Show min ii if al BLACK BAG by louis joseph vance copyright 1908 by belh 0 dobb bobbs merrill co L camj den XI X 14 4 cried t kirk M ax bel leath til breath j j hie ille existence 14 telice loun forti forward ard she dropped on ill both LIIL otieus es b the sade of tl ti e boy mill find aall caught ailt up one of fill 4 it 1 ito itar ir in lier tier 0 on it fred ired III she cried n curium tr firt ik k in her tone my little oh what inn him happened hipp ened de dearie arlet ob hello bello mamma d that youna willi inn submitting littles to ber caresses care asca and find betraying no ovir whelming 81 nt arr then he 10 more con berned as to what kirkwood an ail older man mail be thinking to see him so endeared endi ared and fondled thin macd by any oilier other emotion kirkwood could see big hi shamefaced sidelong glances and despised hint him property iro perly for them hut but without to bli re mra Il allain rattled on in fhe he nuclei accepts ot of excitement 1 I waited until I 1 wait any long 1 cr or dear I 1 had to hiow enow had to come cecelea 1 came home about 1 and that you had lind told him to unit alt outside hut that some one lind had followed yot 01 lii ili here and that n bobby had told him to biot e on oil I 1 hiow ii n hit Wh rits now I 1 her son interrupted ith nebout 1 1 I think lime you hurt yourself youri elf dair oil why aou ou conn come home vou veil must hate time gnoun I 1 was dying of anxiety oli oil I 1 basl cant you eco see im hurt lind und a maty fall fill arid must ire ve been asleep eer since iny my pret precious imm onel one how bait sa I 1 eay say dont diw a chip eo no I 1 brought accle 4 along acuri gilld tom him to because well because beti tuso I 1 feel so much like myself up in this beastly old tomb so I 1 left the door ajar and told r tit J lime inu hurt youri Vours elf dearr him not to let nobody come in then I 1 came upstairs there must ire vc been od alre idy in the bouse house I 1 know I 1 thought there was it rundo TOO me feel feet creepy rather at any rate I 1 heard hen rd voices do down n below and I 1 the lie door banged und find somebody began b bimmer iliner in like fun full on oil the knocker I 1 life boy pat paired teed rolling an ail amb emb cibir ir cassed eye up at the stranger yes cd ex deirl sirs mrs II 11 allani urged him on oil why 1 II 11 1 rondo made up my mind to cut my stickled klet let whoever it was nas piss me vie on the stairs you know hut but he lie followed UK inc aud and struck mo tile and then I 1 jumped at him and we both fell down doin the tile whole bight and all nil ile be sides my heads achin like alk evor ever thine thing but thia this man MM aall ini im looked up nt at kirkwood who bowed silently struggling to hido both his amusement and perplexity you mr kirkwood again be he bo bowed cd grinning awry i i she rose suddenly you V ill be bood anoush to explain your pre presence senco here 10 lo le informed him with dangerous serenity zo bo be fro frank n L N with it h you 1 I advise that course mr kirkwood ao 00 thanks 1 I 1 came here ball nn tin hour ago tor a bosc purse cullwell full ful lwell weil not riot quite full of sovereigns it was III mj by the way suspicion glinted ille in ill the tile cold grecu green ebes a beneath her puckered brows 1 I da d not riot understand he bald slowly nud and in ili leel tones ton 1 I expect you to returned kirkwood so no more do 1 I hut but any ersy w it roust must bo be dear elear to you that ive done my iny abst for this gentleman here 11 lie lc paused with an lift of 1111 eyebrows thia this gentleman gent lemaul I 1 ii i my eon son frederick II illum hut but 3 a oil will explain I ardon in fill mr i I 1 shill explain flot bill at present tit permit me life to point out that your position lice lic e like mine Is to sa sn the leist twist abom atolls the random stroke told as is he ile could toll felt by bv the tile dinst int of tier api of it it would be best to defer lef esplan explanations irions till a more con eilent binic dont you think then if you au like we can chint confidence in ili an tin chorus just now our tr r mn ton I 1 11 not riot enjoying himself nipan and the attention of the police pollee had best not riot be called to this house too ofton in ili one night 1114 1 I h levity schemed to dupic vae and perturb the tile woman ohe she turned from him etli nith nn tin impatient movement of her shoulders 17 deir do you feel able to tel nil eli oh oil I 1 dire sa i 1 dont know would your frien dah mr I 1 r jirku kirkwood lend we tile nn an arm I 1 11 kirkwood alm declared eucly if take the candle mrs callnin Hall nin one moment she interposed in 1 I I wont mont keep you waiting and pasil pas aing tip with an averted fate face she site ran quealy quickly upstairs airs to the lebond floor taking tilling the light with hr her its glo glow tided vided from the walla walls above and er ernieo nied that she hid entered the front hed bedchamber chamber for noine mottle moments lie could liehr her tier movina about onre once something scraped and bi humid nid on off the noor floor as if it licay bit of furniture bod had been roofed moed there is ta it 11 resounding thud thill that defied and this N a as presently followed b a dull clans clang of metal contu mr lt it was nas not riot really lone long there came the quick rush of mr feet alone along the upper hall and the cointin reappeared one hand holding her tier skirts 1 leir of her pretty feet nj blie she