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Show I The House of khz I hree Ganders 1 I By IRVING BACHELLER I I Copyright by Irvine BaebelleT fWNTJ 8rrlc) H the killing of Oscar Perry and the attempt to put It on Bumpy Brown." Royce had risen to his feet with a distressful countenance. "My G d, sir!" he exclaimed. "I have been a fool but I had nothing to do with that crime. What can I tell you?" Blake demanded: "Tell me all that you know about the girl Carrie Brown." "That's like prodding me with a hot iron," he began. "But I'll tell you. Everything I know I'll tell you. She is a daughter of old Bumpy Brown. She came on to live with her father nearly two years ago. I was a friend of the old man. He lived in town and was drinking hard those days. She couldn't be happy with him and he was in no shape to take care of her. I fell in love with that girl." Eoyce stopped. He leaned forward, his face in his hands. When he spoke again his voice showed signs of emotion. emo-tion. "I never knew what It meant to be In love until I saw her," he went on. "My uncle gave her a Job In his shop In Malone. The work was hard. She 'A ( l mil A the murder. He told me that while 1 was out on an errand that day Bumpy Brown came in and went back to the office. I made up my mind Bumpy had done the stealing." Colonel Blake answered: "I am satisfied." sat-isfied." The sheriff was speaking of the admirable ad-mirable attitude of the young harness-maker harness-maker toward the unfortunate girl when a loud rap shook the door. Immediately Im-mediately the rap was repeated. "You may open the door and resume business," said Colonel Blake. "Pardon "Par-don the Interruption." The door swung open revealing Cyrus Cy-rus Doolittle. "Ask him to come in," said Blake. "He's just the man I want to see." "I'm in a hurry," said Doollttle as he entered with a serious look In his face. The colonel stepped behind him, closed the' door, locked It and put the key in his pocket. He turned to the newcomer and said: "Doollttle, If I were you I'd be In a hurry myself. I think that you've been In too much of a hurry all your life. The day has come when you must sit down and think it over." Doollttle had turned pale. "'I'm due In Griggsby in an hour," he said, looking look-ing at 'his watch. His dark eyes were troubled. He stroked his brown beard. "You are overdue at the county seat," Blake answered. "What do you mean?" As if making a random remark about the weather the colonel answered an-swered : "I mean that you are going to Jail this morning for the murder of Oscar Perry." There was a little convulsive movement move-ment In the figure of Doollttle. In a second his muscles tightened. He stood erect A look of indignation, on a background of death-like pallor, masked his face. "Me?" he demanded. "What do I know about the murder of Oscar Perry?" Blake answered calmly: "Sit down, Doollttle. Don't try to make me believe be-lieve that you've lost- your memory. Why are you so excited? Pull yourself your-self together and sit down and listen." Doolittle slumped Into a chair. He clasped his fingers around one knee and sat with his chin upon his breast, breathing deeply as he looked at Blake. The colonel seemed to be touched with a sense of pity. He spoke In a gentle tone. "For years I have been your friend. I am still your friend. I know your story from beginning to end. I know every detail In It. I am not lying to you. I have the proofs In my possession. Some time ago you fell In love with a pretty girl. You made her believe that your wife could not live long. You gave her money and dressed her handsomely. She was young and unwise. You won her affection. af-fection. You began to dally with passion. pas-sion. It is the most dangerous game which honest people can play. You lost your mental and moral balance. You staggered. The old Cyrus Doolittle Doo-little fell dead. You had seduced the girl. You were soon between the devil and the deep sea. Your good judgment judg-ment and your sense of honor had been burned out of you by the fire of lust. You wrote a lot of nonsense in the girl's autograph album. I have It here. You said among other things: " 'This, dear Carrie, Is from one who hopes soon to be yours.' " The unhappy man Interrupted his tormentor. "It's a lie!" he exclaimed In a woeful woe-ful voice like that of a victim on the rack. Beads of perspiration were on his brow. "I do not wonder that you deny It," the colonel went on. ".Surely those words were never written by my old friend. Cyrus Doolittle. lie was a smart fellow. It was Quite another man who committed that folly a man blinded by bis passion. He had resolved re-solved to possess himself of the girl as soon as possible. How was he to do It? (TO BE CONTINUED.) "What Do I Know About the Murder of Oscar Perry?" CHAPTER XIII Continued 23 "Did yon learn who paid him?" Shad asked. "Yes. The name I am not quite ready to disclose. You and I must go tomorrow and make a careful survey tof the premises of Robert Royce. ,WlthIn twenty-four hours I think that 'we shall have our man in jail Meanwhile Mean-while we must keep still and step oftly." "I have some news for yon," Shad began. "We are at the end of the mystery." Shad told of the doctor's strategy with the unfortunate girl and of the taking of the photograph, with the help of magnesium and powder, at night He recited the dialogue that he had overheard. He presented the sealed envelope to his friend, saying : "There Is the photograph. I have not seen it. The doctor says