Show he S 1 York Yorke X l-X Davis 16 CHAPTER VIII VIII-Continued VIII Continued 15 15 Ill confess that when she first came Into this room my belief In her physical phys phys- ical Identity with the woman I had seen lieen in Henry Morgans Morgan's st ld study was shaken for an nn instant for her whole appearance not only of face hut but the articulation and poise of or bod body was strikingly ly different But with the second second second sec sec- ond look the resemblance began ban to shape Itself When I 1 saw the tattoo mark on her arm that of course reduced reduced re rc the case to a certainty It took only a n dozen questions to convince me that in the person of Jane Perkins she was totally I Ignorant of the crime which was exactly what I expected expected- I then h hypnotized her anti and succeeded in fishing up her other personality per per- from whom I r got not only the admission that she had strangled Henry Hen lien r ry Morgan but a considerable part of the stor story which I have Just been tellIng telling tell tell- ing you of ot the events which led up to the commission of the crime She did not recover reco the personality of Jane Perkins until I called her out from the Inner room to begin the examina tion Uon By that time Ashton began to come out ont of his daze had recovered again the powers of speech and motion which the astounding nature of or the doctors doctor's revelation had temporarily deprived deprived deprived de de- de- de him of She mustn't he be at large another minute he said He lie walked across the room toward the telephone Wait Walt commanded the doctor Theres plenty plent of time You haven't got the whole story yet et and you may spoil everything e If you move without It The girls girl's part of the crime Is only half of it it and the least important part at that She was har hardly ly more than a passive Instrument The party you ou want the important one to get Is the theman theman theman man who sent her on that fatal errand to the lonely house In Oak Ridge that nl night ht The man you want Is Josiah Haines Daines S At that a smoldering spark of In Incredulity Incredulity In In- credulity in Ashton's mind min was fanned Into a flame Come he sal said you ou have told me that the wild South Sea Island Islan girl of this story Is really Jane Perkins but you arent aren't going to tell teH me that Josiah Haines is a submerged and sec sec- secondary secondary consciousness beneath the urbane ur- ur bane hane exterior of our friend Wilkins That would be drawing it a bit too strong t it Without making an any answer the doctor turned hack back to his instrument replaced upon It the megaphone which had been there during the conduct or of orthe orthe the examination nn and ma made e some sume trifling adjustments In the instrument And then once more addressed the attorney You thought I was Joking he said when I r told Wilkins that this instrument instrument ment was a n graph raph The rue name perhaps Is a bit clumsy It Is rather a n description of the Instrument rather than thana a hand handy name for it It Is three Instruments In one A phonograph first h by which sounds are recorded upon a moving mo c cylinder lInder In such manner hat they can be reproduced In exactly the same manner the pure pulse e of a n person on whose wrist this little littie Instrument Is strapped is recorded In the wax of the cylinder So It is also a recording i graph And thirdly and last of all uH the elastic strap which I fastened around Wilkins' Wilkins chest had hod Its two ends encl connected connected con cony nested h by a R little instrument which registered very scientifically and find finder andery er very ery truly e every ery ry movement of his I tion er E Everything thing from flom the slightest most faintly drawn breath to n gasp asp will be indicated by that little Instrument instrument ment one and recorded alon along with a CI pulse puse beat Leat on the same c cylinder lInder which records records records re re- cords the sounds founds The long thin tube there that looks like a thermometer will show when I start sturt this Instrument going exactly how the man I was examining ex ex- bi on lied when he held his breath when he caught It when he expelled It And Aud the bulb buh which you ou I see ee half halt filled tille with the red liquid will will show you ou the thc way Ills hits heart was tins beat heat In lag ing Ashton turned Its away hideous he said its It inhuman I cant can't look ut at it and o as he spoke he walked awo away to the other sl side e of the room nut Cut he came back and ond stood beside I us when the phonograph began again reporting the questions the doctor had usk asked r the girt gin about Will Honey and aud he lie IS to them theta this part of oC the examination for tor Ashton asked You know nil all about It and inn unc joud you'd ou sprung your mine on Wilkins III Theres another mine of ot a n different sort eort a 8 little further along said the doctor I wanted to give hit Mis time timeto to recover nis self self to tu 11 persuade per e I sun auntie suade e himself that that tuo too was nil all alla nila a u false alarm that my mention of the names of ot and Franklin was Just a coincidence Yon You see nee be he concluded I ul 1 had two people to reckon with with himself himself and you Me le Ashton questioned Yes you ou and your incredulity I knew that If I concluded the thc examination examina tion there that long before I 1 could make this demonstration to you Wil Wilkins kins would have made good his escape escape escape es es- cape and a man like that once he got away Is cunning enough to be behar hard har to find Ond So I wanted not only to calm his fears hut but to provide him with witha a positive Incentive for sta staying ing around Ashton would e have spoken but at ut that moment with a n suddenly upraised upraised up up- raised hand the doctor motioned him to silence and to renewed attention I had bad had my eye ec upon the Instrument Instrument ment all nil the time the doctor had been talking and had seen that by now the doctors doctor's questions concerning Harvey had had the effect he wanted WU kins' kins pulse and respiration were back almost to normal again would ever take us ver very close to old Henry Morgan with his maps and his mysteries The rhe word map caused n a throb and anda a n Mutter flutter both In the tube and the bulb much as ns the word New Zealand had done at the thc beginning of the ex ex- The recovery reco was Immediate Imme mme mme- diate however and