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Show h- WARY ROBERTA RINEHART IUCSTRATIONS Iy rI.G. KETTNER, COPYRlOMT 1909 "Kg-gRILI, CQMPAftfV 1 For at Half After Five Johnson and I Were on Our Way Through the Dust to the Station, Three Miles Away. Alison turned and called through her hands. "Coming in a moment, Sam," she said, and rose. "It must be very late: Sam is home: We would better go back to the house." "Don't," I begged her. "Anchovies and juleps and Sam will go on forever, for-ever, and I have you such a little time. I suppose I am only one of a dozen or so, but you are the only girl in the world. You know I love you, don't you dear?" Sam was whistling, an irritating bird call, over and over. She pursed her red lips and answered him in kind. It was more than I could endure. "Sam or no Sam," I said firmly, "I am going to kiss you!" But Sam's voice came strident through the megaphone. "Be good, you two," he bellowed, "I've got the binoculars!" And so, under fire, we walked sedately back to the house. My pulses were throbbing the little swish of her dress beside me on the grass was pain and ecstasy. I had but to put out my hand to touch her, aim I dared not. Sam, armed with a megaphone and field glasses, bent over the rail and watched us with gleeful malignity. "Home early, aren't you?" Alison called, when we reached the steps. "Led a club when my partner had doubled no-trumps, and she fainted. Damn the heart convention!" he said cheerfully. "The others are not here yet." Three hours later I went up to bed. I had not seen Alison alone again. The noise was at its height below, and I glanced down into the garden, still faint aroma of good tobacco. I was thoroughly tired, but I slept restlessly, restless-ly, dreaming of two detectives with Pittsburg warrants being held up by Hotchkiss at the point of a splint, while Alison fastened their hands with a chain that was broken and much too short. I was roused about dawn by a light rap at the door, and, opening open-ing it, I found Forbes, in a, pair of trousers and a pajama coat. He was as pleasant as most fleshy people are when they have to get up at night, and he said the telephone had been ringing for an hour, and he didn't know why somebody else in the blank-ety-blank house couldn't have heard it. He wouldn't get to sleep until noon. As he was palpably asleep on his feet, I left liim grumbling and went to the telephone. It , proved to be Richey, who had found me by the simple expedient of tracing Alison, and he was jubilant. "You'll have to come back," he said. "Got a railroad schedule there?" "I don't sleep with one in my pocket," I retroted, "but if you'll hold the line I'll call out the window to Johnson. He's probably got one." "Johnson!" I could hear the laugh with which McKnight comprehended the situation. He was still chuckling when I came back. "Train to Richmond at 6:30 a. m.," I said. "What time is it now?" "Four. Listen, Lollie. We've got him. Do you hear? Through the woman wom-an at Baltimore. Then the other woman, the lady of the restaurant" he was obviously avoiding names "she is playing our cards for us No bright in the moonlight. Leaning against a tree, and staring interestedly interested-ly into the billiard room, was Johnson. John-son. CHAPTER XXIX. In the Dining Room. That was Saturday night, two weeks after the wreck. The previous five days had been full of swift-following events the woman in the house next doer, the picture in the theater of a man about to leap from the doomed train, the dinner at the Dallaes, and Richey's discovery that Alison was the girl in the case. In quick succession succes-sion had come our visit to the Carter j place, the finding of the rest of the j telegram, my seeing Alison there, and 1 the strange interview with Mrs. Con-' Con-' way. The Cresson trip stood out in I my memory for its serio-comic horrors and its one ival thrill. Then the discovery dis-covery by the po'.ice o; the sealskin i bi:g and th- bit of chain; Hotchkiss ; producing trimuphar.tly Stuart for Sullivan Sul-livan and his subsequent discomfiture; .McKnight at the station with Alison, and later t':? confession that he was out of t:.e 1 unnlr.R. And yes, v h. r, I tlioeght it all ever, the entire we-; k ali.l its events were two sides of a trianjt'.F that was narrowing nar-rowing rapi'Jly to a.i apex, a point. And the said apex was at that moment mo-ment in the drive below my window, resting his long legs by sitting on a carriage block, am: smoking a pipe that made the night hideous. The sense of the ridiculous is very close : to the sense of tragedy. I opened my I screen and whistled, and Johnson ! looked up and grinned. We said nothing. noth-ing. I held up a handful of cigars, he extended his hat, and when I finally went to sleep, it was to a soothing breeze that wafted in salt air and a 1 don t know why, and I don t care. But you be at the Incubator to-night at eight o'clock. If you can't shake Johnson, bring him, bless him." To this day I believe the Sam For-beses For-beses have not recovered from the surprise of my unexpected arrival, my one appearance at dinner in Granger's clothes, and the note on my dresser which informed them the next morning morn-ing that I had folded my tents like the Arabs and silently stolen away. For at half after five Johnson and I, the former as uninquisitive as ever, were on our way through the dust to the station, three miles away, and by four that afternoon we wee in Washing- ton. The journey had been unevent- fill. Johnson relaxed under the influence in-fluence of my tobacco, and spoke at some length on the latest improve-m-rnts in gallows, dilating on the ab- surdity of cutting out the former free j passes to s-e the affair in operation. I 1 rftis-mber, too. ;;;at tri ne-niiou'd the curious anomaly that permits a j man about to b,- hanged to eat a I hearty meal. I did not enjoy rny c : 11- ner thai night. Before we sm into V.'shirgtor I j had made an arravsr-ts.-fiit with Joi.n-I Joi.n-I son to suiTtndi r myself at two the I foilowine a' tc rneon. Also. I had wired to Alison, nskir.g N r if she wo';id carry car-ry out the contract she had made. The defective saw ine home, and left me there. I Mrs. Klopton received me with dignified dig-nified reserve. The v ry tone in whie li she asked me whnn I would dine told me that something was. .v. rrmg. ! "Now what is it, Mrs. Klopton ?" I i demanded finally. wl;--n she had in-! in-! formed me, in a patient and long-suf-j i'ering tone, that she felt v. orn out J end thought, she needed a rest. I "When I live tl with Mr. Justice ; Spring' r," she began acidly, her mend- |