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Show I S ATE L O ST RANDim' (Continued FVom Our boat (ssui I I cannot understand nhout those slippers, Bergeant Barry," she said. I ' They're they're soaking wet. 1 are-n't they? I don't know how they canio t ') be here." "When did you wear them last?" "I couldn't say, not since 1 left I Paris, anyway. They were ttight-: ttight-: fully uncomfortable, and as soon as I reached homv 1 threw theni out. I or at leost I told Martha to do so- t i eannot understand how they came to ) be still here In the room and In that condition. They must have been I worn out in tho rain " "Sergeant Barry," she murmured. I "I am very ill. Has the coroner per- formed the autopsy yet? Do they I know how my cousin died?" He paused for a moment. Should 1 he tell her the truth nnd let her know how the evidence was piling up! a k.i in st her? "MISS Laurel Tudor died from in-i , h-illng o noxious ga.s which caused ' Kuffoc.it km and which we believe t" hive been generated out in the gar- age here." he said slowly. 'That j gas war. In some way conveyed to this , reom and administered to your cous-I cous-I in." "But how could that be? she cried wildly. -Why was I nut killod. too? Oh, f understand now what vou mean al)OUl thosi slippers: Vou think that I wore them out id the garage last , night in nil that storm ,mr did this terrible thing! Wh could someone elho not have thrown them there undr the bod. thinking that thevi would not be discovered until an op-' Iportunity came l. dispose of them1 Why, if I were guilty, would 1 leave 'thorn where they could be so readllv, found ?" "Why WOUld anybody?" he eoun-i tered ' swiftly. Who else In this household cm wear vour sllnnera Miss Tudor?" Tor an Instant, as this irrefutable! fact confronted her. the pirl tood Ntarinc at him as though hereft of he,- senses. When she .pnoke her voice was carefully guarded "1 hail not thought of that sor- ceapt, hllt you ore right. ,, . s" One .l:-.- in the fainllv could have -i rh-m; but whet hoi ypu believe If 01 not. rt me asure you that I did not wear them lst night, or at any ; time within the past two r.r three Weeks, and f am utterly Innocent of any knowledge of my . ounsln "1 have brotncht no accusation isainat y0u, Mjj,, Tudor." the ,ir. treetlve reminded her "You have Identified the slippers -is Vour for- mer nroperty, and though they are I wet and inud-t:Hnd j ou fl.,ort v';" " "' ha.i (hen, )n ,.6kpii That Is the Situation an It stand" and I do not propose to annoy you with further ouestli nlng. I am sorry that you are ill T i . I you Speak of It to Doctor Green or tho coroner'"' "No. it is nothing My ben.i f)t f.ueci and congested, and I discovered dis-covered after the excitement had died d.-wn a little, that it ached vio-B?td vio-B?td "I I've had oeld fits of dizziness, too. but I am sure: they will pass wav presenth " GO and rest, by all means. Mies Tudor. Barrv held the door open for her to pass hlrn He rtUOk the little slip -1 wr( i and mud y as they were Into his hlu nocK-eis and dasrended the tair to I-?.' Ik" :l,Pr,ff Ftl" 'n consultation iwitli th bereaved mistress of th house while the profeesor was waik- Ins m and riown on the porch evl- dently awaiting the others pleasure ... depart. 'Trofessor there is something I am anxious to find out about" Barry began. "What effeel would carbon monoxide have upon one who hud onlv rendered insensible hv It or hod merely received a whiff of it " 'Headache dlsslnses and nausea are the Immediate resultM if the vr. tlm reviv.-s." Professor f?mvonov responded "nest nnd tresh air will work their own cure in a Mhort I Irn-e Barry re-entered the house, to find the sheriff (frazlntr with a nuzzled ex ' Sreaslon at Mrs. Tudor, who was retreating re-treating ap the staii-s 'Have you discovered anvthint: new?" Barry smiled. "NO, I Invent'" said the sheriff tastily I've b. en talklnc to her for thf het part of nn hour and final)" i managed to et it out nt her rt poe-ms that though her niece, who iu mourning for her brother that WOel killed at the Mont, wouldn't appear formally al the dance. m,s. Tudor ihoug-ht she oausrht 'laht of her outl 1 on tho porch. She wasn't sure, und she wouldn't for the world have us th'nk anything against the girl, but I could tell as plain as day that she suspected something against tho girl, oven though she wouldn't admit It." The sheriff paused for breath, and 1 '. irry demanded "You mean that sin- thinks her niece overheard that talk about carbon car-bon monoxide and went directly and put it into practice?" "Well. It wOuld explain why Miss , Fay wasn't effected." it was late afternoon when 8er genat Barm returned to tho Tudor estate. He went behind the garage and to the rear of tho tea house. At his approach he had discerned a slander black-gowned figure seated upon the steps of the little toy struc-turi struc-turi and beside It a man with a pair of crutches at hand. lie recalled the epsodS of the morning, when h- and the lieutenant had come upon tho same couple, and the young officer had disclaimed all knowledge of the stranger. Barry crept softly around the -ido of the tea house until ho had reached S point where ho could see Without being himself fieen. He hilled In time to hear Pay Tudor remark "So you see. I'aptai,, Warren, what! a fix I'm In. Tims. hpp.