descended in a rush that caused the caudales caud les lime to dicker flicker owl donit mr Kirkwo ehe alle called tempestuously aou ou find it he countered coun count tend erid bin id I 1 she stopped jerkily at tho the bottom find after a of confusion flud find what sir stio she naked wint whit v cu ou bought sought mrs Si tilling be he bore unflinching the prolonged inspection of her tier cr e i 3 at once lr alth with doubt of him aud and flashing with ith indignation because of his bis impudence ou knew I 1 find it then iou I 1 I 1 ni ill ly lixi li xi e suspected you now sou he tie aas sure int she hid hill leen it I 1 ng for the tile lidstone ld stone bis big tint thit C was as tho the bono of contention calendar bid bent sent tits 1 daughter for it sin ball itu her for son dorothy had halt been but on the other hind and mrs II 11 allain were ellks why theu then 1 1 here la Is it mr 1 kirkwood arki 71 madam 1111 dall have you the tile right to kilo 1 through mother another lengthening while they faced each other ho he marked again the curious contraction of her 1 I hac liae the right she declared tou tead dily Hy where N 1 it how ilow cm cin I 1 be sure then aou dont know indeed he be interrupted 1 I would be glad to feel that I 1 ought to tell ou ahat I 1 enow know 11 hit hat you know the exclamation low spoken more were an echo of her thoughts than intended for kirkwood was accompanied by a little shake of the wom ins head mute evidence to tbt fact tint she was as bewildered wil b his tits fl finesse nesse and this delighted Heli tid the loung man beyond measure ure making him film feel himself master of i 1 cult situation life woman would mould have led again but young cut lu in none too courteously 1 I say mamma its ita no good here pal nerin like a lot of flats besides im aalf sawfly ly knocked up lete lets get home and have it out there Ins his tits mother sly 3 ty poor boy I 1 of or course well go A they out Hirk kirkwood wood shut the door arid at the same move mom at nt the little party wis brought up stan standing dlug by n lault ruff and authoritative summons just a minute ini nute please you there ain said kirkwood to himself 1 I thought so and he halted in unfeigned re respect for the burly and in tit pressie figure garbed in blue and brasa barring the way ny to tho car riago mrs NI rs 11 allain showed phoned 1 less deference for tho the obstructionist the assumed hauteur find impatience of her tier poco poso were nere in ill tier lier oice rig ahe she roundel upon the be bolby with all n int 11 11 lilt it 14 1 the ultan ing in of otti cerr whir I 1 wants ants to know manin n turned the ruin tiff unyielding belding beneath lih his re respectful attitude 11 III obliged to un to toll tell uie me what hat you wre doing ID ili that ouse louse and wh alias as the niter with tills cre ere gentleman bo he milled added etli with n stare at young hall nils bandaged held heid and rumpled clothing Per perhaps hap you dont adi mand nd milled mr in it il sweetly lot af cours I 1 sc me its perfectly natural the tiou we his been shut up for some time tand think you maam chals ant it there M was as something n wron rong q going on cirl eirl in the evening and I 1 was vas told to keep nn nil eye on oil tho premises I 1 ita duta maam ive got my report to MILE the hou ic s ild mrs hallam allani II with the long buffering suffering patience of ono one clu elu ci dating i perfectly plain proposition to n I 1 icing eing of a lox lower er order of intelli gence genee is 1 tho property of my gon arthur frederick burgoyne nur goyne hallam of coran nill ill this Is 1 beg girdon maam but I 1 was told colonel george burgoyne Dur goyne of cornwall colonel burgoyne died somo some taj ngo ago NI eon son Is 1 his heir this la Is my son pon lie ile cime to tho the house this evening in to ret get some prop e rt he and it seems tripped on the stairs and fell unconscious I 1 became worried about him and drove over accod pilled by my friend mr kirkwood the policeman looked his troubled state of mind and wagged a doubtful head oer the case there was his duty rind there was as opposed to it the fact that all three were garbed in tb th livery of the well v ell to do at length turning to the dri driver re he lie demanded minded de received and noted in ill his demor memorio indium dum book the license number of the equip ige its a very unusual case cage maa u ho lie apologized 1 I lopes you yon wont old it against me im only trying to do my duty and safeguard sif egnard guard our proper 1 you are perfectly ju justified justl stifled fled officer thank aou ou braam and would yon you mind giving me dour cards please all of aou certainly not riot WIt without lout tile vollman vol llan took a little lund hand big from the sait of the carniago carr car riago lag aad act produced a ard her son sou likewise found his cae care and handed the officer nn an oblong slip I 1 ac ii e oo 00 birds with inc me the ameri amerl can told the imy my ho homeer veer Is 1 phillp Kirk kirkwood mood and im staving at the illas 3 11 N vin tri good sir air thank aou a ohp th mm mill penciled the information in his bli little book Th thank atil you in I 1 1111 and mr irn bir to h hive ire detained 3 ou oil goi go I 1 morning kirkwood help into the cirr lige gac a mrs his hand liand and fol followed lomed her the inin arx cli ails i shut the door mounting the bos beside the drice immediately they were in motion to be continued |