of relief were till all tight right so fur far he said lies iles gone straight on it without turn trig ing tin lilt coiner ile iio going back to the meredith just yet ct come coine along well have it no time to lo 10 lose evell eun us as it Is asclon will lino have cooled down by 1 inner dinner dine and when lits lit hv s epol enough to let ills his begin working again liell become dangerous already tie fie was struggling into III overcoat oer coat I 1 turned to to go 90 to tile tho other room for mine when lip lie culled called ine 1110 back allot split tile me to tile telephone 1 I think wo we lilt liina better have a tul lit lie said save aie sonio some s precious tittle time aud and will enable us its it d mice some of our traps up tip to the hotel hold with us traps ps I 1 inquired some of our instruments to do you ou menu ilicin lie ile nodded tho the chronograph linit telephones lie said 1 I raney li eilt be till nil well oll for any anny mill test we nu billit tint to make lint but it will ile ho weil to take el clo f for the pin posy of 11 here this piece of heavy artillery will just gerve the purpose its ruther cilin Itoi lint bill that iankes tt it nil fill tile better the instrument lie indicated ed was wag one I 1 lind had never seen before lief nie it hn ing come collie in only tiala diy daiy croul the model mahers the doctor aus nl ill anys nis devising now new of one sort or al lother tills this one looked in te restIng and I 1 should lieve failes quos cloned about it I 1 ind not lily iny menil boon beer so full of other oilier things lings ti better telephone tit lit once lie ded if tills this sleet storm lopps keeps up tip the lie wires me are likely to be down before beffie night nodi both of us its I 1 think would lime have been a little surprised surprise it if wo we could lae have known liow how true tint that prediction was and how vitally haiti it was going to concern us its you lie fire going to make sonie some tests test up tip in our rooms robins lit in the Aler meredith edithl 1 I 1 asked 1 I Ill ingine lie he said soberly though ills eyes sp with excitement its ai lie spoke apolo 1 I imagine that our roomi will ile be about the only y place where we Q will be secure front interruption I 1 I 1 could see gee it in Ash Asli tons eye that lie fie meant business s and im pretty sure that if we c attempted to come back litre here after inner dinner and bring anybody nn body with us our little party p nty would sustain a rude interruption intel all tile lie while lie he spoke he was busy gathering things together anil and as soon Is as I 1 had finished telephoning I 1 helped liim him haste spoke in ili every movement ino ement lie made and it WAS not long before I 1 was thoroughly infected with tits lili e excitement although I 1 had only a vague ngue idea what it was nil about not until we wore were seated se atod in ill the ent cob with a sui suitcase tense full of instruments ot at our feet ditl did he say ray anything nn thing that tended to clear up tiny any part of tilo tho mystery mib tory it was a great piece of luck he observed then we were able to send selli ashton away in such a ange it wont occur to win him for some tinie time to begin making inquiries about the meredith you inezn ikenn I 1 that tile the address four seven 0 woodland av e was given gen in good falth by a n real june jane perkins wile who Is actually employed there lie he only laughed and told me to wall wait and see but tile the inflection of ills his vote olca and the lie enger eager expectancy in Ms his yosl descg made it clear that that was what did lit believe rut but I 1 protested protected even if it were possible to In imagine ingine jane anne perkins as having any an possible connection with the crime it Is inconceivable that she would go and risk answering ans the advertisement verti in order to reclaim tin the ch cloak III and then rive give tier lier own address lie vouchsafed no word of ex tion tion or argument but I 1 could see that iny objection bifid not shaken hini him lit in tit lie leist least so perforce I 1 waited with etli alint pat patience lence I 1 could assume to see nud W happen when we c readied reached the meredith Nie redith the doctor turned over our nig to A liall lioy with etli instructions that it be taken to our apartment then lie led the way uy straight toward the dining danin room it was mas barely six sl n lull full hour earlier than we e usually dined and the room was almost empty it wont entirely destroy your our appetite to sit felt down to dinner in twI 4 will it lie he we really time for of that sort till this y L TO BE CONTINUED |