Show e 9 4 HE I 1 SS I 1 I 1 I 1 VIP I 1 charle ift JD afton ji I 1 t copyright 1921 8 j ir 6 I 1 CHAPTER ajohn bartley noted ealm aw recently returned from secret service work during the th war to Is ake by the governor xo vernor of now tork to ts st Arlous t attempted 1 t bem v tid r robbery 0 b ofa of t the b e itra clobert 0 rt blake h home 0 m 0 a at O 0 circle r t le ale lake near saratoga Sara peculiar circum stances of the case interest bartly bartley and d be he CHAPTER TER IL with bin friend wand pelt poll bartley to circle lake the pair tair the guests of bob nob curri currie an a OW M friend the three visit the icko bame flyke apparently apparent lir resents dahlya Dan lya saying he h to 1 satisfied atle satis fled fiod the th two aa in arton or th attempted robbery ww wore fru hartley bartley 14 not note next tax N e to found dead la to bed apparently 4 tog a hot himself bl CHAPTER III illma bitso potter the ead doad mans man stater in law the tulare police calef roche and the th family deeter doctor xing all agree lyko k killed I 1 lied him fui mival but bard bartley n fists he was wa murdered bartley t boy find finds evidence that etyle after a card party he h bad had glyen W wa hot on the tower of th e house un dressed and placed in W bed during bla his absence from th room soleme remove she tt revolver fro band i V apsit starts tart out to anter auw the h members of f the card party he abada te ar that apparent on t aw ro t to vr 11 i han do evidence that th sa to a lail for altess apted robbery 1 I vw were 11 va X from a via valt it to EA EArK toga banar Uart lor volt and cuirle currie MB p a larf large motor truck without jab t a laa off qc the t ro thor are dla dl eov erra arod Maver tec so ascarza the ua mek imbor and alf ed on the truck now away the tf W aeme upon a long ion info aduss burial vault A bently pe look lock to Is aw aa ailt tea it they and the tr vault tord stored with whisky and ateo also revolver which bad had boon found in hand A man bingly min gly wll well with the th place etive and thor 4 stala him hism it to Is iskos ayk tea A detective working tor for M th roymae d I 1 talent arrives and takes tak share of T ur vault vil battor all ike th mysterious anclam of the caso ea bart artsay apparently rach reaches no conclusion the lie H to satis satisfied fidd that ia a la in whisk exna 1 oom something ething to do wah w H it miss botteen arm am belief ta in th out otilja board bowd and ala some a to interest him hun bartley continues his mareto for or and apparently ands son thin he h considers of value ah the inquest opens doctor win who la ta the tso ca coroner renor a W war ar veteran and who bad had bell ab ook ad coa conducts ducts it A heavy beavy la 14 in fa progress doctor bator coal called ad la in consultation testifies keetin teo aw beeve was murdered ril rus x ne storm in an a the aa lat ua tio of imp importance nce I Brif four the to called to the tand stand B before heo emma bin morty the lights the room ar are a stroke of ligum ing navine broken the circuit burtoff the Alin sulas confusion the party to in horrified ati by the utterance of f a rudden sudden u X with the restoration ot of the lyghts it to is discovered that Brif fur h baa bea boon stabbed ho he bad had been boon seata directly la in front of doctor king no one ani la in bu vic totty had ad noticed anything un M usual before the mana ans shriek italy fatally wounded Brif four manages to convey convy the that alike was wa murdered derm refer to the boy bors know knowlen leo of at the rob mb bery and tries to point out the deroon i vo had stabbed tabbed him but dies before he oan do so 0 o the inquest to Is adjourned mew Brif four bad had been stabbed without aay y one being awa aware of at the th of as b be murdo ear JUS al on the handle of at the kak barbey lt finds a deahm apparently drawn la lin which to is identical with one he had found round oa an a 1 in house and booms to attach much importance to it ml 1 poker nor adelta knowledge knowle dx of dal deals h whisky saying ahe she bad had urged him to jnue them and the two had bad had a slight quarrel over iho the matter bartley tell pelt he known who killed Brif four neur ne wae wast vwe druna air you see you asked me did I X know about those men breaking lato into Sly kee and I 1 but brit few rear told roe me oae sight ile paused igo I go on commanded atit waa was one night eoon boon after the trial came drifting in here pretty well lighted up when L ie le e wae was that way he used to talk a lot but be he never ever told the truth at such times rd often found out be never abw afterward what he bad had been atae he would tell awful barnitt ameet women and the like no one edw believed him 11 1 I brought the boy to the point by airing what it was the chauffeur had wd wal hesitated then in a voice that showed that a th thought what he v W geft to say waa was almost too fool wit mention he added he ile pot got to talking about that robbery and said to laugh the way the trial had geee that no one knew that he had the robbery no one except and one other I 1 thought of cowe it waa one of hia his wild yarns mad laughed at him when I 1 asked him why be he did it he said owed ida um lots of money and hat that he waa was after it T lt it waa was natural that the boy should hare