Evening star., 1907-08-26
XII.
Asbury Rand.

Asbury Rand.
I left the automobile at the garage, with
instructions as to where 1t was to be sent.
I was free now to go -whithersoever
willed, and I wiied to carry out the idea
which had sent me forth into the busy
streets. Less than half an hour later
was in a big Broadway building and an
elevator was shooting me skyward with
frantic New York speed
l got out at the tenth floor and soon
found the room 1 sought. On the door was
this office card
ASBURY RAND,
Private Detective.
I knocked and was admitted.
Mr.. Rand sat alone. ponderng by a win
dow. smoking thick. black cigar. The
office boy who admitted me had vanished.
like the imp OF the magician: I hardly
knew where he had gone. But was pre-
pared for strange dsappearances. secret
doors, sliding panels. human eyes staring
from the eyes Of the pictures on the walls:
If upon my entrance Mr.. Rands chair had
dropped him through the floor | was ready
not to be too much astonished. For was
not this a detectives office, and had L not
read Sherlock Holmes. and Gaboriau and
Edgar Allan Poe? But Mr.. Rand sat quiet
ly in his chair, and the pieces G Office
furniture seemed not disposed to turn
somersaults and stand upon their several
heads.
In another minute 1 was telling my story
ESQ much of 1t I wished to telD. lying
my way through with the perspiring cour
age of machete wielder in a tropical
jungle. To better his hearing he laid his
cigar on the window ledge.
Yes. yes, he said at intervals, I
plunged on.
You will take up this case?" 1 asked
Yes. certainly: glad to do So"
And you'll find the proof l want--that
Courtney Lane has been swindling Mrs.
Randolph; that is If such proof is to be
had. of which am confident?"
'Assuredly. If there are such proofs
We'll get them
He rubbed his palms together and
beamed on me when 1 was through. 1t
was his turn to ask questions and mine to
give answers.
when will you begin?" 1 queried, after
he had ceased to question me.
.''Today-at once"
I thought of my limp pocketbook. and
feared he would ask a retainer, but he did
not.
To prove that he valued the commission
l intrusted to him he touched a bell. A
quick young man jerked into the room-he
seemed to come out of the wall: but there
door which l had not observed. and
1 had no doubt he had been behind that
door listening. However. this heightened
my opinion of the detective abilities of Mr..
Asbury Rand. 1 looked at the door to
certain If any little peep-holes were bored
in 1t, but saw none.
Jarvis" said Rand. giving him a PEN
cilled slip of paper, take this to Jones,
and tell him l must see hum at once on a
case Of Importance. If he is on anything
just now. tell him to turn 1t over to
Haney."
The young man jerked out of the room,
vanishing through that door.
Zones Is my most reliable man." Rand
explained. "Ill put him on this case i'm
mediately."
AS left Rand's office 1 reflected with in
creasing confidence that l had started the
wheels of the Juggernaut car that would
eventually crush Courtney Lane.
Mrs. Randolph was still out when l got
back. but encountered Miss Hansborough
Faultlessly attired, the nut-brown maid had
just come in from the street. She looked
at me in a strange way. apparently aware
that had been absent from the house.
Il have taken your advice said. Il
have shown the reporters that there is no
powder in their pstols-but that there is
in mine
She stared an instant. ihen recalled her
words and comprehended.
Tell me about it,
Her brown eyes smiled invitingly, and
she moved toward the sitting room.
What have you done. you reckless boy?"
she demanded when we were in the room
together.
you know what you advised?"
Eyes. l remember something"
GUS report in the Evening Moon. Courtney
Lane inspired 1t. l have just denied it to
a reporter of the Mirror, and have said. in
addition. that Investigations are being
made. which will lead to the arrest of
certain man who has been misapplying my
funds in my absence. Courtney Lane will
know who that man is.
Miss Hansborough was a girl not easily
startled, but she was startled now.
why. Julian!" she protested. Don't
you think that was rather-er-unwise? Mr..
Lane has done nothing out of the way,
really. Kitty and 1 are under many obli
cations to hhn; hope you didn't mention
his name?
His name will not appear in the Mirror"
| assured her.
"Oh. l hope not"
You don't believe Lane has been swim
ding your sister-and you?"
Certainly not. The idea is prepos-
terous."
In vain tried to show her that it was
anything but preposterous.
When Mrs Randolph arrived she bore a
copy of the Mirror and had seen that 'in-
terview.' Her face was flushed to a deep
pink. 1 felt guilty when l saw her with
that newspaper in her hand. Yet L stu
could admire her beauty. for in the light
gray street dress she wore she was very
attractive, in spite of that flush.
Julian she said, having come straight
into the sitting room where l still fingered
with Miss Hansborough, did you say these
things to reporter?'
She could not believe 1 had said any
thing of the kind and expected me to deny
ii.
Yes 1 admitted, Il made those state
ments that is, l suppose l did. Let me
see what is there.
The reporter had been fair; the interview
though much elaborated. had my main
points unchanged. The lion hunting and
the Lake Tchad explorations were fine bits
of romancing.
'Oh we'll! (she laughed and threw the
offending Mirror into a chair 1 thought it
had been made up out of whole cloth by
the reporter
Her blue eyes met the brown eyes of her
sister with an understanding glance Il
knew they would talk the whole thing over
together later) And she changed the sub
ject.
Another side of her character was re-
Veaed to me. Out of the nebulous blur of
impressions, of which at first her p!quant
beauty and her sapphire eyes had been all
predominant 1 was gaining other slimpses:
l was beginning to know her. and yet was
made to feel that l could never know her
completely. Now she was the philosopher.
She was able to accept me and all my sup
posed foibles with that rare complacency
which is the peculiar possession of philu-
sophcal nature and can never be acquired.
XIII.