-rs would be enough evidence n them, elve s t..' send me to prison. I suppose. nd . that silly affair with Harry Cadmus two years ago. of which i have told1 you. would furnish a motive Oh It I Is h!e a horrible nightmare! T6 Del suspected of such s terrible crime and that against tho little cousin II ed! Her voice broke, as though she found herself unable to continue, and again the dtSCtlVS marveled. Was the girl a consummate actress. or was hers Indeed 'he RTiei and humiliation humili-ation of being unjustly assailed? Tim captain evidently had no doubts on that score for ho took onei of her hands In both of his. and she made no effort to withdraw it "Thnt what I have come to vou for this afternoon, to save you from even the breath of suspicion, if I can.' "Captain Warren!" There was a pause, and then she added softly. "Did I tell you the other dav that I wi ni in the locked room where he to sleep and where all his be Ion tings w hich you so kindly j brought home to us have been placed? T saw his helmet and a hand I r vide and even bis g.is mask but i there was stains upon It: It all seemed to bring him back so closely that I had an uncannj feeling that i be must be hero in the flesh, some-! i where near' ' B for- the paptain could reply Barry strode bobih around tho corner, cor-ner, pauajng m conclusion 'hat I would have done credit to nn ivtor. ! "Captain, this is the young police. "I cannot understand alout those slippers, Sergeant Iiarry officer from town, of whom I spoke Sergeant Barry, Captain Warren.'' The captain bowed .stiffly, ''apt.'un Warren, I njpuoM- ou .ue familiar with the details of tho crime?" "Miss Tudor has told mo all she knows. tho captain responded houghtfully "Have you any possible thoory to advance? I confess i should bo grateful, for this seems the most inexplicable in-explicable case I have over encountered." encoun-tered." "How ariout that chap who ha i.ren wandering about. Stealing l.ilhes in. i foot! and entering houses at Will without leaving any trace'' I should think ho was the most likely suspect if he were mentally deranged, de-ranged, for this muveer appears to have been such i purposeless one." 'a ptain Warren pondered for s mo- inent "To mo the most puzzling part of tho whole affair is how It was possible tor one girl to be gBOSSd ind tho other espSps Perhaps that is tho most easily explained of all." he observed, and with a few perfunctory remarks he left them, his brain On fire, with a fresh inspiration Porn of the chanod use of a single word. Gassed' line mrl had boon killed b the Inhalation of noxious gas, and the other. sleeping near, had gone unscathed - and there had been a gas mask in the house' Barry entered thu house by the I i.ii. k way ano simc upstairs. i The dimness of tho room at first mads everything Indistinguishable to hia ej os, but gradually ho saw the mantel with the gus mask upon It-Approaching, It-Approaching, he picked up the cast ' containing the mask . carefully to preserve any possible linger prints anil as be upened it i faint hut unmistakable un-mistakable odor assailed his nostrils, the odor of carbon monoxide gas! CHATTER IX Sergeant Larry turned the gas mask i case over and over In his handr. His Intuition had been right after alR Pay Tudor was Innocent beyond any doubt, foi hael she asphyxiated her cousin hi need not have gone to the trouble I of donning tho gas mask: she could slmpls have closed the windows and doors, allowed thn carbon monoxide to escape nnd left tho room until it had done its work , As ho took tho meek from Its case he noted that it had not been replaced re-placed In tho proper manner, but had been thrust In with every el-dence el-dence of baste. A careful examination examina-tion revealed no finger marks upon tho mask ltsolf, but upon the case ; several wore visible He crossed the hail to the room In which the tragedy had occurred I There he commenced an elaborate I search. Hlsefforts seemed to moot with no I succors. for. shaking hiR head j doubtfully, he entered the bathroom, j where he scrutinized the shelves and I medicine chests. At last he seized upon a small pasteboard box and opened it disclosing dis-closing half a dozen white powders wrapped separately in a filmy eub-smne eub-smne resembling ollod paper. With a little exoinmajiop 0f satis faction his hand fell nr. on a tinv proeelaln jar with a foreign label", and as ho gingerly unscrewed the top a faint odor of fresh rose leaves floated out upon the air (Continues! hi Our Next Issue) (Copyright, i!?;. xka Service) 1 |