thought thia conversation jot df no mere me importance than many others of he be chauS chauffeur eur when he waa was drunk and about things that had never happened a e chauffeur he bald mid had come MO the garage tit ut vp mv like a battleship the talk had veered bouat to abe robbery and he had boasted that the two men MOD were wem in jail jall for the robb robbery eiry that he be himself hline elf had cognat tx tda i who had helped bim tarn he did not ay Y be re claimed that owed lam tote of morey it beeped erard that a wealthy as like uke tyke ahod ewe owe hie his chauffeur money and not pay it ibbe affe bad had even boasted that the wi wt debee aga laet the men inen in wae wag aijo itgen by himself that the a after the robbery lie had gone to the pot post for tho the snail mail and a copi copy of the boston evening times a paper to which did not subscribe had ben baen handed to him by mistake ile had boon been reading a book only a few dab da before filled with murders and ajic like and he remembered the account of a robbery in it and how th the evidence was wax manufactured fort on ill hie way home he stopped at nt the tile police station for information and offered to drive the police out to the home of the men who bad been arrested arre eted it seems that the state police had taken them to their own home homes and allonen one of the men to change hie his coat be fore taking him film to jail the local police pollee wanted to search too the coat which had been left behind it was here that the chauffeur had hie him first idea iden of at plant planting lug the evidence he tore the corner comer off the paper and at the roans mans house managed to alap the newspaper into the pocket of the coat before the police examined it later at Sly kee ho he throw threw the little ton piece of paper on the he floor so vint they could find that too when he had finished I X wondered if the boy had not been right when be he thought that the man had been simply fooling tooling him but it if it wuie ete true his bin story taken with the dying words of the chauffeur would be b enough to free the men in prison I 1 decided him with ith me to the tile police station and let him film tell his tits etory story to roche on our arrival in saratoga we were lucky enough to find both roche and black together without any comment on my part I 1 had the boy repeat his story to the two oflaters cera they listened with a st good deal of interest roche of course had handled the robbery and knew moro about it than black but black I 1 knew believed that was the murderer of and the boys story confirmed hie his belief bellef we debated the story for on an hour n bloche taking tiro the view that the chauffeur might have been fooling the boy and blade black that tho the chauffeur had told the truth and was too drunk to realize what he had said roche clinched his argument by demanding why under heaven should owe a large sum of money that was we ite all agreed the weak point in the story my lord roche exclaimed as a thought occurred to him do ou realize that tt it was that found the torn pieces of cloth on the rose bush the piece that fitted into tile mant pants I 1 in astonishment I 1 asked it was it sure was hec he c ame into the tha police polled station a few daya days later with it and told us where he had discovered it and asked if we knew what it was we found later that it fitted into a hole in the pants one of the fellow fellows was wearing woe be he ever in the cell with those benr men black asked with a glance a I 1 me yes several time times asked that we let him go in and talk to them thew black threw out his bin hands in disgust my G 0 boche roche one would think you kept a hotel you let anyone gon and out that wanted to roche flushed and replied angrily well had lots of pull here r A 11 11 I 1 A L why under heaven should air sr 0 ow owe a large lard I 1 sum au aw alc and I 1 dont think it did any ham barlat ow let ills chauffeur aee mm those men bowl none said black dryly it only gave him a ch anceto ariceto snip a piece plem from one of the meae mews trousers trouse ra teats Tn TU ate ats foolish roche laughed d oh I 1 dont know was blacks answer you cant prove he did zant yon you never saw tile lie piece of cloth until he brought if it in to yoa you he wae 1 in lit the cell tetona with them and had the chance to cut out the piece of cloth you cant prove that the chaff bouru story Is 1 not true it tits in hotter better with fact facts than the evidence I 1 that kent pent thoko men to jail alitt oh hoy the lie cumy o 0 way you run jallel jail coded at UK and uan about it to retort when hen ho be was from we room muck and I 1 lighted and sillo smoked ked in silence allence mr pelt he lie asked nuked ut tit inna inkt 0 w what hat do you think of my theory that brif beur murdered I 1 hud given little thought to the matter and euld said ax ail much black sur ur me by adding you know that doctor king and ano tho tile district attorney think that the only verdict that can ho be brought in tn n tho the glyka came Is suicide blacks remark astonished m true I 1 realized that it won am alti lost impossible to present convincing legal toga proof that saylo lind find been murdered but there was uns till still the death to be explained if he lie had been killed ae an 13 artley