The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-11-16
COSSHWER THREADS g peovcurou seAuDrupvec

slant set foot outside the doorway, for knew he
"2s in the house as be had SAID he would be
The thEeaos IN the hal! At the mead OF The second
stairs were carried away. bat those tie dining
room doorway portleres remained uE1!s14rocd l
put my ann through, got a d"uole-handtIl q t9u1,
and stood in the hallway murchlng it lie thieT!ns
schoolboy hiding in a closet.
Agairss the light cc1ld see film OF smoke float
ing out OF the library doorway. v acn had q2Ile
satisfied my famshcI inner C.arcor. moved sitatly
and slowly along the hail and Startled 10 SEE that
tAT SIX tilIS OF tAe po!t-eEes 23a oeeA 4Ist1oeo
would examine the hail AMI stairway first E.
erythins had been carried away aud lIe thread across
tne front door ct the do-to aPa }Al@n'S Ms So
SO was the thread at the heaG OF the basement.
moved rapidly upstairs again, for LneW that some
one from the lower part OF the house h2d passed up
the stat. way and was SMOKING. or had been snoailg
stepped inside suddenly fully expecting face
to face with either Dr.. Hunuey or CouSh!an. The
room empty, and. seemingly, just we had left
1t the night before, only mere was another IAe0popu-
lous butt in the t.ay and a. t2Iched finger tip to
it found it Was still VA III.
trying to think what my next move should 81, Whsn,
bcra ih saw @ 1 * t' n Fy a my ,5 55Se
closely, saw they were laiI s scientifically ~-ot tie
great feeling of relief rushed over NE. Rand
trim. ing hal followed his Dent the AieAt before,
had thought only of those or the roTteres and in
the 3ind hal,s an4 H. the spjd ass haze a'|a[s b.
clevere5; nan alive, had Ve:y nearly bunelcd the
entire scheme
the walls and the furniture, but the desk
where the white background of the would show
Il began my survey: moving around the room 70
the left, Where the threads straight they had
been undistE bed. and where disturbed o. carried
away. the mysterious visitor had passed. Rand had
thus tracked Nadjians movements in me room dur
ne had done mad been merely TO once more stTaghen
tree. 1t had evidently been opened to examine the
boohs Within From in front of it pathway of dis
stool before the desk The lens showed that feet had
dragged them toward the in approach and then
IF fhn otN,or t,o
The poreres to the front had not been disturbed No
had entered Ma ljian's bedroom, from it,
and in fact. there nothing that had been visited
in the except the des7l and the tee mentioned
save the couch No one h1d lain on it, however A
thread track leading to it was dragged in one way
dropping the cigarette in the tray, had moved to the
couch and had not away. He must still be there
Yet the side appeared to be solid tree with no aper
tue large Knot hole had cornered my
game, and did not know how to close in. | might
easily drag him out but what then? Suppose it
should be Dr.. Huntley instead OF Coughlan? The
wish to humiliate the doctor BY going little slow
ly might find out which it was without letting my
know that he had even been suspected let alone
neatly caught, by Rands cunning devices was con-
somed with anxiety TO go below and consult Rand.
but that would give my opportunity to leave
his hiding-p,ace and appear in some explanabe place
innocsntly engaged, when we came bach Perhaps 1t
would be just well wat until Rand up to
how matters stood, and then by of our little
signas prevent his making any remark that would
inform victim he trapped.
However, it might be hours before Rand put in his
appearance and it was possible that he haa 'eft the
leaving me to shift as best might knew from
it better served his end than to show con-
sideration If remained in the room for hours then
my would certainly know he was caught, and
might disclose himself dramatically.
realized that was in fair way to make a very
fine Of things. Perhaps, after ALL was mistaken
in observations and the co lch contained nothing
The rock at the end and the tree along the side cell
ainly appeared to be entirely solid There was one
way OF ascertaining. l would lie down on the
couch, pretending to sleep read and by listening
carefully would be to detect signs of life be-
meath, IL life was there.
Carefully making careless noise with a newspaper
taken from the file hung tree. strobe over to
the couch re-examinng the silk threads. confirm ing
my first observations and stretched myself al fill
length the bed roll. TOOK the tray with me to
more infinitely examine the cigarette stub
For pc haps half-hour ! could not , lie SO st
CT my body. and the sound Of my own
heart and breathing did preclude chance OF
/ would q,list me I lit a cigarette and b. fixing my
attention it grew very still and distinctly heard
& slight stir below and the rapid breathing Of some
undergoing suppressed excitement was right
still the problem was how decide it was
the doctor Coushlan without leaving the aot
, appeared at that moment could have signaled Il
him to see which Of them downstairs, and thus
have made certain that it the other who wa
under the couch:
Suddenly make myself rigid to Feep from
starting to my feet had, while thinking deeply
the couch II had begun to shoulder. and out of tn
corner OF nv eye caught glimpse or mana IN Us
out to hastily extinguish the ncpient confasration
Another cigarette another fire another appearance
the hand in selfpreservation and would get looi
s the hand. That would be enough.
Acting my part carelessly, / ratified my paper
e tossed about and missed fire on two matches as
lighted my cigarette. I enjoyed it for about FIVE min
utes and then dropped it, with red coal On the end
e fairly in front of the Fnothole. AS soon as th
grass nap began suole hand shot out and sroth
cred the hre-a little hand bearing many Jewels-th
d white. slender hand of a woman!
Y I had trouble in lying still for some minutes
O paralrzed by sheer amazement. Then my bral
e began to work. The whole hypothesis had beef
= wrong-our whole hypothesis. no, Khan NadJian
and mine for though had not the reotest idea VIVA
Rand's had been, had every reason to be sure nov
from process he had pursued that did not co
9 iacide with that Of the Persian But whatever n
Y explanation Of this affair, I was IN a deeper quandar
than 7 had beer before hit on the expedient OF III