Show I 1 I 1 I 1 ILA r r sai S ai ti I 1 a charles ft a illustrations si copyright 1922 ba dodimead Dodd lead Mead ond and co inc au I 1 1 continued from last issue SYNOPSIS CHAPTER ijohn bartley rioted noted crim trial hial investigator recently returned from secret service work during the war var Is 19 asked by the governor of 0 now new borc to investigate a mysterious attempted robbery of 0 tho the robert homo home at circle luke near saratoga peculiar circumstances 0 of 0 the cass case interest bartley and bo be accepts CHAPTER II 11 with alth his friend pelt carlley ar goes to circle lake the pair becoming uio the guests of bob currie a an old friend alie lie three visit the byke homo borna myke apparently resents bartless Hart Bart leys coming saying he la satisfied the lh two men in prison for the attempted robbery were guilty hartley bartley Is not next morning la Is found dead in bed apparently having shot himself CHAPTER UI III miss potter the dead lanb sister ln in law the village police chief rocho roche and the family physician doctor king all agree killed himself ahlm elt but bartley insists he was murdered investigating bartley onda finds evidence that glyka atler after a card party ho he had given was shot hot on the tower of the house undressed and placed in bed during durin hl his absence from the room someone meone fio removes the revolver from hand band per for several se seconds conas miss liss potter seemed unable to believe tier lier ores eyes I 1 then she half gasped why ruth the girl surprised at atthe the effect her simple question had made clutched her blue sill dressing gown closer about tier her tind and started down the stairs it was plain that she felic had just rotten gotten out of bed and lad not yet had time to dress tier her ces ment fron from one person to another questioningly who were we lind and what were wo we doing here i As aa she came slowly down the steps we watched her in silence she was waa ui q she was a handsome girl alth beautiful red hair and the creamy white skin that gots goss with it a handsome girl with beautiful red hair and the creamy white skin that goes with alth it when she reached tier her aunts side miss potter was still too astonished to spent speak and the girl gave rache an appealing look slie she was waa beginning to realize that something ans as wrong 1 ila have the burglars speen been here again she asked not trusting herself to speak miss potter shook tier her lend head the girl knew nothing of the tragedy that had taken place evidently or she would hotl not have been so BO carefree she waited and as tier her aunt did not nolt seem tible able to tell her what hat had happened abe s ne turned again to roche after swallowing loIng hard for a moment or two the thief stammered tam out why hies Alle hath sRuth you see ee we that Is well mr air has been killed the laughing look in her eyes faded find and one of surprise blended with horror took its place for a I sc KC end that to me seemed an hour she waited steadying herself by tier her hand on the table then she asked slowly sly almost spelling out each word dead de ad dead why how 7 again a silence no one wanted to tell her what had bad taken place iler her eyes e baw a caro ne tum mid and then rested on bartley as if sh that lie was as in charge A glance passed between the two then he told her what we e had found though the girl had been startled I 1 noticed that she was not overwhelmed with grief neither had the older woman been in tact fact we had yet to hear bear any word of regret that glyka was dead that the girls astonishment ment at bartless Bart leyn leys story had been genuine gennine there was wag no doubt still the butlers assertion that he had seen her go into her room when she was supposed to have been away from the house had bad to be explained her unexpected presence here this morning seemed to add color to his statement ia A glance at her dressing gown lier nightdress peeping beneath it showed that she had just come from her bed yot yet her aunts surprise at her appearance had bad also alao seemed un your told us bartley slid to her that you yell wore acre away spending adill the night etli with a friend but the but ler says lie saw you early this morn ing going into your own room the gill flushed as if she realized the gravity af r tier her position and sank into a chair before she ah answered 1 I 1 tit did anund tu to spend file night with n R friend in saratoga on our way vay home hoille from a dance tit at the lake our machine lost a ure ore and it took so long to re place it that fis as we were near the house I 1 decided to come houle home not wishing to go through the woods alone at that hour I 1 got undo uncle illch ard to c come ome with me seeing