| Show I 1 L th 01 hAt e louse house of 0 three ahree u kindamo ain damo L by IRVING BACHELLER Popy rAt fer by irrine babil tann V service serle CHAPTER XIII continued 23 93 tild did jou you leaa learn who paid him shad aked yes ye 3 the name 1 I ava an not quite ready to disclose you and I 1 must go tomorrow and make a careful survey vf pt the premises of robert alto royce ce within twenty four hours I 1 think that we shall hare bays our oar man in jall jail meanwhile we must keep still and step alep softly I 1 1 have some news new for yon shad began we wa are anra at the end of the mystery i shad told of cl the doctors strategy with the unfortunate girl and of tho the taking of the photograph with i the help of magnesium and powder bowde r at night he recited the dialogue that he had overheard he presented the sealed eni envelope elope to his friend saying there Is the photograph I 1 have bavi not B een it the doctor tay says that it shows the murderer hi he Is sure gura of that colonel blake broke the seal meal of the envelope and looked at the photograph Q G d I 1 he exclaimed as he put it back in the envelope ho he walked 4 u aal down thoughtfully a ibi serious lookin look in his face he ha resumed alg hissett seat ak this la Is important I 1 lewd he said the talk yau you over beardi and the photograph ate are the the chain its a remarkable atory Etory and theres therea a great in i the boy restrained his curiosity in tale the moment 0 of silence that followed it was broken by y tho the colonel who said my damy boain boy in this whole matter you have rendered 6 me a great service it has been bee the ark work of a man and a brave roan man at tact heart my rule Is to keep d decisive e evidence to myself until the one it affects Is under arrest but aj 1 I think that you hie are entitled to see that photograph if you wish to 1 i I bow fo your judgment sir I 1 can watt wait well Y you 0 i will not have ve long lonc to wait how did you get on W with ltv bick back stoner i shad took from his pocket Ae little essay that he had written on the I 1 foundation of cf the common law the colonel read it carefully again you have surprised me he be said laid it to Is excellent 1 I dont aint mean to ibay eay that it Is above criticism but your ideas are well expressed andybur and your judgment of the value of the actors factors Is singularly mature it ita la Is like llie that of ii a roan man j shad was quick to take tak his cue he said bald colonel blake this compliment la Is very welcome you ou told me 6 ona onca that I 1 was brave well I 1 sin am going to be braver now than I 1 have ever been the colonel turned toward the boy whose face was red with embarrass piete neati he asked shad what Is it 1 I am in love with filth your daughter some borne time I 1 want to marry her it the will have me I 1 want to ask he her ra to walt wait for me until I 1 am old enough it if I 1 have done anything worth chig oh ig tt it Is because I 1 loT loved edher her and danied wanted to win her admiration the che colonel laughed my mi ba boy Y I 1 know how you feel he said it ita d terribly serious feeling I 1 ca ka beay now that the court reserves its decision at present let us confine our thought to the main issue Iam I 1 am weary with much travel and must havar k vj res C ril rii go to bed androu and sou go to YoUr lodi inga tomorrow will be a busy bov dayi 11 for or both of us ns I 1 shall get a good team in the morning and call for you pt tight eight next morning shad lila derove drove to ash ashi k hk i field with colonel blake and the sher j iff 19 they stabled theli their horses the colonel asked shad to telephone to doctor gorse and learn it he had bad any news to report the doctor answered tell y youra furj thief chief that I 1 must rous tsee see him this clorn i ing and that 1 I will alli meet him at the fhe westminster hotel within the hauel hour they waited in the ahe hotel office until the doel doctor loi arrived acl t then the colonel the sh erlof and the boy proceeded to the f robert royce boyce ilia colonel adar addressed bessea him in k L serious tone royce hoyce the time has hai come when 4 must mus have a frank talk w with th you 1 ha eald you will save your sett ras if you lock your yourd apor por ani and draw the shades there can be no interruption of these h i royce boyce changed color r til in tat a 1 fright fruiht X T ened voice he be inquired AV what has 1 happened I 1 A 11 1 I way may have to arrest ajie have eil evidence dence enough to mak makey lot of i trouble if you lie he to ime f uffer suffer for it what IW I 1 M from t you LB Is the truth and bcd the whole ji 11 wim warn you du not to concer conce abany any part parta par tp pl it dont make a try ry top to fool me it wont worlo work t t j IN what ba have ve I 1 done royce asked thata nava exactly what j 1 want to know blake anaw answered rd tad a re 14 a critical position I 1 take it that you do co not want to be arlea tried for M murder or for co complicity m elty in m 1 murder I 1 royce exclaimed yes you cannot prove prote an alibi moreover you had bad a motive as the only heir of your mother you were intimate with the crooks crook algyre who has hai made a of his bis part in the killing of oscar perry and the attempt to put pot it on bumpy brown royce had risen to ills his feet with a distress distressful fa countenance my GA G A d sirl sir I 1 he be exclaimed 1 I 1 have been a fool but I 1 had nothing rio thing to do with that crime what can I 1 toll tell you yon blake demanded tell me all that you know about the girl carrie brown prodding me with a hot iron he began but ill tell your you everything I 1 know III HI tell you she la Is a daughter of old bumpy brown she came on to live lire with her father nearly two years ago I 1 was a friend of the old man he lived in town and