The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-06-12
CHAPTER VII.
MAXEY MAKES A BEGINNING


Tho girl has spoken. Her name is Dye. Hir
father lives in Flood street LAMAR.
Short, opigrammatic, to the point.
"Thoro will bo no answer" said
Maxcy.
He heard the door close behind the
retiring messenger and began to pace
the floor, his hair erect and his necktie
azkcw, whilc his impatient thoughts
Travelled over tho wide range Of possibil-
tiles which the information in the doc
tors letter seemed to open before him.
SIfCly now he was on the verge or the
most important revelations, and yet he
hcsitatcd for tho moment how to act in
the emergency
It was 4 question to him whether it
were botter at once to intrust this mat
ter to those whose business it was to in
vcstigatc crime or to attempt that in
vcstigGtion by himself, alone and un-
aided.
In the first case there would be the eX-
pcrionCo and educated acuteness Of a
craftsman plying his vocation. In the
second case there would be the native
shrcwdness Of Il novice whose heart was
frcd with an enthusiasm, and whose
mind was stimulated by an interest, for
the intensity Of which MGxey himself
was sometimes, III the rare moments
when he INDUCED in self examination,
at % loss to account.
While the artist was still debating
with himself this problem Miss Maxey
camo in. She cried out almost before
she opened the door:
"Oh, Julian, have you heard frcm the
hospital?"
Il have. Annette has spoken. She
has told her fathers name. "
Miss MaXoy uttered a glad cry and
somewhat Gstonishcd her brother by inn
pulsively throwing her arms about his
neck and kissing him.
~ am so glad could cry" she ex-
claimed. "She will get we'll, Julian.
She will getwell in spite of everything!
Tell me the rest at once Who pushed
her from the road? Why did he do it?
Why didn't her father answer the ad-
vcrtisement?"
MY dear sister, you forget that she
must still be vory sick girl 1t is a
terrible operation to survive. Dr.. La
mar told me something Sout it. Ugh!
They have to go into the very brain it.
self"
Miss MaXcy shuddered
Don't, Julian-pleasc don'tP'
Forgive me. forgot your sensitive
ness. Let US come to other things. 1
want to know what you think about q
certain matter that has been troubling
ne. Shall l put this new clew in the
hands Of the police, or shall l undertake
to investigate it by MYSELF"
"By yourself, in the namc Of all that
leads to success How many times have
We been to the police? And what have
they done for Us? Julian, we have tried
them. We know what they can do.
Now try yourself, and if you fall
Yes" assentcd Maxey, "if fail?"
"Why, then we shall see what I can
do"
This was so good a joke that both Of
them-so ignorant are we Of that which
even few days may bring forth-both
Of them laughed
Still | think you are right Ellen.
Our private affairs have been sufficiently
discussed in the public prints already,
1t is about time that we again relapsed
into obscurity. The police includes the
press That is my first objection, and
that decides me. / will go on alone-at
least till encounter something that
looks too big for me to cope with. Yes,
I'll do that, and I'll begin at once"
So Julian MaXoy, the artist, putting
Oh his outer garments, set forth from his
lodgings i'll the gathering dusk of a De-
cember evening to begin the unravoling
of very tangled skein.
Dye! Dye! lam very positive never
heard that name before, " he said to him
self as he went along.
1T is hardly probable that there is
more than one family of that name in
the city"
To assure himself Of this fact as we'll
as to save himself the trouble Of under
taking lengthy task in Flood street,
MaXey went into a store and consulted
directory. He was very much disap-
pointed, though not great deal sur
prised, when an attentive perusal of the
names beginning with by showed him
that no such person as Dye was recorded
in this registry. The possibility of La
mars having made mistake occurred to
him and led him to devise some curious
combinations Of letters which he thought
might be susceptible of similar Pre-
nunciation. But his success was no bet
ter than before Digh, Dygh, Dey and
similar barbarous eXpedients met with
the same disheartening fate. Clearly
there was nothing to do but to plunge
into Flood street and question the in
habitants.
Fortunately this was not an extensive
avenue, but it made up in the density of
its population what it lacked in length.
There was moro humanity here to the
square foot than in 10 streets out of any
average dozen in the city. twas a cross
street stretching between two brilliantly
lighted thoroughfares, easy of access and
not dangerous neighborhood, but per-
vaded with a general air Of dilapida-
ton and thronged with a most hetero-
genous collection of people.
"Cheap lodging houses" thought
Maxey as his glance wandered along the
fronts os the dingy brick structures.
'"Truly l have undertaken q serious
task. l may as we'll begin at the first
house and go through in order. 1 shall
never find out anything by random
queries"
Maxoy did not at all overcstimate the
magnitude of his undertaking. If he
had been on an ordinary errand or in an
ordinary mood, he would have retired
in diapuSt ere hn was half throuph. He