that we wore were puzzled by the mention of her uncle she explained that he was really a cousin of her stepfather whom she called uncle ne was a retired clergyman who dur luring sing the summer lived on the estate in a little cottage facing the main road near the entrance to the driveway to the house bouse when asked if her uncle had come into the house with tier her she replied that he be had not that ile he had only waited long enough for her to unlock the front door she herself had gone directly to tier her own room passing the door of tier her stepfathers step fathers room which had been closed she had seen no one and hoard heard nothing she had slept until our voices had aw aliened her lier her story of course would have to be checked up but tier lier actions were frank anil and tier her manner seemed truthful slie she could evidently throw no light on our problem she waited quietly for bartless Bart leys next question vil ilch when it came was a surprise even to me did you see the dog when you came in oil oh yes ile he came to the door and walked to the foot of the stairs with me battley turned to the butler and asked was the dog in tills this room when you yon came down this yes sir ile he always sleeps here there was a long iong silence after tills this broken at last by the girl asking it if she might return to her room hartley bartley smiled and assented I 1 could see chrit lie he was vas not satisfied tit at the wily way things had gone ills lips were shut tight and ills his ees wandered ly ly around the room ile he glanced moodily down fit at the woman in the chair who had bad recovered tier her composure to some extent and was now watching with keen eyes everything that was going on after a lille bartley turned to the butler did you see anyone near the door of sir room while we were vere in there 1 wh I 1 dont know sir air I 1 did see the chauffeur coming coining down the stairs but I 1 dont know it if lie had been up lip to the room if you can find him send ad him bilm to me ins at once bartley commanded the butler took tills order as a dismissal and left ane room bartley turned to miss potter botter and asked tier her it if she had returned to room after she left us there she site ok ilc tier her licad head there was again a long silence at length bartley broke it by telling tier her that she need not remain any longer she rose to her feet and started toward the stairway half way across the floor she paused and sald said in a voice that hesitated more than once you raked asked me ins sir mr bartley if when ullen I 1 found sir mr was dead I 1 touched the bedclothes cartley bartley turned quickly the tone of his olce as he answered her question showed that eliat he be knew something important was coming yes I 1 did with her hands playing nervously with a fold of her dress and tier her eyes on the hoor floor she continued slowly 1 I did not touch the bedclothes but 1 I 1 I 11 yes encouraged bartley you did what she seemed to flad find it difficult to ans answer vier when I 1 went in that room and found him dead her voice was very low he be looked I 1 mean ills his eyes so frightened me that 1 I silie she paused again 17 1 I closed them for a while we looked at her too surprised to speak bartless Hart Bart leys brows nn a cur curious one look came into hla his nce all at once I 1 realized the full in meaning caning of tier her words if she had closed eyes then it would be hard for hartley bartley to prove that lie he had been murdered ile he had claimed that it if had committed suicide his eyes would have been open lie II 11 had gone even further and said it was the murderer who had bad closed ills his eyes thinking that was the way they should look in death but now aliss potter hall had told us that it was she who had biad closed thern them st ke might after nil all hae baie killed himsel fl would bartley still etui bo be able to prove that he be had been Taur murdered dered t once more inore miss potter lapsed into anto her old sullen mood and refused to I 1 cadd add anything further bartley plied her with questions but in the end she had bad adi added ll 11 ed bothin nothing to her first state that lint staring eves hill h 11 frightened tier lier and the she b hasul ni clos cloctt cloard tt them she insisted however that slie had bad not touched the bedclothes that they hod had been close around his neck and up over ills his chin vi when hen sie she found him when we viere arc nione roche turned to bartley and sald there goes your theory of you cant prone proe now that hint lie ile did not kill hill liluis himself elf bartley listened ti roche with the air of a ninn man hosp choul gats were far away when lie paused lie dill did not lot reply at once TO DE BE CONTINUED |