Show afe TIME im r shurles A mh wo r lock L IK wai edmonds luthor of or k cc ine P 0 sirlear ev r awe ZIP it 0 etc i 1 1 IA A CL afa SYNOPSIS nudolph van lochten ten a young mn man of leisure Is astonished to moo ft a mary enter t NO 1313 a houie house across the artel fro from and A the powhatan club toof long unoccupied and boken of aits a the th house hou of 1 ir bev prat parsons at regular interval intervals enter 0 tso O 1311 vin in vechten expresses congem to his hi friend tom chloner Ph lony loner regarding the w rem bouts of his hi cousin anil and fiancee rals 1 caw A artir 4 wenan is 1 in seen to e tr the he house hou of my fery A man Is forcibly ejected from the itai van vechten and tom follow tha th man and find him dead in the street 4 A an vechten to I 1 attracted by the face of ft it girl ctrl in the crowd of onlooker onlookers aur our 4 sounding the body later he discover discovers ai ih alie girl easing at him with a look of I 1 porn from the window of the v pus pu hour house BOOK 1 0 CHAPTER V 4 introducing mr flint whatever it might have been that rudolph yan fechten wanted to pon der in connection with the morn ipso he bad DO no thought for the aft hourly procession eelon of strange men into number 1313 2313 nor for or the veiled lady S as e much aj her appearance had aal sl bated him nor yet for the murder if it murder there had been ajl his ilia mind wa was flooded with 1 ing images of a fair girls Birle face tace he r taw saw her shrinking la in dread before an so unspeakable terror from hibb be he rould could not shield her be he law saw her cob eat bing bins outher heart in to bitt batter ekr distress diat reee 4 and it wa was not hi his privilege to comfoct hei and then most vivid of it all 11 were 4 the acom and reproach of her br 1 band some am darke darkie yee yes against heat silent bacu abon be he could not t defend him J elf 1 wi fruitless mental effort wa chat E ins and bd fretting 1 1 almost to dis dl traction tion hie his head bead ached and throbbed 11 hie his nerves felt M it they stood tripped stripped 1 in a sleet storm and a face X i an a luminous as dawn floated b before afore him pleading rebuking A tea ing coaxing coaling hating but constantly r sod nd alway always leaving him blin more and more and hopelessly bope leely perplexed k As A far advanced to the tf a 1 there aull still rem remained aided beveral teral il fleeta k x which earlier r he bad had planned to pend spend with the 4 Car tereta fred carteret f owned A awant slit eummer summer home on an the 1 north shore of lone long island and a corn com for table ailing falling yacht which tom phinney delighted to navigate up and down I 1 the 11 ll round bound while the other dined made f merry or ot took advantage of at the cool coal brewed even regretted T that bat he must tommy tommys chiner full habit A of at every BOW now and then thin poking ahli 4 at ln f abot aborting ln directions to the bridga play r asi bow who a everyone know alway always enjoy that cort sort of ngHe lavarta variably bily watch vanish before the imly mt ertle could eilets him and become immersed Imia ened la in v 1 MM profundity of his duhe 0 jy aw aad and then would baye a b journey in hie his owa own at Phin dey to the to watt wait for the autumn lion lectra lra of ducke ducks hie his equist pro arrival bw abood ahm 1 I all these pies plesant sant arrangements arrange meat V paige carew had complo completed tda bw bar wt VA t oo 00 I 1 kj 01 4 v f let a ellow follow 9 coill V when he wanto wants to think by him it i at dem L 6 I 1 2 4 aca wall studies in n july sam Mine fineday e d day ay she he war world ido id o I 1 lat lust teat elect portion of it eppich which she he to bayor fa wilb her j her bar career at the conservatory 4 aured this prophecy waa wu not that t honor and nd glory enough for a girl not f yet twenty thea them why should he she add s erevak go 09 to london for the sea of comina home to meet iohd people ps with whom ahe would have to atler after they were married kr aud od their laudations and can cou 10 VB wan paused at this thi tion I 1 after abey were married 1 ever rate ie ise could remember 14 cecy had bad been taken so for granted ow bead aiom thought to question lon 4 a kt waa was so much the proper thing a 0 ion luthr them ti to do such a logical union 0 o tilt W ats fa cromb every point 11 of view aa that he and paige had always regarded it as a settled thing an aza assured tact fact awaiting only the ripe moment true neither of them seemed eager to hasten the time but it if that time ume was ever to coins come it must BOW now be b near at hand they could not much touch longer be b content with some time ho he frowned fro ened with annoyance why juch a sensible 1 girl come home at thi proper time whon all ar or tulle ments had been made tor her reception caption and her family and fri friends buds had every reason to expect her there was one consolation in the absence of those friends from town he be wai was not obliged to invent answers to embarrassing inquiries concerning his dila tory cousin but this was mall small corn com pens atlon tor for stewing stowing in new now york by himself until butge chose to notify him of her whereabouts and intended movements he gave one moment ot of cober sober thought to the circumstance that he