Show I 1 y a I 1 t J ut t 0 n a I 1 a by and co inc j 0 pelt we cannot say bay just jual what 0 we will find up tit at tho the balm lalm 1 I 0 0 0 havo have thought the affair over oi care cara 0 0 ully fully and the more I 1 think ul of it 0 0 the ho more puzzled I 1 am if hoseia s 0 told us all the facts then theio 0 0 are two well wall donned defined conclusions to lo 0 0 bo be drawn tho the first Is that tile two men are innocent the 0 0 to Is that know knew who it wua was 0 that broke into his house but had 0 strong reasons for clain 1 ing lie io 0 0 could not recognize thorn thom it ma hi 0 0 top daughter could swear to the 0 0 identity of the men who were nr ar 0 1 rested he should have been able 0 1 to recognize them but lie ho all y 0 0 0 0 0 he did not and we are told old 11 he 0 wanted the case dropped 1 I 1 it was waa john hartley bartley the great breit 0 0 criminologist who was puzzled 0 ile he had been called into the affair f 0 by the governor of tile the state who I 1 wanted some facts to guide bilm 0 I 1 before taking action on an application 0 tor for pardon tor for two men 0 who it was char charged 9 ed had boon been 0 0 wrongly convicted of fit a burglary 0 I 1 only a case cae of 0 burglary at the 0 0 start but it led to 0 series of 0 mysterious I 1 crimes crimea that required nil all 0 of 0 0 0 bartless Birt Bart Uyi leys powers to unravel when 0 he did reach the solution ho he burn 1 boned it apparently out of the 0 darkness 0 0 here to I 1 a now new story by the au 0 0 thor of the underwood mystery 0 and like its predecessor has haa that I 1 rare thing a now ending in detective 0 fiction an ending which does 0 0 not strain the belief of the reader i in the way the detective works out p 0 hla his solution 0 0 0 x CHAPTER I 1 in which an am old crime again comes to light that friday afternoon as I 1 came up the steps of john hartless Hart leys house in gramercy square tile the min hun was shining for the first time in seven days unlocking the door I 1 entered the hall and went up the stairs to my room this of rain in the middle of june had spoiled hartless Hart Bart leys lays long planned fishing trip and had kept us in the city it was a trip lie ho had been looking forward to for a long time since lit in the past few years there had been few opportunities for such things in fact since 1017 bartley had passed very few nights in ills own house about n year before we went into the war choso who followed criminal mysteries noticed that bart leys name was no longer connected with the solution of arinie perhaps they wondered n little at this when the full story of the work wo k of the secret soret seret ret service in the he war ai Is told recognition will be given to the part lie he played in bringing it to it victorious conclusion until alon tl en nil all I 1 cain cnn say is s that when lie returned to now new york in the spring of 1090 1020 ills work for tho the government had ended the list first thing thin that lie ile did 1111 upon aion ills arrival was to clear up tip a pile of ruall mall that ran hack back for ceina several weeks bocks ills ilia next was tu plan several weeks osh fish ing in the lakes of northern nor thein ainone on the very day that we were to start it had commenced to rain and never ceased for soven days das telegrams told us that in maine it was raining mining too in sheer disgust hartley bartley burled himself in tits his library and wont went to work on his long neglected book bonk the Gal tinte literature of tile tho eighteenth 0 naury As I 1 glanced out of the window of my room that friday I 1 saw that the rain ans tit lit last over ovier I 1 was wondering whether hartley bartley would pu go to maine after nil all when there hero came anine a rap at my door opening it I 1 found rance bartless Hart Bart leys old colored nan inan who ho said with a grin mr julin john says sas mr pelt that you are to conic come down to the library for that man lc ic coming coining As A 9 I 1 followed hlin him down the tha stairs I 1 wondered what it was that lint was na bringing rogers chief of the contrail ril office to the house tit nt this time of the afternoon although rogers and haltley were the best of friends and the chief had been forced more than once to ask aate the aid of hartley bartley in tits his cases hp ha usually made his visits in the eve ee ning after the days work was 1108 over A call at four in the afternoon geraed to promise that something unusual had bad happened something of such importance that it could not wait could he sure secure bartless Dart Bart leys aid I 1 knew that dartley bartley hod had not intended to tako take up any more cases un 11 he be bid bad had a long rest still if 1 bugera had the problem of some unusual crime to lay before us ho he might change his plans bartley was at hla his great desk when I 1 entered the library ue ile gave me a smile then went on the books which covered its top that morning he be had received a grent great box from hla his french dealer and lie ho was busy with its contents As lie he did not speak I 1 dropped into tile tho great armchair by his side As aa I 1 looked nt at him I 1 w n ered red ns as I 1 had done so many times before that lint he be should be the grent investigator vesti gator that lie he was as it was the last lait thing