that it hows the murderer. He is sure of that." Colonel Blake broke the seal of the envelope and looked at the photograph. "G d !" he exclaimed as he put It back in the envelope. He walked up and down thoughtfully, thought-fully, a serious look In his face. He resumed his seat. "This is important," he said. "The talk you overheard and the photograph photo-graph are the last links in the chain. It's a remarkable story, and there's a great hero in it." The boy restrained his curiosity in the moment of silence that followed. It was broken by the colonel who said : "My boy, In this whole matter you have rendered me a great service. It has been the work of a man and a brave man at heart. My rule is to keep decisive evidence to myself until the one it affects is under arrest, but I think that you are entitled to see that photograph If you wish to." "I bow to your Judgment, sir. I can wait." "Well, you will not have long to wait. How did you get on with Black-stone?" Black-stone?" Shad took from his pocket the little essay that he had written on The Foundation of the Common Law. The colonel read it carefully. "Again you have surprised me," he said. "It is excellent I don't mean to say that it Is above criticism, but four Ideas are well expressed and your Judgment of the value of the factors Is singularly mature. It is like that of a man." Shad was quick to take his cue. He said, "Colonel Blake, this compliment lg very welcome. You told me once that I was brave. Well, I am going to be braver now than I have ever been." The colonel turned toward the boy, whose face was red with embarrassment embarrass-ment He asked: "Shad, what Is It?" "I am In love with your daughter. Kome time I want to marry her if she will have me. I want to ask her to wait for me until I am old enough. If I have done anything worth doing, It Is because I loved her and wanted lo win her admiration." The colonel laughed. "My boy, I know how you feel," he said. "It's a terribly serious feeling. I can only say now that the court reserves Its decision. de-cision. At present let us confine our thought to the main Issue. I am weary with much travel and must have rest. I'll go to bed and you go to your lodgings. lodg-ings. Tomorrow will be a busy day for both of us. I shall get a good team In the morning and call for you at eight o'clock." Next morning Shad drove to Ash-field Ash-field with Colonel Blake and the sheriff. sher-iff. They stabled their horses. The colonel asked Sliad to telephone to Doctor Gorse and learn If he had any news to report. The doctor answered: "Tell your chief that I must see him this morning, morn-ing, and that I will meet him at the .Westminster hotel within the hour." They waited In the hotel office until the doctor arrived. Then the colonel, the sheriff and the boy proceeded to the shop of Robert Royce. The colonel addressed him In a serious tone. "Royce, the time has come when I must have a frank talk with you," he said. "You will save yourself embarrassment embar-rassment If you lock your door and draw the shades. There can be no Interruption of these proceedings." Royce changed color. In a frightened fright-ened voice he Inquired, "What has happened?" "I niay have to arrest you. I have evidence enough to make you a lot of trouble. If you He to me you shall suffer for It. What I want from you Is the truth and the whole truth. I warn you not to conceal any part of It. Don't make a mistake and try to fool me. It won't work." "What havo I done?" Royce asked. "That's exactly what I want to know," Klake answered. "You are In a critical position. I take It that you do not want, to he tried for murder or for complicity In murder." -Murder!" Royce ci'dalmcd. "Ve.t. You cannot prove an nllbl. Moreover you had a motive as the ,iily heir of your mother. You were Inlimalo with tho crook Algyro who iu made, a confession of his pnrt in didn't like it. She was not very well. I got her a place in the store in South Bolton. It was a healthy country. She liked it. I went to see her once a week. I took her out riding." Royce paused again. Colonel Blake asked: "Were you engaged to her?" "Well, I had asked her to marry me. She had not promised to do It. I began be-gan to see she did not care as much for me as I did for her. I would have gone through hell for her. By and by I learned that she was keeping company com-pany with another man. I couldn't find out who It was. I was told that she would walk off in the woods alone Sunday evenings and meet him. I am sure that she was fond of him. He didn't love her as much as I did that's certain." Royce took out his handkerchief and wiped his eyes. "He seduced her," the young man went on. "By and by she was In trouble. trou-ble. I had quit going to see her. Hubbard Hub-bard wrote me the truth and said that something would have to be done. The girl had no friends. I went up there. I couldn't stay away. I felt sorry. I loved her In spite of all she had done. She wanted to go to a midwife up in the woods. She wanted to hide the disgrace as much as possible. I took her there. She had a baby and came near dying. I stood by her. I took Doctor Gorse up there to see her. He saved her life." Colonel Blake arose and went to Royce's side and took his hand, saying: say-ing: "You have told the truth like a man. You see, I know the truth, but I wanted to hear it from you. I have only one more question to ask. When you missed your revolver, cartridges and overalls, had you no suspicion of the thief?" "Algyre was In the shop the day of |