Show the ce aa a IV 0 aoma A coif ax mr bookplate aw popl M AVON POW tw by AGNES MILLER C by tho centary M 9 SYNOPSIS i on a certain monday mor morning I 1 1 ing visa miss constance fuller seller selle r of tare rare books book s at Dario darrows ws book shop chop new york notices that the first customer la Is a dignified old gentleman who saunters into the alcove placarded pla carded medical works peter durton burton orie one of the employees amazes constance by telling her hadr lie he paid at auction for an old law book containing a colfax bookplate suddenly I 1 i a girls chrle of mur derl rings out the elderly customer la Is on the floor unconscious with his right wrist slashed just before the shrieking girl falls alls in a faint she calls calla out to voter peter keep ILI it keep it for niel mel peters sister nancy began hn that morning working at Dar darrows rowls nancy tells constance of her elopement with brandon tower an elopement which was cut short when tower atten atlen apted ted to make off with nancys suitcase con constance 8 tance explains explain i darrows cold card index s system to captain tain ashland a nephew of mr air darrows they examine the book peter paid 1510 for and ind fand the bookplate to be a forgery tor gery constance Is asked to assist detective almy in hla his investigation of the murder of the elderly gentleman the girl who fainted julia grosvenor Oros venor turns out to bo be hla hia granddaughter daughter sh she can throw no light on the mystery constance calls on julia who seems relieved when told mpr r cry keep it for met mel was not unheeded darrow orders con stance to remove the bookplate from the book CHAPTER VI continued 10 in emulation em dation of tier her cheerful industry ry the water tn in the little aluminum pot began to bubble merril meir lly yand and three minutes later the correct time I 1 believe for tea to draw captain ashland was drinking the brew which with the crown unites tile the british empire the two other gentlemen did not have to be coaxed long to join anin him film so my judgment to in laying in plenty of ten tea proved correct thel the cup tain sat ant hap happily tilly in a firm chair mr air courts accommodated his length of limb to the radiator and mr air case leaned gracefully ona on M filing cabinet all chatting cozily of ond that while the 16 rain descended and the wind blear and nancy contributed a one anft ret net educational sketch cabinet I 1 et fashion with a par partner trier in the he of a messenger boy who cams e ini with toft parrel ia on fifth avenue tills ripping I 1 cried the cap tain radiantly of coursel course 1 know its not manners hut but I 1 have another cup As he be leaned durwurd to pass his teacup his glance fell casually on tile the worn binding of N notes otes still on cop otrie desk tie lie picked the book up t opened the co cover ver and abid again gaz gazed ed with interest at the laboratory inte clr giving on the distant tea sea 1 I iaac fancy miss bliss ruller fuller thinks im never happy unless im shuping same some one alses work and doing none myself hp he observed tills t time rue slie shed was tiff ready to soak ot oft tills ills bookplate bonk plate when I 1 did what you cull chit horned in and asked for another american jea tea pa ltv 11 oa 01 air case smiled I 1 i yes ves were to the old book and beoh pliay sepa athly j hear hezir ono one often does ailes better that way abse observed r ved caption ashland 1 I dont know about p arkes ices here I 1 under stand the honk book was expensive the tred ten dollars it would t fits curious bookplate likely retell horror mid and tilled ny soul find and that of mr roberts Ho berts whai whose se d ntine as the cap rain thus lv to the 1141 atif illi lers tie had whiles ed at al our dar rows in ili ies r q thaia fulir days I 1 the met thit tie mit of 0 the worst fluet in hily hi iiii flig thill tind be fullen the houe holise tor era ahr tilt lind find told him not 1 I nor mr air roberts not fleter etar ns as su lv yel ill fill tolus u twilight rn tit huie hare sooner lhnn the alicie who so an delfre d for sonie some hons to fill tn press him favorably mr fr ow HH equal to the however rhioa ing gs as he did to answer the arst of thi the two questions 1 11 I heard what was wait toi foi the book he said im especially interested in alit bookplate went benl 0 op the finally ate epting ltd fits tea lP tw caune when I 1 saw it here at miss Pi Ful Herc leri desk the he other day when I 1 was study st udy ing your index 1 1 I noted gov hoti am it ft the wart of it one oine of our bort famous en grivers hugh colfax ol fax it 1 was a counterfeit how did you observe that in quiren mr bir roberts yea tea I 1 allf take rake another cup if you please ills ful ter ler and may I 1 look at ai the lit print int cop cap rain it if you have with it but its not noll a print you see halo ath captain I 1 pasing over the hook its really y a drawing un an aw fiill tv clever imitation afif 1 a tine line engrail en endur grair ing ilan hardly oplin nied to say I 1 deleel forgery until I 1 had louten aed nf 81 HIP flip alnie hard a rot col leotti hns ORD c fooled hs hi inferior to tills this one still there are arc suspicious things about it for in stance the papel colfax always in fa vered a pecullar peculiar shido