Show 1 1 f 71 u j 1 v t r LT I 1 ft af pf t F by FRANK LOVELL NELSON carlton clarke telepathy Tele patho deductive solver of criminal mysteries tries his hand at a new sort of puzzle receiving reward hon bertie Hopp ington coming into his own and chief shipp getting the credit for the feat N looking over my rath er meager notes I 1 often find it difficult to select among the countless cases in which I 1 have been associated with carlton clarke the one that will best make a P story at the time of which this story deals his tame as an un ol 01 mysteries had gone far and wide and our oak street quarters often presented a regular procession of clients as early and as late as clarke was willing to receive them many of my readers doubtless will recall when the city was shocked by the mysterious murder of the honor able algernon sydney Hopp ington huoh was atie sensation at the time that it seems almost unnecessary now to go into the details the crime tor crime it was upon ahe face was dis covered about tour clock in the and so great was the figure that the honorable algernon sydney had cut during his three years resi dence in chicago where he had come from england to claim the fortune running well into the millions gra clouspy founded there by a great uncle that the newspapers held on their entire mechanical force for a double column extra I 1 opened the door to admit our old friend late inspector now chief shipp it was not his first call at our humble quarters for he had long since discovered where to come for a quiet tip that demanded none of the official credit in return and many a stubborn case had he laid before clarke we had him back into the dining room clarke merely nodded and con linued to sip his coffee and puff at his cigarette while he watched the chief and waited for him to speak well mr wizard I 1 suppose you know what I 1 m here tor before I 1 tell you began the chief yes I 1 should say it is the hop hington case I 1 am afraid I 1 will have to revise the estimate of the affair I 1 was just delivering to mr sexton here not so simple as it looked then tell us about it haven t the servants put you on the right not within a thousand miles of the track they don t know anything was writing in his library at eleven clock he called the but ler biffin to get him a bottle of wine half an hour later he came out to the dining room where biffin was with arson tie other man servant and handed them the bottle one fourth full and told them to anish it they did and that Is the last they remember drugged I 1 suppose I 1 have the bottle with the few drops that were left and will have them analyzed the three had been entertaining company some of my men it appears in the they had just let them out af back way and had gone into the butler s pantry to get a b te to eat be ore going up to bed when the door slammed and they heard the bolt hot and they were locked in about an our ard as near as 1 can ather from their hysterical memory f ahat happened they heard a alerc ng female scream ring through the ho ise and look here found it on the ower step of the stoop and the chief d ew from his pocket a bundle and on ing it displayed a tiny white t n slipper a no 1 A it was 1 t 11 soaked in blood v oman s work you tinli 9 que ie clarke at the Hopp ington number we found one of those square red stone man ions typical 0 the period immediate ly following the fire ah he was a fancier of orchids I 1 see le marked blaike humph snorted the chief I 1 m sure I 1 don t know what you are talk ng about but it you re looking for clews there are the knife and the slip per that are worth more than all your old orchids put together for m pur poses once out of the house clarke ex claimed quick sexton a cab we 11 beat the chief at that little game I 1 hailed a passing hansom and clarke directed the driver to get to the auditorium hotel in the quickest pos sible time and can you really lay your hands on the couple biti in an houra oh ot course it Is always well to make these things strong when talk ing to one of the chiefs caliber but here Is the case as I 1 see it it may need several rev isings before we come to the end I 1 admit when confronted alth the evidence of the knife through the table the blood sta ned slipper and the mysterious mi telephone call to say nothing of the drugged wine and the tants carefully rendered hors de I 1 ddn t see a ray of 1 from them it was evident hopping en had been entertain ng a man and a woman that eitl er he disposed of he servants himself in order to carry t out some criminal design of his own or else that he was tricked into doing it as a part of the plot that was his un doing the knife thrust through the table seems to suggest either pure bravado or an excess of murderous passion that is not borne out by any other evi dence of struggle in the room the satin slipper and the telephone call are the points of evidence added by the woman she may have stepped into the blood and shaken off the slipper not to avoid being tracked for she thereby left a dangerous clew but be cause it would be easier to explain a lost slipper than one soaked with blood but here I 1 was faced by a stone wall and I 1 could go no further absolutely nothing I 1 said blankly of course not but read this and see it it throws any light on it I 1 clipped it from this morning