thought be bauve ho lie knew too much about death then it lemed to me that to bring in a verdict of suicide would bo b o I 1 told black of thie this ob and he agreed with me then he reiterated hie file belief la in guilt according to him the etory story the chauffeur told the boy fitted in well tell with hie his own theory true there was little to base it OB on go 90 fur far ae as evidence went but essum lag ing that and the chauffeur had quarreled about money ids ills stron strongest geft bit of evidence was vine coming to the vault where th the missing re volver was hidden no one else so far an ax we knew had gune quarreled led with sike or hud had any reason for gandng to kill him black explained t the he chauffeurs death by saying alias potter petter had killed kilted hi hl i 1 I told aiho this last ill eilf first theory that Aljo eer had hild the chauffeur had done eo no because lie knew too much about blaes death I 1 found that it waa was nearly four and ae its I 1 hud had hayl no lunche luncheon ou I 1 decided to got get som something eMing to eat tat before train came in just ae as I 1 reached reu clied the tile door black called after me say pelt stat does your chief want ua us all over for to to nighat this u aas as the first time that I 1 had heard Q e were expected to go there and seeing my astonishment he be added that bartley had sent word for roche and himself to be at promptly at eight I 1 woe was forced to admit that I 1 did not know as much about it as he did I 1 went to a little tea lea room on the main street and had almost finished my meal weal when hen someone called iny ny I 1 name and a reporter from the bee ord whom I 1 knew rose and joined me he ile mentioned the cose case and said that everyone ever one was waiting for bartley to spring something he complained that there was little enough information to be gotten about it IL all be had been able to do had t been to interview the men that hod had been at home M ane e night of hie his death one of them told him how ever that three or tour four times during tho the evening had tried to reach someone on the phone just who aho he did not know I 1 had now barely time to reach the station before train pulled in and I 1 bade him a berried farewell As bartley and I 1 drove down the main street of saratoga he said by the way pelt stop at a store and get me five live slates 01 flat I 1 asked he grinned five slates the kind used years ago in school I 1 want them all the same size he threw back his head and laughed they are usually used to write rite on pelt but you will find out tonight what I 1 want them for I 1 stopped at a little stationery store and returned in a moment with he slates As I 1 was getting back into the car I 1 remembered what the reporter had told me about tra trying ing to get someone on the telephone and I 1 repeated his citory to to bartley bartle he ile said nothing for a moment then asked me to tarle to the telephone exchange he lie spent ten minutes in the bull building ding and nhen hen ho lie caille out he lie seemed well ell with ith his visit but did not mention its it result As we te drove along I 1 told li it t ir boys story when I 1 had IK lit limited 1 I believe the nm the boy the truth he ile liml had beva drinking but that Is 19 WIM when 12 H imn otter speaks the truth I 1 glanced at him to see ace if lit li u wi t k r in earnest and he nodded ye Y c I 1 am serious had lint brul bruam t n I 1 ito house he meter ablio u e is this crime but he thought a ceoil P ool about it when he got drunk lus livi tub ua conscious clous mind told oe e seem secret lint that he lie was trang to hide I 1 believe bellere that what said was the truth about the robbery but why should he try to rob Sly kerl I 1 asked asted 1 I am not sure sum my theories arc are beginning to snake make a more or less connected c whole hole ant there are still some gaps to be bridged currie heard the car as it stopped becom the house and came out to greet bartle As AA mrs mm currie was in town tom we ne did not change for dinner during the ineal the murder was not mentioned bartley went ent to his room immediately aft afterward emard I 1 sat with currie currle for a i while hile then I 1 excused myself I 1 was eager to learn lenin what bartley bartle had find disco discovered sered in new york I 1 found him in his room stretched out in a big armchair one leg thrown over its arm bis his pipe in his mouth As an I 1 watched atthe him I 1 now sittie one that he fie ans engaged in solving two murder murders lie looked up 1 in I 1 entered palled and bent back to alx rending ilow did your trip come I 1 i 1 pelt he drawled as an he placed lone long yellow wco coerced ered book on the thanoor floor Arent arentino hlo certainly knew know the life of hie his day ilia 1 remark had of couppe to do with willi the book that he lie had hud been road jok und unit nothing with my question seeing boeing ny my disappointment ho lie tho trip of much importance anco the roan man did buy tho the from froin ile had lied bought till tit hint woo in the vault but bud hall only ony removed ono one truck load lond when he was lie ile paid for it that afternoon and left on the even seven train for now york ills ilia Is t perfect ho he knows nothing about the the alibi of the men on the truck nine 1 ie |