anyone would oxy gy et biffin to bil be ills ilia breeding ills cwi iwi F li 11 und alove till all tits ills literary literal taster were vero not fine baich us as ono one would expect to find lit in 0 inan who makes tile running town don of crimin tits his life work vork v ork tits ills flue face with its clear cut tut features riling driling of a ion long I 1 file of now no E angland finc ancestors estors might have hau boon been n bishops ono one that loved lold logs tind children and who had a heart bigger lhnn ills erred creed I 1 picked up lip one of tile thu six elx thin narrow books lit in heay heavy arny paper covers that la lay before him nud and glanced at tho the title the of tile the dl vine Are arethia thio I 1 was about to open it when ulion tho the doorbell rang hartley bartley glanced up nt at tile tho sound and said that must bo be rogers the next moment rance bowing na an lie ho always did tit in announcing anyone on c ushered rogers into 10 the lo room rogers had been at tile head of the As he did not speak I 1 dropped into the great armchair by his side central ollice office for about ho five years eairs in that eliut time thue lie ho had find hullt built up for himself tho the finest reputation that any city detective had tin ever had ilo ile was as not a brilliant man nor bor for that matter an educated one but ills his rare rommon sense ant and ills his absolute honesty had won on for him the respect of the people of the city ilo ile took it a chair find after saying saving Il elTo john to bartley anti and a word to me lie took it cigar from tile the box that bartley pushed over to him then ihen lenning leaning across tho the table lie he picked up one of the volumes the book fell open nt at a picture lie he started as lie he looked at it then limited it to me with a sly wink Ul ints a fine sort of n book to show tin nn honest rind moral pollee police oell if I 1 found a bookseller on tile tho avenue with one I 1 would lieve him hill pinched bartley swung hung around in his chair saw which book it was anti and laughed well rogers lie he said the wan man that wrote rote that book died a good many hundred bundled years cars ngo ago lie heas was the greatest adventurer nd of ills his day da the first rea real blackmailer a man that made ills his living by ills its also lie he happened to be n poet and dramatist as well uell as a rogue rogers took ills cigar frota from hla his mouth and responded with it a grin what we via call today f f crook I 1 could see that there vas ans something on the chiefs mind but just what aliat liat it was as we ve were not to learn for some time lie ile talked first about the rain then about the baseball team in fact of everything everi thing but the purpose that had find brought him that was his vay as we e both knew it was as not until he had find lighted a second cigar and had been silent several moments that he turned to hartley bartley and said john I 1 lime have a case for you ou bartley throw threw me a quick glance then answered but you sou know rogers I 1 dont care to take up any more cases until I 1 have hae been away avay find and had a good rest the chief nodded but added well tills this wont be much of a case its not my dnny I 1 happened t to 0 seo see the io go emor the other day and ho he asked me to get you to look into the matter and make him bin n report I 1 glanced nt at bartley Ha itley tile the governor of the tato lid did not us its n rule interest himself in criminal matters if this was a case that chrit lie ho wished to investigate then it must bo be something very ery unusual indeed dy by the 11 ie gleam of interest lit in his fits pes eyes I 1 could see sec that lie he agreed with me what Is the coso case lie ho asked well answered rogers after a short pause 1 I dont suppose you ou know anything about it though you inny ina have seen it mentioned in the papers since you iou returned it all al started start od a 0 year ngo ago it wim wan a rob aery ety 11 bato w cey ga c a little exclamation of you know alint abat robbery cases nio are out of my mi line there Is noi never anything nil tiling of lit in them besides it robbery that took place lilac n mr ngo ago must bo be alt all settled by this tunit rogers took ills fits cigar front froin ills hla up 1119 tried to wow blow n smoke ring failed and simply laid bald well tile two chaps that they alio say committed tills this robbery nio are now in jail with n even years sears stretch over oer them you tou know john after nit nil I 1 1 ont dont I know such a doll devil of ft a tot lot about this thing myself I 1 got lulled tit lip in it by bi accident I 1 happened to see sec the governor gornor tin on another mutter matter and when I 1 lint finished my m business ho he told tuo lie ho lind had received a good many lottery letters asking him to pardon tho the illen that were in enli for tile the circle lake robbery many of these letters were trot fron lawyers in which the Y sold that after they had rend tho the evidence elik they doubled doubt cil it if tile the men were guilty also alo ono one of these reform societies tins got mixed up to in if alio thing tho the governor had rend read tile the evidence elu ence brought out at tho the trial and lie ho believed himself that the men might not bo be guilty of tile tho