s paper it was an item from the personal in column and it said capt fitzhugh graham the famous english orchid hunter arrived in the city yes berday after a six months stay in the philippines and is registered at the auditorium annex capt fitzhugh graham said clarke to the clerk at the desk ten deang our cards the captain hastily cleared two chairs tor us mr clarke I 1 under stand then Is a fancier of orchids he said as his eyes wandered inquiringly from one to the other of us the captain hung over the back of his chair with boredom written on his face there was no flaw in his acting it acting it was as he carelessly re plied you have been well informed mr clarke but I 1 regret to say that the stood the trip badly as you know they nearly always do it was not such a specimen as I 1 would care to offer in fact I 1 bad deter mined not to spoil s col lection with it even if he had not been murdered and this morning I 1 had the throw it out if that is all you vill kindly excuse me and I 1 w 11 con dinue my packing as I 1 am leaving for london this afternoon clarke glanced quickly from graham to me and I 1 thought I 1 detected warn ing in his eyes the captain watched him with apparent nonchalance but there was something in his attitude which suggested the crouch of a tiger ready for the leap and so the servants threw the out how sad I 1 do not believe there are two specimens in chicago clarke suddenly reached over and threw open the door of the humidor within there was an orchid of sur passing beauty yes there are three and captain graham you have lied the metamorphosis to the tiger was sudan and complete full half the length of the room the captain leaped knocking over two chairs in his flight through the air while his long sinewy fingers closed around the throat of clarke it was so sudden that I 1 scarce ly seemed able to gather the thought necessary to bring my finger to the trigger of the revolver in a pocket As soon as I 1 saw clarke s hand go up and encircle the captain s straining wrist I 1 recognized one of clarke s ta bonte tricks of jiu j tsue A look of intense pain crossed the captain s face the arm became nerveless and in a moment more his huge bulk of a body swung around and arke bore it easily and gently to the floor then reaching for the other hand clicked on the beautiful little pair of nickel steel handcuffs dainty as a lady s bracelet that he always carried in his hip pocket then the coming of the chief re lieveld a situation that was becoming tense captain graham stood haughtily at the door waiting the chiefs will whatever battle had been raging ID his mind evidently had ended in mastery for he quietly mr clarke I 1 ask that you take ao further steps it is useless I 1 alone am guilt at the proper time I 1 will tell all clarke clarke ive got her I 1 al most shouted thrusting the paper at him the item was under the head oi society notes and read among the occupants of the boxes at the perform ance of alda by the metropolitan grand opera company at the auditor mm last night were captain fitzhugh graham and countess Coun tesa evelyn scram gour of london quick a telephone ordered clarke and the obsequy ous waiter set an in strument ment on the table and connected it with the wall switch he soon had my old newspaper office and asked for the society editor here he said banding me the re beiver ask her where the countess is staying the victorian I 1 b sieve came the answer it was only a step away and we i i ly our bill and hurried out it was plain as day at the opera together at eleven to Hopp ington s by cab be tween that hour and midnight the countess whoever she might be was too closely connected with the action of the night before not to know some thing at least when we reached the victorian we were aware of unwonted excitement in the ne of that usually quiet hostelry A police ambulance and a patrol wagon were at the door discharging their load of blue coats several active young men whom I 1 am mediately spotted as reporters were hurrying into the lobby one of them whom I 1 knew of the globe I 1 gripped by the shoulder and asked for an explanation countess of or some thing committed suicide in her room come on with me there across the bed lay the woman of whose existence we had learned not five minutes before and with whom we had hoped to be in conversation at that very moment she was fully dressed about thirty years of age and 1 beautiful even in death with her deep olive complexion her features of the n ost delicate patr clan mold her lips which the blood had not yet deserted as red as coral and her silky black hair one loose strand of which strayed over the temple and halt concealed the round red spot where death had entered and thi form but a few mo ments before had been instinct and quivering with life and love and pas sion A jeweled revolver of small cal her fitter for a lady s toy than for an instrument of tragedy rested in the nerveless fingers on the white lace covering of the bed was prowling ariouns making his investigations independently of police I 1 kept my ees on him and watched hilr abstract a letter from the open secretary he glanced at the address and put it carefully in his pocket t drew him into a corner look here nevins I 1 said let me see the letter and let you in on the biggest story you ever pulled off