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Show (Continued Prom Our Lftt Iuc) CHAITEK XV Hobort's reply was a smotnered cry and Miles and Scottlo hud only time to regain tho shelter of the rear stalr-oisr. stalr-oisr. when Mis Drake swept across tho hall and to her own room. "8o she knows, does she?" Scottle rubbed bis chin MJ wish to th Iord that wo did. but it's my opinion we'll find out nothing more this night Scottlo was right. Nothing happened hap-pened until tho noxt morning when Zorn appeared In th garden and had tho older man summon Mllos. 'Where can we talk"" Zorn akcd SJ Mlle.6 appear' 1 "Just down the road hero. I understood under-stood your niof.;-:ig,. Sunday evening of course. Did vou trace the er bill of ladlnc0" Zorn nodded smilingly as they strode alontr tho road townnl the weather-beaten shed. "Yos t?ho is at Fresdaie at tht homo of a certain rstlmable but j somewhat peppery old farmer nuni-d Hi." "EUphalot'" saelalmsd Miles. "His sister Kitty has been a maid here In the household for a generation but I never thought or him! How did Miss Patricia happen to go then . and why?" Perhaps you had better n-ad her, letter first ' Zorn glanced about the ramshackle .shod and produced a smalli bulging envelope. Mllos tore open the envelope and took from. It two folded slips of piper. pi-per. 1 oar Sergeant Miles. Mr Zorn will toll you how h found me and why I Btayed away I I have promised him I will come' home thi.s afternoon. I had to tell you first, though, that I have broken our engagement! i am .-ending word to Mr. Kernp lo meet me and I mean Lo tell him as much as 1 can without I bolng disloyal to my family. After i all I haw been through I don', (know what to think except that we( i have t rrlbe enemies who will stop at nothing and 1 am nearly crazy I Please guard nn father and thv i others frell and find out what It Is j that threatens 'hem before It Is too Hte" Hon't let them know what hap-1 hap-1 penod to me, i am going to tell them I left because they treated me so Sternly. The paper I am sending with (his will show you why 1 left tho house without trying to seo you and put It in your hands. I only found it n little after ten that night. Perhaps It ull help you to trace the dreadfud woman who wrote It and the men who ire in her pay, espi -clally the one with the tattoo mark on his arm Hastily. PATRICIA URAKK." This letter doesn't tell me much munt tli . ihn vmina ljidv? Ih on the verge of hysteria" ho commented. Miles had unfoldod tho second note. It was comparatively brlei and although Its fine, cramped, shaken hand was unlike any that he, had studied before during Jils In veatlgatlott, theri was yet some thing vaguely familiar about it which ar rested him. ' My dear child " he read. "Great troubl. has come upon your esteemed father and your uncles und compelled thoni to do t' strange things which have so d trossed you of lato. Now they a. facing ruin and disgrace through no fault of their own, but you, my dear, can sa them. "I have known your family for many years and it is my duty to te!l I you the truth 1 am an Infirm old woman and live at some distance but my car will be outside your gate at olevon tonight and my servants ser-vants are to be trusted to bring you safely to me. I will make you comfortable com-fortable for the night and you may return in tho morning. "Watch for the flash of light twice In the road and be prepared to come at onoe, telling no one, or 1 cannot holp you Have faith In mo for my only wish Is to keep you and jourj from greater suffering. FRIEND." "Great heavens'" exclaimed Mile-"Anyone Mile-"Anyone but an unsophisticated child like Miss Patricia would hav seen al a glance that this was the bunk' Tell mo what she told you j Zorn. what happened to her?" "She says that Saturday nlghi ' she saw that note lying on tho floor 'just under her opened window Shu never thought of doubting the good faith of tho Infirm old woman.' threw a fow things Into a bag and waited for the signal It came and Miss Patricia slipped down tho drive to where a limousine stood at the I gate with one man behind the wheel and another holding the door. After that things happoned too quickly for her to utter u cry Th. man took her bag. clapped his hand over hor mouth and bundled her lr. also, and they were off. She reniem- I bers struggling. but a sweetish-smelling sweetish-smelling cloth chloroform, probably was placed over her face and then everything was a blank. "Vhon she cra to herself there was a rush of cool air In her face for the window behind the driver's seat was down and the two men wero talking. "Her heavy beaded handbag wis still on her arm and without stop-I stop-I ping to think she smashed the man I over tho face with It. tore open tho nearest door and Jumped, rulMr.i; over and over into a ditch. They cursed and haltad but another car Hrai coming aDd that gave her an opportunity to scramble up and ovci a low stone wall into a moss of willow wil-low shoots