wits was drinking hard those days she be happy with him arid afeld he was in no shape to take care oi of her I 1 fell in 16 love with that girl royce stopped 1 ne ile leaned forward his hl face in his bis hands when he spoke again his voice showed signs of emotion 1 I never know what it meant to be in love until I 1 saw raw her he went on 0 n my uncle guve her a job in hla his shop in malone the work was hard she 0 what do I 1 know about the murder of oscar perry like it she was not very well I 1 got her a place in the store in south bolton it was vas a healthy country she liked it I 1 went to s fe her once a week I 1 atooli her out riding i stoyil royce p paused sed again colonel blake asked were you engaged to her feell ell 1 I h had ask asked edher her to marry me she had riot promised to do it I 1 began to ice gee fihe ald not care as much for jo z me e as I 1 hd cpr her I 1 would have gone through hell for her by and by I 1 learned that she was keeping company with another man I 1 find out who etwas it was I 1 was told that she would walk off in the woods alone sunday evenings eveni figs and meet maet him I 1 am was fond of him he love fier fici as much as i 1 did certain 1 Royce royl ook out buthla his handkerchief and wiped lits eyes I 1 I 1 I 1 he seduced her the tha young man went vant on by and by jhb was in trouble bla I 1 had ad quit going to see gee her hubs hub A I 1 ote mathe ma 11 the t truth ruth and said that g e ip t bedone done the jhb giri had no friends I 1 went up there cheri I 1 stay away I 1 felt sorry I 1 lowd hb h er Msp teof all s chehad done she I 1 W aie 4 tc go aotoa 16 A fid midwife wife up in aha the wodai she wahter to hide the dis disgrace gr ae as ai as possible I 1 took hurthere her there she had bad a baby and came cacao hear 6 dying in 9 istook by baher her I 1 too took k docto eardy r gorse 1 up there fite to see her he vudhi fla life V aras and went to glde and tool ids hand band saying yo chave ae told the truth like a mah you ou ie i e the truth but rw cited anted to bear it t frontu you ov I 1 have 0 o only ippe dipre more q question to ask when yoa ial ased saed i yow your revo revolver I 1 veri ct cartridges 9 i had yau yon no suspicion of the rAl gyre was As jn in the shop chop the day of 0 the murder lie he told me that while 1 I was out on an errand that day bumpy brown came in and went lack back to the office I 1 made up my mind bumpy had done the stealing colonel blake answered i 1 I am satisfied the sheriff was speaking ot of the admirable attitude ot of the young harness maker toward the unfortunate girl when a loud rap shook the door immediately the tha rap was repeated you may open the door and resume business said colonel blake pardon the interruption the door swung open revealing oy cy rum rua doolittle ask him to come in said bald blake hes just the man I 1 want to see rm im in a hurry I 1 said doolittle as he entered with a serious look in hla his face the colonel stepped behind him closed the door locked it end and put the key in his pocket he turned to the newcomer and said doolittle if I 1 were you id be in a hurry myself I 1 think that youve been in too much of a hurry all your life the day has come when you must sit down and think it over doolittle had bad turned pale im due in griggsby in an hour hp said looking at hla his watch his dark eyes were troubled he stroked his brown beard abard you ton are overdue at the county seat blake answered what do you mean As if making a random remark lemarb about the weather the colonel answered 1 I mean that you are going to jall jail this morning for the murder of oscar perry there was a little convulsive convulse ve movement in the figure of doolittle in a second his muscles tightened he ha stood erect A look of indignation on a background of death uke ilke pallor masked his tam face me he demanded what do I 1 know about the murder of oscar perry blake answered calmly sit down doolittle dont try to make me believe that youve lost your memory why are you so excited pull yourself together and sit down and listen doolittle slumped into a chair he il 0 clasped his fingers around one knee and sat eat with his chin upon his breast breathing deeply as ahe be looked at blake the colonel seemed to be touched with a sense of pity he spoke la in a gentle tone for years I 1 have seen been your friend I 1 am still your friend I 1 know your story from beginning to end I 1 know every detail in it I 1 am not lying to you I 1 have the proofs in my possession some time ago you tell fill in love with a pretty girl garl you yott yo tt made her believe that your wife could not live long you gave her money and dressed her handsomely she was young and unwise you won her affection fec tion you began to dally with passion sion it is the most dangerous game which honest people can play you lost your mental and moral balance you staggered the old cyrus doe doolittle fell dead you had seduced the girl you were soon between the devil and the tha deep sea your good judgment and your sense of honor had been burned out of you by the fire 0 f lust just you wrote a lot of nonsense in the girls autograph album I 1 have it here you said among other things this dear deai carrie to Is from one ona who hopes soon to be yours 11 the unhappy man interrupted his tormentor its a lie I 1 he exclaimed in a woeful voice like that of a victim on the rack beads of perspiration were on bl his aror brow 1 I do not wonder that you deny it the colonel went on surely those w wards ards were vere never written by my old friend cyrus doolittle he was waa a smart fellow it was quite another maw man who committed th that at folly a man blinded by his passion he had bad resolved to possess himself of the girl as as soon sa as possible how was waa he to do lt it TO un BB CONTINUED I 1 |