really did not know precisely where the she rae as if it some sudden emergency should arise necessitating a cable he h would not know where to reach teach her but he speedily dismissed this phase of the matter it U was to new low thing for paige to start off n a holiday jaunt without confiding her proposed itinerary 0 to o anybody and now mrs devereaux was wan with her just joel the same he mused it I 1 know knew where to catch her I 1 would send mead her a cable table that would set her to guessing for a while unable longer to remain quiescent he bounded from his chair and collided with alexander who waa was seeking him in his corner conneran cor neran an accident that did not affect the pages accustomed composure jen Ohe the least lessl gentleman to I 1 see you air alexander sn der announced who isett van vechten snapped irritably 1 I dont want to see sea any atly body t he paired he beef i alexander had not presented a card hut but whoever the caller might bobe he be signified a di dt torsion version it lip hett tried ripa any longer to think he would bea wa raving lunatic in another hour houi and besides something eom ething had destroyed the savor of the sole pleasurable aspect ot of his meditations alexander received resolved his doubts he 1116 cu caught bt a knowing look took in the palms countenance IV begala your pardon mr van vechten achien I 1 think want waist to this gentl gentleman ernau very well wait van vechten acquiesced show hira him in did not know the mau maa who iho imme followed alexander late into S the thal lounging mac room the stranger baiyou lender slender tad land ua assuming in appearance lipp samos but parried himself with a certain quiet assurance that he ho twee twan adgray as abridger and hie his lean smooth face resembled tooled artther there was a alert took about his 1 steady moody gray WAY eyes van vechten ajo also noted which presently disclosed Us clod ft a hs its t of veir narrowing rowIng find and re to yeshua ft a web of fine one winkles at their single change at 0 facial facts Br osle afta soon to reea golle poss ced the peculiarity of at P 9 one of two moods mooda copcea nAtho ratter matter in hand band of r toe offe ft aas sillas bu humor wr that at blade one wane warm to himi van an felt that hie his visitor would be chary of speech but that whatever ke he might say ay would be well worth harkening to mr rudolph van liecht ear now queried the newcomer in ft a tene tome that coul not have I 1 carried a yard beyond jbv ib person io to who whoa to it aus van vechten nodded and motioned to ft a chair my name 11 and with it wry are ft a dalec detective I 1 might bave it but blit 1 I instantly the steady ey eyes contracted unwrinkled an wrinkled at t the corners th tho young man all at once that its bis irritation ta tIou and that he could smile in sympathy with bis big visitor r i bald the th quiet voice 1 I 1 ass gw tod to know that my estimate of your Int intelligence eill was not at fault flint in 1 my name phine punt mt front from central office tj considering lu atou rou have bays never seen me before mr van ach ten lightly retorted it it raier ex should posses possess any particulars ulars apon upon which to base bas in the y awat UM inel met the yoa boeg maws T 41 III ill demonstrate lust just how boyl simple u matter it to 6 it if you bave pardoned ardo ned thia this intrusion T the llster nodded 1110 f was already 0 have you any idea ide how the poor chap rael mot his deater lel ht be ho queried s yet wa w the tm prompt reply he bead ath with some km at bleat bloat it Is 1 pretty certain that tbt oaly only one ova athe 0 the blows blow theoni the oni oce on the tom plo could coula have firoved fatal tho other right behind 11 the lefelar luff ear might have stunned him or 0 t produced but a as to t who aid 19 thares the question there are some ext lectures lee lea tures about tills this murder mr van vechten Vec blea 1 t 1 rudolph van vechten me rose and ad walked over to a front window come here he invited mr cital and then after the battor had quietly joined him blin he nodded toward number 1313 see that bouse house across the way well lees less than two minute minutes before lay my friend and I 1 came up with the poor chap lying in the alley be he emerged from rom there I 1 amoretty am pretty certain too fat that hia his departure waa was accompanied by ome some ort sort of fracas before the door waa was opened you know 4 the network of wrinkle wrinkles marked a narrowing of the gray eyes while mr flint subjected the unprepossessing facade fit cade 0 to o a ck long searching scrutiny then thou he aid said at jaet last you were following hm why surely not out of at idle curiosity I 1 the young man shrugged eh rugged hie his shout dapre sit down he curtly bade re fuming the leaf seat he had occupied ear car i her tier in the day while mr flint bank sank into the one lately occupied by tom phinney if it you can make mako of what I 1 have to tell you you am ye welcome to it ka he began with aa an much of number eltory as he knew know and but two reservations recounted everything down to the moment that he and tom rushed from the club to overtake the man kil ledat at the alley inter intersect sec tion the detective listened with a marked but respectful attention not once la le ten ter noting