robba robbery ry then lie ho asked ine it you ou were in ill tile tho city tind find when I 1 said yes tee he suggested that I 1 ask you to look into tile tho affair if you after having investigated ln estl tho the matter mattai think tile tho men are anra innocent then tie he will pardon them ile iio said also that thoro there was some soma sort of a fund from which he could pay your fee bartley gave roe me a curious took loob then turned to rogers that dint parts nil all right rogers only I 1 haven t tho the faintest ideal what you on are talking about of course I 1 know where circle lake la Is its near saratoga A friend of mine has a summer bummer place there but beyond that I 1 have no idea ea w what at you jou are driving nt at why not start at the beginning and tell me what this crime nasr with n grin the chief started nt at the beginning of the story of course you know who robert hubert fall Is cartley bartley nodded but seeing noting that I 1 ltd lid not recognize the name ho he turned to me 1111 pelt elt dont you remember tho the wall street broker who announced at a 0 billy sunday meeting that ho he had been converted and that lie he was going to give back to hla his clients tho tha money they had lost in his office both bartley and rogers laughed and the latter commented lie he never gave gao it back no said eald bartley he never did that conversion did not stick slylvia Is it a strange sort of a chap ills friends tire are few and there have been wild rumors ns as to where lie he got hla his money ile iio hits has dabbled dabble a hit bit in spir und and has boon been fooled by sev bev oral eral mediums meil luma rogers nodded in a agreement greet nent lliams tile tho chap ile iio has ft a place at circle lake lie ile has lived alj ro fot for the lust last two IMO years all tile tho year scar round no ono one knows exactly why lie he left the city but it la Is said sald that lie ho has lost A lot of money in stocks stock lie ile paused then continued it will wat blile mio ho had bad the robbery E barly n r I 1 y one morning about a icar ngo ago his stepdaughter step daughter came to his fits room and said there were nero burglars downstairs ile iio jumped from froin tits lila bed and without tiny M weapon capon rustled rushid down tho while the girl stayed on tro the top sarp from froin then on it become cled tip mixed cpr up asked hartley bartley yes just what took place and how flow muni many men were vere in the boorn ni a tho the time was aa a point of dispute al a mo trial the girl says sas site she Is sure that Is almost sure there were two nien in the room on the other hand says bays there wits was only onel one though lie added there might have been a second man whom he lid did not nol see there was a bit of a struggle glei and the alio roen men jumped out of a an n open window and pot got awny bartley who find listened care carefully full y asked alie they did not get anything no not n thing the safe in room was unopened aro are these men asked brilley the ones tant are serving tho the seau years gears sentence rogers paused long enough to light another cigar and throw back nil his lend head to watch the smoke curl to the th ceiling before he replied tin the big question lie he was vas silent for a moment then continued after tl alp burglars got out of tho th window called up the city p police nna and also the state police when the city police arrived nt at the houst hous they made no arrests but early earl that thai same came morning the state police picked pl cleil up two men about six miles away on oil the other side bide of saratoga they were both well known characters ati had bad been in trouble before one ol of the nien men had a slight bruise on his head claimed that in tha th struggle he hit one of the robbers robber w with I 1 th a cane both men refused to shy eay where they had been during tha th night tile the strange thing about it II was that they were taken to theil own homes before being locked up when they were searched the police pallet found nothing on them whitt whatever ever bartley was interested hu too up ills his pipe lighted it and loaning leaning back bach in hla his chair attentively as rogers continued when it came time tor for the moil men to be identified there was a bit of a conflict the stepdaughter was pretty prett sure that there had been two men inen while insisted that he be hod bad only ocen been one in fact he did not seeni scent to be very er eager to push the case own even requested the pollee police to drop it since lie he had lost nothing bartley asked in surprise why under heaven did they keep on oil with it rogers shook ills fits head 1 I dont know enow john it lins lias been suggested that tile city police lid did not want to drop it anyway they hold the mon men ulli and a i few ilaya days later inter announced announce il that they had found 11 piece of paper torn front from a 0 newspaper in the room where had discovered them thein several lays days later they the announced that they lind had found a newspaper with a torn corner in horns horn s pocket into which the piece that they had found nt at house fitted 11 hartley bartley asked with a weary air did they inter find a piece of cloth torn from the coat or trousers of one of tile the men find it p perhaps on it m bush |