growing by a brook. "They gave up hunting for h-r and drove off. She stumbled along In the darkness with sense enough1 to keep to the main road. A moving van came rumbling along and on n. impulse sho halted It; she says tho idea flashed across her mind that if she could find out the name of the nearest village and get word to Mr , Wells he would Keep her confidence and come to take care of her. at tho same time sending a warning to you. "When she asked them where tho were going and they told her 'Prec-dalo," 'Prec-dalo," Miss Patricia thought at once of this Hljggs anu got them to glvu her a lift. Whatever they thought, they let RSI climb In and on the way she arranged ar-ranged with one of ihem to take that note to Wells' home when they goi back to the city In the morning 1 Thoy reached Freedale at dawn ami Miss Patricia got down and went directly di-rectly to the Hlggs place." "Did sho recognize either of the two raon who abducted her?" demanded demand-ed Miles. "No. But when one of them flung her traveling case Into the car she saw that hLs sleeves were rolled up and a device of some sort was tat tooed on one arm " "Tell me how vou located Miss Patricia." Pa-tricia." asked Miles. "The scrap of paper she had used for that message to Mr. Wells started start-ed mo In the right direction " Zorn ropliod. "i caught the first train to Brooktudo u vvusn't difficult lo lo-oatS lo-oatS n now famlh name, 'glocum'l and learn the name of thfl furnlturol mover The boss fif the moving gang de-1 scribod tho hous; at Preedalfl where he had left the girl I took the oarly afternoon train and located, the girl at tho Hlggs place. "Did you seo Wells last night STl oleven'.'" asked Miles. "Yes. It came near being a dis astrous appointmont for me!" 'Disastrous!' " "When 1 loft his house somebody tried to hold mc up hit mo with a blackjack and only the soft foil hat i was wearing ieved me from being knocked for a goal' See."' Zorn removed re-moved his cap and displayed a strip of plaster where his smooth, blond hair had been ,'Ppped away. ' 'H sneaked up from behind and landed on mo, but something must hevs seared him for he took to his heela and was gone b fore t could recover lUfflotently to ylve chase. It's on me. Isn't It?" 'it certainly ' agreed stiles, bi thero was a pocullar quality in his tone "Arc you going back to the city now?'1 Zorn nodded and roor "I wish you would deliver this letter. let-ter. I daren't Trust thorn to the' malls and time Is an essential factor. fac-tor. It la to Professor Nigel LortOP, at tho Achaeologleal Museum." Il w.i-, lute that afternoon pefOI 1 Patricia put In an appearance and t here was a ne.v. shy dignity in hcrj bearing that silenced tho reproof up'n her aunt's lips. Roger had appj are, al luncheon more wan and fragile than ever, bit later Miles had caught a glimpse of him tottering down lhc drive muf-fle,l muf-fle,l to the i-.irs In a greatcoat In spite of the mild spring weather, and wondered what errand could have dragged him forth The return of Patricia however. turned his thoughts to other channels and tin- arrival wiinin ar. hour of an unexpected unex-pected caller banished all Idle speculation for the tlmo being from his mind. Tho caller was Miss ( iro Hauls but the transformation In her ,i,-pearanco ,i,-pearanco was remarkable If t;h had not quite succeeded in regaining regain-ing the lost years of her youth she had made a victorious effort to mitigate miti-gate tho Inroads of tlmo. The butler served tea In the drawing draw-ing room, but tho detective know that although Carter had been sent to summon both Hobart and Andrew only tho latter appeared and that reluctantly enough. Miles loitered In the hallway below trying In vain to catch s word of the conversation between Miss Hawks and hor former for-mer swain All at once the heavy portiere ported and the visitor reappeared. It was doubtful If she was conscious of the pseudo-houseman's shadowy fg- m lure In tho background as sho made i for the front door, calling back over ! , dioulder with a quick, convulsive I catch of her breath-i breath-i "No, don't trouble, please! I can find my way. Tell Jerusha I 1 Will see her soon. Ooodbyf" It was not the words nor the tone I In which they were uttered' which for a moment hold the detective rootod 1 10 the spot, bu the dazed look of half-Incredulous wonder upon tlfl woman's face and the glint as of ! dawning fear in her eyes, Scarcely had the door closed when ! there was a crash in the drawing room followod by the hiss of flame ;iti,J a man's hollow of profanity mingled with pain. A pungent Oder; of smoldorleg j cloth assailed his nostrils stlfllngly a.i Miles dashed the portieres asld. to bohold Androw tearing off his scorched mat fronTM '',rM .'PI,; an,j $',,-B frf"n bigLsK rtu rn J tia-t:.i,le R ' that thr-legmd r,Mi latter growuul bntith 9 Help mo get this off Mt? never mind the rug.' Mf' ' I am 1 1 1 nl -1 .,,, arf. Ufm jNj sir'!' Miles ventured, 1 1 ""'"'"'d "i Our Vex |