of brown this Is brown eald mr roberts roberta ye yellow allow brown corrected captain ashland and no doubt the best that could he be got but used aged a caal buff bulT tInted poper paper which he col ored by sonie some secret process probably involving walnut juice which however died with him film lie he was a grent artist full of whims ive seen many ot 0 tits prinis all done on that of paper ond and of course on a paper n century or more old ande of linen rags fills ta of modern man made of if wood coffis died about teen I 1 thirty hi arty lie he I 1 inquired yes lie he was about seventy live 1 believe the gave we hie tin nn other reason for doubting the he guthin authan of this thir drawl drawing ng said id te captain looking whimsical IVol fax you yon see bee was a pati patriot lot first and an artist afterward J I 1 laughed lau glie and helped him out Ill lie never enever would accept orders from because he absolutely opposed the revolution and as it seems likely that thi this s old american law book must have been the property pf af an american it seem lively that tile the plate would have been designed by colfax col fax especially added tile the captain ly tho the design Is pictorial As was natural enough in a man with dolfuss dol fass royalist and aristocratic clientele he be almost always made heraldic designs for bookplates that la Is db designs signs aho showing 1 wing ilie family cant apat of arms only gom something ething out of tile the common world mild have led him to make plate if lie he ever did md may y I 1 have a took look at it dow now asked sir air case as mr roberts closed the book to drink his nonsensical tea rattler rather an imaginative picture fir it ball all except the immediate foreground agreed captain ashland I 1 that table covered with old inspru ments I 1 dont recognize many of atheni looks very realistic stid and the alembic and skull are conventional owners symbols used on many a doctors bookplate what the rest of the picture signifies one could hard hardly lytell tell without knowing something about the owner the ship looks realistic to me observed mr air roberts huberts absolutely un able to refrain from differing with some one any longer mahe the owner ansu ans a sailor and what about those gund good strung strong pil hirs mayhe blayde tie ie was an ex seti sn they always build a good substantial house some where to retire to such classic coltin columns ins sald I 1 in for I 1 let mr rob itoh erts contradict and ilot bot do so are often used as a purely convan tenal frame for a picture ure mr air case bodde 1 but alii ahe captain intent onlin making aking another point noticed none of f us lie said and theres nn an unmistakable giveaway in the sit mature did you notice it miss fuller yes I 1 assented the lie circled ser pent la quite wrung wrong yes his tall ij 13 in his fits mouth as it should he be hut bill 1 1 lie ie mouth Is open not closed its ita avery a very strange error 11 ji I 1 I 1 wha wham would this curious bookplate llly i in detail rot aba the e general execution of that of f charat terl situ bold ii a few line lines ot of sh shading bou darful clearness clear clearn nyss erm in the am smallest sliest de tails its just the difference between the master masier nod and ibo imitator another where a closed mouth mauth ipton the part tit i t J sli 11 N lr jr case lightly k tie eclipsed alre k tl mi put ill it m ma hund hand and 69 BS 1 I lato laio it on the desk deak Nj nancys incys cheerful clatter ceased slie site liked at me expectantly I 1 saw she nod nil the he work aa ignec tier lier and was irna libking for more I 1 was wa lust just alit bonnit itil ic r give tiff net sonie seme direel lons whenn sah up oat ciul etly and pointed to a pile of books in front of me 1 shall I 1 take those now she ask asked ed yes please I 1 said and then place them alt all on tile hie wagon to tobe be returned to the shelves she avidly swooped up everything in sight yes thanks to her industry i Clarl hews notes would be Il listed sted after allt alit her enthusiasm tor for work wark seemed contagious the rhe teapot was now drained drained and captain ashlund ashland moved moed that the session should adjourn with a rising vote of thanks and in ina quiren eagerly as ho he took tits his leave lt it I 1 did not really y thank we really ought to have tea ica every adny CHAPTER VII night watch tell me shall you be ablerto uble to sell it the ie book and the bookplate separately for foi uve tive bundi hundred ed an and ten dollars together demanded nancy I 1 find to wait one whole second before deciding what to say and ana it took her fur less than that to transfer her self to the atie large ouk oak choir chair jus va bated by the captain and a thick pile of jurers to my desk please look at my work and tell we me if it Is right so I 1 can go on she requested and what about abou the ove hundred bundred and nd dpn an dollars it if yop want to get on at all you will have to occupy yourself with what concerti con concerns cerni you I 1 said walt wait a minute 1 theres more moie about the book juif nov wilkey nearly died after 11 sald id do what she uld told met me you mentioned that occa and hour ago she asked me to help you though it would be an ordeal especially since I 1 was inexperienced 1 I said