during the silence i ii- ii He Walked Across the Room to the Telephone which followed the condition In the tube and the bulb became more nearly normal than It had been since the beginning beginning be be- ginning of the examination At the end of the silence the phonograph phonograph graph be began an reporting the doctors doctor's apparently apparently ap ap- irrelevant aside to Ashton In which he lie had tol told him of the discovery discovery ery of the one queer map which the detectives had lead overlooked a large scale map which showed neither latitude latitude lati laU tude nor longitude e. e As he began to talk about It both pulse an and breathing breathing breath breath- in ing as the Instrument revealed them began to tell another story not a story of terror this time but of excitement The fhe pul pulse e quickened but f 1 It grew glew stronger too ton steadily il stronger and steadily more rapid until It t tse ce c p. p ing big like Ilke the heart henrt of a man mun who Inthe in inthe inthe the midst of battle catches a gleam of victory And the column of ot liquid In the respiration tube rose clear to the top of it ane and then fell to the bot hot tom The he man had been drawing great long steady breaths of triumph II an and and I It brought here with methis me methis methis this morning the phonograph was wasn paying n Ing In the doctors doctor's voice and Ill I'll show it to you jou ou directly if you care to lo look 1001 at it There was n a little silence after that and then still from rein the me megaphone of the instrument there came un another other voice a voice which It hud had not recorded recorded recorded re re- corded before the voice of Wilkins the polite imperturbable the V 6 M I beg your pardon sir I wonder If It you could spare me now v. Im I'm Im I'm Supposed sup sup- supposed posed to be In the dining room at t lI hour Hell be he back said Eaid the doctor grimly That map has been tho the focal point of ot his life lite for a goo good many years years He would run a bigger risk than he could possibly think lay In breaking Into this apartment to get It lies He's on duty In the dining room until twelve and I Imagine hell he'll stay there but as far as were we're concerned Its It's only a question of putting out our lights and waiting Ashton nodded By the way he said Id like like to see thet that map It must most be something of a curiosity If uIt you'll come out to Oak Ridge with me tomorrow said the doctor Ill take pleasure In n showing It to you Theres There's nothing In la the envelope It was only necessary to mal make e Wilkins Wilkins Wil Wil- kins think there was But wheres where's the envelope Itself Ashton aske asked you say it was here hore on the table I dont don't se see It It flirt hI t tr 1 l n net If It coma u thing ho had stung him Never before I l think In all nil the years ears I r have ha known him had I seen him so 80 completely taken aback as he hc was at that mo mo- meat ment It must be somewhere said I. I It was lying in plain sight when the doctor doctor doc tor spoke to you about It it But nut It was all In vain that we rummaged rummaged rum maged among the littered Uttered papers upon the table tohle top The big manila envelope envelope en Wits gone bone CHAPTER IX For a moment we stood gazing blankly into each ench others other's faces stupidly stupid stupid- ly Iy tr trying IlIg to realize to the full fUU what the disappearance of that big empty manila envelope meant Ashton was the first to recover himself Ele He shot shota shoto a o quick question at meDo meDo meDo me Do you remember Phelps whether or not when Wilkins spoke of the I i law you JUU Uin U UIn In the direction of it Yes I n admitted I did You questioned Ashton turning to the doctor Oh yes said Doctor McAlister Theres no fool like an old fool foot Well VeIl I did did too said Ashton and that's when Wilkins took the en- en lie pulled Bulled out his watch frowned at it snapped it shut and put It back Into his pocket I didn't int realize this demonstration had taken so long said he Hes ha had nearly an on hour He probably ripped open ope the envelope the moment he closed the door behind him nn and finding It empty would know of course that the thing had been merely merely mere mere- ly Iy a trap to catch him And its it's my fault Ashton said the doctor contritely I was guilty of an absurd piece of overconfidence over ence 1 I knew hed he'd want the map and ond no other other way ay of his getting it occurred to me than that he should come back here when he supposed suppose we were all aU asleep and let himself in with a pass key an and steal It It But the mD man he spoke to was al already already al al- ready the other side of the room standing before the telephone and shaking up and down the little hook book which supports the receiver u ulve jl me tae me tIDIng dining room please we heard him say The dining room 7 This TIlls is Mr Ashton Id I'd like to speak with Wilkins It was easy to guess the nature of the reply he got to that request from the question or two which he be interjected interjected inter inter- into it and from his attitude as ns he turned away and hung up the receiver Its as I thought Hes He's not been Inthe in inthe inthe the dining room since he be went off duty after the dinner inner hour The They wondered won what hud had become of him an and sent a messenger mger up to his room In the servants servant's quarters The messenger reports reports reports re re- re- re ports the room locked an and dark He lIe has an hours hour's clear start exclaimed ex exclaimed claimed the doctor thanks to my stu stu- Well VeIl said Ashton he lie hasn't got gotoff gotoff gotoff off yet et by an any means Its It's a straight police case now and nd I think the they're ro likely to get him If him If not in this cIty at least before he can cnn leave leu the country coun coun- I try which Is undoubtedly what he lie will try to do He De turned back buck to the telephone and anti called up police pollee headquarters attempted at at- tempted to rather listened la a a moment mo mo- ment to something that was being said to him and then turned with away aery a n very ery wr wry face Well our friend WilkIns is s pia playing play play- ing in luck all right he ho saI said The local operator tells me that we e have ha no outside connection at all Both the telephone and the local station here of the Western Vestern Union are or out of com com- commission commission mission on account of this confounded ed sleet TO BE CONTI CONTINUED |