Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-02
CHAPTER w.


The Janitor's Story.
Goofrey glanced at his watch. It was
Ai'er O'CLOCK The rain had almost
ceased out the wind was still high. He
turned back to the building and found the
1anitor sitting just inside the door. He
1'au ehoureo the ordeal of induisition by
poiice ana reporters and was rather linn
may use your telephone a moment?"
asked Godfrey.
The Janitor waived his hand toward Tho
Doo'H Hooirey called up his office and
ASKED tnat Photographer and an artist he
' up al once The readers of the Rec
ora demanded Illustrations with every
49, anu the paper always did its best
70 please them, at whatever cost of Iabor
vi money That done, Godfrey
went back to the tanitor and sat down be-
| side him. oe
After all. he told himself. he had &c va.
-, 4i 'he story; he must get every de-
I'm 'iis man. and he saw that It
would be necessary to proceed dauco,o,,,
Tor his companions temper wac e,,,,o.eti.
pduiy ruined. He was a thfck-set choIario
man. with a shortness of breath ,iS
perhaps argued some weakness of tha
momert S%lirey studied him now for a
o ..mti Deiore he ventured to open fire
Wen he began. at last, Won Ioot 90
onougn those fellows had about worn N vo aS
"sj H,gsin nia Is my name" said the janItor
| On. yes; l remember now ru,noso
I -siis,ay you about million questions %
"Tan i Inn,,n, echoed Higgins, with scorn
wasn't SO much that, as that thew uo,,is, !.
oeIeve me when told EN- a thing IT,,
se enSsro t think I was lyin'!'' "e'
Godfrey nodded sympatheticallv
mat does
| agreed agree II feel little upset, myself
wont you try, smoker"
higgins took the cigar
Its agin tn rules" no s,Id. .a.
don't keer; need it, and he Bit off tha
end " III oh the
They sat together for a moment IN s,-
hm listening to the tramp of feet In the
mans overhead, the opening and cIosing 80
doors. the subdued murmur of voices A.
the stalr-foot. beyond the elevator thew
caught glimpse now and then of a no.
liceman pacing back and forth ~
They're searchin' TIL house" obseryod
nIeslns, at last, with a grimace of disdain
| they'll find!'
Nobody there, ehY" 1t was not really
| question; 1t seemed more a sign of polite
interest on Godfrey's part f''
Il ought t know told EN- they wasn't
nobody there. Amt been here ali eyenin'
'cept fer that minute 1 run acrost tn
street? Nobody in nor out. 'cept tn girl
not since o'clock That was about III.
time that there blamed Thompson come in.
| too drunk t stand. He'd never a got home
in tn world by hisself. but they was a fell
| Ter with him. a-holdin' him up
Godfrey was listening with strained at
tention. Ihere were many questions he
We'll. We got him upstairs atween us
An then, when l went through his pock-
cts l couldn't find his key, an had t
his door open. We laid him on his bed an
left him there, a-snorin' like a hog That
Teller who was with him was certainly a
good sort. He set down here t talk t me
a while-it was rafnin hard he couldn't
go-an he said he'd run acrost Thompson
down at Pete Magraw's place, on Sixth ave-
moo. Thompson was treatin' everybody an
actin Ike fool ginerally; then he got bad
an started t clean out tn saloon. an Pete
was going t call a cop. but this Teller said
he'd bring him home-an' so he did,"
Higgins stopped to take breath, and God
frey ventured to put a question.
did you know him?"
mo; / never seed him afore.'
What sort of a looking fellow was her
"a good-lookin' Teller, wel-dressed-no
bum, kin tell y that. He was short an
that turned up at tn ends"
Godfrey's heart gave a sudden leap-so
Miss Croydon had told the truth, after all.
She was not trying to protect anybody. And
the case was going to prove simple one
that it did not possess; that was al
ways the danger with your theorist, he
told himself a little bitterly-he was
forever looking for hidden meanings, for
abstruse clews, for picturesque solutions,
instead of following the plainly evident, or
accepting facts at their face value. Well.
Simmonds certainly would not make that
mistake; he would have little diftculty In
finding his man.
"And then what happened?' he asked. II
suppose this fellow went away?'
"Oh, yes; he stayed here talkin' quite
while-he started t go onct or twice, but
tn rain was too bad. But about eight
o'clock he said he couldn't stay no longer.
rain r no rain. an was jest buttonin up his
coat, when cab drove up an woman
got out She had thick veil on, SOS
couldn't see her face. but from her style
judged she was high flyer. She come up
t me an she says, want t go t. apart.
says I. I wouldn't If you 'WhyY
she asked. quick-like. amt he thereY He's
there says I. but he ain't In no condition
60 up All right. says l. I'm be back
in a minute added t my friend No. he
says. I can't wait; must be goin'.' an he
started toward tn door. Well. good
night says. an stepped into tn car an
started 1t.
81 showed her tn door o. fourteen. an
she knocked. I was waitin at tn elevator.
drunk t hear her an I'd have t take her
down agin: when blessed IL tn door didn't
open an in she walked. Well, sir. was
so dumfoundered l couldn't believe my
down, tryin' to figger 1t out. 1t was mebbe
ten minutes later that heard a pistol shot
an knowed In a minute what'd happened.
That drunken brute had got too familiar
an she'd put bullet In him. Though" he
added refiectively, why, IL she's straight.
she'd go t. his room at all is more'n kin
see."
"was there only one shot?' asked God
frey.
.'Only ONE answered the janitor; but
II sounded like small cannon. 1t didn't
frnrn M erl<y91 ne IA
which Mr.. simmonds picked up In tn cor