I 1 was here to learn besides all my letters were finished though the me other oilier girls then she asked me very sweetly to inquire ot air cose case who was always so nice whether there had been any offer yet for foi that old law book slie site had sent down to you by me on monday afternoon oon she said her cousin magistrate buddes would give a hundred dollars for it if tint would be enough i and you yoli ha have not asked mr case I 1 IN nancy ancy its vulgar algar to and I 1 am really most reff penned as anybody can see when have j I 1 nad huda a chance to ask mr air case I 1 had find only time to stop in tile the stock room and look nt at lel ephone dr dl I 1 rectory while I 1 was g dennis ti to go up and si I 1 found I 1 my u y typewriter would be required affet all and there really Is am H gist rut buddes and now its no use asking mr air case use allas ivings will just have hare to the fart diet thin the hooks honks going into ajl the catalogue osten listen constance where lit aln you keep it why do you wient to know im worried about it on ll Ieter eter fr account I 1 willit want it to be elifet mrytie with a take fake bookplate hell be in n W H worse hole the than n ever Verli perhaps tips if you have it right by you you might have a chance to make somebody buy it for more than alian blag magistrate istrate kuddes would offer I 1 felt touch touched edL nancy dear I 1 promised tim im g going to write the ni mst SI alluring possible pos advertisement of that volume and also of the bookplate boob plate no buddes dball hail lay his marauding ma fingers upon it until the world Is apprised ot of ull all 48 its charms and until buddes or some slin flar juggins biti money to waste cornea comes along it shall remain here in the lowest left drawer of nf my desk nancy gancy vent bat back k to work satisfied we labored inhered slen dily theroun 1 l lie ahn ho ru rus of ard nights nl lits from froin the eve ning ek exodus iodus only for peter did 1 I stop one moment im up ull to li d pl culled called foreside to buy A a tol lot nf hur horrible old trash ite informed nip mp Macre discreetly etly viewing nancys vack back kids doing better eh ashes a great worker I 1 compromised I 1 looked ht at peteer downcast tam face and a thought that had bad mccurr occurred I 1 d to et me over the steaming kettle reverted rev I 1 elt convinced that he be was carrying samo sanio heavy secret burden relating to julia grosvenor Oros venor I 1 had bad novel nevel forgotten that state of frantic alarm which had seized him film on tile threshold of mr cases office last monday though though ever since his bis manner bad been so calm calin us as to be almost unnatural par ticul arly when he and I 1 had been talking to mr almy it if I 1 could have only told him of my visit fisli to julia Julla of her recognition of him in tile the shop tier her relief on hearing that tie had do de died all understanding of her exclamation tat loul 1 but knowing that that visit was I 1 merely said litick buck ua up peter I 1 its up to you to comeback come back from boynes whatever it 13 your shield or on it others con can be relied on an to keep the afie home alrea bar burning ning peter tucked grateful but said nothing for of at that instant nancy swung round and him film ile eie put mans arst farst question to woman when ian are you going home hornet he inquired sternly t II 11 at six ll 11 said nancy sweetly I 1 y viewing liam lil m with calm appraisal constance coche come and have hav dinner with us IN no thank you thank you both very kindly I 1 repented repeated as peter urged ln me brightly Y t if you you wont come to dinner tonight you must come and sto atay q with r i I 1 il 1 f next mi minute I 1 ute a dim figure materialized in the dusk as I 1 turned me all night tomorrow declared nancy tenacious fenne fous as usual of her wishes or ill he all alone ith Vs a fine idea I 1 exclaimed yes it was mine mane said tits hrs sister will you come constance 1 I shall be delighted my dear to help the eight other occupants of the bouse bear you company oue otie fur for you yop nancel nance I 1 cried peter leter well instance constante goodby good by hy till saturday at the aitt Q t im tiff ailt for plymouth ri hiiro ak and way 1 nancy and I 1 worked lone alone tn in the ifie silent shop chop further interruption mhd silence nl nj the big building waa at restful and unbroken save by a distant infrequent rumble of late traffic not until I 1 had find nearly finished df dinner liner sent seni I 1 in n to io me did I 1 hear bear a single sound in the simp shipp then unexpectedly far abnet I 1 heard a taint faint movement it was repeated it came akala agulnik pattering footsteps soam sounded ed on an the left annd alse aisle next a dim figure materialized tn in the dusk as I 1 turned tind to my bellot evet more than my itly surprise I 1 rerun filled sir mr cose nse just hr HP he started hack back jn in close at my left why I 1 alii uklet gone cone to dinner I 1 sali said meitter 4 1 thought you anil tie coun tereci A ni y I 1 else ha tins hos aping to dvork boid I 1 was wa a just doing some bif it rily work now because hee adise I 1 like a lu ia le fe 1111 hour bour the iraln ha has nearly sapped ahi why coopt you go tint out and zet tetter better to etil ent TO BE CONTINUED 1 |