Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-22

preparing breakfast. He greeted me mos
some three-quarters of an hour distant, and
not to disturb my host, and at the same time
to begin my days work, went out into
the open air and walked in the direction OF
the hotel to receive the report of Policeman
Blind, who had presumably watched all
night. and to dismiss him for few hours
needed sleep. He had nothing very valu-
able to report. Guests, male and female,
had left the hotel and returned to
it, but not the particular woman
whom he had been ordered to watch.
A light had burned in her room all night,
and all night the shadow of a woman
sitting in an armchair had been thrown on
the down-drawn curtain. The shadow had
not moved for hours, and 1t was still visible
until the sun rose and swallowed the night
shadows 1 glanced up at the room; it was
over the yeranda roof, but saw nothing, of
course, but the down-drawn curtain. Just
above this room was an open window and in
it was a spray of golden rod. While 1 was
gazing at it caught glimpse through the
open window of a pretty-faced, black-haired
maiden, who was none other than the wom-
an had met the day before on the veranda.
A charming, innocent face, but could not
admit it just then for again thought ofmy
dream.
"Golden rod tranquility; asters. dangerr'
I repeated aloud, and thoughtfully.
"Were YOU there?" asked Policeman
Blind; his foolish face filled with astonish-
ment.
"What do you mean?" 1 asked with
dignity.
"Why, SIR" he answered, "while was
watching here last night a woman came out
of the hotel, and as she was muffied up so
couldn't see her face. thought first it was
the woman I was set to watch. 1t was a
black. dark night, and 1 followed the
muff1ed-up figure for space. 1t came down
the road and was met by a man in a big
overcoat, with the high collar pulled about
his ears and face. The two walked back
toward the hotel talking in whispers. They
stopped at the hotel steps, and heard the
woman say:
Golden rod in the window means tran
quillity; asters danger"
"As usual, nv dear Joan. Golden rod
tranquility; asters danger" The woman
entered the hotel again and the man passed
down the road; but somehow or other the
thing stuck in my memory, and as l watched
kept repeating, "Golden rod tranquility;
asters DANGER" like machine.
HE called her Joan?"
"Yes, and that is what proved to me she
wasn't the woman / was watching; for you
said her name was Amelia-AmeliaG Glaye"
would you know the man again?"
"No; for 1 didn't particularly notice him,
and then, wasn't told to watch any mani"
The fellows stupidity was exasperating;
but with our police system run by politi-
clans, and merit and skill deliberately kept
in the background, what can you expect? I
dismissed the man until evening, and then,
with last glance at the open window,
trotted back to the doctors cottage.
put different Interpretation on my
dream now, and saw in it more truth than
nightmare The hard nut 1 was at that
moment trying my teeth on was: Did the
doctor surreptitiously meet the black-haired
maiden, and if so, what was the cause OF the
midnight meeting? Was the black-haired
woman's named Joan, and who was she, and
what was her antecedents? Was this last
discovery connected with the murder that
had determined to unravel? These questions
were more easily asked than answered, but
though the fog was deepening around me
did not despair. For one thing, deter
mined to keep an unblinking and pro-
fessional eve on the doctor and his doings
without letting him suspect.
DR.. Brandt was waiting breakfast for me,
and he good naturedly grumbled at my DELAY,
especially as the 'omelet souff1ee" was in
danger of spelling. 1 was as hungry as a
hunter, and, as an appetizing odor was all
around me, temporarily forgot my profess
sion to ply my knife and fork like a man. 1
was not tempted by the airy omelet, which
the doctor said was '1ignt as a woman's
sigh," but I hung on the solids, especially
the mushrooms on toast and the Hamburg
steak. Nv host talked gaily, but his humor
was forced; every now and then he uncon-
sciously stopped speaking for a second or
so, and his attitude and expression suggested
that he was listening. He talked on indif-
ferent subjects, and purposely followed his
lead to see how long it would be before he
referred to the murder. Once when he was
giving me an elaborate account of Heidel-
berg he suddenly broke off to ask:
"Did you sleep well, my friend?"
When l answered, "sound as q top
cloud seemed to lift from before his face.
1.-THE waves plash, plash, plash ever" ne
said, "and 1 feared the sound might disturb
you. 1t did me at first"
81 like the sound, doctor. But what 8
wonderful place this is for golden rods and
asters." continued innocently. 1.-THE fields
round about here this morning are all gold
and white. I shall take big batch back to
the city with me when 1 60"
"Shall you go soon?"
81 shall send a description Of the man
Durand down to headquarters, or, rather, to
be exact, I sent the description down last
night bv one OF my assistants"
$50! You have assistants here?" he asked
in surprise. "I thought it was your pride to
unravel the mystery alone"
"I cannot be everywhere, and so have a
man watching the hotel, and two or three
others in different situations"
exaggerated for special reason Of my
own.
"Have you received any fresh informa-
tion?"
This time his anxiety was badly con-
cealed.
Enough, doctor, to warrant me in the
belief that the murder hides a greater mys-
terry than I at first suspected. The man
Durand could tell great deal, but just
now he is out of my grasp. The mature and
pretty Amelia Glaye could tell me great
deal, and shall pay her another visit to-
day; but I now believe there are other
people mixed up in the crime who could tell
me great deal if they wished"
"You know them, my friend?"
81 will discover them in good time. At
the present moment the woman Amelia
Glaye interests me most; she and the woman
Joanr'
1 said this at random, but with delibera-
tion, and was rewarded by seeing the doctor
drop the spoonful of cream that he was
raising to his lips. He quickly recovered,
but not before 1 congratulated myself on
my subtle diplomacy.
"Who is Joan?" he asked calmly.
"You shall hear all in good time, doctor.
Just now am working to surprise you"
"Lecoq Fox" he nodded approvingly.
tsYnn deserve the name Ahl hnt the unilfu