| Show effis ia US aar adam bruce story on tr a trip to ills his old home WW operator inspector tore FBI IOUs buss ran fisl into ills tle tope pre lie sent them out ot to lat an dewain mrs by bee and rated ed an to am P oll tolle P I 1 boned bruce asking itil I 1 and bring state er r at once him to t come the be body dy of a man who trooper thought ill was led f orge bead of found airs tolle had been utilities land and eng stolen been pew yc vl to t nave bave loTif ll bel found in the car A arder was w in e that th belief belie ad espre sd it li carrIeS ope r cad d to in the car balle lr 8 e as employee of 0 holber D J mer er to fo 0 liand alliani al aday holdom wa was 10 lo ad albed ih away do in new york ct h s CHAPTER VII exclaimed d in a mild exas vs tope know dian didn t the doctor V pera T alo holdom must have he was who clothes his labels in had h ie letters ettes A doctor that will keep something 0 man for three days an unconscious conscious im trying to find out who he is I 1 s without know needs look and let his e into X afati told his office ce hed had e smashup smash up cumberland volunteered smashup smash up smashup smash up tope re apted exasperate exa exasperatedly edly a lie he clatl fitl he and lefforge ledfors Led forge e started up lere here together with keu kell driving came back to his office lefforge Led forge monday day mo morning riling with no word of I 1 kell came home with a s smashup smash mash up no word of a smashup smash cupl up the car showed no signs of a smashup smash cupl up 1 it make sense mat A holdom told his office hed be there tomorrow said cumberland tope looked at him if he was unconscious conscious cn in this doctors hospital he be telephone from new york on saturday he said telephone cumberland echoed some one telephoned telephone dl tope reminded him irritably telephoned the police at and said he w was as holdom and that his coupe had been stolen holdom must know something lo cumberland said ill send for him get him up here as soon as he is able tope nodded of course I 1 guess better send dan he decided dane as soon as holdom can travel bring him up here hes a material witness anyway make him come joe and cumberland turned toward the door but there they met bee dewain the girls face was white and strained she would have spoken tope with a sudden violence lence of words urged dane and cumberland toward the car and tonly when they were gone did he turn tum to bee now miss dewain he said gravely 1 I judge youve got bad news she nodded 1 I telephoned ed priests camps she said unhappily mr eberle eberlys Eb erlys not there they tont dollt expect him they heard from him tope whistled softly where he planned to go yes where he always goes going where he said b be e was tope wagged his head child he ebald said gently aly 1 I ought to y asked YOU to telephone up there its just a bad habit of mine working ung on a business like this te fe check anyone STATS tells me anything up and if see its so ive astorr a ing notion torr to do that with mr this eberly As A has hae far any as t ff d where he is he e chuc wonder touched her arm dont don bever ever about a fisherman he urged iia 4 more y v than OU u cant rely on the them T the brook you can on trout in that at letter did ld you think to fetch e said was her ban d here it is aked jaw tape unfolded the single sheet he at the the letterhead then read re SS crawled words aar carl week A about out som e fishing this shall trout gatto ought gh tto to take hold b allne we try the pond ru be teso time d ernson wednesday aft f I 1 to C anle about half past i that ahn 31 will ij let iet us catch the evenin 10 g rise T r ya better plan stay y the SaLt night in tf case we it till dark mawer no need of 19 you e this because bause ii if ilu not there by 7 four fou thirty lac ad alone ne heres luckl luck the leddy old tb inan wcarl is mr Y jfe ae dage ne wrote this eh that t himsel ft rully leallus she he wa watched ached him almost ial and k 1 I burt e her returned the letter ater to her i hand now dont you ly e W III t at W urged ogain again mr eber and h as h he asked ked earl disappeared ais essl appeared Ppe ared has he bee answered him in some surprise mr i s why yes HOW did you know mrs priddy wanted him to come and peel potatoes for supper but lies gonel just simply s van dished into thin airl tope nodded chuckling E earls aels 0 out treading spreading the news he assured assure her 1 I guess e ta the excitement is due to 0 start he predicted country folks have tongues like a lot of dom inoes you set one of them wag wagging and you wag them all ill go after him bee isa int promised P J find i halml him snake make him be still she hurried away tope 70 sat 1 down on the edge of the bed 1 L im getting old he confessed going to catch a nap before suppertime supper time he lay down and mrs tope covered him over and made him comfortable lor for table As tope had guessed earl priddy was busy when joe had asked for inspector tope earl was startled into a curiosity that would no longer be denied an hour later after I 1 k sh h h he be whispered sh h h various investigations which included a secret survey of amadas farmhouse he came almost at a run to the store in manderson Mad derson village he went directly to the telephone and called the district attorneys office in north manderson Mad derson and asked for joe dane of cumberland himself earl stood in some awe but not of joe dane joe was not therel there I 1 well awell you tell him earl Prid dys g got ot some news for him earl said vehemently something mighty important about this case out here hell know what I 1 mean you tell him to see me quicks kuicks he caal and only then did he turn to recite his tale to the audience