tho recital and when van vechten bad had finished mr flint asked a ingle question quei tion his preoccupied look remained upon number 1313 haa has it occurred to your you be he ad sod with thoughtful deliberation to won der where the murderer came from and whither he fled i van vechten eat sat sll ak unmoving big face a maak mask involuntarily now hie big mind once more a map ot 0 I 1 the neighborhood one that carried carr fild the fatal alley straight behind the houpis across aero the way it 1 I mentioned mr flint waa was pursuing that thia this case offered some me rath er lea feature so tar far quite quits the mot most extraordinary fa Is batja man waa was truck struck down on a I 1 populous lovo logs thoroughfare in ilk broad daylight and nobody aw saw the actual deed beside the newsboy newe boy there aa as a lady almoas the of street from tha the alli alle who ho from a 4 window the h man main ink sink to the walk but iho be sawn aw 06 BO one ono running from the cene perhaps Per hape murmured daiil vech perhaps 00 ono did ah 4 be ure sure observed mr Flit flittie tit smoothly ly A crowd gathered very quickly I 1 believe I 1 what wa was aaton than to remain and mingle with it an old t mr van Vec teB Th that yo jag aaa man did j n beet mt toe kt wt oblique glance blame teat that swept kte ilk immobile featured fea turea mr flint TO lowly slowly aad and stood flager finger ing hie hat I 1 hag again absently ill abe silent house after it moment hta his eyed crinkled la ili a sille H he aid said softly i 1 I lee tea aldr van vechten that the tb MG thought ha h come to both of ui and before departing sa bestowed bee towed 91 final reflective nod upon nuttier 1311 1113 ar CHAPTER vt f V tom Ishin adventure adv anturo 0 tom phinney waa was to accustomed to what he wai was pleased to call hta bit friends tri enda aberration aberrations tha thal alvau Vech tene intimation thaude derad to be left it R alone To tasked talked off to the bull billiard room wit w bort a word unluckily for hr hie peace of mind he intruded uDon tivo closest cr onlea onlee and interrupted 1 a desulis de game gains of billiard billiards aad and the appeared he ty by a bombardment bombar bo o bar dment by hawser c curiosity curio alty ream g number 00 1313 tragedy 1 I say oar ya fellow follows cut it out be cried in desperation deepe ration fijn ia bot tot going sol in to tell you at al im ilia 1101 not going gains to talk labout IV at which they were all the more curious and eager concluding that tom himself was in some way in evolved or at least that be he really i possessed some inside information this drew an explosion 1 I don t know a d thing about it tom shouted beating the air with hie his hande hands 1 I saw a lot of fel el lowe iowa golaz into the house and a worn wow i an confound you chapel why cant you let a fellow follow alone when wen be he wante wants to think by fl A domant woman 1 he wa was quickly taken up by both who was she shot but tom relapsed into an obstinate silence he wae was angry and morose and hie his two friend friends left him in a huff calling him Impat impolite ite names and 9 guying my him for expressing a desire to put bin him mental processes through an exercise this made hin him gloomier still and when he reflected that after all bo ho had men cloned the mysterious woman in the taxi ble his depression became acute he lie drove the balla balls around a deserted table with vicious jaba jabs of hie his cue the while he too bel bek ailed kalled the fate that kept him uway away from the Cart erets yacht for be could not think of availing himself of this thi pleasure unless ruddy were along toms cams income did not permit bt bis WS owning yachts or motorcars motor cars but brut what he be did not know about them i wae was not worth time trying to flod ond out 1 ahe tie waa was thus reminded of a catboat 0 over v er itt at rocky core cove belonging to a I 1 friend who was in europe and which he be could use us whenever he be wanted to he threw throw down his cue hunted up a timetable time tabled table then hastened home to toss togs a battered but wonderfully corn com for tabia table negligee outfit into 2 lasand ble hie himself over to long island As A he passed through the louring room lt it Is in worth recording van vechten waa was brooding la in his corner comer and so ad did not see sea him turn tom surveyed him a second or so then con cl eluding that he be had bad better not break in upon ble bin cogitations hastened vaa way away while it wae was yet daylight tom found the sail sag chero it was stored in his friend a boathouse shipped the single mast and rigged it up then went up into town sifter a box of provisions Hamis he meant sint to cruise I around tj aund the sound bound for A day or two thus B giving v buddy ruddy plenty of time to think and perhaps learn something definite bout about his big cousin paige a movements into the bargain afterwards they blight might find glud unie ume to join jhb th Cart erets he ile waa was profoundly disgusted that a girls caprice was depriving him and Ruddy of a jolly good time r Y that night after a couple of pipes he be went eat to bep la in sig little crafts dabin and before daylight babaa he was astir tir and taking advantage of ib light ligh off offshore shore breese breast all day |