trust me and you 11 go into the office with the full story of the murder this was aalt enough and he took the letter from his pocket I 1 glanced at the address it was captain fitz hugh graham eve got it quick out of here I 1 whispered catching clarke s eye and beckoning him to follow A few minutes later we were at cen aral station and with the chief in gra ham s cell clarke handed him the letter his face blanched as he glanced at the address but he pulled himself to gether broke the seal and read the contents then but for clarke catch ing him he would have fallen lifeless to the cell floor we laid him on the bunk and the jail attendants rushed in and applied the usual restoratives the chief had picked up the letter which had fallen from graham s fin gers he read it and based it to us I 1 give it verbatim belo ed kismet Is tuo stron tor us tl ere is but one way out and I 1 sl all take t the blood of the beast Is on my 1 anda and your lo 10 e conid nestr wash them clean tell all and save yourself when mm read this I 1 shall be dead by the little weapon you gave me forgive me tor the ruin of your 1 fe you only leave I 1 loved I 1 kiss your mouth EVELYN for weeks we despaired of ever I 1 earing graham s atory while he lay in brain fever the result of the shock 0 o his already ove wrought nervous system at last however clarke the chief and I 1 who despite the tact that I 1 we were the instruments of his undo ing he regarded as his closest friends sat by his bedside and heard the pit ful tale I 1 will abridge it to give the reader only the points in the story which remained a mystery to us and must be equally so to anyone following these lines captain graham first met the count ess evelyn at a house party in warwickshire Warwick shire he had fallen deeply in love with her at first siant and he laid siege to her heart as per as ever he followed a rare specimen of orchid that she returned his love he was sure but there was a restraint in her relations with him that he could not fathom finally when riding to hounds they found themselves far from the pack night was coming on a beautiful moonlit night that no lover could resist As they jogged their horses side by side along the bridle path he took her in his arms across the saddle she aled feebly yielded and their lips met in one long passionate kiss at last she freed herself and told her pitiful story she could not marry bim she could not in honor say that she loved him she was already the wife of an other wedded before the registrar although she did not tell him this roan was the lion algernon sidney hop hington the marriage must be kept secret because it mar ried against the wishes or without the knowledge and consent of the great uncle in america he forfeited all right to his vast estate yes she iad thought she loved him but now but she might not say honor sealed her lips this honor graham respected and ie accepted his fate like a man and sought to forget her in long journeys attendant upon his chosen vocation but kismet was too strong for them came into his fortune and left england to claim it then en sued a long silence in which his wife knew nothing of his movements but wl at she aw in the papers had graham returned to england then a divorce and a happier marriage might have followed but he was far off in the Phllip rines at last anger and a woman s curiosity to know what was going on got the better of her and she determined to go to chicago openly and it necessary fight it there to the conclusion of a alon of her rights or an absolute dl vorce kismet brought capt graham to chicago at the same time to sell to the baby orchid kismet placed them in hotels but a block apart and kismet engineered their meeting on michigan boulevard would she share his box at the opera that night yes she had nothing to conceal nothing to be ashamed of and a neglected cifes right to do she pleased her husband was aware 0 her presence in the city he had not intimated it over the table after the theater she told him all even the name ot the who had ruined her life hang it let s have it over with to night the captain blurted att out there with you beastly hour tt call bat I 1 have the orchid and thai will be sufficient excuse for my visit so she yielded to his plan and the took a carriage and drove out to hop hington a home laying their plans 01 the way they drove past the houe once before stopping as there alreada was a carriage at the door As the did so they saw the door open and in the light bidding at over affectionate good night to a rath er flashily dressed young woman wh then flew down the steps jumped ant the cab and was driven quickly away and that lady evelyn had said laying her hand on capt graham 1 arm is why I 1 am cast off and that again interrupted clarke Is why he drugged his ants and locked up his maids then executed their coup capt graham went in first leaving the countess in the carriage and gain ing easy admittance through the potency of the name of the baby orchid they bargained toi awhile and then the captain got out of the room for a moment while he signaled and admitted the countess when returned he found himself face to face with his wito the orchid seller was gone high words followed after his first surprise waa over bitter words that coupled the name of the countess with I 1 that of the |