that while he phoned had been quick to gather close behind him while earl thus brought the news to manderson Mad derson village that there was a dead man in the small back room at amasa debains Dew ains inspector tope was still asleep mrs tope on guard beside him 11 he did not stir till the supper bell roused him and a little later he and mrs tope came down to the mill bee met them apologetically getic ally 1 I dont know whether well get much supper or whether it will be fit to eat she explained earl get back till a little while ago and mrs priddy had to peel her own potatoes she may take it out on us I 1 tope guessed priddy probably IF went to spread the news when bee returned from the kitchen her eyes were troubled mrs I 1 PI priddy addy says earl knows all about it she confessed he saw the dead man up at uncle amasa s peep peeped e d in the window and she 1 I dont said with a rueful gest gesture ure to told id know how he knows but he mrs priddy t the he dead man was found in Fara faraway 1 at adam her she added looking twink twinkling ling faintly earl claims eyes he has some iff imf important octant information JI joe cle danel to give that hes going dont inspector tope so if you and read hurry jot joe W will ill be the one to the riddle e after all grinned joe c read adam 1 he told in large type cyp el alphabet aliphat let the confidently and andeara An dEarl earl t her information if he saw it know under d im dim afraid youve always but then retorted rated JO joe e P Is she tATUM sg M you dont know much about criminals real youve a hoying J innocent ament S spent your r time mrs tope watched them an d adam amused protested bee I 1 claimed never eberly had crime done committed any the bank had anything wrong but to be closed to all the protect depositors bonds those utilities he fiks was looked ff inspector Led it at tope T KS I 1 for in got decked checked a about startled that himself way it lefforge forge stuff als eberlys Eb eberly erlys barik do you y that suppose ruined alfon bee 6 uttered T an a indignant tod ignant exclamation excy adam bruce if you try to tn pretend that mr eberly eberby y adam shook his head he grinned at her no bee are he said youre a stubborn noun g hussy sy and no one can beat any sense into you but eberlys Eb erlys all right tope he threw th au all his own mone money y into the bank made every sacrifice possible to help save the depositors he looked at a 1 the girl el in m sudden concern bee ee he asked it e you dont tk think possible that he would no no she whisper whisp whispered eQ 4 hes to 0 she was interrupted the door burst open 0 violently y here was larl earl priddy p his eyes wide and goggling with excitement his hands shaking he leaped into the room and banged the door behind him and set his shoulders against it his hig hands outspread to press hard against the panels sh h hl he whispered sh h lit hl bee said reproachfully earl youre dont be a nuisance nui sancel go out of doors 1 49 not me said earl priddy hotly 1 I dont go out there again tonight no sir not me some one pushed at the door from without and he fought to hold it shut the door bulged and adam leaped that way there was suddenly d e aly a weapon in the young mans hand he thrust priddy aside and earl stumbled and fell and adam jerked wide the door his gun ready expecting anything but he saw only vade and isaac murrell and mrs murrell and the twins I 1 clustering curiously there pale and alarmed they recoiled before adams weapon and earl scrambling to his feet cried come int in come in quick everybody shut the door lock itt it theres a man in Fara faraway half a dozen people had heard earls announcement tope regretted this but regret did not impose on him inaction he said briefly A adam darril and with young bruce beside him he started up the drive toward faraway 4 there was never in tope any particular capacity for fear if he knew danger lay ahead he was not above taking precautions for there was no arrogance of folly in this man but tonight he had or seemed to have no feeling that it would be dangerous to surprise the intruder in faraway he made haste to C ome come to the cabin and before adam could intervene he had thrown the door opeland open and stepped f firmly in night had by this time almost fully fallen and the interior of the c cabin abin was dark yet there was light enough for t them hem to see the bed that bed under which a body once had been bestowed bestow ed all in disorder with blankets and coverlet and mattress in a heap upon the floor and a man with a lighted mate match h in m his hand staring down through the springs at the empty space below the man at their entrances entrance whirled and the match went out but adm adam snapped on the lights then balser vade came up on the P behind the them in and tope turned and saw him said curtly vade go te tell ll 11 miss dewain to cumberland OT tell him to call eviat come here he added and vader dont you come bacal hello kell he said twitched as though the big man birg some secret agony tormented but he made r LO move nor sound here tope a what are y you ou doing asked the di Il wanted answer a came place to steep sleep im I 1 m hunting work walking looked a t the others s hoes tope though they had wet with de W now ana SS S touched been S faintly the inspectors dusty then arm nodded whis in his ear tope assented ampa he course dof he this is kell all right tient lY man again mustached faced the out re 11 then he kalcl on the coun 1 ook f woric tt tramper ag night 0 1 T thought you a jol h Y au for ing you have yssay steal a nights alee p here 11 money Is th a t Y oraid st ory not anno oth e the tes when and said roadam turn out awer tope his pockets pocket CONTINUED 1 TO BE |
